Auction Watch • 2024 Lexus GX 550 Overtrail+ • Cars & Bids
Let Someone ElsePay Retail
A lifted, winched and roof-racked 2024 Lexus GX 550 Overtrail+ just went through Cars & Bids. I'm a CPA, so I did the depreciation math. It's a love letter to buying used.
A Lexus guy looks at the new one
The GX I Keep Thinking About
At Cruise Moab 2026, I stood on the vendor floor torn between an LC 250, a GX 550, a 200 on 40s and an LX on portals. I drive a 1997 Lexus LX450 with three lockers and a turbo. I'm not in the market. But I keep looking, and this 2024 GX 550 Overtrail+ on Cars & Bids is exactly the kind of truck I keep looking at.
Here's the rundown from the listing. It's finished in Earth with a black and Saddle Tan interior and shows 17,600 miles. Power comes from a twin-turbo 3.4-liter V6 rated at 349 horsepower and 479 lb-ft, through a 10-speed automatic and full-time four-wheel drive with locking center and rear differentials. The seller bought it new in January 2025, has a clean Carfax and a clean Illinois title, and is a private party.
Then they built it. An Old Man Emu MT64 suspension with a 2.5-inch lift and OME upper control arms, 18-inch ICON Rebound wheels on 35-inch Falken Wildpeak A/T4W tires, a Victory 4x4 EVO Blitz aluminum bumper with a Warn VR10S synthetic winch and a Baja Designs S8 20-inch light bar, Westcott Designs roof and side window racks, Lexus rock sliders and a front camera.
Here's my hot take: this is the smartest way to buy a GX 550. Let someone else pay the sticker, eat the depreciation and buy the parts. Then show up at the end with a checkbook.
What you're looking at
A Land Cruiser in a Suit
The third-generation GX came out for 2024, and it shares its platform with the new Land Cruiser, which I drove at XOverland Ranch. Lexus took the same bones, made the interior nicer and the styling sharper, and put a much bigger engine in it. The Land Cruiser gets a hybrid four-cylinder. The GX gets the twin-turbo V6.
The Overtrail+ is the off-road trim, and this one has the Lexus treats too: heated, ventilated and massaging front seats, heated second-row seats, a head-up display, a Mark Levinson stereo and a camera for every angle.
The build
Somebody Already Bought the Parts
This is the best part of buying someone else's build: they already did the research, picked the parts and waited for them to ship. The front end is the star. The Victory 4x4 bumper replaces the factory plastic, the Warn winch is tucked inside and the Baja Designs light bar sits right in the face of it.
Underneath, it's on Old Man Emu suspension, which is the same brand as the springs on my LX450. Good taste.
And the seller is including the factory parts: wheels, suspension, roof rails, the front bumper with crash bar and the tow hitch. If the next owner wants to go back to stock, they can. They won't, but they can.
I'm a CPA, so here we go
The Depreciation Report
The window sticker is in the listing gallery. This GX 550 cost $82,374 new. The seller bought it in January 2025 and put 17,600 miles on it. So here's what owning it cost, at least on the price of the truck itself.
| The Depreciation Report | Amount |
|---|---|
| Window sticker, new (Jan. 2025 purchase) | $82,374 |
| High bid on Cars & Bids (reserve not met, 34 bids) | $75,000 |
| Difference from sticker | $7,374 |
| Per mile (17,600 miles) | $0.42/mile |
| Per month owned (about 22 months) | $335/month |
| Per day owned (about 670 days) | $11/day |
| What a buyer at $75,000 would save vs. new | $7,374 plus a built truck |
Sticker price is from the window sticker in the listing gallery. The seller bought it new in January 2025, so "about 22 months" and "about 670 days" are my math to Nov. 4, 2026. This leaves out taxes, interest, insurance, fuel and the cost of the modifications, which the listing doesn't give. Final result from the Cars & Bids listing.
The Verdict on the Math
Here's the twist. The market offered $75,000 for a two-year-old truck with 17,600 miles, which is only about 9% under the sticker, and the seller still said no. That's a GX holding its value like a Land Cruiser. Lexus off-roaders barely depreciate, which is great if you own one and annoying if you're waiting for a deal. If someone had bought it at $75,000, they'd have saved $7,374 off new and gotten the lift, winch, bumper, racks and 35s for free. That's still the smart way to buy one, if the seller ever lets go.
The snark section
Things I Noticed, in No Particular Order
The window sticker says 17 mpg combined. That was before the 35-inch tires, the steel-and-aluminum bumper, the winch and the roof rack. I drive a turbo LX450 that gets 10 mpg. I'm not judging. I'm warning.
It has massaging seats and a winch. That's the whole Lexus off-road pitch in one sentence. Get stuck, get a massage while you wait for the winch.
The Known Flaws are honest. Some chips on the paint, two on the windshield, scratches on interior trim and corrosion on some exhaust and suspension parts. That's a truck that's been used. Good.
There's a loan on it. The seller notes the sale will pay off the loan, and Cars & Bids recommends SafePay. Normal, but read the fine print.
Paracord on the shifter. Somebody wrapped the gear selector in paracord. It's the most overland thing in the whole car.
Receipts
The Listing, Before It Disappears
Auctions end and listings go stale, so here are the key facts as Cars & Bids listed them on Nov. 4, 2026. Every photo in this post comes from the Cars & Bids listing.
| The Listing | Details |
|---|---|
| Truck | 2024 Lexus GX 550 Overtrail+ |
| Engine | 3.4-liter twin-turbo V6, 349 hp, 479 lb-ft |
| Drivetrain | 10-speed automatic, full-time 4WD |
| Mileage | 17,600 |
| Colors | Earth over black and Saddle Tan |
| Title | Clean, Illinois |
| Seller | Private party, bought new January 2025 |
| Window sticker | $82,374 |
From the Cars & Bids listing quick facts, description and window sticker. Seller name and town left out.
The hammer drops
How It Ended
Thirty-four bids, a few extra minutes of sniping and a final bid of $75,000. It wasn't enough. The reserve wasn't met, so the seller keeps the GX for now. If you want it, it might be worth sending an offer through Cars & Bids.
Final thoughts
Would I Buy It?
Not today. I'm loyal to my LX450, and every spare dollar goes into the Fund the 40 jar.
But if I ever buy a new-generation Lexus off-roader, this is how I'd do it. Not off a dealer lot at full sticker. Off an auction, a couple of years old, with somebody else's winch already on the front.
See the Listing
The full Cars & Bids listing has all 122 photos, the window sticker and the Carfax. If you bought it, bring it to Montana. I know some trails.
All car photos are from the seller's Cars & Bids listing.
Drive Fast · Take Chances · Never Lift.
