rj4510

I've been contemplating trading my 03 GX for an 07 4Runner Sport 4.7.

Reasons why:
GX is more complicated to maintain as it ages (suspension, navi, etc.).
Still prefer the roll down back window to the swing out door. Can never get into the back with bike rack etc. on the hitch.
Don't ever use 4WD, so a 2WD 4Runner would work as well with less possible complications.
Can't do a sound system upgrade without spending tons, due to NAVI/ML system. But, ML system kicks butt over stock system in 4Runner. My concern is mostly with replacement costs and the lack of options, rather then a thumping boom box.
4Runner Sport has a real sporty ride, where the GX is more of a silent freight train (both have advantages)
have stored the 3rd row sets since I bought it and the 4Runner offers multi tier storage and cover carry and hide my gear.
4Runner feels way faster with same 4.7. Not sure if that'll make a difference in mileage, but not a big deal if it didn't. I absolutely love the V8 engines in our trucks.

There's a reason I'm posting this on the GX forum and not the 4Runner forum, so hope this doesn't start a flame fest.

Ancient

Was in the Toyota dealership yesterday, looking at a Venza or new Camry for my wife. The new 4 Runner, completely loaded with 49K. That is with a 6, can't get an 8 cyclinder any more. Yikes, didn't know you could go that high in price with a 4 Runner.

I have rented older 4 Runners and was amazed at how fast they were off the line with that low first gear, but still the mileage was near 20 on all highway. Sound, reliable truck, have been for a long time. For your specific needs, sounds like a good change for you. Certainly less complicated, so overall expense of owning that truck are less. Easy to modify, lots of upgrades to purchase, parts are fairly inexpensive.

We are now in the salt season in my area. Yuk! Envy someone that lives in a no salt area. Good luck!

Ancient

previous post, that is $49,000.00, not mileage for a new 4 Runner loaded with every option.

ROK

You have the gx with the less powerful engine plus the fact that it is nearly a decade old. These are much more substantive reasons for getting the much newer ride. Otherwise the gx is the better ride. It is quieter, smoother, sithigher... But if u want to lift it the 4r has the superior aftermarket support.

Lexmex

My fiance and I had this debate and we ended up getting an 06 4Runner V8 RWD SR5, 19K miles for $19K mid last year over getting possibly an 03 GX470, but couldn't find the GX at a decent price. We knew from our research we wanted an 05 4Runner or newer but when we found this one magically on sale one day we jumped after I checked the maintenance history and took it for a test drive. Have not had any issue with it.

cdew002

The 4-Runner is probably the right car for you, and I doubt anyone on here will tell you it isnt just as reliable as the GX. Your reasons for wanting to switch are valid, and coupled with ROKs observations, you should be in a 4R.

BUT...come on man. You are only looking at this from a logical and practical standpoint! Think about how much cooler the GX is! Haha.

ROK

Make sure you get the fully loaded Limited one because even the Limited falls short of the GX level of luxury/quality.

Anything less than top trim you really feel the econobox side of the 4R.

rj4510

Is there anything different besides the leather and navi on the limited? I only remember seeing a few glossy interior parts, instead of the dull finished ones on the other trim levels. There's no doubt the GX is made of top shelf parts, but none of our Toyotas have ever been cheaply made, just less luxurious.

ROK

(in the friendliest tone possible) i never said it's cheaply made just that in comparison to the GX, it's going to feel like you stepped into an econobox. There just is no comparison. Like you can't mod the thicker windows all around in the 4R which makes the interior much more quieter. The ride is going to be softer than the GX in any of the non-comfort modes. Rain sensing wipers is a major luxury for me since I live in a wet climate. Etc etc.

Limiteds only come with the V8 AWD. It's also got the auto lights, JBL and a few other gizmos that you should go verify yourself as I'm not 100% sure. If you're getting a non-Limited with leather, why not just go for the top dog?

rj4510

The limited ads some of the complexities I'm going to stay away from. Leather is nice, but cloth has it's advantages too, especially out here in the desert. rain sensing wipers, no biggie in the desert, since we rarely see rain and the JBL system is nothing special. It's way easier to upgrade speakers, amps, etc, with the plain head unit, than the JBL system. I will no doubt notice and miss the difference in quietness moving to the 4Runner, but the 06 and newer are way better than the older ones, since at least the front glass is thick like the GX.

