petergerst

I'm a proud owner of an SC430 dark green/saddle interior '04. I bought it 1 1/2 years used and purchased for nearly 1/3 off list price (about $45,000) last year. I'm looking around for a late model RX for my wife now that we're imminently leaving NY City for the suburbs in the next 2 months. I feel like I got a great deal on my SC and would like to get some advice on the RX (since my wife simply has fallen in the love with the car). I'm not a lease person and would rather purchase an 04 or 05 to take advantage of the depreciation loss over that first year of purchase. Any tips on some of the newer upgrades on the RX that I should look out for? in my SC I fell in love with the "stress free" feeling of riding with Navigation and I feel that now I couldn't drive without it. so I'm looking for an 04 or 05 RX with navigation....and what other options do you recommend? how much should I expect to pay? I would be looking for low miles (<20K) in my new car? any tips on where to buy in the New York City/Norther NJ area? I really have liked the Lexus quality/service and am sold on the RX model (by force from my wife). What about the RX350....besides the change in number on the back of the car, what, in particular were the significant upgrades from the 04 RX330? I really appreciate any advice you could offer...

salimshah

1.5 yrs and at 1/3rd the list price. (1/2 off would have been a steal)

Instead of asking, you should be telling us how to purchase late model used cars.

Salim

steiner

He said 1/3 OFF the list price. Not 1/3 of the list price. Nevertheless, it's a good deal.

Before I bought my new RX350, I looked at '04 RX330 with about 20K - 30K at about 1/3 off the list price. But I decided to go with a new one. Not wise, but am a sucker of new car smell.

Chuckemtp

You might want to consider looking for a demo/loaner model. I know our local dealership has these available sometimes and they usually knock off about $4000 off the MSRP. They are all late models (2007's) with nice packages. Its a great way too hook a customer when they drop their "old" Lexus off for service and leave with a "new" loaner. Hell it worked on us!

TripleDES

Here's a small shopping tip....use Autotrader.com to look for a vehicle. Most dealers advertise their inventory there and Autotrader is also used by Edmunds and KBB I believe.

There's an email feature that allows you to ask direct questions regarding the specific vehicle.

salimshah

I missed that.

Salim

salimshah

Correct me if I am wrong ..

Dealers some how portray the demos as something different and better than pre-owned, just because the title was not issued in a person's name.

My feeling has been (although no gaurantees) that demos and rentals get royally abused while a pre-owned atleast is babied by A owner.

Based on this I have never reccomended a demo or rentals.
[maintance is not an issue as the pre-owned records can be pulled up].

Salim

RXchic

I bought my RX a little over a month ago. It is a 2005 RX330 with only 13k miles on it. I have Navigation, Premium Plus, and the chrome wheel package. Instead of the Certified warranty (3 years/100k miles), I got the Platinum extended warranty that covers 5 years/100k miles. I was told that that covered more things than the Certified. I paid $28,050 for car + $1,850 for warranty, plus $650 dealer fee and tax, tag & title fees...which figures to be $32,600. However, I had a trade-in so it's comparing apples and oranges since I got a break on sales tax for my trade-in.

Is it a good deal? I think so.. what do you guys think?

dhamaka127

I agree with you man... those cars do get abused like anything!

When ever i get a loaner I try to push the limits myself.

tfischer

I also wanted an RX as a second car to my '02 SC430, as I was tired of crappy tin can SUVs that I previously owned for those times when I needed something practical or in the snow.

There is very little difference between 04, 05 and 06 RX330s, so I looked at '04s only to keep the price down. Also, the NAV system in the 04 RX uses the same data disc as the NAV in my '02 SC, so that's a big plus. (The 05 RX has a different GEN NAV system from the '04.) At that point I just picked some colors I wanted and called a few dealers and indicated that I wanted an '04 with nav in one of 3 or 4 colors. The other options made no difference to me. One called back a week later with one that was just coming in off of a lease, and I bought that one.

PS: not a lot of '04s have NAV, so that limits the choices you have, but it's well worth it in my opinion. Secondly, the RX is a great companion car to the SC -- they should sell them in sets.

Mousse

I hear that the nav in the 07 lets you input a new destination while driving while previous navs do not. I'm assuming there's no way around this.

tfischer

MOUSSE:

If you are asking us if your assumption is accurate, the answer is no, it is not.

I don't have an '07, but I don't think that what you "hear" is accurate either.

Search here for posts on NAV Override to learn how to set the various NAV systems to allow for inputs while the car is in motion.

Mousse

That's what the salesperson told me. It's sad that I have to get the real scoop from a forum.

tfischer

It might be sad, but it's a fact of life that a salesman will tell a customer what he wants to hear. The customer that fails to verify what a salesman says (like: "Let's fire up the NAV and show me how that's done"), or who fails to document that the assertion is an essential element of the purchase, is just living in a fantasy world and is cruisin' for a bruisin'.

Sad but true.

The owners here who share their experiences have no dog in that fight.