how is everybody doing?

well i am looking to buy a lesux rx300. most likely it will be the first generation. i am choosing lexis over toyota simply because lexus is more luxury. i am not going to buy it anytime soon more like around april or 2012 lol. i am currently still deciding between this rx300 or a acura mdx. i am going to buy both used. my current cars are a 2004 toyota rav4 and a 2009 toyota highlander. both of those cars were bought new. i have owned other cars such as toyota matrix 4wd, hyundai tibiroun and a toyota solara xle v6. i really dont like small cars, im more of the suv person.

my main concerns is that i dont find rx300s with low miles like less than 90,000. all the ones i have seen are around from 120-150k. so how long does a rx300 last? what are the main concerns and problems i should look for when i go to look at the car. any major must do's. i was reading that most people have to fix the a/c and also replace the ignition coil.

for looks, do the first gens come with the solar tinted glass? does anybody have it here? if so did you guys also tint your front windows? and how? plain black tint or solar?

i think those were my main questions. so if you can please help. thanks

 

Welcome to Club Lexus,

You've got a great group of people here!

Well, I would suggest finding one that has all it's documentation. Make sure the oil was changed religiously, as I think these cars were prone to sludge issues if I recall. Finding a first gen RX with low miles below 90k is going to be very difficult indeed, but not impossible. You're going to have to go private to score one from a little old lady I would think. Good luck on your search.

 

FInd a low miles RX will be hard, but it's worth it! You can tell just by the miles you see on all of the RX's that they are great suv's.

People have had transmission failures, but as long as you change the ATF every 15k miles, it should be fine. I personally haven't had any transmission problems, and neither has my uncle who has well over 350k miles. The transmission failures were mainly on the 99' - mid-year 00'. Much fewer transmission failures than the MDX. We are a small majority online on forums, so keep that in mind. The majority of RX's have NOT had transmission problems.

Make sure the oil was changed every 5k miles. It's prone to sludging if you extend the oil change intervals too much when using conventional oil.

All in all, the RX is the best luxury cross-over!

The AC is not a common problem, not sure where you found that... What you might have read about is maybe the air-mix servo which controls the vent's or the mode of where the air is coming out. Some people have had coils go bad, I haven't.

 

My daughter's '99 has never had any ignition coil or A/C issues, no tranny problems so far. I have seen many lower-mileage RX's on sites like traderonline.com and cars.com, but they're all over the country. I really love this vehicle!!

 

Welcome to the club.

 

thanks for the welcome and the support guys. im still looking to see if i can get a good deal on one. but if i dont i will most likely get a 06 330 or something like that

 

Welcome to the Club.

Let us know any time you have questions.

 

I have 2000 RX300 with 116,000 miles... bought it with 112,000 miles. I have seen reliable reports of 300,000+ mile RX300s. MAKE SURE: You are changing your Tranny fluid and filter regularly, as well as your engine oil... best to go with the typical 3000 mi/3 months changes, and preferably only use a high quality full synthetic oil. These engines are known in the mechanics circles as "The Sludge-Bucket Engine" as they are prone to sludging up and then you have inadequate lubrication and the engine grenades. Follow these rules and you will be quite likely to have a long and happy life with your RX300.

 

3K mi/3 month is COMPLETE AND TOTAL OVERKILL, especially if using synthetic.

IMO, even 5K is excessive.

Mobil 1, 10K mile changes...yes, 10K...and many of those miles were in Vegas heat, at 100K miles, still not a problem one on my wife's '02. Used to use Mobil 1 filters, but moved to NAPA platinum filters...a larger size, too. 'Bout 30% more filter area based on external dimension comparison. No more of a pain to remove/install, either.

I dropped the oil pan, this past change, just to check it out. Clean like I couldn't believe. Made me smile, in fact.

Oil "sludge" buildup is due to excessive heat, so make certain your RX's engine doesn't run hot. Synthetic doesn't turn solid like dead dinos until a MUCH higher temp, so sludge is much less likely to occur in the first place. Once, it starts, though, you're pretty much screwed. This is why records are good, or, in my case, I plan on keeping the RX until it dies...or 500K miles, whichever comes first. If my wife tires of it, my plan is to keep it and make it a luxury off-road machine. Already has BFG A/T's on it.

