Felix

From the start, My wife wanted a suv, so I thought, ''great a srt Jeep'', not as she really liked the rx's that a few of her g/f's have. So I drove a couple of her g/f's rx's, so I thought ok, it has the Toyota reliabliy. I did have a quick look at the earlier Highlands & wow, what ppl wanted for worn out needing work vehicles. From what I found is the rx's are in so much better condition. So I looked at a few different ones, figured the gen2 would do the same as a gen3. Why spend 4-8K more for a gen3, that a gen2 could do. I like the style of the gen2, but like a few interior things in the gen3, similar to a gen3 wrx to a gen4 wrx. Anyhow I ended up at one dealer that had 7 rx's. After driving a 2gr powered one, I had a choice of 3, so went to the credit union & got a cashiers check for the total, one done paid. A '07 Breakwater blue w/ 144,000 at the time, which I had them replace the windsheild & install Centric pads/rotors.On the way home dropped it at a shop, had them install a later model steel bank 1 vvt line as well as a steel cooler lines, as well as trans fluid/filter as well as the diff/transfer case. Maxlife/wix fllter, 2qtrs of Royal purple 75-90. Kim at the shop called back & said it needs a p/s pump, ordered a Orielly pump, which they installed. Since then a yr later, swapped out for the gen3 front brakes, pr of reman calipers, oreilly pads/rotors, as well as SS brake hoses, a few month later warrantied those for Bosch rotors & Wagner oex pads, then about a few months ago, Hawk Talon rotors w/ Hawk ceramic performance pads. I could of done a Stoptech bbk, thou, LOL My wife really likes this vehicle & I'm good w/ driving this as well, totally differrent then I'm use to, heck our kids grew up in the back seats of muscle performance cars. So earlier this month decided to take it to get the ''what I thought was a t/c oil leak'' fixed & have plugs & possibly w/p & vvt phazers replaced. The next day they said it was the p/s pump & that the t/c wasn't leaking or seeping at all as well as the oil pan & no issues w/ the w/p either, Great, they swapped out the pump for a oem rem as well as flush the old fluid. Since I had the Denso iridium plugs, go ahead & swap them out. They also cleaned all 4 vvt solinoids, so no more rattle on started. It was only about a 1yr that way of which I'd just crank the motor & turn it off before it fired to prime the vvt's. My wife figured it out. They also mentioned that the front struts were seeping, so I had the front struts swapped for KYB's using the oem springs & strut mounts. Oh I had to replace the alternator on the week of '19 Christmas, Bench tested one three times btw. Early '20 I ordered a set of TSW wheels after looking at the oem options. 8.5''x18'' w/ 20mm offset w/ 255-55's....Really wanted a 265-50, have fun finding that size. Additional track width w/ added scrub radius gives more feel to the steering as well a little more positive caster. Just got the Hawk rotors w/ Alebono pads for the rear, which I need to install. I also ordered a Weathertech rear cargo mat as well as nos gen2 black floor mats in black. I really wanted to swap out the whole carpet for black, but figured that the floor mats cover most of the carpet. Oh forgot in early '20 I swapped out the Cat converter & muffler for a 2.5'' performance setup, yes its still quiet as it should be....Yea I did pour some cashola into this, its just the kind of vehicle you just get in & go & not even think about. Very smooth & relaxing as If we were still in California, this would be great down there for all the cruddy roads that they've had for quite awhile vs the dead smooth freeways/roads yrs & yrs ago. I do miss it down there at times thou. >>>Questions, Comments very much well........

Margate330

Cool deal, didn't know you were rolling in the Break Water Blue.
Haven't seen many of those around except one member on here.
Feel free to post up a pic if ya want.


That's how I ended up with the RX330.
I wouldv'e done something much bigger.
Wife doesn't drive much anymore but when she wants to go to the store she feels comfortable in the car and confident driving it.

spinellib

You can do all this stuff on these RX's and it doesn't cost an arm and a leg, unlike, say, a BMW.

MattRX

Nice to see how far your RX has gotten over the years. I remember hearing about the Gen 3 brake upgrade from you, and thanks for comparing the pad sizes for me!

I am still having the vvt-i rattle after cleaning all four solenoids and replacing all of the vvt-i o-rings, so I’ll have to deal with the cam phasers themselves later.

I actually prefer my Gen 2 over our Gen 3 A LOT more. MUCH better handling, braking, ride comfort and the acceleration is a tad better as well. I also like how it sits lower and is a smaller overall size as well. The 3 feels a little bloated and less car-like despite being on the same platform. To be fair, my 2 has the big front and rear brakes, the Gen 3 front sway bar and Eibach springs - but still handled better than the Gen 3 stock.

