dws1172

Well, the Devil got to me today. I have a new 4Runner Limited on order, however the dealership can't tell me if Toyota has approved it, build date, inception date of build, nothing. In part of my frustration, I went down to Lexus and drove a '17 GX460. Plain and simple. it is an EXCELLENT ride. I walked away quite impressed with it actually. The fit and finish, quiet cabin, ride quality, smooth tranny and engine just lit me on fire. This is not to say that a Limited didn't impress me, quite to the contrary, but I didn't expect to walk away from Lexus with a quandary like I'm in now.

Now, I know there are many on this board that dislike aspects of GX due to the lack of back window rolling down and the swing door, however the door didn't get under my skin as much as not having that blasted window to go down. I can live with the back door, the window...just not sure.

In order to be completely informed, I built a '17 GX online and a base GX, with JUST NAV and no other options, came out to be about $54k before negotiating. My Limited I have on order, that again, noone can tell me a thing about, will run a sticker of approx $46k without neg. $8k is a great dealt of money, roughly another 18% more than the Limited. You get a great deal of quality with the Lexus, but can I justify 8K for basically a V8 and better customer service, no matter how smooth the GX is??? With the loan I'm approved for, I am looking at about $125/m more for the GX than the 4R. Normally I would not let ~$100 stop me from anything, but I need to consider resale value, too. I will be whipping about 30k miles a year on this ride, and with that many miles I need it to have ALOT of longevity. I COULD CARE LESS about mileage, I care for reliability and comfort.

With rumors going crazy that the GX will be hitting the chopping block soon, I have to consider it as a viable alternative, albeit an expensive one.

People may have a bias in some circumstances, but anything in the area of data, or opinion for that matter, is welcome. We already have a '16 4R and love it, thus I am looking to stick with a tried and true model like this BOF SUV. I DO NOT want a crossover under any circumstance. I won't be taking it off-road much, but would like to have that option, thus the 4R and GX have my undivided attention.

Thanks in advance for the help and assistance.

LFIL

I don't think you will go wrong with either one. We have a GX and son has a 4Runner. Both good vehicles. To answer your resale question, go to Edmunds or KBB and price used models based on how long you expect to own, mileage, options, etc. Then look at what they originally cost new and figure the drop in resale value. We did this when son was shopping and the difference between Toyota and American brand alternatives was eye-popping.

Craigyyy

If you're looking at the limited 4Runner then you'd probably appreciate the additional refinement of the GX. It's quieter, more luxurious and plush, rides better with more weight, and has a very smooth, torquey V8. It's simply a far more comfortable vehicle while still being body-on-frame. IMO if you're looking at $46k + gulf state toyota add ons on a 4Runner, spend the $54k on a GX. To me, the 4Runner just doesn't look like a $46,000 vehicle, whereas the GX looks like you might have spent $60k or better. Also, for what it's worth, Lexus dealers are much more willing to negotiate than Toyota dealers, so the price difference is even closer than you think.

Your problem with your order is the fact that Gulf States Toyota literally does not allow you to place orders. The "order" you have is a list of options you gave to your dealer, and your dealer has to look for a similar truck to hit the port and request it from the distributor. Your specific build may never actually get built because Toyota never gets the order, they just spit out trucks as ordered by Gulf States (who also doesn't look at your build).

Resale wise, they depreciate at very similar rates, but the GX starts from a higher number. You're also going to take a beating on depreciation on a loaded Limited 4runner. The 4Runners with the best depreciation curves are the base SR5s and the Trails that are in the $30s.

However, how long to you plan to keep this thing? If you're putting on 30k miles a year, you're going to wipe out a lot of value on anything you buy. For an idea of resale, just search on cars.com for a GX or 4runner that's 3 years old with 90k miles on the odometer. From a brief search, it looks like 2014 GXs with 90k are mid-low $30s and a 2014 4Runner is high $20s.

Personally I've never wanted for a rear window that rolls down but perhaps I don't know what I'm missing.

Quintin

I have been driving Toyota's since the 80's- cars and SUVs. They are all good products, solid built and exceptional attention to detail engine and transmission wise. I would first start with Bluebook and NADA and compare/contrast values. Side by side, if you want luxurious brand perception, soft ride, quiet, and built tough as nails, I would spend the extra for the GX. This is my 2nd GX, had Gen 1. No problems, at all. You would expect after a few years, visible and audible signs of wear such as; creaky interior trim, misalignment, radio button looser, that sort of thing---nothing of the sort. These GX's are produced from the LandCruiser Prado platform. The design model is identical, in tightness of interior, and engine reliability. These trucks are so quiet, and smooth. The only other vehicle I can compare it to would be my old Gen 1 RX300, that was a solid production vehicle. Anyway, go with your intuition coupled with data, can't go wrong either way. . .

Carnevino

Not to sound like a smartass, but did you know the rear window on the GX does open/lift up? My lady had no idea it did it until I showed her the small button that pops the window up.

S2k4

Gulf States will reluctantly allow a special order. I had to complain to Jim Lentz to get it done, however, on the time I had to do it.

Either choice will allow you to keep it until the wheels come off, if they ever do. A friend of mine who works at a Toyota dealership witnessed a Toyota truck getting traded in after 1 million miles on the odometer.

coolsaber

If you are picking up a 4R for 46k you can pick up a GX base for a delta of $4 easy (maybe less now with end of year sales pushes)

The thing with resale is that the bigger the price the bigger the depreciation. Both vehicles follow a similar shaped curve but with different start points. Figure that out, and you should be good. Does the limited come with KDSS on the 4R, if not the that might be more appealing down the line to a perspective buyer who want to mod the suspension. If not, then your getting identical vehicles

WHITE93GT

Frankly, buy the one you like the most. Resale and reliability are so close, it's a wash in my opinion. I've had 4runners, Land Cruisers and now a Gx460. They are all great in their own ways, and no matter the miles there is always a market for a clean one of these models. If you have a '16 4Runner, why not get something different? Also you can't go wrong with either the 4Runner or GX.

jkonquer

After doing some several years of research between the 4runner and GX460 is that You could pick up an year old (less than 15K miles) fully loaded/top of the line GX460 ($65k vehicle new) for less than $50k from the dealership. I have never purchased an used vehicle, but this is an exception due to how much you are saving.

JayPixelGX

I've had a few 4runners and really like them, great quality and features but as others have said the GX is more comfortable.

First thing I considered when I switched was the safety features in the Luxury model with driver assist package, the auto cruise, blind spot monitoring, and rear traffic detector are great. Second, towing I towed with the 4runner and on flat surface no problem but up hills/mountains the GX V8 really provides the power you need.

And since you looked at a used model that's where the value is for this car, a used 2017 2018 luxary will be same price if not cheaper than 2021 4runner limited.