Twixboy

My parents are looking to move closer to me so I want a full size 6/7 seater to fit the whole family for weekend outings. I only have a budget of $30k so I need to look at used vehicles. Reliability and cargo space are my #1 concerns. The Suburban is too big. The Tahoe might be okay, but I'm worried about reliability. The Land Cruiser has a reputation for being indestructible and has adequate cargo space, so I started looking at that. Then I noticed the LX 570 sells for only $1k more for a 2008-10 with ~100k miles. What are the advantages of buying the Lexus over Toyota? I don't plan on rock crawling, but a capable winter vehicle that can handle the NH mountains is a must. I will be driving this a few hours to get to the mountains in the winter so with little kids and elderly people in the car, comfort is also an important factor. Just to give you a baseline, my kids favorite vehicle of all time is the 2016 Chrysler Town & Country we rented for a month in Hawaii. However, this will be my daily driver in the winter and there's no way I'm driving a minivan 5 days a week to work

hankinid

A Suburban is ~ 2 ft or so longer than a Tahoe...

Are you sure you'll have "adequate cargo space" with the 3rd row seating 2 passengers...not much room behind the 3rd row...certainly not enough "to fit the whole family for weekend outings".

Either a Cruiser or LX is able to work wonders in the winter...far more a driver skill issue than vehicle.

Pricing varies by region...normally Cruiser's are a bit harder to find since fewer are imported. In 2015, Toyota shipped only ~ 3000 LC's and ~ 4000 LX's to the U.S. market.

Twixboy

The Suburban is the classic "big SUV" for large families, but when I looked at it I decided it was too big and hard to maneuver in the city. That's when I decided I'll look at the next class down. I'll have 6 passengers, so I plan to have my older kid in the 3rd row and the other side will be folded for cargo space. She tends to get in through the trunk anyways and climbs over the seats, so the 3rd row will be perfect for her. My main point of the thread was to seek opinions on the whether I should choose the LX over the LC. It's only $1k more, so I'm wondering if there are drawbacks that I'm not aware of since it's a Lexus vs Toyota. I would have thought it should be more than $1k more, all else being equal. I don't need the extra towing capabilities of the LC, so now I'm drawn to the LX for its creature comforts. Are the extra electronics in the LX prone to breaking and expensive repairs?

hankinid

When you write "it's only $1K more", I assume you're comparing just two trucks. Generally, pricing differences between the 2 are based more on condition (especially in rust-belt areas) than anything else.

lexusrus

Definitely go for the LX. Just my opinion.

We had a 2000 LX470 bought new with our first born at the time. I remember well back then we flew into Ft. Lauderdale FL (JM Lexus ) with our new born . I was attending a conference in the area. We tested out the LX470 with our newborn in car seat and stroller in all sorts of seat configurations. We felt there were plenty of room for all three of us. We finished the paperwork and drove out in our new LX470 (golden pearl exterior which they no longer make. I believed it actually had gold flakes in the paint. Amazing in direct sunlight).

Then we had more babies and started to run out of room. We came up with a trailer hitch carrier which is sold at many places, including Wal-Mart, UHaul, and etc. We just put stroller and ice chest, luggagea on it and tie them down.

We kept the old 2000 LX470 until 2013 when we traded in for a new 2013 LX570 (with 280k+ miles on the odo). The old LX served us well without any real major problems other than the usual tires, brakes, oil/fluid changes, and etc. Even at trade in time, the old LX held up well......leather looks still new despite the kids and the rest of the interior are still looking new (I had taken good care of the LX).

So if you are looking at long term, the whatever extra cost with LX over the LC is well worth it given the long time you are going to spend in it.

So in conclusion, I say go for the LX.

Edit: Please keep in mind that the old LX470 did not have all that electronic stuff vs the new LX570. So you might want to consider extra warranty? This issue is heavily debated , so you must decide for yourself. Also just one big issue gone wrong, e.g., NAV, will cover the cost of the entire extra warranty.

