karKrazy

The last few months I've been considering upgrading the family vehicle. We have an '07 Sequoia that has been flawless with 92,000 on it. Today we went and test drove some vehicles. None really stood out with the exception of an 2015 Highlander and a 2011 LX. The LX had just 40k on the clock and was owned by a lady in her 70's. It was the cleanest used vehicle I've seen in a while. We are a family of four and the boys fit in the second row. I'm 6'5 and it fit me. I guess my question is how practical is it to buy a 2011 or should I pursue a later model? Any known issues with 2011 models?

Higlander was great but the LX rode like a dream!

karKrazy

Another question is will I be able to get the same fuel mileage out of the LX as the 4.7l 2007 Sequoia or will it be a little better?

caha14

Welcome to CL!

Given your description of the LX you're looking at and how much you seem to have liked it, if the price is right, I would not hold the model year against it. The Highlander is a fine vehicle, but to your point, the LX is in a different league, and I (as most others on here) can attest that it is built to last. Newer, of course, is always nice, but again, if this 2011 LX is in great shape and priced right, you won't be gaining anything at all reliablity-wise from a '13+ LX.

I don't know if the LX is certified (not clear if the vehicle was traded by the lady or if she is selling it). If it is, that would be ideal, given the L-Certified warranty and the fact that you could extend it. Beyond price, that would be, quite frankly, my only other consideration (given how clean you've stated it is).

With regards to fuel economy, all else equal, the 5.7 in the LX drinks more than the 4.7. I had the 4.7 in a GX, and the LX is definitely thirstier. The Sequoia is a big truck, however, so the difference may be smaller (not sure - I haven't checked EPA ratings), but I'd imagine the LX would still be a bit worse (think low teens around the city and 19ish on the highway on a good day).

karKrazy

Thanks for the response. It is greatly appreciated. Anything one should watch out for on the 2011 model? Any known issues with AHC or the hydraulic system?

jrmckinley

Not that I'm aware of. I have a '10 that I bought with 60k miles (now at 90k) - my AHC was leaking at 88k miles and it was covered under my CPO warranty (would have been about $2k out of pocket). My nav system does some weird stuff (documented in this forum) - other folks are having the same issues (spitting out CD's, changing sources) but I don't know what year LX they have. I don't pay too much attention to gas mileage- the Sequoia is a beast like the LX so I think you'll be pretty comparable (LX may be heavier). Once you drive an LX it'll be hard to buy anything else.

Reggie1

The insurance for the Lexus will likely be more expensive, but there are so many factors involved in calculating payments that you'd need to enter both into your insurance company premium calculator or contact your agent to determine that for sure. There have been posts which point out that the Highlander has significantly greater range per tank of gasoline, both city and highway, than the Lexus, so you'd be stopping more often for fuel. The LX fuel tank is fairly small, so you'll probably be refueling at around 300 miles highway. In addition, the Toyota is rated to run on regular (87 octane), and the LX requires premium (92-3 octane). If you tow a trailer, the Lexus would win, hands down. A minor point is that the Highlander has a luggage cover, and the LX does not if you carry things you don't want to leave in full view to tempt thieves. I believe you would find the service costs for the Lexus to be higher than for the Toyota. With a 40K mile LX, you'll be coming up on the 60K service within around a year, and that milestone service is really expensive, well north of a grand. And, you'll likely be looking at tires and a battery sometime in the near future for the LX, probably close to another grand.

ClaytonW

But the engine is the same... So it's up to you :-) No, I don't want to start another thread about regular or premium, you can find more threads here about this issue and other threads on ih8mud.com forum.

hankinid

If you're the guy who needs to wring every extra 0.0001 mpg out of his vehicle, you'd be confined to an institution about a month after buying a 200 series. I'm at 13 mpg in town, 18 mpg on the highway. Nice thing about the 6 speed is that 80mph is just a tad above 2000 rpm

My '13 cruiser weights 5880 with me and a cattle dog (~220 lb. total) and a full tank. Lucky to have a free certified scale at a neighbor's place. The 200 series LX is ~ 250 lb. heavier than the Cruiser with AHC and motors in the third row seats.

Engines are identical, LX says premium, LC says regular. Either truck has an engine ecu smart enough to learn what kind of gas the engine is being fed, and adjust timing accordingly. Each cylinder bank has a knock sensor, and it's junction is to prevent knock,

I agree with you completely, and those claiming that the engines are "different" are completely off-base. Engine component part numbers are the same for the Cruiser, LX, Tundra, and anything else with the 5.7 L engine. Nice thing about the 200 series is that the truck is produced completely in Japan at Toyota Auto Body, with 100% Japanese content.

