Calling it quits
05-01-11, 06:21 PM
#1
Driver
Thread Starter
Calling it quits
With about 80k on our '03, we made the decision that it was time for it to go. In the next few months, it was probably going to need about $3k worth of repairs / maintenance, which I wasn't willing to do if we weren't 100% sure we were going to keep this truck for a few more years. We weren't that positive, so I traded it in this weekend.
All in all, I'd have to say that the GX was only an "ok" truck. My wife loved everything about the truck, enough that she overlooked all of the maintenance issues we've had with it. Me, I thought that Lexus quality would have been a little better. (Calipers, ride height sensors, pitted wheels, etc.)
If anyone wants a spare set of stock wheels to get refinished, and are local to Southern NJ, they are yours for the taking. They are pitted, but would make for a good "spare" set to get refinished.
All in all, I'd have to say that the GX was only an "ok" truck. My wife loved everything about the truck, enough that she overlooked all of the maintenance issues we've had with it. Me, I thought that Lexus quality would have been a little better. (Calipers, ride height sensors, pitted wheels, etc.)
If anyone wants a spare set of stock wheels to get refinished, and are local to Southern NJ, they are yours for the taking. They are pitted, but would make for a good "spare" set to get refinished.
05-01-11, 08:16 PM
#2
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Well, I said goodbye to mine last weekend also. It was an 05 with '78k, and I was worried about the same things you were. Needed new brakes all around, couple other minor things.
Mine was a pretty good vehicle, sunroof mechanism had to be replaced, clunk fix, nothing else major. I'll miss it...
Mine was a pretty good vehicle, sunroof mechanism had to be replaced, clunk fix, nothing else major. I'll miss it...
05-02-11, 05:22 AM
#4
Driver
Thread Starter
On top of those is the one that aggravates me the most - a rust spot that would need to be fixed too. Inside the passenger rear door at the wheelwell edge is a rust spot that's getting worse every day.
Depending on what happened with the brakes, that could have been pretty costly by itself. When both front calipers had to be replaced, I think they were about $400 each. If it's one rear that is sticking, I'd have had both rears replaced, and probably pads and rotors yet again.
05-02-11, 07:34 AM
#6
Driver
Thread Starter
I know, I know - I can hear the jokes about reliability already.
I leased it though, so at least it's under warranty for the duration. If it turns out to be a problem child, it won't cost me money to fix it.
I've always said I'd never buy a British vehicle...at least I stayed true to that and leased it. They are supposed to be much better than they used to be, so I'll see if that's really the case. It definitely drives nice.
On our list were the Volvo XC90, the VW Touraeg 2, the BMW X5, and the Acura MDX, all along with the LR4. The concern about most of them right off the bat was the size, and how much smaller they would be than the GX.
The XC90 didn't impress me at all. Nothing at all exciting about it, it was pretty slow, and it is due for a major redesign. No ipod integration, only a single cd player, and the navigation sucks.
The Touraeg was very nice, but too small. Very cool electronics in that one.
I like the MDX, but my wife wasn't excited about it. (Her parents just bought their 2nd one this weekend.) No real reason she doesn't like it, just personal preference. What can I say to that? It's her daily driver.
We never made it to the BMW dealer, since that was to be the next stop after Land Rover. I figured the X5 would be too small, along with too expensive anyway.
I was betting that as soon as she drove the LR4, that was going to be her favorite, and I was right. I wasn't sure it would also be mine, but to my surprise, it was. We also got a really good deal on it. (Shopping on the last day of the month really does work.)
Oh - I forgot about the GX460. I don't really like the looks of it, and as I've openly said, I've been less than thrilled with Lexus based on my experience with our GX470. My wife, however likes them.
My in-laws saved me the trouble of looking at the 460 by doing it themselves. They liked it, and may have bought it, but the dealer would only come down $1k off the sticker. That alone killed the deal. They got a far better deal on their MDX.
05-02-11, 08:39 AM
#7
A Land Rover LR4.
I know, I know - I can hear the jokes about reliability already.
I leased it though, so at least it's under warranty for the duration. If it turns out to be a problem child, it won't cost me money to fix it.
I've always said I'd never buy a British vehicle...at least I stayed true to that and leased it. They are supposed to be much better than they used to be, so I'll see if that's really the case. It definitely drives nice.
On our list were the Volvo XC90, the VW Touraeg 2, the BMW X5, and the Acura MDX, all along with the LR4. The concern about most of them right off the bat was the size, and how much smaller they would be than the GX.
