IMXCITD

iTrader: (1)

i have always wanted an LX and have watched them on and off for years. Would like to pick one up.....don't know if some years are better than others.....etc. Will use it for daily driving, some light off road, and maybe some light towing. I am not to worried about mileage as long as itz been maintained....but a clean truck is important to me....I would love to find one out of the south versus the north. All that being said.....any certain years you like over other years? Are earlier years in the body style a better value for the $$. Seems like alot of regular folks sell them when they get near
100k miles or so....which seems like a good deal for a buyer. How much are they rated to tow? How do you if it has lockers? (by lockers...does that mean where get out of the truck and manually lock it into 4wd? is that better than push button?) There is one on the auction site now w a baby lift that is pretty clean.

Thanks for your input.

IMXCITD

iTrader: (1)

chirp....chirp...............sound of crickets in the LX section.


Anybody out there?

LXBriGuy

Imxcitd,

I did see your original posted question, but i didn't feel i had a good response for you. But here are a few thoughts:

- When i was looking for an LX, i wanted to get the most for my money and wanted it to be in the body style previous to the current. So that basically left me looking at a 06-07. I also wanted something with mileage in the 50-70K range

- When i say i wanted "the most for my money" I mean I wanted the vehicle to have the most hp and the most technology. I just stepped out of an INFINITI, so i wanted the bluetooth and the navi. Those things may not be important to you?

- I haven't met anyone who owned an LX and didn't like it. Most people that i have spoken too absolutely love them. I know individuals who have the early 1999 all the way through 2007.

- I don't know if the vehicle's design, technology, and amenities matter to you as you consider which to buy, but if it doesn't, then why not just go for an earlier year?

- Another consideration is if you plan to hold onto the LX for the rest of it's life, or do you want some resale value in it?

I hope these questions help you make the decision on the right LX to buy. GOOD LUCK

batmbl

I agree with all the above. I had a 98 for 4 years (135k miles). Great car. My wife wrecked it and broke my heart. Had to have another one, so I searched until I found exactly what I wanted: blue tooth, navi, plus relatively low miles in an 05 model. That's my idea of value. Yours may be different.

werewolf

Head to ih8mud.com and search around

Short version
1) you want one built by ARACO (98-06?)
2) 2003 and newer have more modern interior and a 5 speed tranny
3) traction control shows up in 2000 but locking diffs (lockers) are only on 98 and 99s. Lockers are useful in low traction and offroad situations. Chances are you won't use them
4) Service records are important as is regular care. Don't buy a LX without them

Bang for buck I would say 2000 or 2003 for 15-24k

LXBriGuy

Here is some information that was posted by another Club Lexus Member: Jim_Chow. Posted 06-11-08. He writes about the ARACO years and some other helpful information.

'03 or '04 is fine. '04 introduced the gen-4 nav w/ rear backup camera. A number of the cameras and some nav's had failed. Avoid '00 and maybe '01...a number of '00's and a few '01's (LC & LX) have had tranny failures from a defective shim. If you're going to get the 4spd, get a '99. Otherwise, get a '03-04 and maybe '05 5spd. Around '04-05, Araco, the original maker of the landcruiser since post WWII, stopped making the LX/LC and toyota autobody took over. There is believed to be a slip in quality that affects the later '05-07. The way to tell if Araco made it is there's a Araco sticker under the hood in the rear corner (I think it's on the passenger's side on mine). Also about this time, the quality of the AHC sensors worsened (denso originally made them). The new ones in the '05-07 go bad fast while old ones in the '99's are still working. This is only a factor if you live where it rains a lot and/or where the roads are salted.

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/lx4...be-needed.html
__________________

AKoch

I will also be the one that found ARACO's very solid. Not that the 06+ is bad, but you can't help but notice small things.

IMXCITD

iTrader: (1)

great tips...thanks so much! I would hope to keep the vehicle long term...so resale is not as important to me. I like a clean vehicle....don't need all the extras....so I would be fine with an earlier year. Have been following them on ebay and autotrader for quite some time. Will keep researching.
thanks again for all of your help!
Bill

JudyChow

LX470 2002 or 2004 - I have owned both.

V8_Fan

I got the '03 since it was the first year the 5speed tranny was introduced, and the last year the transmission has the dipstick in the engine compartment, so you can easily change the ATF if you are a DIY kind of person. The 5spd has a much lower 1st gear than the 4spd, so it's better if you plan to offroad or tow. Tow capacity in this country is rated at 5000 lbs, but in Australia, they run 3500kg (7700 lbs). I have the Australian Kaymar towbar, which is rated at 3500kg. The pre 05's seem to have more robust AHC sensors, as Toyota changed vendors after that. It seems many of the '05+ later vehicles have sensors that have prematurely failed. Unfortunately, if you need a sensor replaced regardless of the year, you will get the new, inferior part. Last, after 05 (ie, 06-07), Araco (builder of custom luxury coaches) stopped building the Landcruiser/LX and Toyota took over production. Quality control reportedly dropped after a wave of retirements from veterans. Many of the newer rigs have lots of more creaks & rattles than older LXs. There's no question that overall Toyota reliability and build quality has taken a dive around 2006+.

Jayson

We have an '03 LX with 116k miles on it and it runs just as smooth as the first day we bought it (@ 62k miles). Had the boots replaced about 19k miles ago and other than that, its been nothing more than scheduled maintenance. I tell a lie, we had something go bad that caused a horrible grinding noise at about 110k miles. I'll look through my service history receipts and see what it was that had to be replaced. I know the total bill was just under $500.00.

We agree with Jim above, we chose the 2003 model year because it was the first year of the 5-speed tranny, new front dash design, and it was the first year we could get galactic grey mica as a color option.

In my opinion, I would go with the 2003 or 2006 model. 2003 because its a great value now and the 2006 model because it has the neat looking LED tail lamps, VVT engine (275hp, up from 235), and those slick looking dark graphite wheels.