TM8000

Hi! I am sure you will like it. I also have the same color as the one you've purchased. It is nice! My wife drives it everyday and she finds it so easy to drive around. Ceiling hight is much more roomy than RX. Eye point is nice and high. Except a few things such as clunk and loud noise of engine fan(only in the summer time with A/C on), this vehicle is nicer than any other makers' SUV in my opinion. Enjoy your driving GX!

Thank you for your comment, SKperformance! You are right and only RX is manufacturered outside Japan but not in the U.S..

Is there anybody who has ever cared or even thought about Lexus(or Toyoya) if it is made in the U.S. or in Japan? I personally prefer the one made in Japan, but has someone ever heard that Lexus or Toyota made in the U.S. has more technical problem than the one manufacturerd in Japan?

I recently paid a little less than $600 for 60K mi service for my GX470. BTW, I did not know 90k service would cost me so much.... Is $1,200 very normal level for 90k mi service at Lexus dealership in general?

When your parts arrived, you better remind the service consultant of the height of the vehicle which should be set at the normal factory position. My four year old little son even found it difficult to step on the running board since the height was set too high when TSB for clunk was completed. I saw a few other posts mentioning the height related this TSB. Anyway, you will have smooth and comfortable ride after the clunk has been fixed. I have driven 3K miles after TSB, nice ride without clunk anymore!

Lexus dealer said that the height was set too high and it has been adjusted to the normal position.

Thank you for your comments. I will see what the service consultant will tell me tomorrow. The clunk has disappeared after TSB has been completed, so this height difference may be the normal one....

Once Nica mentioned about the height of the vehicle relating to TSB for the clunk in the past. Lexus dealership has completed TSB of my GX but it looks like the height of rear part of my vehicle has been changed and it is slightly higher than before(or factory setting). I will bring it to the dealership tomorrow, but has someone experienced the same thing? Is there any problem due to the change of height, fuel economy etc.?

MCF34, Although it really depends on personal preferance, the sound of Mark Levinson is really really good. You will enjoy it if you purchase navigation package.

MCF34, I agree with denslexusgx470. I paid $34,500.- + tax for 2003 GX470 with 51,500 mi, navigation and DVD loaded. This is Lexus CPO. I purchased it on 9/9/06 and now 59,500mi, perfect condition! Just for your refernce...

I purchased Lexus Certified Pre-Owned 2003 GX470(not LS) at 51,500 mi on 9/9/06, and I just paid $650 for 60K mi check yesterday. It makes me feel safety. I do not think that $650 is cheap at all but this additional cost is a kind of insurance to me .

TSB for my GX has been completed. Very smooth and nice ride. I am very happy now. Thanks everybody who has kindly given me comment on this clunk issue.

I finally received a good news that the parts have just arrived. I will bring my GX to the dealer next Monday. It has been 3 months since the parts were ordered. Obviously, parts are now being gradually released.

Please see VIN. It is made in Japan if VIN starts from "J".

The G Man, Thank you for your advice. I don't know how many times I sent reminders to the dealer. Anyway, today Lexus seems to have released(shipped) the parts and I hope it will be just a matter of a few more weeks that I must be patient. Maybe, X'mas present ....if I am lucky.

Thank you for your comment, denslexusgx470. I understood what you meant. I did not know about the story of 4Runner. I will anyway wait for the parts being patient.

denslexusgx470, I am still trying to be patient. It has been almost 3 months but you waited for 3 years! So, I should not complain it. However, I am getting tired of receiving the same reply that my name is on the list without any promised delivery date...... I do not really understand what is going on at Toyota/Lexus. Does 4Runner also have the same problem "clunk"?

I will ask service to rotate tires as I will soon visit Lexus dealership for oil change at 60,000 mile.

Nica, you are lucky. I am still waiting for the parts. After I pushed parts director once every week, he disclosed that there are still 10-11 people waiting for the parts ahead of me. Now it has been 2 months. Hopeless!!

Nica, I am glad to hear that you finally got your GX fixed. I will check when mine would be.

Although I lost $17,000 in 6 months with Escalade ESV Platinum, I was kind of lucky since I did not purchase it brand new. MSRP of Escalade ESV Platinum 2005 was about $70,000(brand new) but I purchased certified pre-owned @$47,000 and sold it @$30,000, which means that its value has lost more than $40,000 within 1.5 years!! I don't believe that it will happen to Lexus, that is why I purchased GX470. Nica, Toyota is reliable and my Japanese friend who is the repair specialist said that Japanese vehicle is much easier to repair than American. He is in Japan and he told me that I should never bring American car back to Japan when I return to Tokyo after a few years as it will cost me a lot for repair. When I was in Tokyo, I used to drive Toyota Crown Estate Athlete which isn't sold here in the U.S. but most of Toyota's luxuary cars are very quiet like GX470.

I used to drive Lincoln Navigator which was very unreliable and broke down easily, noisy, not smooth ride. Also, the value dropped unbelievably fast same like Escalade. I purchased pre-owned ESV Platinum @$47,000 and I traded it in @$30,000 after 6 months (10,000mi). I lost a lot of money as a fee for learning about it. I dreamed of American car before I came to the U.S. from Japan, and I drove both Navigator and Escalade. Now I learnt why people say negative things about American car. I used to drive Toyota when I was in Japan and now I returned to Toyota(Lexus GX470).

Nica, Thank you for the updates. I have not heard about ETA for the rear control arms yet as well but I hope that we will be having our GX470 fixed soon.

The G Man, I really wonder what is really truth..... When I sent a complaint to the Parts and Service Director of the Lexus dealership a few days ago, he called me up and explained about the production problem of the rear control arms. What makes me frustrated is that Lexus was still not able to tell me ETA.

Yes. It sounds like so.... Updated rear control arms have once been produced but they all had to be scrapped due to some problem found. Therefore Lexus cannot tell the ETA for them since they need to be produced and tested again.