It' tme for me to get a vehicle that I can use to drive clients to work sites and or to entertain. It's very odd as I have always had sports cars and or hard core offroad trucks. But now I need something that will always run. AC works, decent looking. Decent MPG and so on.

Thought about an X5 but heard they are troubesome after 100k. Then I considered a cayenne turbo. But that is one expensive truck and the thought of fixing that bad boy and the porsche tax that would accompany any repairs scared me off. And I still have two race cars.

Consumer reports really lkes the volvo for some reason. But I've yet to meet a volvo owner that "loved" their car.

It's obviose that you guys will like the rx more, but I would like to know why.


Thanks

 

Welcome to the Club.

I'd rather opt for the X5 or the Cayenne over the Volvo.

I am also not sure what price range you are looking at, because if you are looking at a Volvo, you should find yourself in the ballpark of an RX330 or newer in the Lexus range.

 

well i own a S80 (not SUV) and a Rx300 and i like both in their own ways. Sure one is car and one is SUV but i had own Rx for long time and i loved it and its easier to work on it as well. Its a fairly basic engine to work on it and the CL community is massive so if you have any question this forum is the number 1. On the other hand volvo community is not big and things are not as easy as lexus. Volvo has lot of software and electronics. So you will have to search on web for sometime. Also i would recommend getting warranty (or extended). I had one but fortunately the car runs great.
Now in terms of driving i really love the volvo. Its well build and solid feel to it. Plus i get more heads turn on my volvo than on rx300. Also volvo has safety written all over it ..
So this might be a tough choice b/w volvo and lexus. If it was me i would go through each car thoroughly from design, test driving to $$ difference and if that difference is worth it.
And if you are like me than you can own both..lol

 

I would honestly shy away from the RX300 in this case. I have had it loaded with 5 people with air blasting, and the thing is sluggish. Of course any SUV would probably be this way loaded down, but maybe something with a little bit more power if you are going to be toting people around. Leg room in the back is wonderful, but if I were carrying people around like yourself, I would get something with a little more power. Maybe step up to a GX or a LX. Bigger motor, more seats. Keep us updated as to which you choose.

 

From what I have read the RX330 isn't much better than the RX300. If at all. And their is a pretty big price difference.






Sounds like I need to test drive both, and so far I have not driven either.



Chances of having more than two people in the car with me are slim.


Just found a cayenne turbo for a good price- Very tempting. But the insurance on that truck is twice what it would be for an rx 300. And when they break, they really break.


So do you guys have any good experiences with your RX 300? So far I have heard nothing to that regard... Are you not satisfied? What would you have Lexus do better?

 

I'm sure I can speak for most of us here and say that we love or RXs. But for a little bit. More money, you can step up to something better for people hauling and with more luxuries. The RX300 is around roughly $8-10000 in my area, I know Cayennes go for $20k+. You really can't put them in the same category.

 

I owned an RX300 since November of 1998 till last year...had 187k miles and was a wonderful vehicle. The Transmission did fail at 102k miles, but the newer RX300 2001up seem to have had better reliablility. As for the RX330 and newer they are very much different. I Performed all maintenance on the RX300 over a 12 year period and found it very easy to maintain. Issues included sludge in the engines, and transmission problems, but a good synthetic oil solves the sludge problem and frequent tranny fluid drain and fills help the other issue. I moved on to a RX400h hybrid, which I bought with 87k miles and have now 122k miles...I changed the timing belt, waterpump at the required interval, and it is basically a RX330 with hybrid drivetrain. THe car is a pleasure to drive. I miss my old RX300, however the new owners were very excited to get the car which was in excellent shape even with the 187k miles. I dont doubt the Volvo has a great reputation for safety, but I can tell you from seeing the RX in these forums with crashes they do exceedingly well. The volvo's havent faired well in reliability from what I remember. That is a downside.

 

I love my RX300, owned it for six years now, put 100k miles on it. Been very reliable, hasn't broken down once, only done maintenance to it. I have 190k miles, and have two road trips this month each about 1200 miles and I'm looking forward to the drive. When you drive on road trips as much as I do, i.e. 13-16 straight hours of driving you need to pick the right car, and for me the RX is it.

My uncle has 380k miles on his RX300, and he loves it. Both him and I are on our original transmission and original engine. So, with proper maintenance these things will last forever.

If you are looking for a reliable crossover, that has aged well over the years, this is IMO the best choice.

 

Thanks guys, this is what I want to hear. I race cars a lot, so you know that I know the importance of a good oil and good maintenance. (I'm typing this with grease on my hands lol) I don't want something this is going to drop a trans at 150k.

I'm also a single guy (45) and need something with at least some amount of style. I like the looks of the 300. Someone told me to buy a Pilot or a RAV4. I just can't get myself to like the looks of either of these vehicles.

 

I wouldn't buy a used RX300 unless the place that was selling it had the maintenance records (or a Carfax that indicated the specifics in the maintenance records).

A few things to look out for - make sure:
* color & smell of tranny fluid seems right
* All the power locks work
* All power windows work - leave in UNLOCKED position while taking for a test drive & test every now & then
* Antenna goes completely up & down
* CEL light works (turn key to ON position) - there have been reports of people REMOVING this bulb
* After a test drive, if you have one, make sure there are no pending codes with a code reader

There are other things, too, but those are the major ones (that I can think of - outside of removing valve cover & checking for sludge).

Also, there are a couple of "special" edition RX300s available - Silversport (2001) & Coach (2002). I believe the Silversport came in gray or black, and the Coach in white or tan. The cladding is painted the same color as the car (as opposed to gray, which most other RX300's are - unless you owned a red one or the prior owner had painted to match), and also have a "honeycomb" grill.

As others have mentioned, CL is an invaluable resource!

Good luck with your decision

 

Thanks Dan. And - Can Do.

Removing the CEL-

Question about pulling codes. In my corvette there is a sequence that allows me to read codes on the DIC. Do these trucks have this ability?

 

Both are great vehicles but I would choose the Lexus over the Volvo. I am not biased being that this is a Lexus site but in my nature of work, the Lexus 9 out of 10 times is cheaper to maintain than the Volvo. The XC90's are notorious for transmission failure at the 95k mark. They are prone to more electrical issues and the fact that the parts are just very expensive. RX300 is the winning the choice in my book.

 

I've never owned a Volvo but have heard on several occasions that they spend a lot of time in the shop. All cars will have their issues, but I completely agree with the statement that if you do the maintenance on these Lexus cars (or trucks as some people call them) more than likely you will be handsomely rewarded with reliability. They're Toyota's after all...

 

I'm a Volvo fan, too, (I have owned a couple, and wouldn't mind another!), but I would opt for the RX for reliability and ease of obtaining parts. Good luck!

 

There's an OBD2 port under the dash (above where you're left knee would be sitting in the vehicle) with a simple scanner. It's actually one of the most common things we talk about in this forum.

Wonder what kind of prices you are seeing for the RX330 where you live compared to the RX300?