steviester

Hey all,

new member here, and coming out of a 6 year adventure in an FJ cruiser. Like many here I suspect the family is getting bigger and the FJ suicide doors got old. Now I'm looking for a GX 460 in and around DFW. It seems like between 2010 and 2012 not much really changed, and the prices are about the same so I want to go with a 12 since it's newer.

I'm not sold on premium or base, the base is much nicer than I had and while DVD and airbags are nice, not sure they are a need.

with that said, how do I find the best (or at least a solid example) of that? I don't care as much about color, more worried about keeping it around 25k or hopefully less with about 100k on the clock. do I just troll autotrader and dealer sites? do I put a want add out somewhere? I understand these are pretty much land cruisers so that mileage doesn't scare me too much.


Thanks for the help!

Romanova

Look for trade-ins at your local Lexus dealer. Seems like this is a great way to get one and they are usually sold and serviced by that same dealer. Get with a sales manager at your local dealer and tell him what exactly you're looking for and then he can let you know when he takes one in on trade.

bbqsoup

jitdc

Second what Romanova said above. I just bought my 2012 l/certified (4years unlimited mileage warranty) Premium GX, ML sound, DVD with 45k on Monday. I shopped around Atlanta after scouring Craigslist, Cargurus and Autotrader. I started by shopping the same year and price point. In my experience each "luxury" car lot that had one listed online failed to mention the actual condition of the interior, some rather large flaw on the exterior, the smell or just overall poor shape their listed GX was in. I called the nearest Lexus dealer and it was my luck to find that they just took one in on trade that morning, hadn't even run had time to clean it etc. I rushed there and bought it immediately. It was traded back to the original dealer, same salesman even. They inspected it, certified it, new brakes all the way around, gave me cross bars and a big discount on OEM hitch, for under 31k. Even less total out of pocket because they gave me a fair price on trade for my 2011 RX. Although it was not ready to go home with me that day, the dealership also gave me a loaner car to take home. Plus they drove the GX up to me Tuesday afternoon... from Atlanta to Chattanooga. Only reason I tell you all of that is because the level of service and quality of the truck was absolutely amazing. Even if it cost a bit more it was absolutely worth it. Try your dealers, in my experience it could not have worked out better.

Romanova

Houston is nice because the dealers are all near affluent parts of town, where the owners seem to be more inclined to do all of the recommended services at the dealership. I got my LS430 by dealing with a sales manager at one of the local Lexus dealers. Sold and serviced by that dealer and it came with everything, all the tools, keys, fobs, records, etc.

I prefer that manner rather than dealing with a non-Lexus dealer or a private party. Best thing is to figure out your search criteria and go from there. For us, it had to have the ML stereo... everything else we were flexible on.

Acrad

A lot depends on part of the country as well. I have seen so many deals elsewhere that would be unheard of in the Seattle area. It would be worth flying and driving one back here.

We all know Carfax and like aren't foolproof but this free one can give you a general history of vehicle too.

http://www.vehiclehistory.com

steviester

I'm a bit leery of Houston cars right now... they lost a ton of them in the floods and the insurance and payout stuff has been a mess.

I did start looking at the lexus dealers around here. they seem to be 2-3k more than other dealers.

Acrad

If they are 6 years or newer and less than 70k miles they could be CPO models on Lexus dealer lot.

Htony

Just keep looking with patientce being ready to pounce right one for you comes up. I seldom buy brand new vehicle. I wait for 2-3 YO, CPO vehicle with less than average mileage.
Always comes along when you wait and keep looking. I got a fully loaded 2015 Benz GLK350 CPO with 10.25K miles (19K Km) on the clock for a family member at a good price. Factory warranty until 2019 plus CPO for 2 more years(whatever needs fixing costs only 50.00. deductible)

tecman

Gxxr

I just bought a very nice, rust free 2012 GX460 Base model for $25,500 with 63,000 miles on it here in the Denver area. That was from a Dodge dealer who offers their own certified pre-owned on all used cars that they sell, no matter the brand.

I considered the premium model, but the only real advantage to us was the entertainment for the back seats and the rear AC. I didn't want the expensive and less reliable air suspension stuff that I would have ended up replacing one way or another.

The rear A/C may be worth considering and comparing in person since you are in DFW. I came to Denver from Tyler and DFW area 4 years ago, and I know how important having an awesome A/C system is in Texas.

The base model does have 2 rear vents in the back of the center console that blow pretty decently, but not as good as the full on rear A/C setup in the premiuim model.

The rear seat entertainment can be handled with an aftermarket unit that is honestly better and waaaaaay more affordable, like $150 for a single unit and $250 for a pair.

Acrad

I posted this on GXOR as well in regards to '10-'13 Premium models... not that some of these couldn't be optioned on a Base though

====================

"Aside from adjustable suspension and rear air bags which many may replace or remove...

"Generally" a Premium would get you the following:

Three-zone automatic climate control with interior air filter, smog sensor and automatic recirculation mode

Electrochromic (auto-dimming), power-folding outside mirrors

Illuminated front door sills

Cargo-area tonneau cover

Semi-aniline leather-trimmed interior

Wood- and leather-trimmed shift **** and heated steering wheel

Heated second-row outboard seats

17 custom-designed speakers and 7.1-channel architecture, the available Mark Levinson® Premium Surround Sound Audio System

High-Intensity Discharge (HID) headlamps with dynamic auto-leveling and headlamp washers

Adaptive Front Lighting System (AFS)

Of course if you find one of the unicorn driver support level packages it will have things like radar cruise and crawl...

You can easily add crawl and MTS to any GX though"