AJT123

Figured I'd make a new thread, wanted to just share my thoughts and experience with it since it was sort of a journey.

I still can't believe how new-feeling this thing is. Like I said the miles were more than I wanted (107k) but my buddy who flips cars sold it to me for $33,500 and I could not say no to that deal and today I could sell it for 40 with all that's going on. Lol I love equity. Was planning on paying 40k+k on one of these eventually. I just put the odometer on trip so I don't have to look at miles, and the guy took such good care of it it might as well have 25k miles on it. If anyone wants the name of my friend and his (legit) business, PM me. You're not going to get the deal I got but you will get a flawless vehicle in at least 9/10 condition all around. Maybe 9.5. He doesn't buy vehicles to resell unless they are basically perfect. I love the silver, it's that same Mercury Metallic on my LS, so the cars match. My dealbreaker was the tan interior which I don't care for. The paint job is of extremely high quality.

Likes:

Yes this is a truck, no mistake about it. But it drives like a high end Lexus should--smooth, quiet and serene. And it knows exactly what it wants to be..a tough truck ready for whatever. It's roughly as quiet as my LS430. I know BOF trucks aren't everyone's cup of tea but this thing rides pretty damn smooth. It handles DUI/sleep strips better than my LS430, you feel nothing. The AHC I'm obsessed with--that's reason enough you choose LX over Land Cruiser IMO. It automatically senses when you're off roading and raises it when needed. It even has a "extra high mode" that senses and comes on if you get stuck, etc. You can't manually select the extra high mode. It's a beast in the mud, even on stock Michelin tires. I have confidence that you could get into moderate legit off roading with these tires. I have fully explored every single off road doodad and it's sort of ridiculous (in the best way) to have this much capability. The undercarriage is still caked with mud but it hasn't rained here enough to drive and it wash off, lol. I love that you can take it mudding then just get back on the road and drive it like a mall cruiser. The mudflaps are functional and protect the paint, bravo. V8 engine is fabulous, sounds great. The truck is fast. Even on the highway just stomp the pedal and you're at 100 before you know it. It is geared extremely well and I wouldn't want the 8 speed. ML sound system has blown my mind. It makes the base Pioneer in my LS430 sound like a bathroom/shower radio with one speaker. And it truly does have surround sound. All the switches are properly Lexus-like and buttery. The headliner is of amazing quality. I do think the '13-'15 is the best looking LX and will age the best. Nice looking restrained spindle grill, not too over the top like the newer ones. Classy rims and trim.

Complaints?

Few. I don't care about the gas mileage, first of all. But it's bad, lol. It has some cheap plastic on the lower doors that others have noticed. Glovebox feels a little cheap. It doesn't have the interior material quality of my LS430. Sure it's nice enough, don't get me wrong. But I got in my LS430 yesterday after not driving it for a while and there is just no comparison in the wood. It just glows in an LS430. The semi-aniline leather is nice, it's not a cush seat like an LS but my guess is that was intentional for durability. The white contrast stitching looks nice. One thing to note is that there's a little too much grey plastic but the whole audio and climate system are real metal, which I didn't pick up at first. The window switches are kind of awkwardly placed but you get used to it. Umm...that's about it.

Love this thing and probably will never get rid of it, ever, unless it dies. I swear we need to move to a house with a 4 car garage.

Just figured I'd share. If you want one and see a good condition, well kept LX, don't worry about the miles. I swear you could tell me it had 25k on it and I'd believe it. It even smells nice inside just from the leather, still. Great truck.

Toys4RJill

Nice write up

Interesting comments on the pros as well as the cons. The gas mileage is what it is...big V8 with full time 4WD that always works.. amazing stuff.

AJT123

Thanks, lol and they're not really cons. I'm reaching.

And you got that right about the 4WD. You can pull out of anywhere from a stop in the rain and floor it onto another road as you're pulling out, I've noticed that.

I really can't believe I ever considered anything else.

JDR76

Glad you are enjoying it!

