Roody’s 2018 Lexus GX460 Build, Adventure, and Hooniverse Podcast

Just a fun pic I wanted to share -- same rock, different life

March 2017 in the long-gone Stormtrooper 4Runner on the left, this past weekend in the GX on the right

 

I have a spruce mica tacoma, so naturally my heart is set on a nori green 460..
The elusive Amazon green 200 series would be nice, but you know that acquisition price...


Recently you had posted about the gx not being the greatest back seat for a rear facing baby seat, obviously more space than a double cab tacoma but nonetheless a point to consider... so since reading that I am again hesitating on the 460 and considering a 200 series again..

I have ruled out the idea of either the new GX or the new LC. I really should do the ultimate utilitarian mini van, but that ain't happening either.

Unfortunately I have already let a few good candidates slip through my hands, but at the same time this is a I want not a I need situation so trying to exercise my patience

 

I am pretty torn on mileage, I just can not fully decide how many miles I am willing to accept

when I purchased my 2012 Tacoma back in 2015 it had 22k miles, I never had a doubt about the price I paid and the mileage it had

Was I young and foolish or perhaps now old and wise?
Better a poor wise youth or the old foolish king?

 

Nori Green is the ultimate GX (and Lexus) color. Getting into one with the updated infotainment is the best the GX has ever been.

I maintain that position on the GX's rear seat not being optimal for a rear-facing baby seat. The 200 is better for sure.

Everything is a compromise in some capacity. Do I wish my GX had the 5.7 and Land Cruiser nameplate attached to it? Of course. But it wasn't in budget and the 200 is a much tighter fit on the local trails. If I had to do it again I honestly don't know what I'd do.

How many miles do you drive/year?

 

I do like the blackline trim though not having the mark levinson option available is a bit unfortunate, but then again coming from the factory tacoma speakers how bad can it really be right?

I must be around 10-15k per year, but the missus is around 20-25k.
We do have a macan that she daily drives and the plan is she will keep commuting with it for the time being, just not ideal for the baby seat duties..
macan has 105k miles and arguably reliable, but eventually it will be on the chopping block


I think having the third row jump seats will come in handy for those trips taking friends and family to and from the airports etc
I know I am 100% sold on really just about any gx or 200 series, just a matter of leg work and pulling the trigger


We are fortunate enough to have the luxury of waiting, though I do not want to wait much longer.... Already did the baby seat test fit on both tacoma and macan

 

The 2nd row bench vs captains chair + baby seat setup
This is one thing I have been wondering about, how much of an advantage if any would there be
I see a lot of mini vans have the 2nd row captains chairs
I can see how maybe an adult being able to swing around while sitting in the back on baby duty could be convenient
But also the bench gives you more buttocks real estate

 

Hmmm I mean depending on how long you want to keep it, you could probably get away with something <50k miles and still get a good 6-10 years out of it? Macan is great but yeah agreed the back seat isn't exactly spacious

Pretty sure I opened up the 3rd row in the Lexus the day after I bought it and have never done so since, they're pretty small but in a pinch they could work for what you suggested

I have the bench but we went with captains chairs in my wife's new car...

 

How is AOAA? I did Rausch creek and found it a bit boring (and expensive). There felt like very little balance between green and blue trails. Either Subaru green trails or dragging underbody/pinstriping on blue trails.

 

Love it, been going there basically since they opened. Huge variation in trail difficulty, everything from fire roads to all-out competition-level rock crawling and mud bogging stuff. I will say that the Blues can be more like a Black level trail in many cases, things tend to be on the more difficult side of the spectrum.

 

I’ll be following the front bumper portion of your build closely now. I slowly slid into a tree this weekend and cracked my front bumper and grill. Only logical solution now is to upgrade when I replace right?!

@TacoTuesday603

 

Looking for a full Aussie style one or something more streamlined like the Lil B one and what Jack and I have been discussing?

 

I was summoned? I made a gx470 front bumper that I’m likin the design a lot. May even change my taco bumper to a similar style.

 

I like the Lil B one you had posted. I also like the looks of the smaller mid section bumpers from CBI. I typically love the blend of tube hybrid bumpers but I haven’t seen too many I love on the 460.

 

What would be perfect is a lightweight prerunner style bumper that still offers protection from mud/dirt/etc and that seals off the frame and radiator area from underneath. I realize that's counterintuitive to "lightweight" but it's gotta be able to be done somehow. & instead of it protruding like an ARB/Ironman style bumper it sits more flush with the front end.

After a ton of Google Image searching this is the closest I can find to what I'm thinking, but with the right/left plates tucked up more.

 

I think the problem for me is the 460 doesn't have a nice clean flat line that would line up with those bumpers. The headlights slope down towards center so I would want the wings to slope with it and follow that line I think?

My terrible attempt at highlighting that subtle slope on the edges that would line up better?




EDIT -- It looks as if your Ironman bumper has that gradual upslope on the sides? Hard to tell from photos online.

 

I could do something like that but I dont think it would be what I would advertise as the off the shelf bumper. I think I could put tabs on then just do 1/4 black HDPE because there is no additional strength needed. Also inset it into the tubes so hopefully it looks better....

I am not too concerned with spray protection because looking at oem bumpers they arent really either.

 

Weird, not surprised about OEM but maybe the Ironman is unique in that regard as far as aftermarket goes. You can see the section here with the "wings" that acts as a splash guard

 

Yeah we can come up with something. On tacomas there’s nothing there but I do need to take a look under the front of both gxs to see what’s there to protect

 

Few more pictures from the last outing

Hung up on a huge ice block made by the guys who passed through it in front of me... self-winch recovery in record time


& here's what the KO2s looked like when the truck was beached in the photo above. The KO2s have been great but they definitely lack traction in the mud. Not that they would have had a chance here with the belly of the rig stuck and thus preventing it from moving, but it shows how an A/T doesn't clean out all that well.


34x10.5R17 KO2s stuff nicely in the GX's rear fenders. Think there was slightly more room for compression before hitting the limit. Definitely room for some 35"s though...


Gas tank skid showing its battle scars

 

I've long been looking for a decent way to mount the ScanGauge III and finally found something that will (hopefully) be the solution. It feels like something I should have thought of but ADVTR3D is 3D printing a mount for the gauge that accepts a RAM ball mount on the back, and with the RAM track setup I have on the dashboard speaker grille a plan came into place so I ordered it up and it showed up today. Quality is good-- no burrs, well printed, and such (what else is there to say about a 3D printed product?)-- and for $24.99 shipped it will hopefully do the job.


And a bonus for us with Pareidolia-- it has a face on both sides!







RAM adapters on the way, hoping to get it all mounted the right way this weekend