arp1

Hello guys, I am looking into purchasing a '07 GX470. It's got a little over 125k on the clock and seems to be in pretty awesome condition cosmetically. However, I do not know what else to look for. I know that the timing belt was replaced around 30k miles ago and there are some maintenance documentations from lexus dealerships which I have not look through yet.

I am just wondering if you guys can give me some pointers on what to look for when inspecting the car. Any help will help.

Thank you and am looking forward on being a regular in this forum.

CAGearhead

I bought a 2003 with 120k on it about a year ago. It had been maintained by the book at the Lexus dealer. Several of the stereo speakers were fried but I got rebuild kits at Simply Speakers for about $25 each and it sounds like new now. One of the air springs was leaking so I replaced both with Lexus replacement parts for about $350. These jobs were not too difficult if you have the tools and a little mechanical aptitude. I also added a bluetooth adapter and HID headlight bulbs. Not sure if those are an issue on the 2007 but they made a big improvement in my 2003. Lots of info on all of these topics on this forum. I'm expecting to get at least another 100k out of mine without major problems and wouldn't hesitate to take off on a cross country trip.

2008

Definitely look on the Lexus owners site for maintenance history.

Things to look for:
Underbody rust .. the biggest single deal breaker IMO. A little is ok but if it's getting bad pass on the car.
Check out the rotors and try to get a feel for braking .. front calipers are no good on these cars and seize up. (hasn't happened to me)
At stop see if there's any discernible driveshaft thump .. about a 500$ part if so (I think).
Check out the dash for cracking .. might be replaceable under warranty if so .. mine is warping a bit so I don't think it would be eligible, could easily miss on a test drive then hit yourself for it later.
Transfer case actuator leak is not very common but can happen, I think you'd be able to see the fluid leak.
As mentioned above speakers can fail and need to be fixed .. the stock speakers are expensive and due to an uncommon type of speaker used replacement options are limited.
Take a good look at coolant level, sometimes the water pump will leak. Probably was replaced with timing belt 30k ago.

arp1

Thank you guys for your inputs!! Helped me make a decision on my final choice! Then 07 did not worknout for me coz my mechanic's obd reader returned a couple of conerning codes, air suspension pump and an ABS relay. That said, I decided not to purchase the vehicle.

However, I picked up a white '04 with only 46k miles on it. Very Clean garage kept. I had to replace the tires, even though the still have over 50% thread left coz they were still the original ones that came with the car (production date of 02/04). So far nonenof the symptoms mentioned are present (fingers crossed).
Now, I'm faced with another dillema, the timing belt. Should i replace it now due to age, even though it only has 46k miles on it? Any thoughts? Thanks again.