High-Mileage Lexus GX470 Gets Big Money Restoration

Worth the Investment?

Off-road-focused SUVs are all the rage these days, with even newer examples of body-on-frame utilities going for big money at auction. That includes the Lexus LX, though its little brother - the GX - hasn't quite experienced the same surge in value. However, that didn't stop someone from spending $24,000 to restore the one featured in this video from The Car Care Nut.

High Miler

This particular 2006 Lexus GX470 has a relatively high 229,074 miles on the clock, meaning that it had its fair share of typical wear before the restoration. And while some will undoubtedly scoff at the owner's decision to spend $24k restoring it, his logic for doing so is actually pretty reasonable. 

Saving Money?

To date, this GX has proven to be an incredibly reliable and capable work vehicle for its owner, and that's precisely why he decided to fix it up and keep it rather than go out and buy a new one. In that case, he actually saved some money, as the newest GX starts at just over $56k, depending on how much he could have sold this one for.

Engine Parts

As far as what the owner spent most of his money on, a good chunk of it - $7,850, to be exact - went into the engine, though that also included some aftermarket upgrades including a cold-air intake, throttle body spacer, exhaust manifolds, and a cat-back exhaust, along with timing belts, a power steering pump, and a new A/C compressor.

New Cabin

On the inside, the seats have been reupholstered with new stuffing to make them feel and look like new, though a Land Cruiser Prado steering wheel adds a bit of a unique touch. Along with a host of upgrades, pretty much all the surfaces in here have been redone.

Suspension Bits

The owner also went through this SUV's suspension and gave it new bushings, ball joints, upper and lower control arms, hubs, struts, strut mounts, and a coilover conversion in the rear to save cash over fixing the factory air suspension. 

Appreciating Asset

In the end, this GX looks brand new, and it isn't hard to justify spending what the owner did to get it there. After all, with prices of new vehicles rising and the values of older, off-road capable SUVs soaring, he likely has an appreciating asset here that will only go up in value moving forward.

>>Join the conversation about this GX470's restoration right here at ClubLexus.com.

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