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Toyota GX 470... Help a Super Duty guy out?

mbryson

mbryson

.......a few dollars more
Supporting Member
Location
Bountiful, land of rocks
Anyone know what I should look out for on maint. and such for this dog? I don't know how long we'll keep this but it'll likely get us by for a while until she figures out what kind of "cool" car she needs. (and while I HURRY and finish paying off my JKU)

So we have been looking casually at cars/SUV for my wife since we moved into a house with a smaller garage. She's a bit frustrating to shop for as the only parameters I have is 1) heated seats, 2) "truck like ride and seating position" and 3) not a car. How the hell do you buy anything under those parameters? She'd pretty much settled into a 4 Runner of 2003-2009 vintage. Those suckas with heated seats are pretty hard to find.

Today is Nov 30 and strangely I'd finally talked her into trying out a non-4Runner but a close cousin, the GX 470. It's black and has 20" wheels :)rolleyes: ) and isn't really a "nice" car paint wise but seems pretty good mechanically. 144k seems like a lot of miles but it drives pretty nice and a quick look through KSL.com told us we were getting good private party price from a dealer. Just expressing interest at 6:00pm on Nov. 30 at a dealer can get you a decent price (per KBB anyway), I guess? I'm not afraid of being direct at all. It's a good solution when buying a car at a dealership? I think we did pretty well buying this thing if it's reliable at all. Reviews are pretty good for the model and it seems like it's pretty sound.
 
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cruiseroutfit

cruiseroutfit

Cruizah!
Moderator
Vendor
Location
Sandy, Ut
GX470's are great. Basically a Prado with cladding and a V8 (same as the 100 Series and rare 4Runners with the V8). Downside is the trim (some don't like it) and the suspension is adjustable and can be prone to failure when pushed off-road. However it's easy to swap to a traditional coil (ditch rear airbags). They are pretty zippy powerwise, again it's the same motor as similar vintage Land Cruiser, Tundras and Sequoia's got but in a much lighter chassis. Fit and finish is top-notch too, quiet interior, solid switches. Suspension is identical (dimension wise) to a similar vintage 4Runner or FJ Cruiser so there is a ton you can do there. We recently did this one up, owner is bferg here on the forums.

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bryson

bryson

RME Resident Ninja
Supporting Member
Location
West Jordan
GX's are nice. I have been resisting the urge to buy one myself. Not sure how much longer I can resist. When are you going to sell me your new one?
 
mbryson

mbryson

.......a few dollars more
Supporting Member
Location
Bountiful, land of rocks
ricsrx said:
what is mpg for this rig?
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I can't imagine more than 13-15 mpg? It will be an improvement over the Navigator I'd expect. (she doesn't commute far--6-7 miles each way) Same site lists our Navigator at 10 city, 12 Combined, 15 highway. That's about right for that rig.

bryson said:
GX's are nice. I have been resisting the urge to buy one myself. Not sure how much longer I can resist. When are you going to sell me your new one?
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You are waiting on the whims of a woman I haven't figured out in the past 24 years..... I'd make different plans :D
 
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Rot Box

Rot Box

Diesel and Dust
Supporting Member
Location
Smithfield Utah
I really like the GX platform. The V8 used in those is outstanding---it makes good power and is VERY reliable. The only concern I would have is the adjustable suspension, but like Kurt mentioned failure/problems always seem to be related to prolonged off-road use. I think it's probably fine for daily driving and such.
 
Spork

Spork

Tin Foil Hat Equipped
Location
Saratoga Springs, UT
If it's the same engine/transmission as the Sequoia I would expect closer to 17, My wife's sequoia is wider and probably heavier and she gets 17mpg. I got a neighbor with the GX and they look great.
 
Greg

Greg

I run a tight ship... wreck
Admin
Location
Grand Junction, CO
sixstringsteve said:
the major difference is the GX is AWD all the time.
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As well as the V8 4Runner. I would say we averaged around 15-17 MPG with our '03 4Runner and I wasn't easy on the throttle... my wife did better.

I loved our '03 V8 4Runner, it felt sporty and was fun to drive. It was perfectly reliable, comfortable on long trips and easy to drive. It's one of the many vehicles I miss!
 
nnnnnate

nnnnnate

Well-Known Member
Supporting Member
Location
WVC, UT
The biggest difference is size. The GX is the same platform of the 4Runner (smaller) vs the full size LX (which is still a bit shorter than the Sequoia).They share the motor and other drive train components. Since the GX is smaller and lighter it should be quicker than the LX. A lot of people hate on the rear hatch of the GX that is a full door that opens left to right rather than a tailgate or split rear door that the LX has. I'm pretty sure that the GX has 3 rows like the LX but again, due to its size that gives you basically no storage while using the 3rd row. The LX is bad with 3 rows in I can't image the GX has any useable space. There isn't a ton of aftermarket mod support (sliders/bumpers) but for a DD and light dirt roads it'll do just fine.

My wife is due for a new-ish vehicle soon and we've talked about getting her a GX. She likes driving the LX470 but the bit smaller size of the GX would be beneficial to her. Its going to be probably another year before we get serious about looking but I think its a great option.
 
cruiseroutfit

cruiseroutfit

Cruizah!
Moderator
Vendor
Location
Sandy, Ut
Greg and Nate nailed it. Also consider the GX is a light-duty chassis (as is Tacoma, 4runner, FJC, etc) and the LX (Land Cruiser) is the heavy-duty chassis. Much beefier axles (9.5" vs 8"), much larger CV's, drivelines, tie rod ends, etc. All that comes at a cost i.e. weight and economy.
 
mbryson

mbryson

.......a few dollars more
Supporting Member
Location
Bountiful, land of rocks
The tires on this thing are sucktastic in the snow. The wheels are six lug. Is that traditional 6 on 5.5" or it something different than that?
 

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cruiseroutfit

cruiseroutfit

Cruizah!
Moderator
Vendor
Location
Sandy, Ut
Same 6x5.5 as Toyota/Chevy, etc. You do have to pay special attention to the hub-centric vs lug-centric wheels when going aftermarket and of course make sure your wheels have the appropriate backspace/offset and clearance for brakes.
 
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