NAZTY97

I am lookin' to buy a 98 / 99 RX300 for a work vehicle,....and I get more nervous by the day as I read your posts here.

Is this vehicle problem prone. My 97 SC400 has not had one mechanical problem to date and has 172,000 miles on it ( hwy and houston driving ),...from which I got it with 50K miles,... no issues,... I'd hope to get somethin' with that type of reliability. I figured another Lexus product would do that for me. Any perspective???

Rx900

i personally would rate the Rx300 an A+. except the factory defect glove box rattle, it's a great car. considering the fact about the oil sludge, to really avoid it, of course you really need to oil change it regularly. Just maintain it good, you should have no problems with it. Heck, my Gx has more problems than my glove box rattle on my previous Rx300!

Rx900

actually, I plan to get a well maintained Rx300 as a work vehicle also. But since I'm a very picky and meticulous guy, i'd think it'll just be a thought for me and not a reality...


saying that "I'm planning to buy", the only reason I sold my 00 Rx300 is that it got into an accident (rear ended and sandwiched), in which several permanent rattles resulted from the accident, otherwise, I'd still have it until now!

rl9905

I have a 2000 RX300. It's really a great car seriously. My whole family has Lexus. My mom drives a 2003 ES300 and my dad drives a 2003 GX470. Overall the RX300 is good if you really take care of what is required such as the service and oil changes like RX900 mentioned.

No, this vehicle is not prone to problems. If your 97 SC400 was reliable, then other lexus siblings should also be reliable as well cus they all from lexus.

Perhaps you're getting more nervous is because mostly people who experience a problem usually come here to seek out help. So that's why all you mostly see is problems in this forum.

Good Luck in getting your 98 / 99 RX300. You'll really enjoy it for sure

-Robert

HarrierAWD

You can always get a Chevy Trailblazer / GMC Envoy for a work vehicle. Go through 9 recalls and numerous problems like most GM owners. Then come back to Lexus later.... you'll appreciate it more.

rl9905

Thanx HarrierAWD, That gives it a more clearer picture of how good lexus are compared to other car brands out there.

I have a friend who has a 2002 ford and it breaks down all the time. I heard that ford is well known for

- Fix
- Or
- Repair
- Daily

or......

- Found
- On
- Road
- Dead

NAZTY97

I found a 99 RX300 AWD with 126,000 miles for sale for $10,999 at a dealership. I think that's a good deal according to Edmund's appraisal saying the vehicle should be selling for $16K with that mileage.

What's the major services that should have been done at this mileage, and with this oil sludge issue, how does one know whether or not this vehicle has suffered from this?? What are the symptoms or effects of this??

liazon

iTrader: (1)

don't trust what edmund's has to say about the value of vehicles, it, along with NADA, tend to be quite high......it's your local market that determines the actual value. don't forget lexus keeps a national data base for any service done at any lexus dealership on a prospective vehicle.

HarrierAWD

Check both www.edmunds.com and www.kbb.com for used car prices. Edmunds price seems to be higher than Kelly's Blue Book in most cases. So take the average of the two.

Make sure the RX has had spark plug and timing belt changed because they cost a lot of money at dealer service. Spark plugs should've been changed at 120,000 miles. Timing belt should've been changed at 90,000 miles.

Keep up with the 5,000-mile oil change and you won't have to worry about the oil gelling issue.

MellonC00

I, too, think that Edmunds prices are a bit high.

As for RX300's, the only thing that bothers me now is the wind noise and lack of power. If you can, go with the front wheel drive. I just came back from a 250 mile highway trip and only got 20.5 mpg. With my old FWD rx300 (Yes, I had another RX) I got 23 mpg on the highway. all that drag from 4wd stuff and weight causes you to lose mpg and make the car slower.

Wind noise is a concern because, my buddy has the ML350 which has no wind noise what so ever (but it does have a whole bunch of other problems). The comparison is like night and day. To this day, I don't know why all other cars in the Lexus line has no wind noise but this one does. I drove the RX330 and it is a lot better than the 300 but still doesn't approach the ML level.

Rx900

i know this is off subject, but how's ur dad's experience with his 03 Gx? did he experience the problems of it??? just curious!!

flipside909

The RX is a great car despite the biased reviews you read on edmunds. Take it from the real owners & enthusiasts from CL to tell you how a vehicle really is. Don't let the little annoyances or complaints scare you. It's a very reliable and solid vehicle.

AsianGirl007

iTrader: (1)

LOL. I had a '91 Chevy Blazer...love that car except the digital dashlight went out and I couldn't see the speedometer or the gas gage so I'd run out of gas sometimes....so I traded it for a '97 Chevy Blazer...dashboard went out AGAIN along with headlights....couldn't drive at night. I hated that car. Chevy dealership gave me a Geo to drive for 2 weeks so they could try to fix it, yes that's how long it took. Also, it felt "squishy" and unsafe.

I had a '99 RX300 and racked up 63,000 miles in 3 years. LOVE LOVE LOVED that car. Solid, no problems whatsoever, took regular 87 octane gas, comfy seats, the best climate control cooling system, interesting looking blue display screen, alarm clock, and it could haul azz. I still miss it somtimes.

LexFather

You have to excuse some of the noobs here that bought their first Lexus and expect it to be FLAWLESS. No such car. Lexus has issues like all other cars. Lexus just has the fewest issues.

My mothers RX just hit 100k miles, not 1 problem except a rear light bulb blew.

rl9905

Well, I guess he likes his GX470. But the thing is he says that it makes this thump when he stops and the A/C smells. I guess those are the only 2 things he experience problems on his GX. I'm going to get the Navigation update for him sometime soon. It comes out on OCT 10, 2004. Rx900, How is your experience with the GX470?

-Robert