dadgumit

I've pretty much decided to get a GX for my next car. It will be 90% commuter, 10% road tripper. I plan to set it up for some light to medium off road (national parks etc). I know the aftermarket support for this isn't great, but I am willing to pay a little extra/experiment some for the few mods I'll do. That being said, I ask for advice on two areas: 1) What to look for in a used one (problem areas, options I should have) and 2) recommendation for parts on a light overlanding setup.

Thanks in advance.

dadgumit

Nothing huh? Maybe some bump will help?

mistabuyer

When I bought my GX, I didn't see any specific problem areas that popped out. I just went down the usual check list:
1) does it have desired factory options
2) does it have desired exterior and interior color
3) is it low mileage, mechanically sound, with full maintenance records
4) is it in excellent cosmetic condition
5) is the price fair-great

I've driven the GX in a national park, state park, deer lease, camping, and private acreage and it is fine in stock form. It's primary use is for commuting and hauling my family around town and on road trips; offroading is usually only 1-3 days at a time and only maybe twice a year. I was previously using my 4wd 4Runner in the same capacity and it had no trouble in stock form with the mentioned offroading - I even took the 4Runner to the offroad park in Bridgeport a few times.

Can't help you any with aftermarket offroad parts or building an overland vehicle but just thought I'd throw out a response to you to hopefully get the thread rolling some.

dadgumit

Appreciate the effort.

genebolick

Just bought a '12 in Atlanta at Nalley Galleria. They are running in the $35k - $42k range depending on options and mileage. (Edit - these are out the door #'s with an ~ $6k trade and 7% tax and fees) We bought one with ML, Nav, RSE, HID, remote start in perfect condition with 36k miles in the middle of that range. Was a local sale and trade in with all of the service records. Didn't have the Air Suspension or a hitch. If you have the opportunity to get to a high volume dealer I would make the effort. We live 100 miles away but have bought our last three Lexus SUV's in Atlanta. They can work at margins and have options that the dealers in lower volume markets don't have. When you sell over 120 cars a month and have 100+ loaner vehicles ( our previous purchase) it's just easier. Best Wishes

Jacket

On thing to note is that (in my opinion) the dynamic suspension (KDSS?) is actually a negative for longer term ownership and if you think you might modify the suspension at some point for off-pavement travel. The tunable suspension might seem like a plus at first, but ultimately will be another point of failure over the long haul, and a barrier to other modifications. I'm not sure if it's present in all Premium and Luxury packages, but I'd prefer a Base package to have it not include the KDSS.

For light overlanding, you mostly need just a well-maintained vehicle and a set of LT tires (5). Flat avoidance would be priority #1, but if you do get a flat you don't want to have to swap in a donut or P-rated tire out in the middle of the Utah desert. If you want to take it to the next level you can upgrade the springs and shocks to improve the ride and durability on washboard roads, and gain a bit more ground clearance.

After that, add a second battery, a 12v refrigerator, storage drawers, roof top tent...

neelnaik

For aftermarket offroading parts, I would check out ih8mud.com. Here is the one for the 2nd gen GX (150 series).
http://forum.ih8mud.com/forums/150-series-toyotas.300/
There actually is a lot of off road oriented stuff out there for the GX. As I understand it, the 2nd gen GX is essentially a 4th gen Toyota 4Runner Trail w/ KDSS with different spring rates. I think that most everything that will bolt onto the 4Runner will bolt on to the GX as well, but the guys at ih8mud know a lot more about that stuff that I do.

davemarche

My pricing was right on top of this in Feb in Houston, CPO for a black 12 steel suspension. I've had a problem with mold on the AC evap coil causing a smell, so beware of heavy air freshener (I missed this). I had three to choose from, and the "internet price" was about $4,000 off the "sticker price". 39k miles. Dealer threw in a receiver, took a few hours to mount. Also got 1.9% from LexFin on CPO financing package

I've road tripped, hauled 4 guys and mountain bikes, and camped already and absolutely made the right decision.

I went Husky over weathertech on the floor mats

Do wish I'd have swapped the almost new cooper discoverers from my touraeg when I traded it in. Street tires on it right now. Also looking at a roof rack and canopy.

davemarche

Photo of first camping setup

bltkmt

Looking at a '12 here in CT with similar miles - they are asking about $38k CPO (plus TTL). Fair?

tecman

Nice GX camping setup. I don't recall anyone else here showing a camping set up like that.
Nice looking mountain bike also. I went through a phase of being a hard-core mountain biker every weekend and also on some weekdays.

I had a Trek carbon fiber hard tail with Shimano XTR brakes, shifters and gears, no disk brakes tho I had over $3K invested in it and sold it on Craigslist for $900

I don't recall seeing a Ventana when I was out there.

Have you tested the off-road capabilities of your GX on your camping trips?

Jacket

Nice! Looks like summer down there already. Getting out is what it's all about. Our new GX will be competing against my Land Cruiser for camping trips this summer.