finally test drove the GX460 after driving the......

[STX4Runner]

TBQH skip the GX and go for a gently used Land Cruiser 200

just a quick search on Cars.com , this one is the magnetic grey you like and has 43k~ miles basically a new car, listed at $45k. 200's dont need anything but fluid and rubber for 150k minimum. Plus you get the best version of the V8.

That's a big depreciation hit on that LC for just 43K miles. I wonder if something else is going on there.

 

[05Rrunner]

I know the The Land Cruiser chassis , motor are awesome but look at that thing is that not the biggest mall cruiser soccer mom vehicle you ever saw ! can you imagine seeing one of those on a trail with the Wrangler Unlimiteds or the Old fj40 cruisers . That thing looks like a 2 Wheel drive with big long plastic running boards , street tires its so sad looking.

 

[DesertCanyons]

3rd row seat in GX460

Just out of curiosity, why did you get the luxury trim instead of the premium?

The premium has most of the bells and whistles and I'll end up saving around $8K-10K over the luxury model.

Can I have one ordered without that stupid wood trimmed steering wheel that seems to come with every premium and luxury model?

Can you order a GX460 without the 3rd row seat? That seat takes up a lot of room in the cargo bay. The floor is raised quite a bit compared to the 4Runner. I assume that is to accommodate the 3rd row or make the cargo space flat when the 3rd row is folded down.

You can paint all that wood black if you don't like it.

The GX460 is also taller. That makes adding a roof rack harder on clearance in parking garages and your home garage. The 4Runner is already a close fit for most garages.

 

[Blue Seat Lyfe]

Land Cruisers also get pretty horrific fuel economy.

Just for kicks, I went over to Consumer Reports and looked at their test of the Land Cruiser. They got 10 mpg city, and 14 mpg overall. Ouch.

You're not driving an SUV/Truck for the fuel economy....its all not very good unless you diesel, which mean American big 3 brands. Just get a prius if youre commuting. Personally I only have to go 4 miles / 10 minutes to get to work.


Might as well embrace the ~14mpg (what users on IH8MUD have reported for their 200s).

And also, if you can afford a $45,000-75,000 vehicle odds are a few hundred dollars per year on fuel is a drop in the bucket.

 

[Blue Seat Lyfe]

That's a big depreciation hit on that LC for just 43K miles. I wonder if something else is going on there.

I think the depreciation is steep on LC and LX for the first 50,000 miles. Then it flattens out where it doesnt lose value. Typical of cars that cost $80,000 new, but LC and LX hold that higher value for longer, have a higher floor than a Mercedes for example. A 10 year old LC with 175k lists above $20,000 commonly.

 

[STX4Runner]

I think the depreciation is steep on LC and LX for the first 50,000 miles. Then it flattens out where it doesnt lose value. Typical of cars that cost $80,000 new, but LC and LX hold that higher value for longer, have a higher floor than a Mercedes for example. A 10 year old LC with 175k lists above $20,000 commonly.

Interesting. I didn't know that. Probably because I've never priced late model LCs.

 

[Jeremy556]

I know the The Land Cruiser chassis , motor are awesome but look at that thing is that not the biggest mall cruiser soccer mom vehicle you ever saw ! can you imagine seeing one of those on a trail with the Wrangler Unlimiteds or the Old fj40 cruisers . That thing looks like a 2 Wheel drive with big long plastic running boards , street tires its so sad looking.

I've seen a couple 200s on the trails with 35s, lift, bumpers, sliders, etc around here.

 

[M1911]

You're not driving an SUV/Truck for the fuel economy....its all not very good unless you diesel, which mean American big 3 brands. Just get a prius if youre commuting. Personally I only have to go 4 miles / 10 minutes to get to work.

Might as well embrace the ~14mpg (what users on IH8MUD have reported for their 200s).

And also, if you can afford a $45,000-75,000 vehicle odds are a few hundred dollars per year on fuel is a drop in the bucket.

1) I don't have room in the driveway for another vehicle. There are two of us, one garage (the Mrs. gets that, and it is too small for an SUV anyways), and in the winter, an extra vehicle in the driveway would get in the way of our snowplow driver. So getting a cheap commuter car isn't a good option for me.

