Thoughts on the 2014 Lexus GX 460

[ELITEVIDEOGAMES]

I saw they are offering a decent lease deal on this vehicle and I was thinking of trading in my jeep sahara for it (2012). Any owners out there ? Thoughts ?

[Kingair]

Should be really great cars . . . but I never owned one . . .

[louis redfoot]

parents got an rx350 recently, i think the gx is the sequoia chassis.

lexus makes a great car, solidly reliable, comfortable, sporty enough. my beater is a 2002 es300, have also owned an ls400. i think they've gotten too expensive in the past decade. for a leaser, i'd probably get an x5 or cayenne (not as reliable but hey you get the warranty).

[Darlinboy]

We have the previous version (2004) as my wife's daily driver. It has been absolutely bulletproof & problem-free over nearly 200K miles.

She's looking at new vehicles now, but it likely won't be the new GX version, not that it is a bad choice. She doesn't like the looks, nor the fact that they eliminated the armrests, and there's "no good place for my purse".

Hey, I just buy 'em. As long as she's happy, I'm happy.

[ELITEVIDEOGAMES]

Originally Posted by Darlinboy

We have the previous version (2004) as my wife's daily driver. It has been absolutely bulletproof & problem-free over nearly 200K miles.

She's looking at new vehicles now, but it likely won't be the new GX version, not that it is a bad choice. She doesn't like the looks, nor the fact that they eliminated the armrests, and there's "no good place for my purse".

Hey, I just buy 'em. As long as she's happy, I'm happy.

Interesting, I agree the new look is definitely a love it or hate it kind of thing. I am not even sure if I love it or hate it LOL. My buddy has an X5 Diesel 2014 and I think i am going to also TD that before i make any decisions.
One thing about the Lexus, I was very unimpressed with the pickup of the vehicle. Comfortable ride though and i believe can be had for less than the X5 or ML but the savings are nominal at best.

[GermanyMatt]

The front end kinda looks like the creature from "Predator".

I've had zero problems with all five of my BMW's so I'm constantly scratching my head about the reliability concerns. X5 diesel is great (I have one). Great power and solid gas mileage. The new model gets even better gas mileage than mine thanks to two more gears.

[GB-man]

Bulletproof but a bit of a dinosaur for better or worse. One of the remaining body on frame SUVs left so good off road capability, which may mean something to a jeep man. Styling is subjective, I like the front, hate the rear including the swing open hatch. Engine is only exciting compared to its little brother the 4runner.

If no need to do off-roading I suggest the x5 in any form. It's supremely comfortable and tends to lease out well as BMW subsidizes their leases by inflating residuals. Beware of owning a BMW out of warranty though.

If buying and driving long term, read past warranty, go Japanese. If not Germans aim to please.

[ELITEVIDEOGAMES]

Originally Posted by GB-man

Bulletproof but a bit of a dinosaur for better or worse. One of the remaining body on frame SUVs left so good off road capability, which may mean something to a jeep man. Styling is subjective, I like the front, hate the rear including the swing open hatch. Engine is only exciting compared to its little brother the 4runner.

If no need to do off-roading I suggest the x5 in any form. It's supremely comfortable and tends to lease out well as BMW subsidizes their leases by inflating residuals. Beware of owning a BMW out of warranty though.

If buying and driving long term, read past warranty, go Japanese. If not Germans aim to please.

Seems like a fair assessment. Being a Jeep guy, yes I like to drive on the beach and over mountains of snow. I bought the Jeep outright in the idea of no car payment less headaches but i now realize my attention span is short and after 30 months of owning the jeep i calculated my value lost and it comes to a little over $500 a month to own. So i figured? Might was well lease again as I had done in the past.
My friend is leasing the 2014 X5 Diesel, i beleive he put 2k down + tax and fees and pays $720 a month for a 12k mile lease (36 months). Seems fair??
I honestly hate the whole car buying process, too many slimeballs to deal with. (no offense to any car salesmen on TRF, you guys are different im sure)

[ELITEVIDEOGAMES]

Originally Posted by GB-man

Bulletproof but a bit of a dinosaur for better or worse. One of the remaining body on frame SUVs left so good off road capability, which may mean something to a jeep man. Styling is subjective, I like the front, hate the rear including the swing open hatch. Engine is only exciting compared to its little brother the 4runner.

If no need to do off-roading I suggest the x5 in any form. It's supremely comfortable and tends to lease out well as BMW subsidizes their leases by inflating residuals. Beware of owning a BMW out of warranty though.

If buying and driving long term, read past warranty, go Japanese. If not Germans aim to please.

