jm_lex

I am in the market for a used GX470. I am looking for a vehicle under 50,000miles, black and with Mark Levinson audio.

Year 2005 or later
Under 50K miles so I have the peace of mind of manufacturers warranty.
Black just a matter of taste.
Mark Levnison audio, as I love good sound.

I want to be flexible in my criteria so answers to these questions would help a lot.

1. The engine redesign that was done in 2005, is it significant and is there a noticeable difference in power? There was some boost in HP from 2004 to 2005, but at what RPM. Are there any dynocharts out there comparing the improvement? Anyone personally tried a comparison between pre and post 2005 models?

2. I read that the suspension service can get expensive but at what miles does this become a concern? Should I stick to under 50K miles?

3. Do all navigation based vehicles come with Mark Levinson audio?

I already have spare OEM wheels for winter use on which I will be mounting Nokian Hakka. I probably will replace whatever tires with the Bridgestone Dueler Alenza for a smooth quiet ride, the rest of the year.

Thanks,
-Jai

The G Man

I test drove the 04 and 05 a few years ago, I ended up with the 05. The gain in horsepower is a that noticable since the GX is so heavy, but none the less, there is a difference. If you are towing or off roading, the extra hp will come in handy.
There is no regular suspension service that I know of, some owners have experience rear height sensor failure in some older GX.
All navigation based GX come with Mark Levinson audi.

jm_lex

Thanks for the input. I had to slightly change my criteria and this is mainly due to the infamous clunk problem I have been reading about. To be under warranty, the vehicle has to be 2006 (2005 vehicles are over 4 years). As I understand the drive shaft, swing arm and bushing replacement costs at least $1K. Does every GX470 have the clunk problem? Or is is a few isolated cases. The dealership here in Portland said that even if the vehicle is under warranty just because there is a TSB they won't do the replacement unless they can reproduce the problem. That could get tricky if it is a sporadic problem and the vehicle is close to 50000 miles. Maybe a more suitable question in the clunk thread but would still be appropriate here.

LexusBob

To answer your Q's:

1) I had test drove an '04 and '05. The engine on the '05 was definitely peppier.

2) I have 65K miles on my '05 and have had no suspension issues (knock on wood!).

3) Yes!