ghuns

First of all, as a new member let my say, hi. Great forum. Already found tons of great info. I am a recovering GM user. I can honestly say that our Uplander mini-van will be the last GM product I will buy. For the record I begged my wife to get the Toyota or the Honda as my loyalty was already used up.

We are looking for a used smaller SUV. Our kids are reaching the age where they do not wish to be seen in public with their parents anymore, so we can finally ditch the mini-van. We drove a 04 RX330 the other night as a fluke. We went to the Lexus dealer to look at a Highlander which wasn't there and the salesman suggested the 330. Well, we both loved it. It's a 2004 with 87K. Much older than we were looking for but in perfect shape and actually less money than we were planning to spend. It is a one owner, traded back into the same dealer that sold it new. I was provided with the carfax, not the actual service records and have a couple of questions;

It appears that the front brakes have only been replaced once and the rear has never been done. Is this common for this amount of miles? Guess I'm just used to the Uplander, brakes and wheel speed sensors every 25K whether it needs the or not.

No mention of ever replacing any wheel bearings. Does that mean I can plan on replacing them soon?

The radiator was replaced in 09. Is this a common problem for the 330?

At 87K, there is no mention of the timing belt ever being replaced. Is this a 90 or 100K service thing?

The steering wheel was replaced in 06? Any idea what would necessitate this?

The drivers side headlight has the infamous condensation. Should I beat them up over it? The salesman kinda blew it off when I pointed it out. Anybody replace theirs with an el-cheapo ebay special that cost significantly less than the dealer part? Or just use a sealer on it and call it good.

Now that we have driven one, I think we're going to have to have one. Just not sure if it's this one.

There are a few others in my area including a 2006 with 120K for almost $4,000 less. The 2006 also has Navigation while the 04 does not. I'm kind of thinking of having a look at the 06, think everything that could break should've broke by now. It's is a little funny on the carfax though. It was offered for sale at a Dodge dealer on December 22, the again at a Mercedes dealer in the same town on December 30. The same Mercedes dealer still has it. Just seemed odd.

Sorry for the novella. Thanks in advance.

Carver

It's amazing how stupid and unattractive our parents become once they reach a certain age.

You can register at the Lexus site as an owner and get all the dealer service records on a car you are looking at. The brakes can easily be checked for possible replacement. There were some defective radiators replaced on a recall your car may have been one of those. Timing belt is an issue, best to get a car that has had it done if possible.

Steering wheel might relate to a steering column binding issue that some cars had and in some cases the wood match was so bad that people replaced the wheel.

The cars are getting old enough that replacing yellow/fogged/condensation head lights might be considered a maintenance issue.

Bearings seem to be more of an issue on AWD cars. One other thing to look out for is a leaking power steering rack, common and expensive to fix.

Here's some for sale to help get an idea of the market.

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

ghuns

That is just too cool, thanks.

How bad is a timing belt to replace? I do all my own repairs, not out of pride or anything, just cheap. In the last 7 years I have put a new motor in an Oldsmobile mini-van, a rear head gasket in a Chevy mini-van and a transmission in a Bonneville, so I don't scare easy. That should also tell you a little about why I am moving on from my old GM buddies.

Carver

There are a couple of tutorials here, run a search. There is a great YouTube vid on replacing the belt on an RX300 which is more similar than it is different. Well experienced mechs don't seem to have a problem.

Rainbird

If you decide to buy this vehicle, make the dealership perform the 90k service and timing belt at no additional cost. This is an expensive service and it's due in only 3k miles. If they won't do this for you, WALK.

Rainbird

One more thing, the dealership should replace the headlight with the moisture issue. That is an expensive repair. You may want to look at other 330 or 350 RX's especially a Lexus CPO. That way you will have a warranty to 100k.

ghuns

These are both expensive IF you pay the dealer to do them. I'm kinda thinking that those two issues should be at least a $1500 discount on their asking price. I would think that I could take care of them myself for less than $500.

Adamjeeps

I would look at the 07 and up RX 350's. The motor is so much peppier and no timing chain to replace. Plus the transmission has the World Standard fluid, which still should be changed but they advertise it as lifetime fluid.

Good luck.

ghuns

Found a 2007 RX 350 with 92K miles. Service records are perfect. Looks like a base model, no NAV system. It's at a used car lot, not a Lexus dealer. What makes me like this one is that the dealer has a very similar van to our Uplander, with less options, for 10,000(crazy). They want 20,000 for the 350. I would think that I could get a little more out of my van from this guy than from the Lexus dealer. But he probably picked up the 350 from an auction, it was serviced in Toledo it's whole life and I'm in northern Indiana, so he'll have more into it than a Lexus dealer would.

Man I hate buying cars.

thomas1

With that mileage you should have some leverage to get the price down...Maybe look some more the nav option is nice.

gusar

Shouldn't the timing chain be replaced @ 125K miles? When I asked a dealer about Venza, he said that chain needs to be replaced @ 125K miles.
BTW, my 2005 RX330 has a sticker on the trans. dipstick saying "do not replace fluid unless used in hard conditions".

Rainbird

The timing chain does not need replacing. The transmission on the 350 uses World Standard fluid. The fluid is inspected at 100k and replaced only if the color is off or it has a burnt smell.

ghuns

7 GIRLS You poor man. You musta been a baaaaad boy as a teenager to deserve that. As the father of only one teenage girl, I just can't imagine.

The NAV doesn't do much for me, after all as a man I don't need directions and my wife has a Garmin. I am blown away at the lack of a MP3 dock and XM radio Not sure why they didn't come standard.

I would think the price should be closer to 18. My first offer wouldn't be over 16. It's not my favor color combo so it's not like I just gotta have it either.

ghuns

After more research, the 350 is making me a little nervous. 11.5 hours to change a freakin water pump? No water pump last forever and I can find many online that have seen them fail at under 100k miles. I think the 330 design with a timing belt that requires more frequent maintenance and a comparatively easy water pump change is a better design. I think things like changing a timing belt are what give these motors a reputation for longevity. Getting under the hood and looking around periodically helps to find other things that could need attention before they become a serious problem.