2) My current 4Runner gets about 15 mpg. I drive about 15,000 miles per year. With gas at $2/gallon, that doesn't bother me. But when gas was $4/gallon, that ends up being $4k per year on gas. Yes, I can afford it, but I'm still not crazy about it. At 10 mpg, that would be $6k/year. At 12 mpg, that would be $5K/year. While I could afford $6k/year, I would rather spend the extra $2k on something other than gas. YMMV.

 

[Flighht2k]

I know the The Land Cruiser chassis , motor are awesome but look at that thing is that not the biggest mall cruiser soccer mom vehicle you ever saw ! can you imagine seeing one of those on a trail with the Wrangler Unlimiteds or the Old fj40 cruisers . That thing looks like a 2 Wheel drive with big long plastic running boards , street tires its so sad looking.

Apples and oranges

 

[05Rrunner]

Yeah I see a lot of them on the trails around here also , the trails of Beverly Hills ! LOL it's not like apples and oranges more like apples and hammers. That thing has no business being off road and I don't see how you could put 35's on it with the fenders still on and KDSS but whatever fan boys.

 

[Jetboy]

They look a lot less soccer mom in base form:

 

[05Rrunner]

Can you order a GX460 without the 3rd row seat? That seat takes up a lot of room in the cargo bay. The floor is raised quite a bit compared to the 4Runner. I assume that is to accommodate the 3rd row or make the cargo space flat when the 3rd row is folded down.

You can paint all that wood black if you don't like it.

The GX460 is also taller. That makes adding a roof rack harder on clearance in parking garages and your home garage. The 4Runner is already a close fit for most garages.

No , you have to get the third row seat . I tried to order one without the third row. it takes up so much room and it's very heavy.

 

[Jeremy556]

Yeah I see a lot of them on the trails around here also , the trails of Beverly Hills ! LOL it's not like apples and oranges more like apples and hammers. That thing has no business being off road and I don't see how you could put 35's on it with the fenders still on and KDSS but whatever fan boys.

 

[M1911]

Yeah I see a lot of them on the trails around here also , the trails of Beverly Hills ! LOL it's not like apples and oranges more like apples and hammers. That thing has no business being off road and I don't see how you could put 35's on it with the fenders still on and KDSS but whatever fan boys.

A lot of guys over at ih8mud.com will disagree with you. They take their Land Cruisers offroad all the time. It is too big for some trails, but it still quite good offroad within its limitations. No, it's not a Wrangler.

 

[96r50]

A lot of guys over at ih8mud.com will disagree with you. They take their Land Cruisers offroad all the time. It is too big for some trails, but it still quite good offroad within its limitations. No, it's not a Wrangler.

Silly fanboys :eyebrows:

I'd take that truck in a heartbeat if I could justify the cost over the 4Runner.

 

[M1911]

Silly fanboys :eyebrows:

I'd take that truck in a heartbeat if I could justify the cost over the 4Runner.

Me, too. Just as soon as I win Powerball...

 

[sn_85]

Yeah I see a lot of them on the trails around here also , the trails of Beverly Hills ! LOL it's not like apples and oranges more like apples and hammers. That thing has no business being off road and I don't see how you could put 35's on it with the fenders still on and KDSS but whatever fan boys.

Yeah I guess the aussies and saudi's don't know anything about offroading. The LC200 must be a big POS [sarcasm]

 

[Jetboy]

This pretty well sums up why the 200 is what we all really want. (And why I have landcruiser axles for my offroader). 4runner on the left, Landcruiser on the right.

 

[KVA]

What kind of mileage are you getting out of your GX460?

??? lol - better than the T4R w/mods...

 

[KVA]

Just out of curiosity, why did you get the luxury trim instead of the premium?

The premium has most of the bells and whistles and I'll end up saving around $8K-10K over the luxury model.

Can I have one ordered without that stupid wood trimmed steering wheel that seems to come with every premium and luxury model?

Got a very good deal...it was a wash with the lower trim model and it's what they had on the lot. Makes negotiating easier when they don't have to go looking for one.