My wife and I own a 1992 Accord as a winter vehicle and a 2005 LS430 as a summer vehicle. To be brief, the 430 has just under 20,000 miles on it and is in as near-showroom condition as a vehicle can be. We purchased the LS430 in May of 2010 from a BMW dealer in Coconut Creek, Florida and imported it into Canada. At that time, it had about 16,700 miles on it. It has spent the last two winters in our garage, so it still has not been driven in snow.

Our plan has been to put the LS430 into year-round service when the ultra-reliable Accord finally dies. This winter the LS would have been fine, because Edmonton usually has not much snow and this has been the case so far this year. Last winter was another matter, however. We had tons of snow and the city of Edmonton does not plow residential streets unless they become literally impassible for ambulances, and ambulances can go through some pretty deep snow. Because I put four studded snow tires on our front-wheel-drive Accord when it snows, it was able to navigate residential streets with some difficulty. I seriously doubt if the LS could have done it, even with studded snow tires. And the LS sits lower than the Accord. so it's going to be more vulnerable to damage from deep snow and the deeply rutted streets that soon follow.

Anyway, because of this situation, my wife and I have been considering selling the LS while it is still in perfect condition and purchasing either a used Sequoia or a used LX470. (I'm very tall and don't fit in the smaller Toyota or Lexus SUVs. Although the RX and GX SUVs are drivable, I understand that they do indeed have some rust issues, but maybe I'm wrong on that.) My wife and I would prefer the LX because it's smaller than the Sequoia and, unlike the Sequoia, still built in Japan, but, as I've done research on both vehicles, I'm concerned about thier frames rusting out prematurely in a snow/salt environment.

Therefore, would owners of LX470s who live in snow/salt country please tell me if they've had any problems with rusty frames? I've already done a search of this site and found just a couple of mentions of this issue. I'd like to determine beforehand if it's something to be concerned about.

Thanks.

 

I have an LX470 now into its seventh year in upstate NY. Other than a little superficial rust on a few parts, it is doing fine so far.

 

I actually traded in our LX for this reason. I purchased a certified 2006 LX470 from a Michigan dealer and had it shipped down to Texas in 2009. There was a bit of rust throughout the bottom frame and while it may have just been surface rust, it bugged me. It was probably my fault for purchasing out of state and from a northern state without seeing it in person, but about 1.5 years and 10K miles later, I traded it in for a new vehicle. I didn't want the rust to get worse the longer I kept it.

I'll only purchase cars from the south or new from now on.

 

What year LX are you looking at?

 

have an 01 and let me put it this way, if your from florida, you would think something structurally was wrong, if your from the rust belt, or in Buffalo NY life myself, its normal. That being a said, the thing that rust will take the biggest toll on is your exhaust. Also working on anything under the car will be a ***** just because of rust on bolts and the like. I used to be really concerned and thought it was not structurally safe, but then numerous mechanics said thats what all cars look like from the area i am in,

 

A few weeks ago my wife and i test drove a '12 LX 570. I was impressed. We also sat in an '08 GX460 and, although I was impressed with the vehicle, my long legs could not extend enough to be comfortable. However, I sat in a '10 GX and the leg room was improved over the '08, but the price of the '10 and younger is too high for us.

After further research, I realized that the Toyota 4Runner is actually a "base model" of the upscale GX. I sat in a '10 4Runner with power seats and, sure enough, still the same great legroom, but not the same level of luxury, of course and no adjustable suspension height (which, after further research, I'm not so sure I want to maintain, anyway).

In short, my wife and I are no longer considering an LX or GX, but are now considering a '10, '11, or even '12 4Runner. In the Edmonton area, the the price of the former two are just a few thousand less than the '12s, so with the very variable driving conditions a used vehicle might have been subjected to (was it off road much? did it tow much?, was it used in the oil patch? etc.), we might very well buy new.

Thanks for the input about frame rust on the LX, guys.

 

I have a lx and also a 4runner that i use for DD, when i get back into the LX(wife occasionally drives it)..i dont how to explain it, the 4runner feels/rides crappy..i have a fully loaded limited 4runner ..but the overall quality is not the same...not even close

There is little rust on LX underbody , but i put marine grease on most parts and so far its holding up good...t

Also snow performance really depends on tires they should be similar./gas on 4runner is better about 3-4 mpg over all.but i would take the lx any day ...
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