Ruairidh

.....looking for opinions. Do folks who have them, like them? Would you buy another? Any drawbacks?

Sorry for OT nature of this, and from a 964'er too, but I know a few of the 993 regulars have this car, I don't know whether those guys would frequent the General board and I'd value their opinions.

I'll also understand if this thread is moved

User 4621

I've been a very happy owner of a Land Cruiser for 5 years (The LX470 is a rebadged Land Cruiser).

It's fantastic if you need a full size "true" SUV. It and the Range Rover are the only SUV's of that category I would consider. At the time, I needed a vehicle that I could drive in comfort from Austin to Denver, do some fairly serious offroading in the mountains, and comfortably seat 8 people (if 4 were kids) plus camping gear, along with decent towing capacity. Nothing else can do that that I'm aware of.

Good luck,

4X4SCHE

I love 2000 LX 470. very reliable, smooth and quiet. no issues in first 50,000 miles. Land Cruiser is mostly the same but lacks some of the sound insulation and does not have the hydraulic suspension height control.

Have had Range Rovers and Discovery in the past, Lexus 470 is far more reliable.

Bob D.

Ruairidh, good to see you posting here. Sat next to you at that barbeque dinner in Dallas with Glen, et al last year, that was a blast.

I owned a '98 LX 470 from almost new (I am a big believer in buying year -old like new cars to let someone else take the first big depreciation hit) until about four months ago.

In that time we logged about 70k miles. I sold the LX only because we started realizing a minivan made more sense for our 4-kid family (easier ingress/egress), and the rural cottage we go to now has paved roads, hence no need for 4WD....

Can't say enough about the reliability, body integrity, comfort, luxury and *unparalleled* Lexus dealer service. The LX is incredibly quiet, smooth, secure, solid. More vault-like than a Mercedes, IME. Negatives? On the OE tires, not nearly as good in the snow as it should be, and I got a bit tired of $45 premium-only fill-ups.

In 70k miles I experienced one disabling event--a flat tire. One other time it had a bad TPS or the like, but it still drove well enough to get it to the dealer for a while-I-waited fix.

Don't know if you are thinking new or used, but they hold their value well, and I would not be at all afraid of a higher miles one if it had been maintained very well (as I did mine).

Good luck and HTH.

Chris C.

Awesome vehicle. I have a 97 Land Cruiser (80 series) and it's bulletproof. The truck really is in a class by itself, even the newer 100 series with added creature features and electronics

CLL ACAB

We are on our fourth Lexus (99 GS400) having owned a 93 LS400, a 98 LS400 and a 92 SC400. All of the previously owned ones. we traded or sold with 130K-150K miles and every one of them was as solid as the day it was purchased. We never had any major problems and anything that did occur was covered under their warranty program. They never used drop of oil.

Our latest one we purchased as a 2 -year old Certified Pre-owned and saved a significant amount of money over a new one. Lastly, although they don't have as many options available as a Porsche, they do have some. So if you are buying a used one make sure you know what you want on the vehicle. Their website is pretty good at listing the available options on the older model year vehicles.

88clbsport

I actually fought my wife on this one. I didn't want another big land yacht/SUV AND I am very pro-german when it comes to my cars and bikes.

Have to admit though, it is the perfect combination of luxury, power and reliability. It is NOT just a rebadged Land Cruiser. I hate when people who don't understand the difference make that comment.

Buy used like mentioned earlier and you can pick one up for about the same as a LC AND you will enjoy the air suspension and the service that you get from Lexus vs. Toyota ownership.

Tech-Law

Rarely would I endorse a car/truck so completely but my 1999 LX470 has been absolutely beautiful and trouble free.

Be sure to drive both the Land Cruiser and the Lexus before making a decision - the Lexus air suspension provides a dramatically better ride IMO and can be firmed up at the touch of a button.

Ruairidh

Thanks so much for all the comments. Looks like I'm going to go the Lexus certified route - and the one I'm looking at has all the extras for its year. Again I really appreciate all the feeedback - thanks guys.

