herblenny Posted August 16, 2008 Share Posted August 16, 2008 I'm about to trade in our 06 MX5 and my old 4 runner for an 05 RX330... Anything in particular I should look for in buying an RX330??? One I'm looking at is standard FWD base model w/ about mid 40K miles. I was told by someone that 05 is a much better choice than 04?? Are there anything specific I should look for?? thanks! Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afpj Posted August 16, 2008 Share Posted August 16, 2008 Is this a CPO car? Just curious. We have an 05 RX330 AWD bought CPO. However, the a/c compressor was replaced during the first week of our ownership due to a funny whine at around 1400 rpm...very reproducible, and think is a tsb issue. Also had the tranny replaced at 60k miles, and that started out as some funny high pitched whine, like a turbo, every time accelerated. Another thing I would look at is the a/c condensor, and you can find some recent posts about this on this forum (looking for physical damage ie rock hits). Lastly, make sure the rear hatch opens and closes using the power feature. Those of the problems we have seen and read about mainly. Hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
herblenny Posted August 17, 2008 Author Share Posted August 17, 2008 Thanks you! No, its not a CPO car... But from my friends used car lot. I drove the car today and it drove very nice. Also, it looked brand new inside (min. leather wear) and few minor scratches outside. I'm going to let my wife drive it on tuesday when she gets back from her trip. My only concern is power lumbar doesn't work on the drivers side seat and it only comes with 1 key. Wondering if Ebay keys are worth getting? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afpj Posted August 17, 2008 Share Posted August 17, 2008 Can't comment on the power lumbar issue...hope it's an easy fix. Neither of our RX drivers fiddles with the lumbar support setting, so I really don't know if ours works either! The memory seat function for 2 drivers is very handy otherwise. Regarding ebay keys...there were a few posts on that topic on this or the other (CL) forum, I can't remember which. Some people, depending on their dealership, got a master key off of ebay, then got it programmed at their dealer for cheap, but others as I recall were not so lucky....caveat emptor. Regards Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LexKid630 Posted August 18, 2008 Share Posted August 18, 2008 The 04-05 RX330's are exactly the same except for one thing. The 04's had a "jerking transmission" issue that was fixed for 05. Not a "big" deal, there is a TSB for it, but it gets kind of annoying. The 06's are the same as 05 just the nav screen quality is much more clearer for 06. but if you're not getting it with navigation, who cares. You can get a used rx330 key from ebay and have it programmed, but make sure you don't get an "after market" key. They look "similar" to the untrained eye, but they aren't of the same quality. You should always have at least two (max is 4) remote keys programmed and on hand, at all times. Because if you ever lost that one you had, you cannot make more. You need one master to program a new one. As far as the lumbar not working, it's not a common problem. It might be something as simple as a bad switch? Take this into consideration when purchasing that one. Whatever you would be willing to pay if it was working, subtract $300 or whatever. Also check for things such as body or paint work, gaps between body panels such as the hood, tailgate and doors, and look underneath for rust etc. If you check a carfax, it may say it's clear but carfax cannot report everything. And just because a car's been in an accident, doesn't mean it's a poor buy as long as it's been repaired correctly. I owned an 04 Rx330 and traded it in for the 07 Rx350 (in 07 they added a different engine, therefore calling it the 350). It's still the same except for that little extra power with the larger engine. The 04+ RX's are an excellent car with few to no problems. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Bearden Posted August 22, 2008 Share Posted August 22, 2008 We bought a used 05 RX 330 last summer and have been very pleased with it. The lumbar support works but just doesn't provide much support. My 05 Miata has no lumbar support but there is a very simple manual lumbar support device that can be added. It's just an inflatable bellows with a hand squeeze pump. I had one on a previous Miata and it worked great...just slips under the upholstery. I also only got one key...I am convinced that the extra keys end up on E-Bay. I bought two blank keys off E-Bay...key shop cut them but I had to have a Toyota dealer program them...the programming instructions for the keys do not work on 05's...the Toyota dealer only charged $20 per key to program them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
herblenny Posted August 25, 2008 Author Share Posted August 25, 2008 Thanks for the input guys! The purchase is almost done.. I'm waiting for my bank to finalize it.. hopefully it would be done tomorrow. I been driving the car for past 3-4 days and I like how it drives:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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