Twixboy

Thanks for the reminder, I need to keep this in mind. I bought a used truck 5 years ago with around 140k miles on it in NH. I've had to bring it in for repairs once a year for rust-related issues. After that experience, I looked south to DC for my next vehicle. I think I'll look even further south this time where they don't salt the roads at all.

jrmckinley

I have a 2010 LX that we purchased about 2 1/2 years ago (CPO) with 60k miles. I also had similar concerns about the long term reliability and build quality of a Tahoe and my wife didn't like the ride of the biggest Infiniti (though we loved the interior and the 2nd row captain chairs). So I was dead set on getting either the LX or the LC and just decided I'd buy whatever I could find that was in great shape, a color I liked, and a price I could afford. That's really the mentality you need to have with these rigs as they are very hard to find (low production and people tend to keep them forever). There are some bells & whistles on the LX that aren't available on the LC, but I didn't really care one way or the other. I'm pretty simplistic and find on cars I want as little technology as humanly possible (less stuff to go wrong). I just wanted the tank-like reliability and serene driving experience which is found in both. If you are seeing an LX vs. the same year LC for a $1k difference, I'd go for the LX just because you'll get some more luxurious touches to the inside of the truck. However, know that you may encounter higher maintenance costs on the LX compared to the LC. Ex: the hydraulic suspension on my LX started leaking about 3 months ago. If it wasn't covered by CPO, would've cost me just over $2k to replace. To my knowledge, that's not a feature offered on the same year LC- so if buying non CPO you wouldn't have to worry about an expensive repair like that on the LC.

* Look closely at the space you'll have in the back when using the 3rd row. I personally hate the jump seats and how difficult they are to remove and re-install on the LX. I know it can be done, but not something you want to do every few weeks. You will want to make sure you have enough room to haul bags, suitcases, etc. when using one half of the 3rd row seating.*

Best advice is just think about your "must have" items and your "nice to have" items - buy whichever truck checks the most boxes. For me, the must-haves were:
- CPO
- moderate mileage
- documented service history
- keyless entry & start (meaning I never have to take my keys out of my pocket)
- Rear DVD for my kids

Bimmer32

Thought about getting a Sequoia Platinum? As lots of room compared to the LX or LC.

toddturbos

I have a 2010 Toyota Sequoia Plat as a company car, this is my 5th one and the last 4 all had just under 100k before my 3 year lease was up and replaced with a new one. Up until my current TSP I hadn't had so much as one reason to bring in to the dealership for warranty work. I might add, I drive the tSP in SF city driving 50% of the time. I bought the lease out on my current 2010 tSP and at 110k developed a cam leak requiring $9k of work. Toyota paid for all but $3k even though it was out of warranty. I had the timing belt and water pump replaced at the same time. Aside from this, I now have 142k and no issues. Still drives like its brand new, not so much as a squeak or rattle. Great SUV, tons of room and we had a 160lbs dog, he liked the rear window down (hatch back) and I don't know of any newer SUVs that offer this. We have a family of six plus the dog and on our Tahoe trips to the cabin, there is room left over and the ride is amazing and handles really well in bad snow storms

my wife has always had a Lexus LX470, every two years we trade for a new one,going back to 2003, never had any issues but the mileage didn't climb above 30k and it was very cramped when we had the entire family.

Hope that helps

ccj4

The one advantage that made the purchase decision between LX and LC for me is the height control feature. My 85 year-old Mom is a frequent passenger. The LX goes down low enough to allow her easy access for getting in and out. Access was the make it or break it feature when I bought my LX. But, the 3d row area is a giant pain in both the LC and LX. My vehicle gets full with Mom in the front and 2 Aussies in their dog seat belt harness contraptions in the middle row. Our gear and theirs, plus the winter just-in-case stuff in the back makes for a pretty full load on winter adventures. Maybe I should make the dogs lighten their load!