We had an '83 Continental with the 302 engine which had a severe oil sludge problem. I've been down this path, and even with extended oil changes, it's being avoided. Synthetic oil is crucial.

BTW, transmission fluid changes on this trans are pretty much required at least every 20K-30K, depending on environment. I have been doing a drain/refill every 30K until this last time. Did a double-drain, over the course of a week, and am going to 20K changes with Castrol multi-import.

If the transmission fluid is dark and/or smells burned, you've waited too long. IOW, "lifetime", it's not. At least Toyota put a drain plug on it. 10MM Allen wrench. Just draining = 4-5 quarts.

I'm still thinking about putting an old motorcycle radiator fan on the transmission's radiator, which is immediately in front of the RF wheel, where it likely gets almost no airflow.

Before I get yelled at for extended oil changes, the 1995 Mercedes E320 currently in storage has 175K miles on it, and is on 15K mile changes. That generation of Benz, the W124/W126, thrives on C4 diesel oil. Go figure. Of course, it holds 8 quarts, too.

The best thing which Toyota could have done to prevent oil-related engine problems was to install at least a 7 quart/litre oil pan. 5 doesn't cut it.

edit: We bought this car with a tick under 30K miles on it, from a couple in Lake Tahoe, who were 20 miles from pretty much anything, so we knew it not only was it 100% highway mileage, but they had the records to back up service.

 

thanks for all that insightful information kelly

 

I didn't want to scare you off... basically, I bought mine with 112K on it... I did my research, checked Carfax, everything appeared great.... average to low miles for 3 previous owners, appeared to have been properly maintained, had my brother-in-law who's an ASC Certified Mechanic who owned his own shop for a long while check it out and drive it, even had my dad, who has owned Mercedes, BMW, Volvo, Cadillac, as well as countless other vehicles drive it and check it out. Everything looked great including the $9000 sticker which was about $1000 below blue book.
4 months and a little over 3500 miles later, a connecting rod bearing disintegrated sending shards of metal through the Entire engine. $4500 later (minus $1735 from the aftermarket warranty) and 3 months without my car (due to Penn Warranty procrastinating, and a mechanic who took his sweet damn time, grrrrr....don't get me started on THAT guy!!) I have a completely rebuilt engine. I still have more work to do, including exhaust and brake work...
I still love my RX300, but I am taking severe precautions now... No matter what anyone says I won't go more than 3,500 miles without changing the Mobil 1, and am giving everything on this thing a complete once over. I love it, but after what I went through, I don't trust it. Not until I check everything out. I was a motorcycle tech for almost 7 years, and will deal with things myself. If I thought I could have dealt with the engine myself, I would have.
So, like I said, if you do decide to buy a used, multi-owner, 100K+ '99, 2000 RX300, make sure that you are maintaining it quite regularly, using high-quality (preferably full synthetic) oils. NEVER trust the dealer (or whoever you're buying from) to do what they say they will do (like changing oil and tranny fluid, filters, etc.). Nor should you ever have faith in the previous owners that they treated the vehicle properly. This is true of ANY vehicle you buy. People treat autos like they are disposable just like everything in America these days.
Buy an RX300, and LOVE it...Treat it well, and it will treat you well! All said, I love mine, you'll love yours!
---Anthony---

 

welcome to the club..let us see ur beautiful ride..post pictures

 

well not a owner yet. i like to do some research before buying anything...

 

My rx300 has 140k miles on it, original transmission and motor. The car has been in my family since it had 5 miles on it and spent the majority of it's life in South Florida until I bought from my Grandfather and brought it up to Atlanta. The only things that have ever been changed are: The A/C (Florida), the knock sensors, a coil pack, and a fuel injector. I am in the process of the only major repair this car has ever had, and it is my fault. I dropped something in the cylinder head and i think it bent a valve or something. So the only major reapir is my fault, everything else is regular wear and tear that you get on any car.

One thing to note:
Since my car has been in my family since new, I know the entire service history. The car has had oil changes every 3k miles and ATF drain and fill every 10k miles.

I have a video that shows the valve covers off with zero sludge after 140k miles. Let me know if it interests you or not.