Schattenjager's 2012 GX460

[Schattenjager]

After much debate in the sacred halls of the ExPo forums between 4Runners, LX200s and GX's, I finally found a rig that had been well taken care of and was less than 500 miles away. The pickings were slim but patience paid off.

2012 GX460 Premium with all four switches by the shifter
69K miles
Brand New Michelin LTX M&S2 Sadly - they pretty much suck in snow and slush and will be gone soon
All tools, everything works, and the secondary air pump $300 preventative fix is on order.

Thank you to all who made material contributions to my quest and gave me a lot of food for thought. I am going to be much happier with this than a brand new 4Runner, despite how cool they are. A 3/4 sized Land Cruiser is just what the situation called for and I hope it gives me many years of fun and comfy service.

Mom and Atlas rode with me to check it out and we are towing the ever faithful Camry back home.

Now to source an ARB bull bar and some 17" wheels

 

[Ryanmb21]

Nice!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[chadwicksavage]

Will this be the build thread?

 

[enzo]

Will this be the build thread?

I sure hope so.

 

[Arktikos]

Sweet rigs. Nice mix of a 4runner and LC.

 

[Schattenjager]

Will this be the build thread?

It will! Slow as it might be.

I did the baselining of fluids today and dropped in a K&N air filter.

Next is to ditch the 18" wheels in favor of 17's so I can avail myself of the better tire choices. I really want the Cooper ATW again as it was fantastic on the Tacoma. I believe I can use 4runner and / or Tacoma 17" wheels so I hope to find a set of unwanted take offs as the larger sizes are so popular these days.

I tried using the 265/70/18 in the ATW but it was super tight. Would have had to modify the wheel well plastic to make it work, which is ok I guess, but in the real world, tires build up with snow and mud and I don't really want the fender liners to double as scrapers.

 

[Schattenjager]

First 'mod' done! Found a great deal on a set of 17" 4Runner wheels and mounted Cooper AT/Ws. Previous experience taught me how great these tires are in just about every category, so it was an easy choice.

Now the GX has the purchase of a scared cat on thick pile carpet despite the slushy cake frosting we have to drive on since the warm up.

 

[HitchCrack]

Looks great! I have a 2013 and love it. They are very capable vehicles.

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[TexomaPowerboater]

Cool and congrats. Feel sorry for you guys outside of TX. There are a ton of these for sale around here. Almost bought a 05 GX with 69K miles on it few months ago. And their all driven by mom's that have never been offroad in them.

 

[Schattenjager]

So far I am enjoying it. The 4Runner wheels with the Cooper ATW's was a perfect move. Those tires are exceptional in every way. They dig through snow with relative ease. I purposely stuffed it in deep, hard pack snow. After raising the rear suspension, locking the center diff and putting it in reverse, I marveled how the car just figured it out and started to creep and claw its way out.

The thing I DO NOT like at all are the awful low beam lights. Imagine a votive candle with a bit of aluminum foil behind it and you will have imagined 2X the lumens these kid's night lights output. MUST figure out a solution that is brighter and dependable. Might install some better driving lights in place fo the fogs for now, but dang... The high beams are great, by contrast.

The excellent Cooper ATWs in their natural habitat: