thechoson

Hi everyone,

I happened upon this forum and was hoping to get some info.

I am considering a 2007 RX 350 CPO. The particular model I am looking at does not have Navigation.

My biggest concern is the lack of a backup camera. I have never owned the RX or any SUV for that matter, and neither has my wife. We live in the Bay Area, so parking can be tight in certain places. Is the backup camera a basic necessity for this car, or is it pretty easy to park, back up, etc without the camera?

Also, the particular model is going for $32,000 and has 20k miles on it. Is this a good price for a CPO, or could I get it lower?

And general experiences/ impressions of CPO would be appreciated, a specific concern about this vehicle is that it is a former service loaner.

thank you!

banjo

I would be very afraid to buy a loaner..Who knows how it may have been driven...If possible buy a new one....The back up camera is nice but takes a little getting used to distances...

Orzel

iTrader: (1)

We have an 05 RX330 without backup camera, which is the same body style as the 07. I have yet to have any issues backing up. The tilting side mirrors are a real asset, and the back window is large enough to be able to see fairly well behind you. We often drive into Seattle, where parking can be a real nightmare, and have not missed the camera a bit (have had loaners with camera, so have had a chance to really compare).

As regarding price, can't really judge as you didn't tell us whether it is an AWD or FWD and what options are fitted.

Cheers

The G Man

If you know how some people drives these service loaners, I would stay away from buying them. Back up camera is a great safety feature, it helps with parking too. It really depends on how good of a driver u are when it comes to parking. I use to be able to parallel park my GX470 with no problem. Now that my new car has the backup camera and the parking sensors, it makes parking so much easier to the point where I have a hard time parking my wife's car which doesnt have eiither.

thechoson

Thanks for the responses.

Regarding the car, sorry, I am not too familiar with option packages, but the RX 350 is a FWD, and I believe it only has the premium package.

But I guess the service loaner part is a bit of a concern...

The salesman told me that getting an 07ish CPO that is off lease is difficult because most people haven't ended their leases yet.

He did have quite a bit of 05s on the lot with around 30-40k miles that were lease returns, would these actually be a better buy?

Thanks!

Orzel

iTrader: (1)

You might want to really take a close look at 05/06 lease returns, as you may get a lot more vehicle for the $'s. Our 05 is just turning 39k miles and has been great. Other than a slight oddity with the sun roof (the tilt lost its collective marbles, easily fixed by reprogramming) and one set of tires, it has been trouble free. If the dealer is worth a darn, any lease return will have full service history available and a CarFax report. You will find that the 330 is not quite a "quick" as the 350, but you could balance that with potential cost savings. Besides, lease returns are also eligible to be CPO's with attendant warranty.

AM1

iTrader: (6)

you can always have an aftermarket backup system installed instead. my mechanic installed an system on his FJ cruiser system has 3 cameras all linked to one central display.

JasDmw

You can also get an aftermarket back-up sensor system. Had that on our '08; wife really liked it. We now have the camera on our '09 and it is nice too. The system we had was made by Audiovox and we had the 2 sensor rear system only installed (4 is available). I posted a picture a while ago and it might still be here someplace, do a search. I also believe a Lexus system is available; check with your dealer.

As for buying a loaner, I don't understand why a dealer has a 2 model year old loaner; it could be 3 calendar years old. The '08 we bought was the dealer shuttle and had 7000KM (about 4200 miles) on it in June '07. Our dealer puts all their loaners/demos up for sale once they hit 5000 KM (3000 miles). That mileage doesn't sound right to me.

Grumpa72

No backup camera and I don't need one. If you decide that you must have one, go the aftermarket route.

I wouldn't worry about buying a loaner since I seriously doubt that people who drive a loaner RX are going to throw it around corners and trash it like it is a BMW or Corvette. Come on, folks. It's an RX for pete's sake. Does anyone here really abuse their RX in such a manner that you would have to qualify the purchase of a loaner? I seriously doubt it.

Gary

The G Man

I must admit, when I am driving a loaner, I dont even slow down when I see a pot hole.

xfirechief

Didn't think I would like or use the backup camera but it sure is nice. You really would like it when backing into a parking space or just plain backing up to know one one is right behind you.
GET IT!

AM1

iTrader: (6)

ive driven loaners very hard inlcuding rx's and es's i wouldnt buy a car that was a loaner.

jgr7

iTrader: (1)

I like the back up camera as you can see cars coming in the camera when backing out of a parking lot space before you can even see them thru the window, very wide angle lens all the way at the back of the car. It is also nice when parallel parking in a tight space to see how close you are to the car behind you before you have to go forward to straighten up.
Jeff

Who_Me

My 2007 RX 350 has the backup camera and I rarely use it, except at night. It is there on the dash, but out of habit, I just naturally use my mirrors. As far as I am concerned, the camera has a depth perception problem. I just don't think it is that useful for parallel parking because of the distorted distance that is displayed.

I mentioned that I use the camera at night. That is because the RX has terrible back-up lights. I can't see anything when backing, unless I use the camera. That might make the camera worth the money, but otherwise, I wouldn't let the camera be a deal maker or breaker. As for the price, you will have to do some research with the Blue Book to determine if you are getting a good deal or not. To me, it appears over-priced. Keep in mind that SUVs, trucks and vehicles with poor mileage (or use Premium fuel) are falling in price rapidly. Make sure the Blue Book is current. Most have updates at least quarterly. Another thing I would do is get a report from CarFax.com. It only costs a few bucks to have the car's history in front of you. Although your dealer has the vehicle now, it could have come from someplace else. It could have been flooded on a dealer's lot during Hurricane Ike.

The G Man

Yeah, that backup camera is nice to have at night and the camera is the same as the side mirrors, objects are closer than they appear.