Varying Standards Of Quality On Lexus Models?

[aahn]

Hi,

I'm a new member and a new Lexus owner. I used to

drive a 2000 Ford Explorer all through college, and my

dad bought me the 2003 Lexus SC430 (pre-owned) as

a college graduation gift provided that I trade in the SUV.

I love the car, it's solid, but miss things the SUV did, such

as store a whole bunch of stuff, drive in snow, etc... and so

used some cash to buy a used 2000RX300 because the SC

sold me to Lexus for LIFE!

The problem is that while the SC430 is solid, fast, and every-

thing I expected Lexus to be, the RX300 seems flimsy in com-

parison. The panels vibrate at high speeds, the blue trip

computer screen is dull, and I don't know how I ever lived

without HID headlamps.

I know that the SC430 costs a bunch more than the RX, and

it's relatively old, but for those that bought it new, did it seems

as thought it was given the same attention to detail as higher-

end Lexus models?

Also, I know that HID is a lighting system, but for my old RX

with halogen, how can I get the same HID effect as is on the

SC?

[TunedRX300]

IMHO, I would compare 00 RX300 to your 00 Ford Explorer. Same year, same class. You already said yourself it is invalid to compare a SUV to a sport coupe, let alone to a more expensive and four year newer model.

In 2000 very few cars have HID as a standard equipment. Today even reflective HID is not up to standard, people want projected HID. I know it is hard to live w/o goodies once you are used to them but you can't go back in time. The best you can do is retrofit your halogen to HID or buy a newer model.

My 00 RX AWD was silky smooth and very quiet when I bought it. I love the LCD, that is one of the reason I bought it. May I ask, if you have rattles and hate the LCD and halogen, why do you buy it?

[aahn]

Honestly I bought it because I fell into CarMax's ad. scheme where

they say that buying from there is like buying a new car used...

but during the 1-2 mile test drive I forgot to test everythign and couldn't

hear much over the salesperson.

But overall the washer jets didn't work, and the transmission was a

little wierd. Luckily CarMax's warranty policy wasn't that stingy.

But bottom line was that is fairly inexpensive with not that many

miles and I really needed the extra storage space and driving

capabilities that my old Explorer had but the SC430 couldn't

do nearly as well. (With the top down I barely was able to fit a

few grocery bags). And I wanted it to be Lexus!

Don't get me wrong, I don't hate it, in fact it's growing on me everyday

that I drive it, it's just that, like you said, it's tough once you're used

to the good stuff...

I'll look into the retrofitting the halogens to HID though...

[1990LS400]

I think you will notice this kind of difference between a "top of the line" and a "bottom of the line" model regardless of who the manufacturer is. I'll never forget switching from a top of the line (gas guzzling 12 mpg) Mercedes S-class to a bottom of the line Mercedes diesel when I moved much further from where I worked. It was almost as if the two cars were not made by the same company - completely different quality, comfort and noise!! levels.

It was a little similar to how I felt when I had my LS at the Lexus dealer last year just before the basic warranty expired. On two different days, I was provided with a loaner ES330 and a RX330. I was shocked. I had expected both to be much nicer and a lot more like my $62,000 LS. When I mentioned this to the service manager, he just smiled.

But for what they are and in their price range, the ES330 and RX330 are really very nice cars. It is simply a matter of "you get what you pay for".

My wife likes smaller cars and we may end up buying an ES when we replace her Camry in a few years. She loved both the ES and the RX.

[RX in NC]

You'll find that a number of us who own an all-wheel-drive RX300 are very unhappy with our vehicles, particularly since they seem to have the weakest and most problematic transmission that I've ever encountered in 35+ years of owning and driving vehicles. Search this forum using key words like "transmission failure", spend some time reading the results, and you'll come to understand some of the things I'm referring to.

I find the RX300 an overweight, underpowered, over-hyped vehicle that my wife wanted when she caught "Lexus fever" a few years back. She now very much misses her previous Grand Cherokee and would love to have it back instead of her RX albatross - she now admits to how much better off she was in her Grand Cherokee. But she's going to have to live with her RX for another year or two until I'm willing to swallow the depreciation on it.

I'm looking forward to pushing it off a cliff when that time comes....

[LexKid630]

The rx300 just came out in 1999. There were a few problems with it that Lexus didn't know about until later years.

The AWD transmissions on the Rx300 are just horrible all together.

The blue info screen on the 99 and 00 Rx300's were too dim ,and later changed in 2001.

But about the quality of materials on the rx300, i think they are top of the line. The 1999 and 2000 rx300 steering wheel and cosmetic things like that look low class, but are actually very good.

You should have looked into a 2001+ Rx300. They are much better, and some of the bugs were worked out..

and remember...your rx is 3 years older than the SC...AND the SC is a lot more money...

Plus an SUV is nothing like a sports car in ride. You have to compare the RX and the Explorer.

[SW03ES]

Having had the same generation Explorer as him trust me, the RX is much higher quality and better built than an Explorer. Explorers have zero body integrity and the rattles and creaking after a few years is crazy...

Anyways, sure there are differences in quality, the SC430 you have is almost twice as much as the RX. Gonna have some quality differences. IMHO the RX is the lightest feeling of all the Lexus vehicles, with the RX330 being a lot heftier than the RX300. I'm very happy with my ES300 which feels very hefty and sturdy. Not as much as an LS, and its instantly noticeable when you drive an LS, but after you get back in the ES you find you don't really miss the extra heft, if you know what I mean, my opinion anyways.

LS'll be my next car though.