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I could have owned a million Hummer, Range Rovers, Mercedes G-Class, Rolls Royces, Maybach, but no. He drives a Lexus LX 470, which tells me that the richest man in the WORLD loves this vehicle for it's greatness, not for name recognition.
Well, I'm not sure what he keeps in the other two garages...
Steve, Host
That's ten LS430 and six LX470---one color of each, of course:-)
OR, maybe the other 15 cars are the really nice ones, and his LX is his slummin' car?
We don't know!!!
He's had a least one run-in with the traffic cops as evidenced by this famous mug shot:
The Smoking Gun
Steve, Host
You know that picture link could be a good Microsoft commercial. Just add in something like "details like that can no longer disappear in a 'Windows' world." My son likes to wear his hair with bangs like that. Could I have a Gates under development or an upcoming driving problem? I hope neither.
If Lexus could get Bill Gates to do a Lexus Commercial, that would be cool.
Lexus will be doing Windows commercials before that happens! :-)
tidester, host
He's probably the right huxter though. It matters. I always thought Tiger Woods should have been in something a lot more classy than a Buick Rendezvous - the car was beneath him. He would look much better in an SRX or something.
white clouds coming up from beneath the paint. It does not look good. Any suggestions?
2) Has it ever been repainted in the affected area?
It was very bad on the hood, and some spots on the front part of roof were turning whitish.
I bought the car used with 38K miles, and didn't notice any paint problem, but in about a year (fall 2003) it was looking pretty bad. The car was out of the general warranty by then, however I did get it repainted, gratis by the dealer.
I am very happy with the truck, but this paint issue is really getting to be upsetting. The dealer said a Lexus paint expert has to look at it and he is only in once a month. I really hope they don't give me the "Acid Rain" excuse.
I have pictures of the clouding under the finish. Can you post pictures on this site?
The condition is rapidly getting worse as described above - now on the roof as well.
Thanks for listening to me complain.
1999 lx470 (gray) for $23000 with 78870 miles on it. Or
2000 lx470 (white) for $30000 with 65000 miles on it.
They are both clean. Both are off leases. The 1999 has been leased twice. One interesting thing about the 1999 is that between 6/01 and 9/02 (15 months) the odomter has only 1000 miles increase according the CarFax report. The dealer insists it was sitting in their parking lot all that time because they couldn't sell it.
Here is the detail of the report:
Event Date Event Location Odometer Reading Data Source Event Detail
10/09/98 PARSIPPANY, NJ MOTOR VEHICLE REGISTRATION
DEPT EVENT/RENEWAL
05/10/99 PARSIPPANY, NJ 11 MOTOR VEHICLE TITLE (Leased Vehicle)
DEPT.
06/19/01 EASTERN REGION 44,241 AUTO AUCTION REPORTED AT
AUTO AUCTION
07/31/01 EASTERN REGION 44,318 AUTO AUCTION REPORTED AT
AUTO AUCTION
08/03/01 NY 44,368 MOTOR VEHICLE PASSED EMISSION
DEPT. SAFETY INSPECTION
07/08/02 ROSLYN, NY MOTOR VEHICLE REGISTRATION
DEPT. EVENT/RENEWAL
09/03/02 NY 45,216 MOTOR VEHICLE TITLE
DEPT.
Any thoughts?
KC
tidester, host
Between those two, I would consider the difference in mileage vs. the difference in price. Do you drive a lot? If so, I may spend the extra money to get the lower miles. If I don't drive so much, or if the extra money is tough to come up with right now, I would go with the 99.
I take it the color isn't critical.
Can anyone else confirm this ?
Also, I know of a friend who knows a friend who knows a cousin
I'm not sure how you'd be able to tell if that's happened on your potential 99 -- perhaps take it to your mechanic for a thorough look?
Then again, I get real nervous with non-certified lux vehicles, even though lexus has a wonderful reputation for reliability.
If I had to pick, I'd go with the 2000. Why? To me, white on the LX looks very classy, you've got an extra 13K miles to play with (that's about a year's worth driving for me), and there are no mileage mysteries to deal with.
Good luck!
If it was not serviced at Lexus then you're out of luck unless the previous owner kept good maintenance records.
In any case, this warranty "cushion" would seal the deal on the 2000 for me. If there is anything seriously wrong with this truck just make it a point to find out before warranty expires!
