New Landcrusier GX 200

[yabbietol]

Finally have committed to a new tow, I really liked my NW Pajero and it towed my ATM 2.5 tonne Kedron legally and really well. However, we felt a larger tow would be good and at our stage of life (retired) we are travelling a lot more.
After much research and negotiation we decided we could afford the very basic 200 series GX model designed for commercial buyers, many dealers are reluctant to sell this model and keep trying to up sell to a GXL or even a VX. If looking for 200 series the GX while basic has most to of the important stuff, ANCAP 5 star rating, 6 speed auto and V8 diesel.
It comes only as auto, diesel with 5 seats and vinyl floors and rear barn doors.
Hopefully we will pick it up early August. It will come from dealer with tow bar, tow wiring a RedarcTow Pro Elite and little else. As funds become available we will install cargo barrier (1st priority), side steps, storage draws, driving lights, etc.
Now the wait begins.

 

[NoWorries]

The 200 series is a wonderful car
I recently retired my NW Pajero for a 2016 200 GXL
Chalk and Cheese between the two cars, best car in the world and I now know why people spend the money on them

 

[bigcol]

you wont go wrong @yabbietol the newer generation of the 200 is a very nice car

I have a mate who had an earlier one (leased) he was never impressed with it for various reasons
when he updated, he went to another 200 (I thought he was mad...... after the problems he had had) but he is very impressed with the newer ones

I like the features of my 100 series Kakadu, but would LOVE the V8 diesel

 

[yabbietol]

Just been back to dealer, there has been a stuff up with delivery. We are now expecting delivery in Sept/Oct has to be built from scratch (at least certain it will be a 2016 build, not 2015).

Even though not happy about slippage, decided to stay with same dealer. We could not handle starting all the negotiation again and got another $300 of the price, not much, but better than nothing.
The wait is now even longer.

 

[bigcol]

now thats a bugga
maybe hit them up for the cargo barrier................
or something else thats not going to cost them much, but you a lot of time and $$$$$

 

[yabbietol]

now thats a bugga
maybe hit them up for the cargo barrier................
or something else thats not going to cost them much, but you a lot of time and $$$$$

Good idea, but already did a deal on cargo barrier with them to install genuine Tojo barrier at 1st service for $806 ($150 cheaper than local installers for Milford) and to wire in my Breaksafe Monitor (required in NSW) for free when they do towing wiring. I also got free genuine Tojo bonnet protector, Tojo headlight guards and Tojo removable rubber matts at last minute just before signing. I did try for roof bars, but they would not give me them for free (will get aftermarket eventually).

I already have got a $6.65K discount plus above bits of bling (it was a bit like pulling teeth towards the end), maybe could get more, but they wore me down and we have now signed.

 

[bigcol]

mate, getting anything out of them for free - or low cost is a hard hard job

well done that Man to have scored what you did

 

[Bluey]

Very good i nearly broght a 2010 model with carpet on the floors it was very nice 95 thousnad on clock 55 grand i think and in hind site should have got that instead of the 100 but it is what it is now well done 5 stars

 

[yabbietol]

After 6 weeks of nothing happening, not sure if the dealer or Toyota responsible for the delay, probably both. All of a sudden moved from "on order" to production planned in Sep in the Toyota tracking system, so hopefully on track for delivery sometime in October.

Also had a chat to a local interstate (across border in ACT) tyre place and they will do a deal on Toyo AT2 for $1050 for 5 fitted with the trade in for the not so off road standard Toyota tyres. I have dealt with this tyre company before and they charge a fair price and do nice work, so will probably swap tyres in first couple of days for Toyo AT2. I am a bit of BFG fan, but the Toyo's are suppose to be a good fit for the GX LC200 so would like to give them a try.

Read an interesting article on GX LC200 tyres at below URL

http://adventure4wd.com.au/4wd-tips/tyre-dramas-200-series-landcruiser/

 

[peterg]

Good article. About time someone in the industry made comment without biase.

 

[spiderpig]

The 200 series is a wonderful car
I recently retired my NW Pajero for a 2016 200 GXL
Chalk and Cheese between the two cars, best car in the world and I now know why people spend the money on them

They would want to be too for the price difference

 

[yabbietol]

I really like this forum and the main reason is nearly everyone is nice and it is well moderated.