Felix

Great input from you guys, I'll try to break it up some. After 3 tries at a gen3 brake upgrade, as I warrantied out the oreilly parts & went w/ the Hawk Talon rotors/performance pads, from Tirerack. I've since just got the rear Hawk kit on the 15th, which I need to do. Looking at the 3 different pads, 996,1391,1325's, the 996 is the oem gen2 & the 1391's are the oem gen3's, which I laid the pads w/ the material facing each other & they are so close, so to me its not worth doing the backing plate swap, as you need to remove everything, for less then a .05'' bigger diameter rotor. I also warrantied out the oreilly reman p/s pump for a $380. reman oem pump as well as the system was flushed out. No more leaks on the cradle/A-arm,
I really thought is was the t/c seeping/leaking onto the p/s pump, but not, so that saved me some cashola. I would have done the w/p & t-stat as well as reseal the valve covers, oil pan, ect, since the cradle would of been dropped. The vvt just started to rattle earlier in the yr & let the shop deal w/ it. The tech that did the work tested & said the w/p is a newer one as well as said the t/c isn't leaking or seeping. He did say the front struts were seeping, so in went a pr of KYB struts. I had them replace the plugs I had, Denso iriduims, as well as changed the oil/filter I brought w/ me thinking the motor was going to be out. Anyhow I had the service writer give the tech $57.00 of which I pulled out of my wallet, he had already gone home. The rx runs strong & really stops great as well rides great to, just a tad bit firmer compared to the oem front struts, I'd think it would. Oh & the only thing thats a oreilly reman besides the front calipers is the alternator, which is still working great since x-mas of '19 & yes I bench tested it three times, before installed....

MattRX

I agree. If you're not getting the IS350 vented rear brake rotor swap, it's probably not worth doing the rear brake upgrade unless you desperately need new rear calipers, or in my case - you got the proper backing plates already for free from work. The KYBs on my Highlander were a tad firmer than stock too, I believe they say their Excel-G ones are about 15% stiffer than stock to account for other bushing wear on the car.

Margate330

Nothing wrong with having a used Jeep with some miles and keep around as a fun weekend car if can buy one for good price.

I don't have anywhere to park extra cars anymore but if I did I'd prob have an older truck and a Jeep too, just for fun and sitting around.

Felix

[QUOTE=Margate330;11311258]Nothing wrong with having a used Jeep with some miles and keep around as a fun weekend car if can buy one for good price.

I don't have anywhere to park extra cars anymore but if I did I'd prob have an older truck and a Jeep too, just for fun and sitting around.
I do like those Tj's, Jk's & JL's, but the one I had in mind was the GC srt either the 1st gen w/ the 6.1 or a 2nd gen w/ the 6.4 motor......

MattRX

There are times where I definitely wished I had a truck, but they aren’t too frequent. Putting the RX right to work. This was a large metal filing cabinet and another wood shelving unit with doors from an office floor clean-out. Barely fit in the car and us guys had a real fun time squeezing them in. Suspension didn’t sag at all and the car had no complaints whatsoever. Prob about 200 lbs of weight.

For a car like this, I am super impressed. It has enough power, handling & braking (at least now) to be enjoyable to drive, plus enough utility for my needs on a daily basis. Very impressed

Felix

Great kinda all around vehicle......Like the 2gr pull........

MattRX

2GR is very suited to this vehicle. I like the 1MZ in my Highlander, but it doesn’t match the car’s spirit & or handling either. It’s not slow but doesn’t pull either

I also haven’t seen the timing cover leak yet after doing the whole overhaul, so hopefully the new PCV, etc slowed it down to a crawl.

Felix

IIRC, Matt you added a oil catch can?

MattRX

Yep

ghuns

My wife, daughter, and my mom all drive Gen 3s because of the positive experience we had with our Gen 2. Our son had the Gen 2 for the last several years as basically a spare vehicle since he had a company truck. He changed jobs, bought a WRX STI, and brought the old Lexus home with 250K miles on it.

We really struggled with the decision whether to keep the Gen 3 that just turned 100K or the Gen 2 with 250K. Especially since we could likely sell the Gen 3 for more than we paid for it and I just replaced the water pump on the Gen 2. Everyone in the family agrees that the Gen 2 is better in every way, with the exception of a few creature comforts.

We were leaning towards keeping the Gen 2 but then my dad offered to buy it.

He drives all over the Midwest in the summer to attend antique tractor shows. He pulls a small utility trailer with his little John Deere Gator (like golf cart sized) on it with his 3/4 ton, 4x4, 6.0L, 8-10MPG getting, check engine light on all the time, gas sucking hog of a Chevy truck. The Gen 2 has the towing package so he's ordering a hitch for it. It should work out much better for him than his truck. He's already made a 700 mile road trip to Iowa and back, minus the Gator, and can't believe how great the thing rides and drives.

MattRX

It still blows me away how well the Gen 2 holds up to this day. It is like a mechanical carbon copy of my 2002 Highlander except more luxurious and WAY faster. I still like my old Highlander equally as that has been a fantastic car that has needed next to nothing and hasn’t ever broke down in the 15+ years we’ve had it. Everyone I know still can’t believe it is over 20 years old now incl me. I personally think it looks “newer” than my Gen 2 because of the overall styling of the car.

I enjoy the Gen 3’s looks more and like you I prefer the interior, cooled seats, creature comforts, spare tire in the vehicle, etc but it ends there. The driving dynamics of the Gen 2 as well as my Highlander are eerily car-like, no other mid-size SUV I’ve driven has felt that planted on the road. I’m sure a BMW X5 M or Porsche Cayenne would be good too, but those are expensive cars that I would never consider for multiple reasons. Like Felix said, I’d much rather go for a SRT-8 Cherokee than those haha.

It makes me sad that we will probably never see another vehicle like the Gen 2 RX or Gen 1 Highlander come out of Toyota or in general. With the new RX and HL dropping the V6, that already leaves me an uninterested buyer, although I already felt the same when they started becoming heavy and bloated computers on wheels without adding extra utility or cargo capacity.