sudhs

Hello all.. Just to give you a little background of myself.. I've been a BMW owner and enthusiast since 1999. Been following all the major BMW forums for a long time. I'm a DIY kinda person when it comes to routine maintenance and most of the stuff like spark plus, fuel filter, thermostat, water pump, valve cover gasket etc.. Have done all those things on my bimmer ('99 BMW 323i Sedan 4 Dr.) whenever required. Haven't ever bothered to do any heavy stuff though.

With that background of mine, let me proceed to the main point. I'm planning to buy a GX470 (which it seems is a 2nd gen.), driven approx 31,000 and the dealer asking $41K for it. The main options in it are Navgn./Mark Levinson pkg., Prefrd. Acc. package (wheel locks), heated front seats, dual zone a/c etc.. There's no DVD entertainment in here.. Maybe some of these are std. in GX 470.. so please pardon my ignorance.. Now first things first.. assuming that this vehicle was not involved in any major accident/disaster, is the price of $41K good for such vehicle ? What all should I check on my list to assure that I'm getting a good deal. Llike for instance if somebody was to ask me about the E46 3 series BMW with the same mileage etc, the first thing I would tell them is to make sure that the car's vanos has been modified/changed 'coz the E46 suspension models of BMWs i.e 3 series from 1999-2006 have this bad vanos problems within the first 30K miles and it needs to be changed/redone OR say to check the major recall of the sub-frame damage for which there exists a big law suit against which BMW has agreed to pay for all repairs (parts and labor) till Sept. 2010. So if there are any such incorrigible faults about the GX 470 or say any major recalls that you guys know of, please feel free to list them here. What mileage does the waterpump, thermostat, timing belts, fuel filter, tensioner pulleys etc.. need to be changed ? Does the transmission oil, differential oil etc need to be changed frequently ? If yes, what mileage etc.. I know it's a lotta info., but just a one liner for each component will be very informative for me. I can guage based on the info. you provide. Though the vehicle, that I'm planing to buy will be under factory warranty for another 19 months and 18000 miles, but it would wise for me to understand and have the knowledge of what am I actually getting into.

All you guys are the proud owners of a GX470.. and I'm planning to join the group.. So looking fwd to some of your suggestions. All comments and critics will be very well appreciated.

Thanks and regards..
sudhs

N305AS

Hi sudhs,

I may be able to provide some input, as I bought my GX470 just three weeks ago today!

In my search, I was looking primarily at 2006 models, but looked also at the 2007 and 2008s as well. Here's what I discovered:

- Not sure if Mark Levinson sound is standard in all of them, but most I'd driven had it.

- 2006 gets you the 4th gen nav system. 2007 and newer gets you the 5th gen. I believe there's an appreciable visual difference between the two (5th gen is better), however that's just my opinion. 2007 and newer also gets you the aux input for audio devices.

- DVD and/or rear entertainment isn't standard, however your dealer can install the newest Invision headrest-mounted dual DVD package for about $1200 to $1500.00


The first deal I had (someone bought it before I could come back and put a deposit on the car!) was a 2006 in Starfire Pearl White with 49,000 miles on it, with dual headset-mounted DVD players. The asking price was $35,000 and we'd negotiated them down to $31,500.

Following that deal falling through, I had another dealership ready to part with a Onyx Black 2008 GX470 with 28,000 miles for $38,250 but decided I really preferred the white and wanted to keep looking.

In the end, I found a 2007 in Starfire Pearl White with 44,700 miles on it for $41,900 and negotiated them down to a purchase price of $34,250. While the market prices vary by region, I'd use these as price points of comparison when determining what you should expect to pay for yours. Obviously mileage is a consideration as well, so adjust your price upward or downward as necessary for higher or lower miles. Also check the going market value of similar GX470s on sites like AutoTrader.com as prices do fluctuate.

Based on what I've seen, it appears the "baseline" asking price for a 2006 with about 45,000-50,000 miles on it is around $35K, with dealers letting them go for around $30-31K although I've seen some in the $29K range. You can realistically expect to add about $2000 to $2500 to that price for each newer model year, and also adjusting the price upward or downward additionally for higher or lower miles on the odometer.

All the vehicles and price points I've mentioned above are for GX470s that include navigation and a 3rd row seat/rear air, however rear-seat entertainment options varied wildly - some had none at all, some had flip-down DVD players and some had in-seat headrest options.

Also, full disclosure - be sure to check for "The Clunk" when doing your test drive - it's a sensation that feels like the vehicle was gently tapped from behind by another car when you've come to a stop. This issue is correctable by Lexus and is a known issue that's covered by warranty.

If it's present, you'll want to consider asking the dealership to fix the problem. If not, be sure to take the GX over a few speedbumps to ensure they've also corrected the "bottoming-out" sensation in the rear suspension that sometimes occurs as a byproduct of the clunk-fix being performed. Apparently it's simply a matter of them ensuring the height sensors are working properly and adjusting/tightening the control arms on the ground instead of while suspended on the rack.

I hope this info helps!

sudhs

Wow.. thanks a lot N305AS.. What a great writeup. That info. helps a lot. Very precise and clear.. Thanks again for your inputs. And what a great bargainer you are. Bringing a dealer price down to 'bout 7K is really something.

Just as a refresher.. I'm planning to buy a 2008 GX 470 with 30K miles with dealer offering price being $41K.

Now I know that I've to enquire about the clunk and the bottoming out fix for sure. But do the 2008 models suffer from this CLUNK or BOTTOMING OUT problem ? Most of the posts I read were by people who are 2007 or prior model owners.. Since you got your 2007 just a few weeks back, did you notice the clunk and/or bottomming out issue on yours ? It must be either out of warranty or the warranty would be just about to expire. DId yours come with 3yr 100000 CPO warranty OR did you purchase some thirdparty warranty on it ?

Any other takers ? Please post your responses.. All this may be very normal to you but it is very useful for me as I try to become a part of this circle.

N305AS

I'd say that based on my experience, for a clean 2008 GX470 with 30K miles, you should be looking at spending somewhere around $36K-$38K or so, depending on how it's equipped (DVD, etc). $41K is too high.

Any Lexus certified pre-owned vehicle comes with a 3 year, 100,000 mile warranty from date of re-sale.

The 2008 I'd driven DID have the clunk issue, but it really wasn't that noticeable.