Seems like a fair assessment. Being a Jeep guy, yes I like to drive on the beach and over mountains of snow. I bought the Jeep outright in the idea of no car payment less headaches but i now realize my attention span is short and after 30 months of owning the jeep i calculated my value lost and it comes to a little over $500 a month to own. So i figured? Might was well lease again as I had done in the past.
My friend is leasing the 2014 X5 Diesel, i beleive he put 2k down + tax and fees and pays $720 a month for a 12k mile lease (36 months). Seems fair??
I honestly hate the whole car buying process, too many slimeballs to deal with. (no offense to any car salesmen on TRF, you guys are different im sure)

[ELITEVIDEOGAMES]

some pics to help:
2014-lexus-gx460-photos-and-info-news-car-and-driver-photo-533167-s-429x262.jpg
2014-lexus-gx460-photo-533477-s-520x318.jpg
2014-lexus-gx460-photo-533475-s-520x318.jpg
2014-lexus-gx460-interior-photo-533478-s-520x318.jpg

[rle737ng]

I love my 4dr Sahara. Why get rid of perfectly good Jeep?

[ELITEVIDEOGAMES]

Originally Posted by rle737ng

I love my 4dr Sahara. Why get rid of perfectly good Jeep?

Part of the reason is I was driving to work 3 weeks ago and a 20 y/o girl side swiped me and did structural damage (thank god everyone was all right) No trips to the hospital, everyone walked away. Long story short, my Jeep will be completely fixed this week but I have future concerns that due to the structural hit that things will break later on and out of warranty and it may be a very costly vehicle to hold onto so i feel i should ditch it now. There is always the possibility of trading the 2012 for a 14 rubicon though!

[raky]

I suggest you get the insurance company to give you $ for diminished value. Hire a lawyer as needed. I was t-boned a few years ago causing $18k worth of damage to my car (wouldn't total it unfortunately because car was too expensive). I got $2k in diminished value after lawyer fees. I didn't have to do anything other than fill out some paperwork. It was worth it because I definately took a hit when I traded the car in due to the bad carfax.

Also, the car will never be the same no matter what they say. My car still had some air leaks coming from the door area.

[ELITEVIDEOGAMES]

Originally Posted by raky

I suggest you get the insurance company to give you $ for diminished value. Hire a lawyer as needed. I was t-boned a few years ago causing $18k worth of damage to my car (wouldn't total it unfortunately because car was too expensive). I got $2k in diminished value after lawyer fees. I didn't have to do anything other than fill out some paperwork. It was worth it because I definately took a hit when I traded the car in due to the bad carfax.

Also, the car will never be the same no matter what they say. My car still had some air leaks coming from the door area.

I was unaware that this could be done and appreciate the heads up.
Will i need a layer to process this or do you think i could bring this up solo to Geico first?

[raky]

Originally Posted by ELITEVIDEOGAMES

I was unaware that this could be done and appreciate the heads up.
Will i need a layer to process this or do you think i could bring this up solo to Geico first?

Yeah not many people know you can do this but it makes sense if you think about it. Whenever a car has reported damage on carfax dealers will screw you to the tune of $2-$3k . This is only a way of making you whole by compensating you for your future loss. I have a friend that tried on his own unsuccessfully (he had to go to court and it was a drawn out process). If you have a lawyer it makes it easier as I never had to do anything. The insurance company saw the demand letter from the lawyer and paid the $ as it was not worth their time. Lawyer took 33% but to me 66% of something is better than wasting my time for potentially nothing. Just google diminished value attorney in your city or state. If you can't find anything try traffic ticket attorney. Any should be able to handle your situation.

You can try and tell the other persons insurance company your plans for going after them for diminished value. If they aren't willing to cooperate, tell them you will get a lawyer.

[ELITEVIDEOGAMES]

Originally Posted by raky

Yeah not many people know you can do this but it makes sense if you think about it. Whenever a car has reported damage on carfax dealers will screw you to the tune of $2-$3k . This is only a way of making you whole by compensating you for your future loss. I have a friend that tried on his own unsuccessfully (he had to go to court and it was a drawn out process). If you have a lawyer it makes it easier as I never had to do anything. The insurance company saw the demand letter from the lawyer and paid the $ as it was not worth their time. Lawyer took 33% but to me 66% of something is better than wasting my time for potentially nothing. Just google diminished value attorney in your city or state. If you can't find anything try traffic ticket attorney. Any should be able to handle your situation.

You can try and tell the other persons insurance company your plans for going after them for diminished value. If they aren't willing to cooperate, tell them you will get a lawyer.