As to the OP, it compared an LX to a Highlander? That's well beyond an apples-to-oranges comparison...more like apples to moon rocks. An LX is an LX simply because of how and where and with what it's made, not to mention is the better part of 100-large.

karKrazy

I wasn't comparing the two and I know they are two totally different platforms. It just happened to be the two that stood out of the ones we drove. I typically don't buy new as my wife doesn't drive a ton of miles. I feel like there is more value in a used vehicle as I don't lose as much money if we are driving it 3-4 years. I'm all for reliability and longevity. The Sequoia has been bullit proof but approaching a 100k and I know the typical maintenance requirements are coming ( timing belt, water pump, brakes). My thoughts have been to save the cash on that and pay cash for something different.

hankinid

Understood. I'm with you. I look for a 3-5 year old truck with a great maintenance record and let somebody else eat the depreciation. They are few and far between good or great used trucks around here...they run forever and right now we're seeing the hardest winter in 35 years...nobody wants to sell one. I also pay cash. I think the best truck is a paid-for truck.

jrmckinley

[QUOTE=hankinid;9739443] I agree with you completely, and those claiming that the engines are "different" are completely off-base. Engine component part numbers are the same for the Cruiser, LX, Tundra, and anything else with the 5.7 L engine. Nice thing about the 200 series is that the truck is produced completely in Japan at Toyota Auto Body, with 100% Japanese content.

Sharing an engine across multiple platforms is a good thing IMO. It means parts are more readily available and therefore cheaper. It also increases the odds of folks knowing how to work on it- I actually take my LX to a Toyota dealer for service because I know I'm driving a Land Cruiser and prefer to save on the hourly service charge. About 15 or so years back I was pretty loyal to Nissan and their 3.0L V6 engine because it was shared in virtually every car and minivan they made. It was very reliable, but I also knew it wouldn't be hard to get parts or get it fixed if needed.

karKrazy

Thanks for all of the replies. I'm really torn on this deal. I really intended on buying the wife something a little newer than a 2011 but this is by far the cleanest used vehicle we've been in. Question about further depreciation. What would you estimate annual depreciation on these vehicles and does it drop even more as new body styles hit the market. Again, is there an advantage at looking at a '13 or '14 because of the refresh?

ClaytonW

BTW, my wife amd my daughters really hate driving my '16 LX. They all love LS460 and even they say that they prefer to drive my '08 Sequoia to LX. They complain about heavy clumsy steering, bad view, too high seating position.... If this is for your wife, please make sure that she really likes it.

hankinid

For anything I can't fix or don't have the time for, I'Il take my LX or Land Cruiser to a local independent shop...if it did not exist, I'd take both to the local Toyota dealer shop.

No idea of depreciation percentages, but shouldn't be hard to estimate via KBB or NADA online. I purchased my '01LX in 2008. So after 7 years with 80K and a meticulous MD owner, I paid about 40% ($20K cash) of the original price...service records indicated original selling price was $52K and change. I'm not aware of another SUV that holds value like Land Cruiser or LX. If I missed one, whatever it might be will have reliability inferior to a 200.

Looking at a newer model will get you a refresh and more stuff, but the backside is more $$. I would have been happy with a 2010 or later, I ended up with a 2013. You have a significant advantage with an elderly original owner...I doubt she took it to Moab, let alone any off-road. Services were taken care of on time.

A well maintained no-rust 200 series holds it's value due to reliability, but also because they're scarce as hens' teeth. I don't have numbers for 2016, but in 2015 Toyota exported ~7000 200-series trucks to North America (~3000 LC's and ~4000 LX's). Contrast that to almost 80 THOUSAND 4Runners. That's why I always suggest that when you find one with your name on it, GRAB it. Murphy's Law correlates to that by almost guaranteeing you'll see a newer vehicle with half the mileage for half the price a week after you buy. Did you buy it yet??

jrmckinley

These LX's are rare, so sometimes you sacrifice on color, options, year, mileage. You're lucky to find one in incredible condition. If it feels right, I wouldn't worry about a '13 or '14. You're probably looking at a $10k or so premium (guessing) to go from an '11 to a '13. You get the minor refresh to the head lights and tail lights and the turn signal on the mirror. It looks different (nicer IMO, I have a '10 and like the '13 better), but the question is if it's worth passing up a cream puff and saving yourself $10k. For me, I'd save the money and be happy with a beautiful and well maintained rig. You may not find a '13 you like for quite a while...