Manowits

I am considering a GX470, unfortunately, I can not afford to get a new 2007 (~$50k +TTL - someone please correct me if I am wrong).

I would like to get a 2006 or 2005 with ~25K miles or less for around $38K or less....is this possible? Also, I know there are very few changes from 2006 to 2007 model year, but what about from 2005 to 2006 - any significant changes to be aware of (even though HP and Torque ratings are lower for 2007, I know the engine, etc. and performance are identical between the two)?

For considering a Lexus GX470, are there any options you would consider a 'must have' (I can live without rear entertainment and navigation system)? Many thanks!!

Laslty, are all GX470's from 2005 and newer all time 4 wd? Thanks again.

Welcome,

Try carsdirect.com. That is a good site for used cars as well as new. Good Luck

I just tried it (from the sound menu) in my 06 and it did not work!

Dr. Gee and Statman,

I have a 2006 GX470 with Nav & RSES.

The hack works for me in park and while in motion.

These are the steps I follow:

1. Hit the "Menu" button

2. Press "Volume" icon on the screen

3. Press top left of screen

4. Bottom left

5. Top left

6. Bottom left

The service menu screen appears.

7. Press and hold "Override" until you hear a beep and the text changes from white to black

8. Press "Back"

9. Press the "Destination" button to enter desired destination.

As mentioned earlier in the discussion, the override will remain in effect until you turn the car off.

Good luck. Let me know if this works for you.

Antonio.

It worked for me too. Thank you so very much for passing it on.

I'm in a quandry...

I'm not certain which of the three vehicles I should purchase. I've test driven the Range Rover Sport and really did not understand all the hype. It is a terrific looking car, but the ride just isn't...isn't...well it just isn't butta' as we like to say, when compared to the GX or LX for that matter. I also don't care for the problems I'm hearing about any of the Range Rover series. AND! I don't care to be given a Ford in the interim when I bring my 60K+ vehicle in for servicing.

I drove the X5. Again, not butta' but the fiestiness under the hood really makes you want to drive it. Very sport-like feel. I refuse to buy the X5 because they are completely redoing the body inside and out come 07'. My car would be old before it left the dealer lot. AND! I don't care to be given a Toyota when I bring my 60K+ vehicle in for servicing.

So this brings the GX head to head with the new M-Class. Mercedes has some great options, actually too many, but we'll get into that later. They have more interior and exterior choices. Lexus really does need to offer more. Two color choices is a tad too conservative. The M-Class however, nickle and dimes you with every single little upgrade instead of just making them standard. I kid you not, their accessories/options range from $12 - $4,000 and there's at least 50 to choose from. This also makes it very difficult to get the car you want. You get what you get and don't throw a fit, as a 6 year old once told me. Well for $63k I'll throw a big fit!

Has anyone owned the M-Class? How were you treated by the Mercedes dealership? How does it drive? Butta?

Anyone owned the X5? I'm wondering what your experience was with BMW. Perhaps I could wait until the 07' is released in the fall.

I wish the GX had the easy access key. Like BMW and Mercedes, you only need have it in your pocket or purse to unlock and start the car.

Your thoughts are appreciated... Glad to be apart of the community and looking forward to building my post count.

I owned a 2003 BMW X5 with Sport package, cold weather package and premium package. It was what BMW calls Gray Green. I LOVE the way the BMW handles and I LOVE the power it had. I have a 2006 GX 470 right now. I have had the "clunk/thump". Some of the people on this forum have no idea what the "clunk/thump" is like to have or what it is caused by. The "clunk/thump" comes right after a stop at a stoplight. While sitting there waiting for the light to change, I felt the GX lunge forward, it felt like someone rear ended me. I checked my mirrors and there was no one behind me. This happened at almost every stoplight. I don't have KDSS. After several weeks of phone calls to the dealer, my clunk/thump was fixed(new drive shaft and control arms).

I really miss my X5. I loved the everything about that vehicle. One cool feature mine had was the load deck in the rear would slide out for easy loading and unloading. No more leaning over a dirty bumper to grap things up against the rear seat backs. If I can sell my GX 470 for a good price, I will buy the 2007 X5. I sold mine because I wanted navigation and my X5 didn't have it. The GX was about $10,000.00 cheaper too, but I wish I got the X5 now.

