What is the hiveminds opinion on the early Lexus GX470?

John Welsh said:

In reply to Mazdax605 :

 

EDIT:  After writing this I then wondered what similar brake parts would cost for the GX.  A quick flip through RockAuto and the prices are generally identical.  Lexus parts are cheep too!  

 

 

Because most parts for the body-on-frame Lexus SUVs are the same parts used on 4Runner/Tundra/Sequoia. And Sequoia suspension and brake stuff is DIRT cheap....Hell, I got StopTech braided SS brake lines off RockAuto for mine last year for something like $20 :) Guess no Sequoia owners are buying SS lines haha....

The armada has a lot of quirky features along with the air ride and some random odd ball parts are stupid expensive I think you are on the right track with the lexus. 

as irish mentioned sequoia are a great alternate as well since its Japanese suburban and basically a tundra with the SUV body instead of a pickup bed and if you look at the history of them they never really changed drastically all that much and have a lot of common parts with higher volume toyota trucks (makes replacement parts cheaper and easier) 

also - big dick energy QFT

fidelity101 said:

The armada has a lot of quirky features along with the air ride and some random odd ball parts are stupid expensive I think you are on the right track with the lexus. 

 

as irish mentioned sequoia are a great alternate as well since its Japanese suburban and basically a tundra with the SUV body instead of a pickup bed and if you look at the history of them they never really changed drastically all that much and have a lot of common parts with higher volume toyota trucks (makes replacement parts cheaper and easier) 

 

also - big dick energy QFT

 

 

True about the Armadas, the midsized pathfinder doesn’t have that stuff, just springs and shocks. 

I also shopped Sequoias, I could live with the out side but the dash reminded me of  a early 90’s ford all big and round.  They are a bargain for a lot of truck.

I'd have a sequoias if I was going to drive it much, as it is I went the cheap route for a dedicated tow pig instead

Passed by a minty fresh one driving to work today. Near all the embassies. I swear the obviously six foot tall guy looked a full foot shorter than the suv as he walked past the back of it. Tall narrow and weird looking from the rear almost like that Isuzu of yester-year but still good looking in profile.

Equal? I would agree its not quite, I also am not particularly fond of the gen 3 styling but its a lot of car for the money and CLOSE to the GX imho

No problem here, i totally agree on close. And if you ask about the world's nicest Montero for 5-6 vs the Lexus OP posted for 9, there's a lot of argument to be made there for a lot of people. Get a rattier one for 2-3k the value quotient is even higher, but the people shopping the 9k Lexus at all will probably still take the Lexus. 

 I guess the Monty just hasn't connected with me yet, or perhaps ever.

Montero ownership doesn't really get any better than owning a Delica, so maybe you were always screwed in that regard. 

Now that this thread is right off the rails, how reliable is Nissan? I've never been a big fan even though I should, as I like Japanese manufacturers best.

Pretty decent! And that V8 is in another league from the 4.7 Toyota in power, even though I also like that engine very much. The 4.7 trucks are pleasant but don't stand out for acceleration. The V8 Pathfinder is as fast as a non-turbo Cayenne v8 or Infiniti FX45 of the period, which is sort of hilarious. Not super fast stock, but there are a lot of people running deep into 14s with light mods and some running 13s in the 1/4. 

Vigo said:

Equal? I would agree its not quite, I also am not particularly fond of the gen 3 styling but its a lot of car for the money and CLOSE to the GX imho

No problem here, i totally agree on close. And if you ask about the world's nicest Montero for 5-6 vs the Lexus OP posted for 9, there's a lot of argument to be made there for a lot of people. Get a rattier one for 2-3k the value quotient is even higher, but the people shopping the 9k Lexus at all will probably still take the Lexus. 

 I guess the Monty just hasn't connected with me yet, or perhaps ever.

Montero ownership doesn't really get any better than owning a Delica, so maybe you were always screwed in that regard. 

 

Now that this thread is right off the rails, how reliable is Nissan? I've never been a big fan even though I should, as I like Japanese manufacturers best.

Pretty decent! And that V8 is in another league from the 4.7 Toyota in power, even though I also like that engine very much. The 4.7 trucks are pleasant but don't stand out as fast. The V8 Pathfinder is as fast as a non-turbo Cayenne v8 or Infiniti FX45 of the period, which is sort of hilarious. 

