Maxc

Hello to All,

As the title suggests I am at the cross roads with two vehicles and I would really appreciate getting some opinions from this forum on what you would do if given this choice.

First a little more info:

Option 1: 2000 Land Cruiser with 185,000 miles, timing belt and Water Pump due immediately. Vehicle is in good shape....I have not had it inspected yet, priced at $6,000

Option 2: 2005 GX470 with 117,000 miles also in good shape. This vehicle has been inspected and everything checks out priced at $14,500.

My personal needs for the vehicle. It will be my wife's daily driver. She puts about 5K miles a year on a vehicle. We have a 4 year old and 14 month old so reliability and safety are important. We have our concerns with the age difference and the mileage difference but the savings would sure be nice.

What would you do? Any advice would be appreciated.

MnM24

Get the 05 GX and be happy

Booyah

GX470 and dont look back!!!

cssnms

Has the GX had the timing belt and water pump replaced? If not, it will need that done immediately as well. Also the GX is probably due to have the differential fluids changes unless they can demonstrate it was done recently.

On the GX, crawl under by the radiator and check for pink crusty to stuff which would indicate there is a leak in the radiator - not a huge deal if it is just work into the price. This isssue has been a recurring theme on earlier gen GX's. Already replaced mine on my 2005 w/79k.

Also excersize the air suspension a bit to make sure it is function properly. Should raise to it's highest setting within about 15 - 20 seconds then the compressor should shut off.

Make sure the sunroof works without issue - failure to open or close is another reported issue that has cropped up on a few GX's and it's very expensive to repair.

Maxc

Thanks for the responses. Cssnms, yes the timing belt and water pump were done at 90K miles and the radiator was recently replaced. Not sure about the others I will have to check them out.

I know this is a Lexus forum, but I must say I am surprised that no one has suggested to go with the Land Cruiser at that price.

Kira X

iTrader: (24)

That's cheap for a Land Cruiser but I would take the GX in this case.

IanB2

Ask the same question on a LC forum and see what answers you get, lol.

They have the same engine, so either way you want to make sure they are up on maintenance. They are both very nice, if you need the extra room go with the LC, otherwise I'd think the GX is every bit as capable, and nicer inside.

Maxc

Funny thing is I did post the same thing on a Land Cruiser Forum and have not gotten a single response. I think you guys are right that the GX is probably the best way to go. Five years newer and 70K less miles along with the newer styling it is worth it.

She would be moving from a 2002 X5 4.6 IS so both of these vehicles would offer more room.

Thanks for responding to my post.

Crispy3M

Are you having trouble with the BMW?

I only ask because I traded my 03 X5 for the GX and have regretted it more and more since. From all that you will read, the GX should be the better machine (maintenance wise) but it has not been the case for me. In my opinion, both the ride & build quality of the BMW is far superior. I've had the GX for 4 months now and that's enough. It's for sale!

I'll be going back to BMW or perhaps trying out the Cadillac Escalade.

Just my .02 Cents you understand

Wally20

I'll throw in my opinion here because I wish we had checked this out before purchasing...I have an 04 GX and about 6 months after we purchased it, we had twins. having two car seats in the second row means the front seats have to be positioned further forward than we would like so that the car seats will fit in the back properly. I feel like I'm hugging the steering wheel. Drives me nuts to the point where I hate driving the car now on any trip longer than 20 minutes.

Granted your kids are probably in booster seats at this point, but I would put those in there and see if it affects how much room you'll have in the front seat. If your younger child is still in a rear facing seat, this could be a comfort issue. Also, if you think you'lll have a third child later on, you'll run into this with them being in a rear facing car seat. There's just not enough room between the first and second row when it comes to car seats.

Love love loved the GX until we had this issue so now it's for sale. Anyone looking for a Black/Tan GX w/ Nav, 78k miles, PM me! Located in KY.

Maxc

I was having problems with the BMW but I fixed everything and now it runs great. That is the first that I have heard of anyone having issues with reliability with the GX. Thanks for your feedback.