Fleet Update 2025 Edition
From time to time, I like to pause and update what’s going on with our car fleet. As of last May, we’re a 100% “Toyota” Family so it’s interesting. For 2 of the 3 I have long-term fuel economy I track via the excellent Fuelly app, so I can represent long-term ownership costs
As an aside, I really wish I had a license plate this cool:
The Hanger Queen – 2016 Lexus GX460
Seems like yesterday we went to San Antonio and picked-up this 2016 Lexus GX460 CPO, then immediately took it on a 3000 mile round trip to Estes park colorado with a Stowaway hanging from the rear hitch and a Thule bag strapped to the top.
At that point, it had ~35,000 miles, and as we speak it’s crested 125k, yielding roughly 18mpg on premium fuel. The “Premium only” is a hotly-debated topic among the GX community, as the 4.6 is the same engine in the ~2007 tundra and that engine runs fine on regular. I’ve put regular in it and it does, indeed, run okay.
The GX has full-time AWD with a lockable center differential and is basically the best-kept secret in the Toyota lineup for both on-road and off-road. If you’re looking used, consider a GX over the 4Runner. The V8 power is really worth it, as is the standard AWD.
After 6 years and 90k miles, the GX has retained 46% of its value. Overall cost-per mile is about 19-cents per mile on premium. We’ve had only one major repair, where a rock (or something) cracked the radiator, which we replaced out of warranty for $3,000, including labor. We also installed a set of new struts on the front suspension at around 100k miles.
The Ranch Truck – 2021 Toyota Tundra
I guess my version of “You Bought a Zoo?” is We bought a ranch. As part of that we leased a 2021 Toyota Tundra, the very last year of the gas-guzzling, ancient, 2nd gen tundra platform I’d excoriated as a “Dead Stick” lo these many years ago.
What can I say: $219 / month, zero-down lease on an incredibly solid truck was too good to pass up.
We don’t drive this truck. It’s now 4 model years old, and just now crested 20k miles. Reasons:
- It rides like a brick
- It gets laughably poor fuel economy
The 2nd gen tundra is a suite of contradictions: It has an “old fashioned” V8…that has double overhead cams (DOHC) like a race engine. Mine lacks climate controls, but it does have radar cruise control and Apple CarPlay. ZERO nods toward economy or efficiency, and yet each trip pops up with your “economy” at the end of the drive on your center display in the dash.
Ours is the CrewMax in which the back seat seems larger than the front. It’s been popular on runs to camp with my daughters.
After 4.5 years and 20k miles, this Tundra retained 67% of its value. The 3rd gen Tundra has been disastrous, with 100k trucks recalled for full long-block engine replacements due to cost Toyota $2 Billion or more. People WANT these older Tundras, despite them driving like a 3/4 ton Ford from the 1990s.
The Tundra costs between 20 and 25 cents per mile (yes, really) on regular fuel. It’s had no repairs aside from oil changes. It will need new tires in the next 18 months.
The Daily – 2021 Lexus ES300h
There comes a time in every man’s life when he just wants a car like a couch.
I drive 35-45 miles one way each day to work. Austin traffic isn’t bad by NY, LA, DC standards, but it has its own flavor of annoying: Random stop-and-go, with people unable to navigate anything but sunshine. My 2016 Civic was killing me as a daily, as much as I enjoyed its K20 engine. So last May I upgraded
We bought used, and again Certified Pre-Owned (“L/Certified” in Lexus parlance). I’d convinced myself to get the ES350 as I liked the V6 and the sounds it made, but at the last minute, I did some pretty stark math
Basically, it went like this: The Hybrid was cheaper long-term, and my experience has calibrated with that. I’m seeing 6 to 7 cents a mile, and I drive the snot out of this car.
Is it exciting to drive? No. Acceleration is anemic with ~200 total system horsepower, but it’s a quiet place to be. Riding in it causes nausea for my kids if we ride 4-up, but longer trips with Maria in the front and Grace in the back save 15-cents a mile compared to my wife’s GX. The backseat room is spectacular and hearkens to sedans from when I was growing up.
So far I’m averaging 43.5 mpg on regular fuel. After 14k miles in under a year, the ES300h retained 83% of its value.