I absolutely love the Delica and connected with it immediately. 

2wd V8 pathfinder

In reply to Mazdax605 :

That ad lists the Pathy as having a CVT.  FuelEconomy.gov say it has to be a 5 speed auto.  This error by the listing dealer does make me wonder, is it 2wd?  Is there a visual clue for the 4wd versions?  Like, is the a dashboard or console knob/shifter/button for 4wd versions?  

John Welsh said:

In reply to Mazdax605 :

That ad lists the Pathy as having a CVT.  FuelEconomy.gov say it has to be a 5 speed auto.  This error by the listing dealer does make me wonder, is it 2wd?  Is there a visual clue for the 4wd versions?  Like, is the a dashboard or console knob/shifter/button for 4wd versions?  

Yeah I caught the cvt thing too  but just chalked  it up to a dumb dealer  There a switch on the dash for the 4wd just to the right of the column  I don't think this one has it. 4wd isn't a deal breaker for me as I'm used to 2wd trucks  

The 4wd switch is to the left of the rump roast switch forward of the shifter, obscured in all pictures, no other clues.

I'm glad someone else commented on how quick these feel, the throttle mapping makes them feel like you are starting in second if very light throttle is applied.  For fun I turned off the DCS, then floored it, what followed was lots of squealing, from the tires and kids.  This engine is torque limited until 40 mph or second gear I'm not sure what to save the trans or something, you can feel when it gets unleashed.

Dynamic Stability Control

I haven't played in the snow yet but from what I can tell the DCS only defeats until 20 mph then it kicks in again.  I found this out with the tires spinning wildly in the rain.  When the DCS kicked it I left it floored so it alternated spinning the right, then left then right until I couldn't take the body pitching around any more.  This also encouraged me to get the rear shocks installed right away.  This thing will probably not be fun to drift in the snow but it will keep the wife safe when she drives it.  As far as I can tell there is no way to completely defeat the DCS.

The traction control is very invasive, however the auto mode works seamlessly so I just turn that on even the rain.  Did I mention that this spins the tires at will, wet roads are the reason for the soft throttle mapping.

I absolutely love the Delica and connected with it immediately. 

That's what I mean, you went from  'the best Montero' (Delica ) to a 'pretty good Montero'. It may be a good Montero, but it's still a downgrade from a Delica! 

The Googs is tracking me and recently pointed me to this feature.

https://www.treadmagazine.com/features/gx470-overland-adventuremobile/amp/

I can totally see my Pathfinder going that route after the kids and I slowly destroy it.  Once it gets a little rough around the edges it will be time for some modifications.

I havent seen a Mitsu age as gracefully as the Lexus.  This is just from the hoopty older offerings friends have had in the past. 

MPG, figure about 15-16, and we ran non-premium fuel in ours quite a bit.  With Premium we only really saw about a 1/2mpg improvement.  Be forwarned that they are slow to learn the gas and it will take about 3-4 tanks to get it to think straight. 

If you dont care about the air bags and all that, you can snag any of the 4-runner/FJ suspension packs and slap it on too. 

This thread is semi-relevant to me, I spent the last 6 months looking at LX/GX 470s and Land Cruisers.  Ended up with a 2006 Land Cruiser.  

There are nice ones and there are hooptys.  Depending on what you want I would dig deep for a nice one.  There are some expensive parts, and when they fail, it stings less to spend $1k on a rig worth $15k than one worth $5k.  

The later ones with the VVTi motor are nice and worth the price premium.  Nav was updated in 07, and its great to get one with KDSS and the sport package.  (all sport packs are KDSS, not all KDSS are sport packs)

That being said, in my mind the LC100/LX470 was better than then GX470 in every way but initial buy-in.  

The old man in me saw the GX as more E36 M3 to break and pushed me to the Pathfinder.  That and the buy in with the one I found.

I would still take a GX or LX any day, they are world class vehicles.  Any USA only vehicle to me is just a made for the mediocre masses made for the market.

  Explorers are perfect by the numbers and needs category but I’m sure that I would shoot myself if I owned one.  When I get out of the Nissan and look back at it there is never a regret.

Still on the hunt for a replacement for the Sienna/Montero. The seller of the GX470 contacted me, and said it's still available. Might give him a shout this afternoon. Gotta sell the Monty at the very least. Might just keep the Sienna. I do love it.