Bob D - great to hear from you again. Doesn't time fly? That was a very good evening and I've been real lucky as Jay has proven invaluable in pointing me to local resources to look after my 964. Good People. I see from you sig line that you hope to be driving soon, I hope so too!!

P.S. I meant to also thank the moderators for allowing this OT post, the opinions of the folks above did play an important role in helping me make my mind up!

lexpilot

I'm on my 3rd LS 400, all bought used. Their dealer service is the best around. The warranty is good to 70,000 miles. You do not have to buy Certified to get the unmatched dealer treatment. The only thing wrong with Lexus is that you don't get to play with the boys in your local PCA. One of each is good.

BobbyB

I've enjoyed our LX for 5-1/2 years and not one mechanical problem. The only problem has been 3 bad cd changes. Each lasting 1 to 2 yrs but were replace for free even when the car was not under warranty. Lexus know excatly what customer service means - Luxury, dependibility, comfort - very hard to pick a better SUV. Barring a desire for a more sporty SUV, this would be the only SUV I would consider.

TamiyaGuy

Just like "88clbsport" I did not want to purchase the Lexus initially. My heart was all set to get the BMW SUV instead but my wife talked me into it.

Absolutely no complaints, it's been extremely reliable and I haven't had a spot of problem. Owned for last three years since new. It's fantastic for long trips however I do admit that the fuel economy does become an issue with the increase in gas prices currently.

Thanks,
Peter

User 4621

Well, yes it is, and I do understand the difference.

Aside from trim, the primary differences are an air suspension with height adjustability, additional sound deadening, and of course the fact that that you get Lexus service vs. Toyota service. All good things, though it also carried a noticeable weight penalty. That weight penalty seems to be part of the reason the LC was tow rated at 6500# while the LX was at 5000#. It also contributed to a 0.5 second advantage 0-60, not that anyone cares as these are large SUV's after all. Finally, the LC was available with a locking front differential, where on the LX it was unavailable ( in my search anyway).

Both are built on the FJ100 platform (Actually UZJ100 with the V8, but few people ever heard of that), and in fact the LX is marketed as a Land Cruiser Cygnus outside the US, a trim level of the LC.

In a semi-ironic twist, the engine used in both is based on the Lexus LS400 sedan's.

I have to go to a Lexus dealer for my touch-up paint since Toyota doesn't carry it, and several DIY LX owners I know get all their parts and materials from Toyota because it tends to be cheaper.

My extensive test drive of both showed that the LX had a smoother highway ride although both are excellent and the difference was minor. The height varying suspension also made ingress/egress easier. Perhaps the interior of the LX was slightly higher quality, although both are far above what even Porsche puts in it's vehicles today.

At the time I purchased my '99, the OTD price difference was ~$8K, as LC's were being discounted and LX's were not. That, the better suitability for off road use and towing, slightly better performance, as well as the 50 year history behind the "Land Cruiser" name made my choice for me, although both are excellent and I recommend them equally. If you have no intention of going offroad, I would lean towards the LX.

I guess this is the part where I'm supposed to say it IS a rebadged LC ( like that's a bad thing?), and I hate it when people who don't understand the similarity say it isn't.

But back to Ruairidh, you are making a great choice, enjoy the LX, it is fantastic!

Anir

Pete,

Well said.

We've put over 20,000 miles on the '03 Range Rover, and really like it. It has suffered from a faulty steering rack tilt motor and a seized differential - something I doubt you'd see in a Toyota.

88clbsport

Peter,
We can battle semantics all day long. I was referring to the price difference in used, same year LC's and LX's. I think that based on your argument you could say the Cayenne is just a rebadged Toureg?

I would say that air suspension, fit and finish and service are a big advantage but I could be wrong. I was actually not targetting your post when I made my comment. Most of us on the board are pressed for time and appreciate the finer things in life (like our Porsche's). I think the LC is a great vehicle, but when you can in essence get an upgraded one for the same price with an LX....why not go for the LX?