I have not explained the costing process of moving from a much liked Pajero to a LC200 but looking at below I think it might help other members of this forum get a better understanding of the cost vs benefit of us doing this change. We did look at a lot of vehicles including Fortuna, Pajero Sport, BT50, Nissan Patrol, Isuzu utes, new Pajero and Prado, as well as the LC200. However, I should state up front I think all new vehicles sold in Australia are overpriced compared to elsewhere in the world and Toyota are among the worse with the well know Toyota Tax.

They would want to be too for the price difference

The actual price difference between a Prado on Toyota "special deal" at $64K on road and the final negotiated price for the LC200 GX was $12K. This NSW on road price included a few bits of bling and tow wiring. The current prices for Pajero are very similar to the Prado special price, but unfortunately all Pajero's now come with 18' wheels with no 17 " wheel option. This stupid move by Mitsubishi to style over substance was one of the main reasons for not getting our 3rd Pajero. The other 4WD offerings though good in many aspects were mainly utes (or converted utes e.g. Pajero sport and Fortuna), utes do not suit us at this stage of life (previously owned a Hilux ute for 17 years). I know many people prefer utes and that of course is their choice.

So our choices for a 4WD true off road wagon were limited, as we travel in remote parts of Australia a good Australian wide dealer network is essential. So this also limits us in choice and in this aspect Toyota are very good. The through life cost is important and servicing costs when you can find them are worth knowing (LCOOL forum was very useful in this area). So for another $12K we get a 5 star NCAP, a proven V8 diesel with reliable auto gear box. Plus vinyl floors, 17 " steel wheels and a true off road 4WD that should easily last 10 years+.

Yes expensive, but over 10 years and looking at resale even after 10 years, they still are not bad value for a new 4WD in Australia, especially if you are not into a lot of bling in your tow, but like safety and function.

Hope this info helps some members of the forum with their choice of tow.

Regards
Terry

 

[DRW]

As my brother told me, once you get past the 1st purchase the rest become less expensive due to their resale value, can't argue with that

 

[spiderpig]

All good Yabbi, no need to justify your own decisions to others like myself but useful info none the less. That sounds like a pretty good price for the GX @ 76k if i did read it correctly.
Don't get me wrong, I would own a landcruiser without hesitation, but comparing a lower spec model pajero like a RX/GLX that is more comparable to a GX cruiser (spec/range wise) there is a decent amount of coin price difference. RX/GLX's were running out for low/mid 50's if i remember correctly.

http://www.mitsubishi-motors.com.au/shopping-tools/special-offers/detail/531/4104

Hate the Aus toyota tax, but they will keep getting away with it forever as the market decides what they will pay and they keep paying it every year.
Enjoy the new wheels when they eventually turn up!

 

[yabbietol]

All good Yabbi, no need to justify your own decisions to others like myself but useful info none the less. That sounds like a pretty good price for the GX @ 76k if i did read it correctly.
Don't get me wrong, I would own a landcruiser without hesitation, but comparing a lower spec model pajero like a RX/GLX that is more comparable to a GX cruiser (spec/range wise) there is a decent amount of coin price difference. RX/GLX's were running out for low/mid 50's if i remember correctly.

http://www.mitsubishi-motors.com.au/shopping-tools/special-offers/detail/531/4104

Hate the Aus toyota tax, but they will keep getting away with it forever as the market decides what they will pay and they keep paying it every year.
Enjoy the new wheels when they eventually turn up!

I do not feel any need to justify my decision to this or in any other online place. Especially such a nice friendly forum like this one. The GX LC200 is not low spec (it is a basic - poverty pack). Low spec was our Suzuki Stockman, LandRover 110 and our 2.4 l Hilux; as far as we are concerned any 4WD with a metal roof, working heater/demister and air conditioner has a luxury fit out.

However, I simply thought it useful to explain the process and the actual cost; there is a lot confusion about actual cost until you actually talk seriously to dealer. The scarcity and cost of second hand LC200s also puts a lot of people off, we started looking for a good second hand one, but the cost difference to go to a new GX was not as great as we thought. I was genuinely surprised at the GX price after negotiation and as I said in post above all the dealers kept trying to up sell to much more expensive GLX and VX. I have done well in price, but so have others in the LCOOL forum with GX price.

I do think the VX model and above are really expensive for what you get, but some people feel they are getting value, especially when you compare with $100K++ American trucks. I am impressed you found a "Demonstrator" Pajero for $55K, our last two Pajero's were $50K in 2006 and $55K in 2013, when I went to local dealers a couple of months ago they were in the mid $60Ks for new and none could supply one with 17 " wheels. The real Pajero show stopper was wheel size and the problem of getting decent tyres in the bush, at least the Prado had 17" wheels and this is why we first went to Toyota (and to look at the Fortuna and Prado).