So far as the ride is concerned, this is my main reason for wanting to go with the sport. The ride is far superior to the base or limited without X-REAS, without the complications of the air springs/pump.

I will still definitely miss some of the niceties of the GX, especially when I have to deal with Toyota service. There's just plain no comparison. Dealing with Lexus techs has been so pleasant. This was one of the deciding factors when I went wit the GX in the first place and not really looking forward to going back. I may skip the dealership altogether and save myself the hassle of dealing with the clueless and rude service writers

ROK

Refresher: My recommendation was definitely to go with the 4R over your decade old GX, but if you can swing a newer GX, then... tougher call.

rj4510

I wish I could. I'm trying to do the swap with little out of pocket. It's been tougher than I had hoped, since the GX seems to have lost quite a bit of value recently. A newer GX definitely isn't in the budget at this time.
I'm not sure if this has been others experiences or not, but ever since my car went out of warranty (about the same time the economy took a dump) the dealers though still very courteous and professional, haven't been nearly as flexible and friendly with regards to any troubleshooting or annoyances. Even when my wife's car was well out of warranty, they used to fix squeaks and rattles and fixed several when the car neared 100k at no charge. We used to always get loaners regardless of services, so we didn't have to stick around and waste time in the lobby. Now, we only get a loaner, if major services are performed and they won't even consider looking at anything without at least an hour's labor charge. Those little tid-bits were things we really enjoyed as Lex owners, but I guess the dealers are tightening up too, so the gap between the two badges narrowed.

The GX is still way more reliable than most brands out there new, so it's not like I'm trying to dump a junky car. I'm more future thinking and what it will take to keep it running tip-top and at what cost. I'll have to pry my wife's GS out of her dead, cold hands, so it's not going anywhere. There's way more support on this forum and others for her car, so it's been easier to figure out the various issues that have come up. It's still been pretty pricey to maintain, because so many parts are specific and like the GX, you are limited on options. I'm just thinking of what I've had to do to keep it running and how much "fun" both have been to troubleshoot, so at least if one is simpler, or has better support options, I may save big in the long run.

I wouldn't have been contemplating this trade, if the GX wasn't such an awesome ride.

rj4510

I've decided to stay with the GX afterall. I guess once I took a really close look at the 4Runner and read a whole mess of threads, the GX still ends up being a better car with far less annoyances than it's cousin. I didn't think I was using the GX 4WD system anywhere near as much as I thought, until I compared it to the 2WD Runner. I didn't feel it was wise to give that up either. 4WD Runners are a tough find here, since most get shipped to other states when traded in. We'll see how things go in the future and thanks everyone for your input.

z0lt3c

iTrader: (1)

I'm not quite sure where this fear of GX air suspension problems comes from. The problem rate with the suspension is very low, go take a look at a Range Rover forums if you want to see what common air suspension problems look like.

A factory standard standard shock/spring configuration only lasts 100K miles before performance starts to degrade and replacing 4 factory shocks is not any cheaper then replacing an airbag or sensor here or there. I've known of many GX air systems to run past 150K miles with no issues.

If you ever towed with the GX you may feel differently about the air system, it's a kick *** tow vehicle with a properly equipped hitch. The rear electric locker is a very nice standard feature, I don't think that comes standard on the 4R.

Reliability will be closer tied to maintenance history of the two vehicles. You already know how well your vehicle has been maintained, or not, if you have no records on the 4R, it's a crap shoot. The best thing you can do to minimise service costs is to find a good indy mechanic and stop using the dealer !! Or better yet, work on it yourself.

rj4510

I feel stupid admitting this, but this whole experience has taught me an awful lot about "dealer maintained vehicles" . Somehow I drank the Kool-Aid of keep it dealer maintained and keep your resale value high, etc., but have learned in reality is it's not worth jack didley! I've taken my paper work to a couple of negotiation tables and no one's even expressed interest.

Up till now I hadn't found anyone who could troubleshoot Lexus cars, or at least they said they didn't have the equipment to do so, but found a guy a couple of weeks ago, who's an independent Lexus tech and seems to do a great job. I can and have done quite a bit with DIYs (door lock repair, burned out dash lights, etc.) with both my wife's car and the GX, but don't have the setup or know how to go deep mechanically and even less time, so finding the new tech is huge. His labor rate is half that of the dealer. I kick myself for having not found him sooner, but I guess better late than never.