Good Luck

Well my wife and I are about to buy a new SUV. We were pretty sure we were going to buy a GX470, until we drove the LR3 Saturday. If we were to buy a LR3 , we would get the HSE with all options, MSRP is around 56K and they are willing to take of $1500 of MSRP to get our business. So now we are in a dilema, we really liked the LR3 for its looks, the space inside, the moonroofs and the things it can do. The GX470 is far more luxurious and a better historical reliability track record, than the LR3. Does anyone here wish they had baught a LR3 instead? I know that can be a biased question on a Lexus forum, but I am hopeing for an honest answer. So if you had to do it all over again would you get a LR3 or GX470 and why? I also posted this question on the LR3 forum to see what their response is going to be.

Also, I posted a month ago about help on getting a price for a GX470 with KDSS, I can get one for $1000 over invoice, so thanks to all those that helped with thier advice.

Thanks in advance for your opinions.

Kasfin,

I can only go by what I read in all the magazines. Everything I have read says that the LR3 is not as good a vehicle as a LR3. It is much heavier, so the HP is about equal when you consider the power to weight ratios. I do know that Lexus is the most reliable vehicles on the planet and have the highest resale value. The LR3 resale value is not nearly as good. I hope this helps.

If I wanted to risk problems, I would have bought a 2006 Ford Explorer Limited with nav and all wheel drive for about $34,000.00. We should be putting pressure on Lexus to "put this away" and either fix these vehicles right away or put some type of disclossure on the sticker advising customers of the problems they are having. Kind of a like when you buy a house.

Thats a good one, a disclossure on a new car. What would the disclossure say on a Ford explorer? Vehicle may flip over during high speed travel or the ABS brake module may catch fire for no reason and cause a fire in the engine compartment? My point is that, you can find many luxury SUV out there that cost more than the GX and have alot more problems.

G Man,

How did you know about the problems on a Ford Explorer? The problems were in the news media. None of the problems ALL of the GX470 owners are having are in the news media. They have not fixed the clunk problem for 3 years. You failed to address that issue. And for your information, ALL high profile vehicles, the GX included WILL "flip over" at high speed. I am passed by on the freeway here in California all the time by SUV drivers that are driving at least 15-25 miles per hour over the speed limit. They will all flip over with ANY sudden steering wheel movement to avoid a collision or in the event of a tire failure. My point is, if you don't want to flip over, buy a low profile sports car.

How long do you need to wait for the parts nowadays?

Can't help it - need to make a comment as far as "exceed expectations". I had ordered the parts back in August. Got my GX470 to the dealer at the end of September and few hours later received the call - ooops, we are sorry, but your parts are not here.

So, they had promised to do whatever they can to order the parts ASAP. According to their manager they had contacted Lexus headquaters and had pull some strings to get the parts shipped the same week. Of course, they had also promised to pick up my truck from my house and deliver it back.

It has been almost another 2 months now - I had neither got my parts nor phone call so far - way to go Kuni Lexus in Denver!! ))

Ajbolit,

That is my point exactly with my last post. I have numerous other problems with my TSB 470 as well. I also lucked out with my TSB fix. I waited 6 weeks for my parts and they never came in. After numerous phone calls to the service department, they gave me someone else's parts. They told me the person that they belonged to did not respond to the dealers followup to have their GX fixed, so I got those parts. It's nice to have my "clunk" gone. I wish you all the luck with yours.

I know they're metal. What i meant by metal to plastic are other parts (i.e. bumper, some interior stuffs) but the moral of the story is as i mentioned, they're not perfect vehicles. Yes we pay a lot to expect a lot. If you had about $225,000 would you go out and buy a Bentley Flying Spur? Those things, yes look nice, but I could only imagine the quality in those. No consumer reports on those, and plus there are only a handful of dealerships and mechanics that can work on the car. And wouldn't you complain if there was even just ONE LITTLE rattle in a $225k car? Just remember, "Passionate PURSUIT of Perfection" ;)

If I am not mistaken, Bently is owned by VW and uses VW's W configuration engines. VW has a poor reliability record and I would not buy a VW or a Bently based on that itself. When you can afford $225k for a car, having them in the shop is a non issue. I am sure you would have numerous other cars to fill in when your everyday drive Spur was being worked on. Maybe you would drive your Maybach 62s in the mean time, ha ha.

Below is a quote right off the Lexus website. If this is their mission statement, they should stick to that. So far they failed to do the GX470 right the first time by not doing it right the first time(3 years of clunk problem), they have not met many of the GX owners on this forums Expectations for quality(3 years of clunk problem) and if the customer is so important to Lexus, why are they giving some of it's customers the brush off when it comes to "parts availability"(3 years of clunk, you would think they would make enough parts to cover the TSB or after the first year of clunk, they would re-engineer the faulty parts).

