Hi everyone, I'm thinking of buying a 2006 GX470 with 92,000 miles. Are there any known issues I should be on the lookout for?

Thanks,
John

 

These trucks have a major service due at 90k which is time belt/water pump and the forums are full of info on it. I bought a 2007 last year at 80k miles going very strong with regular service before recently I changed the rear shocks which were leaking at 92k miles and yes I'm yet to do the time belt service. Yeah the front leather seats and arms rests were all cracked up which I got re done at a local upholstery place (which is a common problem on these) got a new dash installed by Lexus as a part of enhancement program which was all cracked at several locations.

 

That's pretty low mileage for that year. Could be good.
So far as common problems, that question gets asked a lot, so you might just want to browse through the forum some.

Chip H.

 

The suggestions above are good in that there is plenty available in the search function. Since I just picked one up myself here is a quick non-comprehensive list of some of the things I checked:

If you can pull up the service history from lexus owners club, that goes a long way to knowing what has been done and when

Check out the suspension....if it is stil the stock adjustable, check to see if all 4 corners are still good.

Air bag function.....check it out and check for leaks

Engage the transer case and test things out.....

Engage the center diff lock....check for function

crawl under it......observe any imapct of corrosion above and beyond expected at 10years old

Look for leaks.....exhaust, sterring rack, all 4 wheel bearings and axle seals, check the drive shaft and seals, fire it up with the hood open and A/C compressor off.....listen......any belt tensioners sound wonky? Radiator not leaking?

Drive it and hit the brakes.....does it dive like a SOB? Shocks could be gone if it does....does the pedal,wheel whole rig pulsate and shake? Toyota rigs are known to enjoy warping rotors....not the end of teh world and a cheap and easy 2 beer DIY fix but something to check out......

Was the timing belt done? If not.....adjust your price for that as it is due right now.

That is off the top of my head.

 

I've searched religiously several times a day on all the used car sites for the last 3 months looking for the right GX.

I just bought 5 days ago 2008 GX470 Sport Package w/83k for $23,000.00 from Carmax. I am very pleased with the vehicle, and was suprisingly delighted by the Carmax experience. It was the single most pleasant, straightforward, low-pressure car buying experience I've ever had. They do charge more for their cars, but they genuinely back them up with their 30 day warranty and they make their best effort at only selling vehicles that are in excellent condition. They also gave me $3k more for my trade in than other dealer offered. I'm usually the kind of person that can find fault in anything, and then belligerently make a bunch of noise about how displeased I am by it. But in my case, Carmax really was what they sell themselves to be. BUT, you need to be REALISTIC about your expectations when you go in. I think the people that end up hating/trashing Carmax do so because they don't understand the Carmax model and still want to haggle and nit pick and play the game.

That being said, they have a lot of GX's. If Carmax is not your thing, I'd try and buy from a Lexus dealer if you can. They know these vehicles, while your average used car salesman knows jack about it. I also found Lexus dealer prices to much more reasonable than regular used dealers. The benefit of going with Lexus is you don't have to explain anything to them and they are much more likely to make things right, whether before or after you buy it.

There are many GX's in Texas, but service histories are hard to come by for them. There are also many in Florida, Utah, and California. I'd stick with these and just factor having a vehicle shipped to you into you budget, this is the only way to really be sure it's not a rust bucket underneath.

"If you can pull up the service history from lexus owners club, that goes a long way to knowing what has been done and when"

^^^This went a long way to satisfying a lot of my concerns when I was searching for the right rig. BUT, I was never able to create an account on the Lexus Owner's website. I did post on here though seeking help from anyone with an account, and someone was happy to search for me.

No one is gonna replace the air bags for you, the whole job runs like $1200 or something ridiculous, so look for one that's already had it done. Or be prepared to swap the air bags out for 4Runner/FJ springs. It's a drastically cheaper way to take care of the air springs.

At that mileage, I woudn't even consider going forward unless they can prove the timing belt/water pump has been done, or that they're willing to do it as part of the deal.

My GX does have some pulsing when I hit the breaks, I'm considering having Carmax turn the rotors and put new pads on if they will go for it, as I've got 30 days to have things like that addressed.

Lastly, 2006 does have an open recall on curtain air bag sensors. Apparently they can just randomly deploy whenever. That wouldn't be fun on the freeway. The recall remedy is still not ready at this point, and there is no indication when it may be. This was the main reason I decided I would only look at 2007 and up.

If you have any questions at all, please don't hesitate!

 

 

 

 

In Dec. I purchased a 2006 GX with 49,000 miles. Runs great and everything checks out. As the GX 12yrs old, I am having the timing belt, water pump, and thermostat changed to just be safe. If the belt goes, your engine is toast. I was able to get a local quote and the Toyota dealer (50 miles away) met the quote of $1150 - Lexus parts. As an old guy, enjoy the ride and once yearly off road hunting elk in central Idaho. You will love the GX.

 

That's an outstanding deal! Hopefully there will not be any corrosion issues from the hurricane. Electrical issues can haunt a vehicle for years. Did you find that deal on Autotrader?

 

 

 

Nice
Cool tech update!!