Today’s Nice Price or No Dice Lexus is a Toyota Land Cruiser Prado in all but name. That pedigree means it’s likely to be just as stout as it is luxurious. Let’s see if this super-clean example is also right priced.
Yesterday, I equated the 1990 Hyundai Excel we considered to the Lloyd Bank coprolite, housed in the JORVIK Viking Centre, and thought to be the world’s largest human turd. An interesting bit of more recent history concerning the fossilized feces is that in 2003 it was dropped while being displayed, breaking into three pieces as a result. Fortunately, its curators were able to get their shit together and the now reconstructed puzzle poop is safely ensconced in a permanent display. Our Hyundai didn’t fare nearly as well. At $3,500, it was arguably cheap, but like a long-ago dropped deuce, it wasn’t something that was naturally desirable at any price. That was reflected in the 60 percent No Dice loss the long-in-the-tooth Excel received in our vote.
Old Hyundais may not have staying power but Toyota Land Cruisers certainly do. There’s a question, however, as to whether the vaunted Japanese off-roader’s cult-like status might also apply to models that could be described as ‘Land Cruiser-adjacent.’
This 2006 Lexus GX 470 is one such model. First introduced for the 2003 model year, the GX is based on Toyota’s Land Cruiser Prado, a mid-sized SUV that slots in under the larger standard Land Cruiser. That latter was also sold as a Lexus in the U.S., gaining the LX designation. Lexus differentiated the GX from the Prado by giving it a 4.7-liter V8 engine, which it generously shared with the larger LX.
Sitting between the compact RX crossover and the large-marge LX, the GX line might be considered to exist in the Goldilocks spot. In fact, it’s long been more of a Jan Brady, somewhat forgotten in light of the more efficient RX and more imposing LX.
Despite that, this GX brings a lot to the table. That 2UZ-FE V8 queues up 235 horsepower and a solid 320 lb-ft of torque. Matched with that is an A750F five-speed automatic and capable AWD system which the model shares with the Toyota 4Runner.
That’s all wrapped in a tidy package that offers three rows of seating, with that back bench designed to fold away sideways when not in use so as to maximize storage space. Naturally, being a Lexus, it’s also loaded to the gills with comfort and convenience features, and likely was pretty-well screwed together from the factory.
Painted in an inoffensive Ash Blue Mica over a tan interior, this GX doesn’t seem to show its 170,000 miles. That’s partially because it has received new upholstery on the front seats, a new dashboard (likely due to a recall over cracking), and a fresh windscreen. Mechanical updates include a recently installed new water pump and timing belt refresh.
The ad describes the truck as “Very Clean,” and the pictures bear that out. It’s also not beat up in any way or suffering any rust as it was originally a Texas truck. The title is clean, and the truck appears to be completely stock right down to its factory five-spokes and Lexus-badged floor mats. To date, it has had three owners. What might one expect to pay for such a rig?
The asking price for this one is $16,000, and, based on the ad, it shouldn’t require much in the way of an additional outlay in the immediate future. Naturally, we’ll now need to weigh the GX’s value against that asking.
What’s your take on this luxury SUV that’s almost a Land Cruiser, given that $16,000 price? Considering the truck’s kit and condition, does that seem like a fair deal? Or is that too much for an also-ran?
You decide!
Denver, Colorado, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
H/T to RevUnlimiter for the hookup!
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