Is the GX built on a similar 25 yr platform as the LX and Land Cruiser?

[RND1]

I'd read that before, but always worth another look to remind myself of the pros/cons others have learned with various rigs. And I was wrong on the beige raptor lined LX, I believe the one you were talking about was black (I had seen that ad previously).

Thanks!

Yes, it was black rhino liner. Did that one sell? Here's a pic of my 100 on the way to HIH end of July. Drove 5000 miles out to CO and back and tackled Black Bear, Imogene, Engineer, Cinnamon, and California pass without missing a beat.

 

[babybluebeast]

The GX has a AHC system as well. A friend has one that his wife drives and it has 140K. They just had to replace the system and it was about $1200. That being said, the cheaper route would be to pull it out completely and lift it with a OME Kit. He just spent about that much again replacing AC system.

I have an 93 FZJ80 with the A442 transmission with 250K on it and i would drive it across the country tomorrow and wouldnt think twice about it. I picked up a couple of years ago for less than $4K. It has factory lockers and zero rust. The dash was lit up like a christmas tree and none of the diffs would lock. I got it from the original owner who had given it to his kid who totally neglected it. I determined that the ABS system had a defective sensor, so i just pulled the whole system and it now stops on a dime and everything works. I rebuilt the knuckles, replaced calipers and pads, replaced belts, coil, oil seals on the front of the engine, and 2 transmission solenoids. All of this cost me about another $3K in parts with me doing all of the work. That being said, if you are mechanical at all, 80's are very easy to work on and everything is designed to be field serviceable or rebuildable. This will not be the case with the GX. I would not be scared of a high mileage 80, i just would not get one with any rust on it. There are plenty of them listed on craigslist in Atlanta, Charlotte, and other southern cities cheap. They dont command as much money as they do out west or in the north for some reason.

The one thing about the 80 though is it sucks to drive on the highway for long periods of time, so if this is your plan consider one of the Toyota's with a V8.

 

[nickw]

The GX 470 has a manual transfer case too which is kinda slick.

They got rid of it in the GX 460 though....

 

[Happycoop]

I've been driving a few 100's, and to be perfectly honest, it's making me lean more towards the GX. I really want to love the 100 series, but they just feel like a tug boat....very well put together but also very slow and methodical (keep in mind my last SUV was a Porsche Cayenne). I did drive a 2011 LX570 (way out of my price range, but it had just come in on trade and the salesperson wanted me to drive it so he could check it out as well)...that was amazing. The 570 has lots of power, but in a very confident feeling package...and cooling seats, which are amazing in FL. Naturally it doesn't matter for me since I can't afford one at this point in time.

Looking hard at the GX again as it seems even the 1 owner <100k mile 100 series trucks that I've driven (3 now) just don't give me the feel that I'm looking for.

 

[redthies]

I am curious if the GX is built on a similar 25 yr platform as the LX and Land Cruiser?

No.











Is it a good vehicle? Yes. Is it right for you? Only you can decide.

 

[hayde89]

Can you show me where it is spelled out that the LC or LX are 25 year platforms? The GX is a LC prado and they sell a good many prados. So if the 25 year myth is true, then why wouldn't it be for everything under the LC name?

 

[Theoretician]

Can you show me where it is spelled out that the LC or LX are 25 year platforms?

I can't find a reference online for the 25 year service life. Maybe it's true and it's buried on the tenth page of the google results, or maybe it's one of those self-referencing internet facts.

The GX is a LC prado and they sell a good many prados. So if the 25 year myth is true, then why wouldn't it be for everything under the LC name?

Because marketing.

 

[Paddler Ed]

Does a Land Cruiser last 25 years in dry areas of Australia? Yes
Does a Land Cruiser last 25 years in the wetter UK? Not as well - the body tends to rust out well before the motor gives up.

It depends on where you're looking, and what engine. I know of petrols with 400,000km on them, I know of diesels with 650,000km on them (I've driven both of them - the petrol was a Troopy, the diesel a HDJ80) in Australia. The Troopy had rust in the roof gutters, the bulk head (you got a wet foot driving it in the rain, in fact all the work ones did that and at the time they were 25 years old - my own one which was an inland car, and a fraction of the KM's didn't give me a wet foot) The 80 series is an inland car, from an area with 800mm annual rainfall, so has very little rust in comparison.

Ultimately, the Prado/Colorado/GX is based on a HiLux platform more than the Land Cruiser platform - suspension is in common with the Hilux rather than the 'Cruiser - so there are some compromises to be made there. I regularly see VZJ95's Prado's for sale with 400,000km+ on them, and even GRJ120s seem to be good to those sort of KM's. Not sure on the V8s, but they seem to do big k's in the Cruisers here as well, so the engine is good, just not sure on the body and chassis. Bearing in mind, these cars with these k's on them are often Australian country cars... a trip to the supermarket in some rural areas is a 250km round trip, and that's where they pick up those k's.

 

[Dalko43]

I can't find a reference online for the 25 year service life. Maybe it's true and it's buried on the tenth page of the google results, or maybe it's one of those self-referencing internet facts.

I would not be the least bit surprised if the latter proved to be true.

Ultimately, the Prado/Colorado/GX is based on a HiLux platform more than the Land Cruiser platform - suspension is in common with the Hilux rather than the 'Cruiser - so there are some compromises to be made there.

