I am new to Lexus world. Was never really into RX, nor am I into it now but my son will be born in a month and I need a bigger car which can accommodate the baby. Plus my wife is a big fan of the second gen RX.
I live in NYC and work in lower Manhattan so I really don't use the car that much. At most I drive 7K miles a year, so I want to get a Lexus below 14-15K. Mileage wise I would not care if it is in the low 100s at all. That most likely puts me into the 2004-2005 model years.
I want specifically a FWD RX330.
My question is, if I find a 2004-2005 RX330 with around 100-120K on the clock, what are the possible problems I am going to come across?
I know timing belt will need to be changed as well as the water pump. That's a given. What else can I expect to see go bad? How is the car's reliability? I currently drive a 2006 Scion xA 5-speed and since I bought it I put over 60K miles on it (now it is at 112K) and did not have a single problem with it.
Any advice is much appreciated
Tx

 

Maintenance is key. If all the services are up to date and the car looks well cared for you have a very good chance at getting the car you are looking for.

Here's 898 of them to look through...

http://www.carsforsale.com/used_cars...e/Lexus_RX+330

 

Keep in mind that a front wheel drive RX in the snowbelt might be hard to find. My advice would be to get the more common AWD RX as it only uses 1 MPG or so more and, well, you do live in the snow belt!

 

I know, that's why I'll prob go to FL or SC to get one and bring it to NYC.
Reason why I want FWD is because:
a) price is lower
b) maintenance is cheaper (I can always swap the rear tires to the front instead of changing all 4; brakes wear out slower in the back of a FWD car)
c) it's faster (not by much, about 0.5 seconds faster to 60 than AWD)
d) fuel economy (not a critical reason - 1-2 mpg depends on city/hwy)
e) my neighbor's RX had a problem with AWD which was fixed at the dealer (but given that I want a car with low 100s on the mileage, dealer won't fix that problem under no warranty)

 

I was going to suggest a southern car, did you see that one in FL under 100k for 13 or so? When you locate a car register at Lexus.com and enter the VIN and you can see all the service records for work done at Lexus since new.

 

I think if you consider AWD is better than FWD in winter driving here.

 

I just got my Rx over the summer but I'm looking forward to this coming winter.

Last winter was brutal. Especially when they didn't clean up the snow after a major storm.

I saw all type of cars slip sliding all over the place, infiniti, bmw, some benz needed to get pushed out of the snow. It wasn't only the snow in the street you had to worry about, it was the intersections also. When a major street crossed a minor street, and the plows shove everything to right side, it's getting across that big mound of snow to cross the intersection. Maybe the FWD will get you over but the rear wheels you'll need to keep you moving.

I had a fwd car which stayed put. That's when I decided to go with an AWD. So I'm looking forward to testing out that snow mode and also shifting the gear from D to 4 and see what this SUV is made of.

 

I like the take off of the all whee drive, you dont get that front end spring. Its all even and smooth.plus bad weather is something I rarely worry myself with now.

 

I live in southern OH and we have much less snow, usually, than the NY area. I have had FWD and 4WD cars of all sorts (Audi, Jeep, RAV, etc) and 4 wheel or all wheel drive is far superior and far safer than front wheel drive.
If cost is a big factor, getting down to FL and bringing it back is going to eat up any cost difference, which is not great on an RX of '04 vintage (I have one my own self).
The RX is one of the all time best selling small SUVs and I am not aware, from my reading here, that the AWD system is any kind of a problem. The fact that your neighbor had a particular problem should not be extrapolated to the general population without further research (none of us wants to generalize from insufficient data).
My advice would be to get the AWD version; the performance is snow is far superior, the marginal cost over FWD is small and you can find and inspect them right in your own town. About 80 to 90% of RXs north of Mason and Dixon's line are AWD, and vice-versa (I have a friend in Atlanta who wanted one in AWD and he had a bit of trouble finding one.) You should even have your choice of color, as there are surely quite a few on the market at any one time.
Happy motoring.

 

Dimon,

you will not save more by getting a FWD, but it will actually cost you more to find one FWD, fly out and drive the car back to NYC. Besides, RX is a heavy car and getting it without AWD is stupid. If you cant afford to spend about 15k on a 2004-2005 then consider getting an older RX300, or get a Highlander, or a Sienna minivan.

To avoid having to pay for service, you can find one with 100k+ mi on the clock that has all receipts of the work done.

The tires for RX are not that expensive, and so are the brakes. The powertrain is expected to be bulletproof, and the car has overall solid feel. However with any older vehicle, watch out for sensors and small problems like that

 

Yeah, you're prob right.
I'll only do it if I can find with low mileage there.
FL cars tend to be better since roads are normal there. Here in NYC after 2 years the suspension was done on a brand new Accord 6-speed. My Scion now has 112K miles. I bought it when it had 60K and immediately changed the suspension. Now I feel that I have no suspension