this vs. that question for overlanders

[crown victor victoria]

getting right to it - is there any reason I should prioritize the purchase of a 1st gen GX470 over a 1st gen Sequoia?

In my area there is basically no difference in price for what's out there, which I suppose is owed to whatever premium a 7 seat 4WD vehicle commands here (Seattle, FYI). Was surprised that the GX wasn't going for more on the used market, especially given the popularity of these in the overland community over the past several years.

Don't know a ton about either platform aside from initial reading and research and youtube videos. Same engine and 4WD system from what I understand, same MPG/performance though the Sequoia is larger, I believe? I don't really need that much space so that's not really a selling point for me, but since there's no penalty in efficiency I guess it can't hurt. And it certainly has smaller aftermarket support but generally Trundra parts of the same vintage seem to fit. The Sequoia interior is worse looking and lower quality overall but that's somewhat subjective. You also wouldn't encounter any issues with the head units and Mark Levinson audio on the Sequoia but a lot of that handwringing seems to be blown somewhat out of proportion.

I re-read all of HHFP's stuff on the GX before the Oppo shutdown so that's all still fresh in my mind. But aside from that and whatever I can find on ih8mud and expo, I still value actual human input from Opponauts. All things considered I think the GX fits the bill for me a little bit more, but change my mind.

[Bloody-the-resident-LandRover-apologist]

@crown-victor-victoria I my opinion I'd say go with the GX because it's smaller (if space isn't a priority). Shorter wheel base = better off road characteristics.

[mtdrift]

If space isn't an issue, I think the GX is the way to go. The strength of the underlying structure of the GX in terms of suspension and chassis is phenomenal, and like @Bloody-the-resident-shitposting-saffer said, that shorter wheel base gives you some more maneuverability off road.

In either case, you're getting a Toyota, so that's a nice peace of mind, so you might as well enjoy the better interior appointments and silence of the Lexus.

[mtdrift]

@crown-victor-victoria I'll add that the aftermarket support for the GX is really, really good. But those parts ain't cheap.

[HammerheadFistpunch]

@crown-victor-victoria Gx is tidier, and built, in Japan and will probably hold its value better since they are desirable now.

[benjrblant]

I'll second what @HammerheadFistpunch said. We build tons of GX trucks and 4runners. I've never seen a sequoia roll through.

[HammerheadFistpunch]

@crown-victor-victoria I will say that for some reason, 1st gen Sequoias are really desirable right now too...for some reason.

[HammerheadFistpunch]

@mtdrift oh man...Freaking Toyota truck parts prices. Want a factory axle? $500 please.

[crown victor victoria]

@bloody-the-resident-shitposting-saffer Yeah I think easier to live with day to day as well. I prefer smaller cars so I probably shouldn't ignore that.

[crown victor victoria]

@mtdrift Great points, thanks. I can agree that the GX interior is preferable to the Sequoia's.

I'm looking at this only for light duty stuff so I won't be putting bumpers on it or anything. Probably just take off the running boards, do the airbag delete and new wheels/tires - minor increase but nothing that would need a lift.

Maybe sounds like a boring build but I am going for simplicity and reliability overall and the 4.7 seems like a decent starting point for that.

[mtdrift]

@crown-victor-victoria My philosophy has always been "OEM+" - there's nothing boring about it. Stock or close-to-stock builds are really, really capable. Usually more than we can even begin to explore. Tires are the best investment you can make for sure.

Any particular reason you're thinking about airbag extraction? On a highly electrically integrated vehicle like a GX, that might be a bigger headache than it's worth.

[crown victor victoria]

@mtdrift Just looking at simplicity, but admittedly I've never dealt with them so I can't say they're necessarily problematic. I suppose it would also depend on service history and things like that, but coil springs seem a lot more reliable than airbags. If they go out, I think it's cheaper to go to coils than to replace the bags but I might be imagining that.

Love the OEM+ mentality, basically what I've always done. I like extremely built trucks too but I personally just don't have the time or the resources for that. I'm not going to go on 2-week long expeditions in this so swing out tire carriers and recovery gear hanging off the roof rack are just overkill and don't come without their own side effects. This won't be a daily but I want to be able to depend on it enough that it can't always be under the knife.

[HammerheadFistpunch]

@crown-victor-victoria I don't know how much you know about mine, but You don't need to do much to them to make them very capable. I actually really like the stock suspension (except the front springs). I'm on my 2nd set of airbags in 165,000 miles and my stock adjustable dampers are still working a treat. They were also cheaper to replace than a coil conversion. I like being able to dial in the suspension for cornering or dial it back for daily duties. My Cruiser has better off-road suspension but it's way more brutal daily. The coil conversions are reliable and easy, but if the airbags don't need to be replaced...don't replace them is my 2 cents. If the shocks go, or the bags go, or the compressor goes...then replace.

[crown victor victoria]

@hammerheadfistpunch yeah that's kinda where I'm at going into this. I don't want to create problems for myself or rip and replace a bunch of things on day one. Main concern is timing belt if that hasn't been done, and then decent AT tires.

I guess the only other question is re: VVT-i engines or not. I guess there's a case to be made for getting one of the earlier models in the 1st gen that didn't have this, but I'd rather have the extra ponies and from what I can tell, the same MPG. I don't hear a lot about VVT-i issues but I don't have experience with Toyotas.

[ZHP Sparky - the 5th]

There seems to be a run on GX470s right now with everyone trying to discover the outdoors thanks to COVID...so if you're actually seeing comparable GXs and Sequoias going for the same price I'd definitely go for the GX as well. It will always be a much more desirable vehicle for a certain subset of the population - so will hold its value very well. I'm sure the Sequoia will as well, since it's a Toyota, but as it ages it will only get less and less appealing to pretty much anyone out there.

The simplicity and the size of the Sequoia are certainly noteworthy for it...but if space isn't a factor for you, and given how reliable the GXs seem to be in general probably a moot point at least for this comparison.

[HammerheadFistpunch]

@crown-victor-victoria it's not the vvti that's the issue, it's the secondary air injection pump. The impeller is plastic and under the intake manifold so it gets hot and can break and if it does it sends little plastic bits into the air injection system (no filter... Brilliant). My friend has his go bad in his gx AND Tacoma. There is a bypass kit you can buy that solves it. I've been meaning to get it but I keep... Not doing that. The extra ponies are nice and aside from the secondary injection issue I see zero reason to get the pre vvti motor.

[crown victor victoria]

@hammerheadfistpunch ah cool, I saw some stuff online about the air injection so that's good to know. These are the kinds of things I don't mind doing on my own for a little peace of mind.

Every car I have ever owned has betrayed me in different ways regardless of how careful I was with it so I'm paranoid about stuff like that. But knowing this, it would never be the thing to fail it would be something else I never thought about.

[HammerheadFistpunch]

@crown-victor-victoria This is the kit

https://hewitt-tech.com/store/index.php?l=product_detail&p=12

I really should just order this already

[HammerheadFistpunch]

@hammerheadfistpunch Just did. No more future worry.

[crown victor victoria]

yeah I watched a video of the secondary air replacement last night and it doesn't look especially difficult but hooo-weee are there a lot of bolts to unscrew to get to the pump. I'd rather just plug this in and be done with it.

This seems like a painless day-1 piece of work and I will definitely be doing this.

[HammerheadFistpunch]

@crown-victor-victoria This is what my friend did with the Tacoma. You can't even tell it's there other than the fact that he can now physically remove the secondary air pump, which opens his engine bay WAY up. I don't love messing with emissions equip. but this feature is so rarely used and its so much potential trouble that its hardly worth worrying about.