mstrsltr

Can someone please take a look at the following pics and rate the corrosion against what is typically seen from GX's that spend 10 years in wet, freezing, salty-road winters? I'm buying this vehicle remotely from a Lexus dealer.

To my untrained eye the undercarriage actually looks pretty good considering. The paint on the rear sway bars doesn't look that great, but then again that's just paint which I can clean up and spray with some kind of rust protector.

thanks!

mstrsltr

Don't everyone shout all at once!!!!

I just received service records from the dealer, disconcertingly the KDSS system suffered a breakdown due to severely corroded hydraulic lines. They replaced the KDSS Solenoid valve assembly.

KDSS/Sport Package owners, have you run into this as well in winter climates?

BlackCat81

Mine was a Midwest truck from 05-15, and it isn't half that bad. It was bought in Nevada in 03 and I currently live in Arizona.

rstl99

Up here in the N-E rust belt that's not too bad. The undercarriage calls for some good rust-proofing oil application (Krown or similar), if you places where you live that spray undercarriages and inside body panels (very common up here).
I take it you live in CA, aren't there rust-free specimens closer to you??
ANd if this truck will spend the rest of its life in CA, it's probably not something to worry about too much (the rust that's there). Tame it with rust proofing products and should be fine. Rusty chassis means that removing any rusty bolt or nut can become quite a pain. But those chassis are built tough and should whitstand surface rust like that for a long time.
Anyway, my thought from deep inside the rust belt...

teejnut

iTrader: (6)

I have no idea about rust since I have lived in CA my entire life. If you're planning to do work on your own car that rust might be frustrating at some point though. Personally I would get a rust free car but that's my opinion. Also, you can pull the services record on your own without the dealer by creating an account on the Lexus site and entering in the VIN. It will show service records for the vehicle assuming it was serviced at a Lexus dealer. https://secure.drivers.lexus.com/lexusdrivers/home

mstrsltr

I live in Southern California, but grew up near Buffalo and Rochester NY, so I know what winter can do to a car. But yes, my initial impression is that this GX has faired pretty well.

You WOULD think that SoCal is chock full of gorgeous, clean, late model GX470s... but I can say that after religiously searching every single day on all the auto re-sale sites for the last seven weeks that the overwhelming majority of used GX470s for sale are in the Midwest and the South East. I don't get it, but I do have a theory:

I think that Southwest vehicles are so sought after and can command such a premium that they must be getting transferred right out of the region the second they are traded in. I see at least a half a dozen GX470's on my way to work every day, sometimes many more, and the amount of them in the used market here doesn't reflect the quantity that I see on the road.

But I do agree that this truck would prob be fine living the rest of it's life in SoCal. But reading the dealer report about severley corroded KDSS lines has now got me skittish about this one. I'm going to do my best to hold out for a southwest vehicle with KDSS.

Thanks for the tip re: service records. I just LOVE it when dealers describe their used GX's as "meticulously maintained", and then you ask for the records and there are none. That's right below my all-time favorite "fully loaded, has every option" when in fact the vehicle in question is a bare bones base model. Ahhhh... the joys of buying used cars...

teejnut

iTrader: (6)

Are you looking for a KDSS one specifically? I rarely found any in the SoCal area about 10-11 months ago. I was lucky enough to find a private seller selling their GX, older couple who bought it new got the extended warranty from Lexus. I suspected they sold since the extended warranty just ended and they didn't want to deal with any costly repairs if any. Good luck on your search!

mstrsltr

That's definitely the way to go if you've got the time and patience to wait for the right one to come along!

Personally I'm specifically holding out for a KDSS equipped one. And for the time being, I'm being even more picky and waiting for an 08 or 09, as they have the chrome door handles and chrome trim around the speakers, which I am a total sucker for! and of course they are younger... Logical? Not necessarily, but since I'm in no rush to buy, I'm gonna wait till that cherry of a GX comes across my radar. But seeing some of the beautiful, clean 09s out there is sometimes hard to take!

Admittedly, this makes the search sometimes feel entirely futile, as they are indeed rare. But Sport Package GXs DO pop up, at a rate of about 1 per week. The problem is, for whatever reason, they always seem to either be very high mileage, or are from the rust belt.

RXGS

iTrader: (2)

Doesn't look bad at all, I wouldn't worry about it.

GeneE

Check to make sure the lower control arm nuts will loosen to see if you can do an alignment if you need to.
I take it that car has about 150k miles on it

kwkshift

Yuck! I'd never buy a rusty vehicle. I've lived in Az for over 20 years and between the vehicles here, Nevada, NM and SoCal, there's no reason to buy anywhere else.

dkpnkc

^ That's my opinion also. I bought a used Chicago RX300, didn't pay attention, and paid for it later. Now I spend time in San Diego for work but call Kansas City home - that's why I bought my GX in San Diego and drove it back. 127k miles and not a sign of rust underneath.

bbrowncods

Doesn't look too bad. What does the oil pan look like? Had a fellow on here that had a leaking oil pan due to rust.

mstrsltr

Thanks for weighing in everyone!

It looks like my patience has paid off as I just paid to have Carmax transfer a cherry 2008 Salsa Red Pearl w/Sport Package that lived in Arizona it's whole life.

So rust is no longer a concern for me, thanks again!

kwkshift

That's awesome!