Vehicle TCO Optimizer

Cross-vehicle comparison across the Toyota/Lexus family. Minimizing 5-year total cost of ownership adjusted for feature utility.

Vehicles Analyzed

Toyota 4Runner5th gen (2010-2024)(2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024)
Lexus GX 4602010-2023(2022, 2023)
Toyota Sequoia2nd gen (2008-2022)(2020, 2021, 2022)
Toyota Highlander4th gen (2020+)(2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024)

Excluded (No Factory CarPlay)

Toyota Land Cruiser 200 (2020-2021)
Never received factory Apple CarPlay. Aftermarket retrofit ($200-$600) available but not factory.
Otherwise excellent - 60% value retention at 5 years, best in class. Discontinuation has created a near-appreciating asset.
Lexus LX 570 (2020-2021)
Never received factory Apple CarPlay. Aftermarket retrofit available.
Best value at 5-6 years old (54 cents on the dollar). Mechanically identical to LC200 with luxury appointments. 19-speaker Mark Levinson.
Lexus GX 460 (2020-2021)
CarPlay not available until 2022 model year (new 10.3" touchscreen).
The 2020-2021 GX 460 is otherwise a great value play. Aftermarket CarPlay kits are available for ~$300-$500.

If you're willing to install aftermarket CarPlay ($200-$600), the LC200 and LX 570 become available and are extremely competitive on TCO. The LX 570 at 5-6 years old is arguably the best arbitrage in this entire analysis.

Hard Requirements

✓ Apple CarPlay - factory only
✓ Heated seats - eliminates base trims on some vehicles
✓ Bilateral LATCH - 2 car seats in 2nd row outboard
Color: +$1k WTP for non-grayscale. Apply when browsing inventory.
Top Recommendation
2020Toyota HighlanderLimited
100k-125k miles - median $23,000
Annual TCO
$1,482.809/yr
5yr Resale
$15,585.956
Net Score
$782.809/yr
Top 25 distribution: Toyota Highlander (13), Toyota 4Runner (12)

Top 25 - Ranked by Net Annual Score (tap to expand)

Methodology

Data: ~80 Carvana/CarGurus listings, KBB, Edmunds, CarEdge, iSeeCars depreciation studies. Feb 2026. Per-vehicle depreciation curves from iSeeCars cross-sectional data and CarEdge projections.

Depreciation: Vehicle-specific curves. 4Runner: 30% at 5yr. GX 460: 41%. Sequoia: 42%. Highlander: 42%. Each has a different rate-by-age profile reflecting body-on-frame vs unibody and enthusiast demand.

Feature scoring: Moonroof $1k, premium audio $500, premium wheels $1k, non-cloth $500, ventilated seats $500. Amortized over 5yr hold.

Net score = Annual TCO - (feature bonus / 5yr). Lower is better.

Key finding: The LC200 and LX 570 were excluded for lacking factory CarPlay but would likely dominate this list if aftermarket CarPlay is acceptable. The LX 570 at 5-6 years old offers 54 cents on the MSRP dollar with a 3-5%/yr forward depreciation rate.

Convertible Car Seat Optimizer
13 seats scored for safety, longevity, value, and portability
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