LifeEnjoyr

iTrader: (1)

Hey everyone. We made a deal with a private seller here in So Cal for a 2004 Lexus GX470 w/ 109,500+ miles or so. They want $17,000 (best deal we've found during these last 2 weeks) for the car and we plan on getting a payment to her on Sat. Is this a pretty good deal or not? Also, with over 100k+ miles, have you guys encountered any issues with the car? Just wanted to get some tips before we finalize the purchase.

cssnms

Sounds reasonable, assuming the GX is accident free and in excellent physical and mechanical condition. They are great trucks and if taken care of it should provide you with many trouble free miles/years. Just make sure the seller changed the timing belt at 95k mi or you can expect to incure an $1800 bill doing so.

Stockstink

That is about the price around here in Minnesota.
The 2005 and newer has VVT-I engine. I believe the horsepower goes from 235 to 280 and might get better fuel economy.

LifeEnjoyr

iTrader: (1)

Thanks everyone! It would be reasonable to have them reduce the price another $1,000-1,500 or so if they didn't replace it right?

ALAN553

timing belt AND water pump, you can negotite it if they haven't but just so you know, my lexus dealer did both for 850 when i told them toyota price. good luck!

cssnms

Sure it's reasonable. The seller is going to face the same challenge with the next buyer too.

Call your lexus and Toyota dealer and get a price to replace the timing belt and water pump on a GX, then ask the seller to knock off whatever it's going to cost you to replace them and ask for a little more off while you are at it. If it's going to cost you $1000 to have it done at Toyota, offer $2k less and settle for $1500 off the sale price - in effect you are buying the GX for $16,500.

cssnms

To clarify, HP's of the UZJ120 engine are bumped to 270 in 2005 w/the addition of VVT-i. 0-60 mph remains unchanged and tow capacity remains the same. Highway mpg's improve by only 1 mpg.

Although arguably a technical improvement, the performance gain is negligible. In other words the differences would not keep my from buying a 2004 if I found the truck I was looking for at the right price.

LifeEnjoyr

iTrader: (1)

Thanks guys! I just wanna get a rough idea of the costs from the dealers, so it would be easier to knock off the price, though I can get it under a 1000 from a family friend who runs an auto shop. =)
I appreciate everyones input, looking forward to the GX this weekend!

Lexus 4 ME

I agree I would take into consideration condition, price that you will confortable with. 2004 are know for leaking radiator and height control sensors.

ROSCOGX470

Any extended warranty? Sounds like a decent price. I paid $22,500 18 months ago and my 04 GX had 60k miles.

Bob GX

I think you will like it - I bought my 04 GX new and it's had remarkably few issues. Two things to check - Lexus has TSIBs on both of these and might be fixed under warranty if your GX has them:

- the door handle & latch on the rear hatch/door wouldn't work - door wouldn't open so be sure and check this
- back up camera became intermittent - started out by flickering & flashing and then would work ok for awhile, but eventually (like a year later) went dark. Check for this by putting the car into Reverse and watch the screen for a couple minutes. If working correctly it will turn on and the image will be steady.

Neither of these are a big deal to fix if your GX has them - I'm just mentioning so you can check. I've had zero issues with leaks, ride height sensors, etc so far - knock on wood!

okeyndy

Am about buying a 2005 gx model too just a bit curious too. Heard its a super ride