Don't get me wrong, in the big picture, Lexus makes the best vehicles in the world. If you look at their history, the GX falls way below their benchmark for quality and reliability in my eyes. Like I said in one of my first posts, my 2001 LS430 has had not ONE mechanical problem in all they years I have owned it and it has about 51,000 miles. That my friend......is what Lexus should be all about. The TSB 470 is not up to Lexus standards.

Lexus has revolutionized the luxury motoring experience through its passionate commitment to the finest products and the most satisfying automobile ownership experience. We vow to value the customer as an important individual; to do things right the first time; and to always exceed expectations. We brought together these principles in the Lexus Covenant, which inspires our dealers and associates to treat customers as they would treat guests and to go to any lengths to serve them better.

The Lexus Covenant is the basis for every decision we make, from cars that are designed with the driver in mind to dealers that make customer satisfaction their most important goal. This commitment to excellence not only makes a Lexus more enjoyable to drive, but also a joy to own.

I know they're metal. What i meant by metal to plastic are other parts (i.e. bumper, some interior stuffs) but the moral of the story is as i mentioned, they're not perfect vehicles. Yes we pay a lot to expect a lot. If you had about $225,000 would you go out and buy a Bentley Flying Spur? Those things, yes look nice, but I could only imagine the quality in those. No consumer reports on those, and plus there are only a handful of dealerships and mechanics that can work on the car. And wouldn't you complain if there was even just ONE LITTLE rattle in a $225k car? Just remember, "Passionate PURSUIT of Perfection" ;)

If I am not mistaken, Bently is owned by VW and uses VW's W configuration engines. VW has a poor reliability record and I would not buy a VW or a Bently based on that itself. When you can afford $225k for a car, having them in the shop is a non issue. I am sure you would have numerous other cars to fill in when your everyday drive Spur was being worked on. Maybe you would drive your Maybach 62s in the mean time, ha ha.

Below is a quote right off the Lexus website. If this is their mission statement, they should stick to that. So far they failed to do the GX470 right the first time by not doing it right the first time(3 years of clunk problem), they have not met many of the GX owners on this forums Expectations for quality(3 years of clunk problem) and if the customer is so important to Lexus, why are they giving some of it's customers the brush off when it comes to "parts availability"(3 years of clunk, you would think they would make enough parts to cover the TSB or after the first year of clunk, they would re-engineer the faulty parts).

Don't get me wrong, in the big picture, Lexus makes the best vehicles in the world. If you look at their history, the GX falls way below their benchmark for quality and reliability in my eyes. Like I said in one of my first posts, my 2001 LS430 has had not ONE mechanical problem in all they years I have owned it and it has about 51,000 miles. That my friend......is what Lexus should be all about. The TSB 470 is not up to Lexus standards.

Lexus has revolutionized the luxury motoring experience through its passionate commitment to the finest products and the most satisfying automobile ownership experience. We vow to value the customer as an important individual; to do things right the first time; and to always exceed expectations. We brought together these principles in the Lexus Covenant, which inspires our dealers and associates to treat customers as they would treat guests and to go to any lengths to serve them better.

The Lexus Covenant is the basis for every decision we make, from cars that are designed with the driver in mind to dealers that make customer satisfaction their most important goal. This commitment to excellence not only makes a Lexus more enjoyable to drive, but also a joy to own.

i have a clunk that happens in my 2002 es300. it happens when i start it and reverse or drive . i can time it its so frequent. wonder if it applies here?

That clunk is most likely a U-joint or a transmission problem. Is there a delay from the time you put the trans in gear and the time it engages? If there is a delay, it's a trans problem, if there is no delay and a clunk, it's most likely U-joints.