The XC90 didn't impress me at all. Nothing at all exciting about it, it was pretty slow, and it is due for a major redesign. No ipod integration, only a single cd player, and the navigation sucks.
The Touraeg was very nice, but too small. Very cool electronics in that one.
I like the MDX, but my wife wasn't excited about it. (Her parents just bought their 2nd one this weekend.) No real reason she doesn't like it, just personal preference. What can I say to that? It's her daily driver.
We never made it to the BMW dealer, since that was to be the next stop after Land Rover. I figured the X5 would be too small, along with too expensive anyway.
I was betting that as soon as she drove the LR4, that was going to be her favorite, and I was right. I wasn't sure it would also be mine, but to my surprise, it was. We also got a really good deal on it. (Shopping on the last day of the month really does work.)
Oh - I forgot about the GX460. I don't really like the looks of it, and as I've openly said, I've been less than thrilled with Lexus based on my experience with our GX470. My wife, however likes them.
My in-laws saved me the trouble of looking at the 460 by doing it themselves. They liked it, and may have bought it, but the dealer would only come down $1k off the sticker. That alone killed the deal. They got a far better deal on their MDX.
I know, I know - I can hear the jokes about reliability already.
I leased it though, so at least it's under warranty for the duration. If it turns out to be a problem child, it won't cost me money to fix it.
I've always said I'd never buy a British vehicle...at least I stayed true to that and leased it. They are supposed to be much better than they used to be, so I'll see if that's really the case. It definitely drives nice.
On our list were the Volvo XC90, the VW Touraeg 2, the BMW X5, and the Acura MDX, all along with the LR4. The concern about most of them right off the bat was the size, and how much smaller they would be than the GX.
The XC90 didn't impress me at all. Nothing at all exciting about it, it was pretty slow, and it is due for a major redesign. No ipod integration, only a single cd player, and the navigation sucks.
The Touraeg was very nice, but too small. Very cool electronics in that one.
I like the MDX, but my wife wasn't excited about it. (Her parents just bought their 2nd one this weekend.) No real reason she doesn't like it, just personal preference. What can I say to that? It's her daily driver.
We never made it to the BMW dealer, since that was to be the next stop after Land Rover. I figured the X5 would be too small, along with too expensive anyway.
I was betting that as soon as she drove the LR4, that was going to be her favorite, and I was right. I wasn't sure it would also be mine, but to my surprise, it was. We also got a really good deal on it. (Shopping on the last day of the month really does work.)
Oh - I forgot about the GX460. I don't really like the looks of it, and as I've openly said, I've been less than thrilled with Lexus based on my experience with our GX470. My wife, however likes them.
My in-laws saved me the trouble of looking at the 460 by doing it themselves. They liked it, and may have bought it, but the dealer would only come down $1k off the sticker. That alone killed the deal. They got a far better deal on their MDX.
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05-02-11, 09:06 AM
#8
Driver
Thread Starter
Trust me, fuel was a concern of mine, especially with the current gas prices.
The ratings on the truck are 12/17, and they recommend 89+. Dealer says I'll be fine with regular, and just may not get the full 375 hp. I'll probably stick with 89 anyway.
The trip computer in our GX almost always shows 16.8 for average. After a recent 1200 mile road trip, I think it may have jumped to 17 and change. (Granted, I did about 85 the whole way.)
According to several people I've talked to about LR4s, and what I've read on a few message boards, it should be about the same on average as long as my wife keeps her foot off the floor.
I'll see soon enough. The salesman is on the way to my house with it right now.
The ratings on the truck are 12/17, and they recommend 89+. Dealer says I'll be fine with regular, and just may not get the full 375 hp. I'll probably stick with 89 anyway.
The trip computer in our GX almost always shows 16.8 for average. After a recent 1200 mile road trip, I think it may have jumped to 17 and change. (Granted, I did about 85 the whole way.)
According to several people I've talked to about LR4s, and what I've read on a few message boards, it should be about the same on average as long as my wife keeps her foot off the floor.
I'll see soon enough. The salesman is on the way to my house with it right now.
05-02-11, 11:42 AM
#10
Driver
Thread Starter
Thanks - I couldn't agree more, although I can't convince my kids of that. They think that new cars smell bad.
It's official now, GX is gone, LR4 is in the driveway.
I already noticed one thing that I'll miss from the GX....the LR4 doesn't have memory seats. I didn't notice that at the dealer. That comes with the top of the line "lux" package, which I didn't get.
It's official now, GX is gone, LR4 is in the driveway.