I have a 2010 LX I bought in tax-free NH during a 3-year job there before returning home to Colorado. Very good dealership in NH (my permanent Colorado dealer knows I love them, too). I was much amused at "mountain" driving in NH compared to Colorado -- never will be an issue with about any mid or large SUV in NH. I don't think you have to worry about things going haywire on either an LC or LX. My 2010 has been absolutely trouble free. Just routine maintenance and getting it detailed about every 6 months to keep it looking gorgeous. Good luck in your search!

hankinid

It does have more room. Reliability is down v. a Cruiser or LX...Sequoia is made in Indiana, and as much as I'm a deplorable I'll say that the best reliability comes from a dedicated line at Toyota Auto Body in Japan, building trucks with 100% Japanese content. Off road, not nearly as comfortable nor competent.


I agree that 3rd row seating is a joke. Wife and I fit an ACD and border collie / pembroke corgi cross in a dog hammock (Duluth Trading) over the middle row. Rear seats were removed and stored indoors a few days after I bought the 200 series, same with the LX.

TeCKis300

As you already know, the LX is functionally an LC, just with a lot more feature content. Whether that feature content is worthwhile to you, is a personal call. Do you like your cars loaded? If you do, then you may like the LX. As expected, more features means more things to fail as well. It is a Toyota/Lexus after-all, and should still prove to be pretty reliable in the long run.

Substantial items:
1) AHC. LC's get by with conventional suspension. LX's get AHC. Some people look at it as a liability. But I love it for it completely broadens the performance envelop of the platform by being able to dynamically optimize the suspension for on and off road. Multiple dampening options, for a soft highway ride, or controlled backroad work. And multiple heights, being able to kneel to help ingress/egress. And being able to raise to the highest height the suspension is capable of on demand for off road work, even when loaded. I really like it when towing as it keeps the rig level at all times. And always riding great, loaded or unloaded
2) Mark Levinson Reference sound system. I've always upgraded my sounds systems with full blown speaker/amp/source upgrades. Once you are spoiled by a great system, you'll never want to go back to listening to compromised systems. I'm an audiophile with my home systems and car systems. The Mark Levinson is incredibly transparent tonally, great imaging, and deep reserves for highs/lows/volume. It's only one of 2 Lexus models (other is LS) to get the ultimate Reference version and it is incredible. Easily worth the $1k difference and much more in my mind.

Minor differences for you to consider if they matter to you:
1) Lexus service rates are higher than Toyota when it comes to service/fix your vehicle. Though there are people that take their LX to yota dealers, and LC's to Lexus dealers.
2) LX takes premiums. LC takes regular
3) Styling. I personally like the avant-garde styling of the LX. Others like the non-pretentious simple looks of the LC

There's other differences, but those are the big ones.

Bimmer32

Just my opinion, but the MK sound in the LX is OK compared to B&O on the BMW and nowhere near the Burmester High End on the S class. I have Polk LsiM for home audio and SVS subs, and that is where I reference how well these mobile systems sound. MK sounds warm and accurate to me, but lacks thump of the Burmester High End while not quite as clear and accurate as the B&O. Either way, MK is better than the regular sound system.

If you are buying a used LX or LC, I would go with a LC for utility and LX for little bit more feature.

lexusrus

Hummm.......I thought my RCF has the ML Reference sound too as on the console where it is marked and a red light/dot. I thought the ML Reference sound is NOT unique to only on the LX and LS. You can order it on ANY NEW LEXUS.

TeCKis300

I like a good audio system as much as the next guy. We're not talking about a comparison of Burmester or anything else. Simply stating that if one enjoys a good audio system, that the LX gets my vote over the LC. That said, I agree that the ML system may not sound the most exciting - at low volumes. I believe it really could benefit from a couple additional EQ profiles and a loudness setting. Where it does excel is in its faithful reproduction of sound as the audio engineer intended it, without coloration. Turn it up, and it really starts shining with its crystal clear balance.

Back in 2010, only the LS and LX had the Reference ML systems. I may be completely wrong today, and would believe the new RCF as one of the new halo cars would receive it. Better still that the whole lineup can option it.