What does the Colorado have to do with the LC Prado/GX/4runner platform? We're talking about 2 entirely different companies there. Also, LC Prado/4runner/GX is a separate platform all together from the Hilux. I'd heard some well-known 4x4 internet personalities say that anything bearing the "LC" name (including a LC Prado) has a bit more quality control than the average Toyota product...though that too may just be another one of those self-referencing internet "facts."

 

[ducktapeguy]

I can't find a reference online for the 25 year service life. Maybe it's true and it's buried on the tenth page of the google results, or maybe it's one of those self-referencing internet facts.

It's true, here's the reference

 

[Paddler Ed]

What does the Colorado have to do with the LC Prado/GX/4runner platform? We're talking about 2 entirely different companies there. Also, LC Prado/4runner/GX is a separate platform all together from the Hilux.

Because in the UK it's called a Land Cruiser Colorado, like the 100 and 200 series were called the Amazon (which is nothing do with a Volvo 122, aka Amazon)

The platforms have evolved from the Hilux - the 90/95 have a degree of commonality, albeit not as much as the 130 series 4Runner/Surf had with the Hilux. This time it's mainly engines and gearboxes in the UK and Australian markets, rather than complete front ends.

I have actually just gone into ToyoDIY and cross referenced the part numbers, and found less commonality than I was expecting in parts.

I'd heard some well-known 4x4 internet personalities say that anything bearing the "LC" name (including a LC Prado) has a bit more quality control than the average Toyota product...though that too may just be another one of those self-referencing internet "facts."

I suspect that's because they're still made in Japan - the Hilux is made in Thailand, and has been since the late 1990s I've discovered whilst looking at that era Hilux xtra cab.

 

[Dalko43]

Because in the UK it's called a Land Cruiser Colorado, like the 100 and 200 series were called the Amazon (which is nothing do with a Volvo 122, aka Amazon)

I thought you were referring to the Holden/GM Colorado, so never mind on that.

The platforms have evolved from the Hilux - the 90/95 have a degree of commonality, albeit not as much as the 130 series 4Runner/Surf had with the Hilux. This time it's mainly engines and gearboxes in the UK and Australian markets, rather than complete front ends.

Again, what common parts are shared between the 4runner/Prado/GX and the Hilux? I had heard and read that other than having the same engines and transmissions, they were completely different platforms.

It's true, here's the reference

Lol, i see what you did there.

 

[hayde89]

It's true, here's the reference

I am more looking for a direct mention from Toyota. Anything less is speculation unfortunately. I get the Land Cruiser hype and can agree they are very sturdy and well put together but I own a 4runner (150 platform) and would argue it is put together as well. If Toyota used the word land cruiser as it's stamp of approval for 25 year service life then why would they give it to the Prado(150) if it was anything less? At the end of the day it can be argued that it is all marketing. But also to throw a wrench in this I could argue any car will fair well with proper maintenance. The opposite can be seen on less maintained vehicles.

 

[Dalko43]

I am more looking for a direct mention from Toyota. Anything less is speculation unfortunately. I get the Land Cruiser hype and can agree they are very sturdy and well put together but I own a 4runner (150 platform) and would argue it is put together as well. If Toyota used the word land cruiser as it's stamp of approval for 25 year service life then why would they give it to the Prado(150) if it was anything less? At the end of the day it can be argued that it is all marketing. But also to throw a wrench in this I could argue any car will fair well with proper maintenance. The opposite can be seen on less maintained vehicles.

I listened to a podcast (for the life of me I can't recall the name) where a bunch of mechanics talked about the domestic vs foreign (specifically Japanese) vehicles in terms of reliability.

The general consensus was that at one time, Japanese cars were far more reliable and better built than the average American car, but that the difference had mostly gone away in recent years. They did note, and this was purely anecdotal on their part, that owners of Japanese vehicles (especially 4x4's) tended to be more attached their vehicles and thus took better care of them when compared to the average joe who owned a domestic SUV or pickup.

 

[ducktapeguy]

I am more looking for a direct mention from Toyota. Anything less is speculation unfortunately. I get the Land Cruiser hype and can agree they are very sturdy and well put together but I own a 4runner (150 platform) and would argue it is put together as well. If Toyota used the word land cruiser as it's stamp of approval for 25 year service life then why would they give it to the Prado(150) if it was anything less? At the end of the day it can be argued that it is all marketing. But also to throw a wrench in this I could argue any car will fair well with proper maintenance. The opposite can be seen on less maintained vehicles.

I doubt you'll ever see an official statement from Toyota that explicitly states a 25 year service life. There would be no benefit for them, and probably just open themselves up to litigation if one didn't live up to it's supposed 25 year lifespan.

The earliest mention I have found about is a reference to this article which quotes a Toyota Engineer as saying "Long-term durability has always been the number one goal of the Land Cruiser program," he explains, "and we expect these vehicles to be on the road for at least 25 years.". I think maybe that quote was misinterpreted to mean a 25 year service life, who knows. I do think the GX series are very well built (compared to a normal non-luxury SUV). Just compare the curb weight of it to a similar sized Pilot or MDX, it's almost 1000 lbs heavier. When working on mine, I can tell everything about it is built heavier than most other cars I've worked on, from the frame to the components down to the brackets. I don't know if this guarantees a 25 year service life, but it most likely translates to a longer lifespan. Unfortunately that also comes at the expense of gas mileage, but you can't have everything.

I agree that any car, with proper maintenance, can have a 25, 50, or even a 100 year service life. Look at the Ford Model A and Model T, for example. I doubt longevity was even a consideration at the time they were built, Ford was probably just happy if they drove off the production line without falling apart. But you can still see restored ones driving around 100 years later.