My Husband and I are looking for a new car. We have a Ford Escape now, and he has some old Junker he wants to trade in. We went shopping with no specific vehicle in mind we were waiting for something to catch his eye in our price range. The only thing he liked is a 99 RX 300.
I know this is suppose to be a good vehicle but I am concerned about the mileage on them. I don't really understand why they all have lots. There are 4 out there right now, one in the 74m mark (he doesn't;t like the colour) and 3 others are white or champagne colour all of these are 102m, 112, 117m. I am not comfortable with these high miles BUT if it was a Honda I wouldn't be concerned. I have done some research on the SUV and it seems VERY reliable but I am not sure if it will be when I get past the 100s.. any feedback would be appreciated. We plan on going out today again.
Ohh and the sticker price (WA state) is $15,999 on the 3 of them and the 117m one sticker is $13,999. Please keep in mind we are an expensive state.


Thanks!

 

Two major things to watch out.
1. Engine sludge
2. Transmission

Look at all service records on the car.

 

wing0 said it perfectly, the oil mileage records and the tranny fluid change records are the main things along with all maintenance records.

I know people who have hit well over 200K miles on their RX300s and many owners of other Lexus owners whose vehicle are chugging along just fine since buying their Lexus when President Bush's father was president.

 

If you are in Washington State, go to Autoquest.com. They have only Lexus and a few other high end lease return cars. All are non smoker cars with up to date records. Their lot is about 1 block south of Safeco Field in Seattle.

Larryamg

 

Sorry, make that website as Autoquest.NET

Larryamg

 

I hate dealers for everything, especially when it comes to buying a used car. Most of the time they add no value and you really have less of an understanding of how a car was treated because you can't meet and grill the true owner.

Go private party and keep your eye out for someone that is about to trade in their car. They go to the dealer and they find out they are not going to get anything for their car so you sit there and wait for them with cash like I did.

The key is that you have to have the money ready (get pre-approved for a loan or have the cash available if you have it) and be ready to buy. Don't look for a car, buy a car. Look for the bargain and be the first one there ready to make the deal.

 

Welcome to CL CanadianMag! Lots of experience on this forum and lots of owners with well over 100K on their RXs.

As wing0 said, the '99 and '00 RX had some rare issues with oil sludging and transmission problems but they were not widespread. If you are shopping at a dealer they can probably pull up the service record on the car to be sure that the engine oil and transmission service intervals were properly observed. Oil sludging or "gelling" was only a problem when owners failed to change oil at the recommended intervals.

One famous case on this forum was the gentleman who, beliving the claims of a "premium" oil supplier ("NEVER change your oil again!") had his engine sieze at sometning like 26,000 miles. It was sad, but a little funny that he had spent months on this forum crowing about the oil he used (and was selling) that allowed him to avoid all oil changes. Needless to say, when his engine turned itself into a doorstop, the oil supplier who "guaranteed" their product's performance ignored him. Seems like the total bill was something like $13,000.

I had an '00 "Golden Pearl" RX that served me well. In nearly 80,000 miles I think I replaced one O2 sensor and a set of tires. Other than that, the vehicle recieved only regular service. With only normal maintenance and a little TLC, any of those selections should be fine.

 

I don't think you can go wrong with a Lexus. Years ago high mileage on a car would cause me concern,but I think the newer cars can last a lot longer. I just bought a RX350 after much research. I checked Consumer Reports and Lexus was rated one of the best . If you can find out who the previous owner was and talk to them. Check Carfax also. I work for a company that has a fleet of trucks we keep on the road year round and some of them have over 300,000 on them and I believe that is due to regular oil changes and tire rotations,radiator flushes and alot of preventive maint. Have your mechanic check the engine and look under the vehicle. Look for leaks and check the belts. Look for new parts also. With some TLC past, present and future it should last another 100K. BTW my Ford Explorer has 180K and purrs like a kitten. I changed the plugs and wires,PCV,ICV and cleaned the MAFsensor at 135K and it cost me about $120.00. Other than that OIL CHANGE,OIL CHANGE,OIL CHANGE!!

 

How did you get at the rear plugs?

 

I generally agree, except that there are some good dealers out there too. I usually buy from individuals, generally thinking to myself that I don't like stealerships. However, as it happens, I've found the best deals on the 3 cars that I have now by buying from dealers. I bought my LS430 from a BMW dealer for about 4K under average price for that same car/condition/miles on Autotrader.com (and under the KBB type prices, but I don't put much stock in those). Same with the GX470 I bought from the Lexus dealer recently -- paid $29K for an absolutely immaculate, perfectly maintained vehicle with new Michelins and up-to-date service and full service history. At the time there wasn't anything that low on autotrader.com within 300 miles -- private seller, high miles, or whatever. The nearest was a private seller wanting $30K for a GX with >100K miles. And back in '99 I bought my Supra from a Nissan dealer for about $2-3K less than the "going rate" at the time. It all depends on the dealer and how you happen to catch them with the car you want. One key is to NEGOTIATE. You can be SURE that the dealership hasn't paid too much for the car. It's just a matter of getting them to sell it to you at a reasonable profit and move on. You just have to make the offer you will be happy with, and walk if they don't take it.

All that being said, I've probably seen 10:1 other examples where I'd have told whatever dealer in question to take their insane price and shove it.

 

I've got a socket set with swivel adjustments. Oh yeah, it was a pain in the #!#& but the mechanic quoted me over $250.00 and I told him he was crazy and went to Autozone and got my plugs and wires. I already had the tools!