Thanks I will enjoy the new wheels

 

[NoWorries]

Just my take from Pajero / Landcruiser
I bought a VRX NW Pajero for $56k in June 2014, sold it in June 2016 for $40k with 30k on the clock
Looking for a one or two year old GXL Landcrusier the best price I could find was $78k with 30k on the clock (not including transfer)
I ended up with a brand new one for $85

The Pajero to be honest was a good car on the tarmac
Off road it failed on me twice (center diff light error first time in sand) and Transmission over heating towing a 2.5t van on a dirt road.
It hated corrugations with a passion, the stereo wanted to jump onto my lap and the dash was unreadable,
But most of all it was noisy all the time

When I bought the Pajero I kidded myself as well saying I would never spend the extra money blah blah toyota tax blah
but the short term money pain is instantly forgotten when you drive the Cruiser.

 

[achjimmy]

Good luck @yabbietol great choice. I actually liked the GX as Iam not a fan of carpet in fourbies and I like the barn doors. If the GX didn't have airbag seats I would have bought one as I would perfer to fit after market seats in any long range tourer even though I thought the GX was poor value for what I was offered. But Value is a perceivable thing. I have sourced 3 GXLs for friends recently. Purchasing them for $78,600 on road ! Which with resale really does make them great value? they just won't do good deals on the GX which too my mind is crazy cause if they could get it to $65k they would sell heaps?

Verus the Paj, yeah it's chalk and cheese really. Often reminded just opening the fuel flap ! On the Landcruisers it's a respectable gauge of metal riveted on. With the Paj you were almost concerned to hit the flap release in a wind for fear of it being blown off lol! It's that difference right through. Not everybody can afford them but that's not to say they arent great value compared to a Pajero. As above corrogations are a Paj killer, the Landcruiser is just so much smoother.

Toyos are great tyres Iam considering the Nittos which is a toyo brand. Funny enough Iam looking at replacing my wheels with aftermarket 18"s ! Cause if the US is a trend the market for 18"s is to be more common than 17"s! Really going remote with so many brands unless you want a 31x15" or a 245or 265/16 your gonna wait for any tyre IMO.


Ps with aftermarket roof racks look at Toyota first. The genuine Toyota 3 bar rack is actually rhino but some 20% cheaper than through rhino!!

Have you seen the genuine toyo cargo barrier installed? Previously it had hideous mounts coming from the roof diagonally back down to the floor to support it! Not only did they waste space but not as strong either IMO.

The genuine landcruiser rubber mats are ordinary too, but given you have the vinyl floor all good. They just don't cover the heal and entrance area for the rear seat. I've just put in sandgrabbas.

Lastly get an exhaust I should have done it 3 yrs ago! All the dicking around trying to get it to drop into 6th at cruise and with the exhaust it just does it. Best mod and really nothing that can comeback on warranty.

 

[yabbietol]

Good luck @yabbietol great choice. I actually liked the GX as Iam not a fan of carpet in fourbies and I like the barn doors. If the GX didn't have airbag seats I would have bought one as I would perfer to fit after market seats in any long range tourer even though I thought the GX was poor value for what I was offered. But Value is a perceivable thing. I have sourced 3 GXLs for friends recently. Purchasing them for $78,600 on road ! Which with resale really does make them great value? they just won't do good deals on the GX which too my mind is crazy cause if they could get it to $65k they would sell heaps?

Verus the Paj, yeah it's chalk and cheese really. Often reminded just opening the fuel flap ! On the Landcruisers it's a respectable gauge of metal riveted on. With the Paj you were almost concerned to hit the flap release in a wind for fear of it being blown off lol! It's that difference right through. Not everybody can afford them but that's not to say they arent great value compared to a Pajero. As above corrogations are a Paj killer, the Landcruiser is just so much smoother.

Toyos are great tyres Iam considering the Nittos which is a toyo brand. Funny enough Iam looking at replacing my wheels with aftermarket 18"s ! Cause if the US is a trend the market for 18"s is to be more common than 17"s! Really going remote with so many brands unless you want a 31x15" or a 245or 265/16 your gonna wait for any tyre IMO.


Ps with aftermarket roof racks look at Toyota first. The genuine Toyota 3 bar rack is actually rhino but some 20% cheaper than through rhino!!

Have you seen the genuine toyo cargo barrier installed? Previously it had hideous mounts coming from the roof diagonally back down to the floor to support it! Not only did they waste space but not as strong either IMO.