Definitely worth a shot, tomorrow morning I have some work to do
The other drivers insurance was an "Assigned risk plan" meaning the driver is a deadbeat in some way or another. Not sure how much i can get out of them but i will try.

[raky]

Originally Posted by ELITEVIDEOGAMES

Definitely worth a shot, tomorrow morning I have some work to do
The other drivers insurance was an "Assigned risk plan" meaning the driver is a deadbeat in some way or another. Not sure how much i can get out of them but i will try.

Good luck!

[watchdog507]

Originally Posted by ELITEVIDEOGAMES

Seems like a fair assessment. Being a Jeep guy, yes I like to drive on the beach and over mountains of snow. I bought the Jeep outright in the idea of no car payment less headaches but i now realize my attention span is short and after 30 months of owning the jeep i calculated my value lost and it comes to a little over $500 a month to own. So i figured? Might was well lease again as I had done in the past.
My friend is leasing the 2014 X5 Diesel, i beleive he put 2k down + tax and fees and pays $720 a month for a 12k mile lease (36 months). Seems fair??
I honestly hate the whole car buying process, too many slimeballs to deal with. (no offense to any car salesmen on TRF, you guys are different im sure)

I don't see how a lease is cheaper than a purchase? The lease has to cover depreciation, interest and profit. If it's a dealer, they guarantee residual and buy back is optional. Third party doesn't usually guarantee residual and you do. I no longer lease. I have been hit hard on guaranteed residuals and I only buy my cars. If you ever want out of a lease, be prepared to pay a lot of money for the privilege. If you own the vehicle, selling is easy and you know up front what it will cost.

[rle737ng]

Can't go wrong with a new Rubicon!

Originally Posted by ELITEVIDEOGAMES

Part of the reason is I was driving to work 3 weeks ago and a 20 y/o girl side swiped me and did structural damage (thank god everyone was all right) No trips to the hospital, everyone walked away. Long story short, my Jeep will be completely fixed this week but I have future concerns that due to the structural hit that things will break later on and out of warranty and it may be a very costly vehicle to hold onto so i feel i should ditch it now. There is always the possibility of trading the 2012 for a 14 rubicon though!

[Daytona4130]

I see a lot of them around here. I'm a huge Lexus/Toyota fan, so I love it.

[GB-man]

Originally Posted by watchdog507

I don't see how a lease is cheaper than a purchase? The lease has to cover depreciation, interest and profit. If it's a dealer, they guarantee residual and buy back is optional. Third party doesn't usually guarantee residual and you do. I no longer lease. I have been hit hard on guaranteed residuals and I only buy my cars. If you ever want out of a lease, be prepared to pay a lot of money for the privilege. If you own the vehicle, selling is easy and you know up front what it will cost.

I don't think he is arguing that it's cheaper, just that the trade off for being in a brand new vehicle comes at a lower cost than expected.

If you want out of a lease, just wait a few month until it's over. You are driving a new vehicle anyhow.

Buying makes sense when you plan to own the vehicle for 5-7 years or more. This is not advised in anything but Japanese cars IMHO. A few Americans make the cut as well, certainly no Germans.

That said German cars tend to make me happiest. So I lease and do my homework and shop around. Never make a cap reduction and always get the base rate if your credit allows. Edmunds is your best friend.

Speaking of diminished value I had a fender scrape in my 911 last year that requires a respray. This means it's no longer a cpo candidate at porsche. That my friends would cost me 10k at trade in time, maybe more.

[ELITEVIDEOGAMES]

Originally Posted by GB-man

I don't think he is arguing that it's cheaper, just that the trade off for being in a brand new vehicle comes at a lower cost than expected.

If you want out of a lease, just wait a few month until it's over. You are driving a new vehicle anyhow.

Buying makes sense when you plan to own the vehicle for 5-7 years or more. This is not advised in anything but Japanese cars IMHO. A few Americans make the cut as well, certainly no Germans.

That said German cars tend to make me happiest. So I lease and do my homework and shop around. Never make a cap reduction and always get the base rate if your credit allows. Edmunds is your best friend.

Speaking of diminished value I had a fender scrape in my 911 last year that requires a respray. This means it's no longer a cpo candidate at porsche. That my friends would cost me 10k at trade in time, maybe more.

You are correct, I wasn't saying its necessarily cheaper , just that it might cost slightly more but you have a new car every 2-3 years and you don't have to go through the hassle of trading in or selling your previous one.

Your story about the 911 is similar to the point I was trying to make on my Jeep. Now that it's damaged goods I take the hit. (just at a smaller scale).