Interested in buying a 2005 Lx as a commuter
 

Hello everyone,
so I have been looking for a new car and I am very interested in older land cruisers, Lx 470, Gx 470 etc. I just recently found a 2005 Lx 470 with 99,000 miles that looks in excellent shape at a Lexus dealer. I have researched these vehicles and have seen how reliable they are, the V8 seems like it’ll run forever, but I wanted to know if you guys think driving a 2005 with almost 100k in mileage would be reliable as a daily commuter? I drive about 35 miles each way every day which could change in coming years. In your experience, do they hold up as commuters even being about 14 years old in this case?
thanks

I am also in the same situation. I commute around 40 miles daily for work and have a LS which is also great for that reason and has a lot for pep for when you need it on the highway and equally reliable if not more. A clean LX is so hard to come by but everyone here raves about it so Ive been looking for one too. I drove a 2006 at a Toyota dealer in VA last week and it had 70K on it. The carpet was in bad shape and it had no records on carfax so I backed out. They were asking $21.7K with no timing belt being done. Way too much for a 13 year old truck in my book.

I have been debating between the 2003-2005 vs the 2006-07 with the VVTi, rear LEDs and 40 more hp. I dont think it makes a diff unless you are towing seems to be the consensus around here.

How much is the Lexus dealer asking for the LX you found?

I am a little concerned when I read posts about the wheels locking up and brakes being applied automatically if there is a problem with the steering rack or ABS sensors on the previous few posts on here. :eek1: Almost enough to change my mind on the LX :cry:

Good luck!

I haven’t seen it in person yet, but the Lx is listed at $19,998 and from the pictures looks immaculate. It says it’s a one owner and a clean car fax. I would want to check the undercarriage for rust being in New England. I feel it’s not over priced for the condition but I’m not an expert on these clearly.

I dunno, a nice clean 2005 with around 130k miles can be had for about $15-16K on the east coast if you hunt patiently. I would make sure the timing belt has been done for the price they are asking. It shouldnt have much rust if Lexus is selling it.

You know it only gets 13 miles to the premium gallon right? Not the most efficient commuter but its a legend that no one ever wants to sell it seems ;)

Yeah I’m aware of the fuel efficiency, which I’m willing to deal with to get something different than a “normal” car and it’s something I might use for light off roading. It is thirsty but reliability in my mind makes up for that on some level.

wouldn't worry about any reliability issues, stuff can happen but fundamentally they are rock solid. Pricing seems high. I paid 21k for an '05 with 105k miles back in 2016.

You cannot tell how much rust it has until and unless it's up on a rack with all of the underside sheet metal removed...vin can give you the original city/state for the truck's delivery, and any services done by Lexus as well as any recommended services that were declined by the owner.

To avoid surprises later, I'd suggest you get it to a shop not involved in the deal for a pre-purchase inspection...$100 or so that's very well spent.

Really curious, did you really get it? I have a 60+ mile commute every day and cannot possibly imagine going back and forth with my monster.