LX470 maintenance and repair cost?

H

hidesertwheelin

Explorer
My wife is looking for a new SUV, and I showed her a 2000 LX470 I found for sale with 130k miles or so for a little over $11k. She has now dropped the Tahoe's and Suburban's she was looking at want to look at this one. I have a few questions regarding maintenance and repair cost. I've read through the FAQ at Slee, but couldn't find answers on these questions. Are these more expensive to maintain and repair than say a Chevy Suburban? How is parts availability? Do they require a lot of maintenance compared to other vehicles? How easy are they to work on yourself (driveway mechanic)? They seller says that all the recommended maintenance has been done and that he has documentation. He also said he spend $1800 on new shocks, which I am assuming means he replaced the AHC. I'm going to check on that and the timing belt/water pump.
 
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Bretthn

Bretthn

Explorer
The AHC can get pricey but it is reliable. I was hesitant about this after previously owning a VW Touareg with adjustable suspension. At the time I think it was $800-1200 per shock. If yours was just replaced you should be good to go for a long time. If it does go, you can replace it with Land Cruiser static suspension for cheap or still put a lift on it cheaper than replacing AHC components.

Everything else is going to be as reliable or better than the suburban. I have owned a lot of cars over the years but this is my first Toyota product. If you work on your cars yourself, this is the most well thought out vehicle I have ever worked on. Everything is clear in how it comes apart and you have room to get to regular service items easily. I have owned some that required dismantling half the upper components of the engine to get to a spark plug nestled under the firewall.

They are very reliable. I think there are long term automobile reliability reports that still rank these #1 for used vehicles with high miles.

Make sure the timing belt was done at 90k miles or plan to do it as soon as you purchase. Prices between $450 DIY and $750-1200 with labor.

The documentation of service is a big plus. You can also register the vin on my lexus before purchasing and see the service records yourself if it was dealer maintained.

Other than that, change the oil and drive it. You will not be disappointed.
 
mhiscox

mhiscox

Expedition Leader
I've had three LXs, and agree with all of the advice above. They have proven to be cheap to own and operate because of totally outstanding reliability. And that's not just "won't strand me in the desert" reliability; it's also "all the gimcracks and tiny bits are like new after 150K miles" reliability. I'm not saying that you couldn't get one with problems, but based on my experience, it'd be an unexpected result.

The service and parts are expensive, but that's an OK arrangement if all you ever do is routine maintenance. They have some complicated areas, though, so I'd be surprised if you can avoid the dealership entirely.

Your proposed truck seems a fair bargain if it's in good condition, has everything working, and has been properly maintained. At 130K miles, it's only about halfway toward end-of-life.
 
redthies

redthies

Renaissance Redneck
mhiscox said:
Your proposed truck seems a fair bargain if it's in good condition, has everything working, and has been properly maintained. At 130K miles, it's only about A QUARTER toward end-of-life.
Click to expand...

Fixed it for ya!

But all advice above is spot on. Mine has 180,000 on it and drives waaaaaay better than my Rubicon with only 30,000 on it!
 
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