Och

iTrader: (3)

Sound like you got a killer deal with used car prices going up so much in the last several month.

AJT123

Yeah, I was extremely lucky with the timing. For sure. Also it was a pleasant experience as it was a transaction with my longtime friend who owns a business and not a dealer, no fighting over price etc. We won't be buying any more cars for a long time, so good. That's always a PITA at dealers, all the BS that comes with it.

AJT123

Thanks! Ditto on your Tundra!

Stroock639

thanks for the update! i too agree the 6 speed is better and i think should've stayed, the 8 speed completely ruined the responsiveness of every 6 speed it replaced... my guess was so better mpg ratings could be achieved

also it's cool how adjustable and variable the suspension is! i love driving my LS in 'extra high mode' but that uh... that involves something else

pbm317

With my parents former LX's and GX's we used to joke that you could see the gas gauge start to dip when you started the car.

AJT123

Agree. In LX at least it's geared for economy, its main goal is to get into highest gear ASAP, and I think EPA MPG went up by 1. I haven't driven one but have read road tests where one said the 8spd auto "neuters" the engine's power. The 6 speed, no. It will hold gears and rev right out all day long. Putting it in PWR mode reallllly makes a difference in feel, way more than my LS430. I'm assuming on the new 8 speeds to get the best feeling transmission programming you'd have to put it in sport + mode which would affect ride and steering too, no thanks. If I wanted a sporty SUV I would have gotten a nice crossover. Just give me good power and a transmission I like that maximizes it, I don't want anything else set to "sport" in something like this, that's ridiculous.

I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about. .

Lol and you weren't wrong. The gauge moves if you take it anywhere further than 10 miles or so. Like I said, virtually everything is 5-10 minutes from our home so it's just very short stop and go trips which makes gas mileage even worse. Lol I'm getting about 11 MPG on a good day.

aabassi

Great to hear you're enjoying it! I'd love to own something like this in the future, but as a college student watching the prices hike...it's not looking good lol. Maybe I'll wait 10 years and try to snag the GX from my parents lol . That LX is an amazing truck tho. Does it have the same ML system as the LS460?

AJT123

It has the same wattage of 450, and is also a "ML reference surround" which I believe are only available on LC, LS, and LX. It's better than a "regular" ML stereo. I've heard a lot of factory systems and this is probably the best I've sampled.

Taking the GX off your parents sounds like a good idea to me!! A GX was our original plan but I just had to have to LX, to match my LS. Plus I wanted the 5.7 which is verrry powerful and I can use regular gas which helps offset the bad mileage.

Stroock639

also just one quick thing... are you comparing FM to FM as far as audio quality goes? i agree the FM on the pioneer in my LS is nothing special in the slightest, but with a high quality CD or audio file used through the cassette adaptor the sound quality is exceptional

the LX has HD radio so that makes a big difference as well

mmarshall

Thanks.....great write-up.

Even if some interior pieces feel a little cheap (with is a problem on many more recent Toyota and Lexus products), it's tough (no....VERY tough) to beat the underlying quality of the chassis, frame, drivetrain, and underbody components of this vehicle. There is a good reason why both the LX and Land Cruiser require a mortgage-loan to buy and operate.

AJT123

For sure.

The previous Land Cruiser 100 had a better quality interior than the 200 series. The 100 series LX470 had the LS430/ES330 interior with softer tough materials and nicer wood. To be fair that was the highest point of Lexus interiors, late 90s into early 2000s. My truck is HARDLY a penalty box inside, though. It's just HOW GOOD Lexus interiors were back in the day. That said, the 100 was slow. This model with the 5.7 is fast. I'd rather have the better engine and lesser interior in this situation.

And you don't have to take out a mortgage for a new one when you buy used . I don't buy cars that expensive but I can easily see why it cost $90k+ new. And it's still so in like new condition. Both sets of wireless headphones plus the remote are there for the screens behind the seats, it came with 2 keys, and even extra OEM Lexus floor mats for mud/winter, etc. I went mudding and used every single off road doodad (there's lots), flawless.