The genuine landcruiser rubber mats are ordinary too, but given you have the vinyl floor all good. They just don't cover the heal and entrance area for the rear seat. I've just put in sandgrabbas.

Lastly get an exhaust I should have done it 3 yrs ago! All the dicking around trying to get it to drop into 6th at cruise and with the exhaust it just does it. Best mod and really nothing that can comeback on warranty.

Wow what a great price on a GLX I could not get them down much at all on the GXL, the GX was a bit more negotiable around southern NSW and ACT. I take you point about tyres, it was a big move for me from 16" to 17" tyres, I also like steel rims for bush work (though not a fan of split rims anymore after a few problems with our old Hilux and rust in the spilt rims after 240,000Kms). The GX steel rims seem to be a good idea for a 4WD and if later want something fancy I could go aftermarket. Initial suspension modification will be a couple of rear air bags and possibly a couple of heavier Lovell springs in the rear for towing, but will see how the new tow handles our van first, before doing the springs.

Thanks Jim for all the good info, I do really like it when people provide really helpful info in forums.
I really am grateful about what you said about the Toyota Cargo barrier. I just read some similar info on the LCOOL forum. The mounts you describe would be a show stopper. Once we get the LC200 I will discuss with the dealer (cargo barrier install not planned till first service), the GX is a 5 seater and it would not be sensible to fit the cargo barrier with those weird mounts eating space in the rear cargo area. I may now consider a Milford cargo barrier or even look at a combo draw and half barrier set up like Drifta in Gloucester install. I will install some sort of cargo barrier. I was involved in a Landrover 110 rollover some years ago and the cargo barrier did a great job of keeping the Tirfor winch, recovery chains and Fridge away from myself and the passenger; it also reduced the crushing of the roof into the passenger compartment. So for me a cargo barrier once you have some gear on board is essential.
http://www.drifta.com.au/4wd-drawers/

Roof rack is down the track when I save some more $, I may just fit roof bars, there is a company in Melb that import side roof bars and roof bars that look very close to genuine. I already got a set of side steps from them for $269 which I cannot tell from Toyota genuine, note the GX does not have side steps as standard, these side steps will do for now.
http://www.killaconcepts.com.au/toyota-landcruiser-gx-200-series-side-step-running
http://www.killaconcepts.com.au/toyota-landcruiser-200-series-roof-rack-rail-pair
http://www.killaconcepts.com.au/toyota-landcruiser-200-series-low-profile-roof-rac

Really interested in the exhaust idea, again down the track when I get some more $. Not sure how I would get on with the DPF, but I am sure we Australians who are very inventive will find a workable aftermarket solution. A water watch (fuel water alarm before standard fuel filter) and a Pro vent catch can are very high on my list of initial aftermarket kit, they seem to be an important thing to do with a new diesel LC200.

Again thanks for the good info, it is appreciated.
Regards
Terry
PS I really did like my two Pajero's (NP and NW) they were great, but looking forward to the LC200 that now has an estimated delivery date of 18 Oct.

 

[achjimmy]

Autocraft make the drifter barriers. Same as ORS. They have a great mounting system very happy with ours but you do need to drill the body not sure the Toyota dudes will do that for you?

Steps have you bought em? Get the TJM ones. They don't bend in the sun like the original units

 

[yabbietol]

Autocraft make the drifter barriers. Same as ORS. They have a great mounting system very happy with ours but you do need to drill the body not sure the Toyota dudes will do that for you?

Steps have you bought em? Get the TJM ones. They don't bend in the sun like the original units

I have heard of Autocraft, but have not had one of their cargo barriers, but have had a couple of Milfords (including in my Landrover that rolled). I will have a look at Autocraft. I believe Toyota dealers may install a Milford, not sure about Autocraft. If Toyota cannot install what I want I will just drop the install of the cargo barrier I previously arranged (at the first service) with Toyota. No matter what happens, I am certainly not having those weird Toyota bars coming off a cargo barrier. I am wating on a quote from Drifta for a ½ cargo barrier and draws fitted.

I already have the steps as they only had one pair and are now out of stock, so I just bought them. I have had look at the TJM side steps and they are good, but if I recall correctly they are a bit heavy and around $900 and at this stage a bit too many $. We both like side steps on our 4WD. So now we have a set to fit and if they get bent they will get replaced in due course. I had a light weight aluminium set on the NW Pajero and only scraped one step on a log on a fire trail in over 3 years of use, and the damage was not significant.

Thanks again Jim for good info.
Regards Terry