I already noticed one thing that I'll miss from the GX....the LR4 doesn't have memory seats. I didn't notice that at the dealer. That comes with the top of the line "lux" package, which I didn't get.
05-02-11, 07:50 PM
#11
rainmn, I had to make a similar decision last year.
I had lots of issues with my '06 GX470, standard for the truck: bump, pitting, frozen calipers, but also transfer case noise/vibration, transmission replaced, failed master cylinder (that one was really great ..., especially with my kid in the back seat), and others. GX was my second Lexus after the initial RX300. I was really disappointed with the reliability of the brand, which I think went down - which was extremely disappointing since I really like Lexus (still).
After my lease was up, I decided not to buy out my problematic GX (buy out was my initial plan), I decided to go with the new GX460, but found out that the dealer wanted 1000 OVER MSRP. That and my experience with the GX470 killed the deal.
Ended up with the MB GL450. I was told tales of horrible reliability, and other issues. So far, it's proving to be more reliable than the Lexus. It has been about 14 months now, and knock on wood, not one issue.
It may be hard to admit, but I think that other car manufacturers took an effort to bring quality and reliability up, but for some reason Lexus has either remained in place, or has degraded. What a shame, it's still my most favorite brand.
Good Luck with your LR4, it's a great truck.
I had lots of issues with my '06 GX470, standard for the truck: bump, pitting, frozen calipers, but also transfer case noise/vibration, transmission replaced, failed master cylinder (that one was really great ..., especially with my kid in the back seat), and others. GX was my second Lexus after the initial RX300. I was really disappointed with the reliability of the brand, which I think went down - which was extremely disappointing since I really like Lexus (still).
After my lease was up, I decided not to buy out my problematic GX (buy out was my initial plan), I decided to go with the new GX460, but found out that the dealer wanted 1000 OVER MSRP. That and my experience with the GX470 killed the deal.
Ended up with the MB GL450. I was told tales of horrible reliability, and other issues. So far, it's proving to be more reliable than the Lexus. It has been about 14 months now, and knock on wood, not one issue.
It may be hard to admit, but I think that other car manufacturers took an effort to bring quality and reliability up, but for some reason Lexus has either remained in place, or has degraded. What a shame, it's still my most favorite brand.
Good Luck with your LR4, it's a great truck.
05-03-11, 08:25 PM
#12
Pole Position
With about 80k on our '03, we made the decision that it was time for it to go. In the next few months, it was probably going to need about $3k worth of repairs / maintenance, which I wasn't willing to do if we weren't 100% sure we were going to keep this truck for a few more years. We weren't that positive, so I traded it in this weekend.
All in all, I'd have to say that the GX was only an "ok" truck. My wife loved everything about the truck, enough that she overlooked all of the maintenance issues we've had with it. Me, I thought that Lexus quality would have been a little better. (Calipers, ride height sensors, pitted wheels, etc.)
If anyone wants a spare set of stock wheels to get refinished, and are local to Southern NJ, they are yours for the taking. They are pitted, but would make for a good "spare" set to get refinished.
All in all, I'd have to say that the GX was only an "ok" truck. My wife loved everything about the truck, enough that she overlooked all of the maintenance issues we've had with it. Me, I thought that Lexus quality would have been a little better. (Calipers, ride height sensors, pitted wheels, etc.)
If anyone wants a spare set of stock wheels to get refinished, and are local to Southern NJ, they are yours for the taking. They are pitted, but would make for a good "spare" set to get refinished.
05-04-11, 08:33 AM
#14
Driver
Thread Starter
In my case, I don't think the caliper is frozen, just sticking.
The symptom was what you would expect from warped rotors, or rotors with some uneven pad material build up....the brakes would pulsate pretty badly at times.
The reason I assume it's another bad caliper is that it's intermittent. Sometimes it would brake smoothly, then pulsate the next time you stopped. Couple that with the fact that I had already had 2 calipers go bad, and that was my best guess.
I could have been wrong, but at this point, I'll never know.
The symptom was what you would expect from warped rotors, or rotors with some uneven pad material build up....the brakes would pulsate pretty badly at times.
The reason I assume it's another bad caliper is that it's intermittent. Sometimes it would brake smoothly, then pulsate the next time you stopped. Couple that with the fact that I had already had 2 calipers go bad, and that was my best guess.
I could have been wrong, but at this point, I'll never know.
05-04-11, 09:30 AM
#15
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best of luck to you with the land rover.....(i'm not trying to be an a$$ but trust me, you're gonna need it. i tell you this from personal experience with a land rover discovery)