Manowits,

No car is perfect. Yes we made the decision to buy a $50,000 Lexus, and not a 4Runner and Sienna combination that equals about $50,000 also. But remember, products nowadays are not made to last as old cars. They used to be metal, now they're plastic. It's a business thing. They don't want you to just buy once, and keep the car for the rest of your life. Yes, we pay a lot but these cars only have a limit and a certain life. That's why it is the "Relentless Pursuit of Perfection" or "Passionate Pursuit of Perfection". ;)

Drive train and suspension parts are all metal. My TSB 470 is a 2006 with about 4500 miles on it.

yikes, are you guys telling me that there is a possibility that these control arms that some of us had replaced with the latest (now cancelled)TSB will cause some problems down the road? I hope not. I only have about 2,500miles/2months left on my warranty! :chairshot:

All I know denslexusgx470 is, I drove a 2005 Ford Explorer to San Diego from Claremont. There was no "clunk", no odd noises, no bucking or surging up hills, there was no shifting from 5th to 4th over and over again, like some have complained, even going up small grades(I have that problem too) and the Ford had 15,000 miles on it. My GX470 has 4200 miles on it and it has been to the shop 5 times already! The Explorer has not had 1 day in the shop, other than oil changes. I own a 2001 LS 430. It has not had 1 day in the shop for any repairs, no 1 and it has 50,000 miles on it. The Lexus did not put it's best foot forward when it produced the GX 470. Maybe we should call it the TSB 470..........

Yes it does seem disappointing that a nice, and expensive vehicle like the GX has this problem. But let's put it this way. Go visit a BMW or Benz forum, and they will have a whole shopping list of problems that most owners experience. If we ever read their problems, we'd probably feel bad that we complain too much about this clunk, that isn't a safety issue in the first place! ;) :)

denslexusgx470, that's not how to deal with a problem. To just say, look at the other cars problems, ours is not so bad, is just deflecting from the real issue. I chose to spend $50,000.00 on a Lexus so I wouldn't have to worry about any problems. If I wanted to risk problems, I would have bought a 2006 Ford Explorer Limited with nav and all wheel drive for about $34,000.00 and the with the money I saved, I would have bought a Honda Fit for my everyday use car. That would have been 2 brand new cars for the price of 1 car. We should be putting pressure on Lexus to "put this away" and either fix these vehicles right away or put some type of disclossure on the sticker advising customers of the problems they are having. Kind of a like when you buy a house. The realtor and the seller has to diclose what problems exist with the house. It is lexus that has the power and resources to "put this away". I am sure we all work hard for our money and have yearned for the time when we can have the money to buy a vehicle like our GX470, and to have all that tarnished by a problem that has gone of for years and not fixed or disclosed to the unsuspecting customer that put down their $50,000.00. I am 100% positive that if you bought a home from a realtor and found out that the home had a "undisclosed defect" and it caused you problems, you would sue or demand it get fixed, like yesterday. Premium price for a premium product demands premium products, not defective premium products. Thanks for your time.

Manowits

yikes, are you guys telling me that there is a possibility that these control arms that some of us had replaced with the latest (now cancelled)TSB will cause some problems down the road? I hope not. I only have about 2,500miles/2months left on my warranty! :chairshot:

All I know denslexusgx470 is, I drove a 2005 Ford Explorer to San Diego from Claremont. There was no "clunk", no odd noises, no bucking or surging up hills, there was no shifting from 5th to 4th over and over again, like some have complained, even going up small grades(I have that problem too) and the Ford had 15,000 miles on it. My GX470 has 4200 miles on it and it has been to the shop 5 times already! The Explorer has not had 1 day in the shop, other than oil changes. I own a 2001 LS 430. It has not had 1 day in the shop for any repairs, no 1 and it has 50,000 miles on it. The Lexus did not put it's best foot forward when it produced the GX 470. Maybe we should call it the TSB 470..........

Hi, I just purchased an 06 GX470 and I'm familiar with this "clunk" thanks to you guys. So my question to you is if I'm buying a new car should I tell them to order the parts for me, or wait and see when it starts happening? Might the car come with the new driveshaft and control arms? Well if you guys could let me know, I would greatly appretiate it.

Welcome and Congrats on the incoming new GX. To answer your question, wait for the clunk to appear. Since you're buying an 06, IT SHOULD come with the updated driveshaft and control arms, but you never know. The dealer will not let you order the parts in advance because no one knows if the vehicle will have it. ;)

Greetings. I bought a brand new 06 GX. I had the clunk and tried to have it fixed. The parts were back ordered for a month. After I called the dealer several times to find out when my GX would be fixed, they finally said that parts did come in for some other GX and the owner didn't respond to have them installed. They used those parts and installed them on my GX. After about 1500 miles, no clunk......however......I have a "bucking" when going up a hill in 4th gear.

I have had problems with the nav screen, climate control and audio going out and other odd noises. I would love for Lexus to buy my GX from me.