Good luck!
Wife would like a new "safer" vehicle as the 2001 does not have side airbags/curtains. Therefore, we are looking at both the LX and QX. We know the LX has the quality/refinement thing hands down. However, the QX does have some additional advancements in safety, plus a 3rd row that folds flat. Has anyone recently gone thru this process?
Are the side curtains such a huge improvement? Obviously, they are great to have, but at the expense of buying a new 2004 or slightly used 2003 vehicle?
I can probably get $37-39K (private party) for my Lexus, but then have to dish out $52-54K for the Infiniti or $62K for the Lexus.
Thoughts?
As for the QX56 - it has a more powerful engine, has fresher styling (but that too is subjective), and maybe a few safety features your rig doesn't have. But check out the quality of materials on the interior and the general build quality. Most of the dashboard controls on the QX56 feel like they won't make it past 10,000 miles. Build quality of the seats is also suspect.
If you want more luxury and don't mind giving up cargo space, move up to a Range Rover. If you want more performance, consider the BMW X5, Porsche Cayenne or VW Touareg.
If the side curtain airbags are the critical issue, get another LX. Get another interior or exterior color for a change of pace. Don't forget, with the current gas prices, you should be able to get a good deal on the LX.
(BTW - we've decided to but out the lease on our TLC because all the feedback I've gathered from serious Cruiser people indicates the truck will be good for 200,000-300,000 miles with minimal service. By that time Toyota will more than likely have a hybrid V8 powertrain in one of their SUVs good for 20-30 MPG>)
My impression is that for the build quality, I would rather get the Armada instead of the QX56 and save $10K. The build quality of the Armada is the same as the QX56.
If I get the Armada for $25K less than the LX 470, then I think it's justifiable. But if I get the QX56 for only $10K less than the LX 470, it's harder for me to justify.
Thank you all for the wonderful and thoughtful suggestions.
The 2000 one I mentioned before ($30K, 65K mi and white) was from a small dealer and was not certified. Worst of all, the price could not be negotiated. Then I found another 2000 black LX from a local Lexus dealer. It's a CPO with only 44K miles on it. The dealer is asking for $35K and we ended with $33K. The car is in an unbelievable mint condition that you can even smell the leather. The car was a lease from the dealer's previous client. I checked all service records which showed that it has done the maintenance at the dealer every 5k miles. The dealer put 4 new tires, actually they cheated, one of the 4 was the original spare.
With the CPO's 3-year bumper to bumper warranty, I really feel like I am driving a brand new LX.
I do have one question though. The ride feels pretty stiff. I tried to change it from sport to comfort doesnt seem made any difference. My question is does the switch between comfort and sport should make big difference?
KC
To be honest, I've tried changing ride settings on the LX and LS430 ultra and to be perfectly honest I sense NO changes in ride or handling whatsoever!
BIG BUT.... I've only checked this "ride control" feature during quickie test drives (<20 miles highway/city). Other folks will swear that flicking that switch completely changes the personality of the car... I don't feel it though.
It does seem logical though... want a smoother ride? Click on "comfort"...want a stiffer ride? Click on "sport". For some reason though I just have never noticed the change in ride.
To me its just like the height control feature... sales people LOVE to show how the car raises and lowers an inch or two with the hit of the switch but in "real world" driving I don't think its a big deal.
As far as how to make your LX ride "less stiff" that's beyond my scope. I'm sure someone else will chime in to help out. Perhaps different tires? You might also want to check out the Toyota Landcruiser forum (same truck as the LX with less toys) here on Edmunds... there you'll find people who are well acquainted with every nut and bolt of the the platform and might be able to help you as well.
Good luck and enjoy your new ride!!!
Frankly, most owners don't even know what the button is really for. I don't know why they bother.
While driving around town we do not notice much of anything.
Around a half-mile from the dealership is an independent service facility run by two ex-Lexus dealership master mechanics. They work almost exclusively on Lexus vehicles. Their charge for the 30K service is $410 ($340 less than the dealership.)
I am torn about what to do. I feel like I should be loyal to the dealership which has generally provided excellent service..yet an extra $350 to pay them makes me think twice. If I take the vehicle elsewhere, my service at the dealership may not be as excellent (if I am seen as dis-loyal).
Any comments? Thanks!
Alan