Just Bought A 2000 Rx300

[namoammo]

Greetings all,

I just picked up a 2000 RX300 with 60,052 miles on it for $18750, I would like to think that is a good deal, prior owner didn't miss a beat with maintence, she eve had her 60K done, Should I buy an extended warranty? if so throught Lexus or another company, I have been quoted 3 yrs unlimited miles, bumper to bumper for $1200. Please let me know, Also there is some rust along the luggage rack, and the paint is bubbled up, not a lot, you can just see the line of rust about 6 in, is this something covered under the corrosion warranty? Any posts would be great!!

[trout]

Congrats on your new ride. We too recently bought a 2000 rx300. So far it has been great. I opted out of the warranty but ours still has some factory warrany remaining. I would contact lexus or a dealer about the rust, it very well might be some type of corrosion covered by warranty...maybe you'll get lucky.

How does yours idle? Ours runs and drives great but I think that when you are idling in gear at a stoplight or in traffic, it seems a little rough...like maybe it idles too low or something. It might just be me, Im picky.

enjoy.

[beachbum]

trout,

I recently bought a 2000 RX300 & have noticed the same rough idling as you described. It only seems to idle rough when it's in drive, not when it's in park.

I've also noticed when it idles rough, the vibe is more apparent in the driver's door. Kind of strange that it's isolated there. Have you noticed that in yours as well?

[trout]

trout,

I recently bought a 2000 RX300 & have noticed the same rough idling as you described. It only seems to idle rough when it's in drive, not when it's in park.

I've also noticed when it idles rough, the vibe is more apparent in the driver's door. Kind of strange that it's isolated there. Have you noticed that in yours as well?

Sorry for the dealy in my reply...

The vibration in ours cannot really be felt. I dont know how to describe it, I cannot really 'feel' it and its not really a sound. Perhaps its just the engine? It just kinda has a small engine feel to it when idling in gear. Its probably a normal thing, but I cant describe it. Its not really a vibration. If i take my foot off the break it goes away, almost like the idle is a little low. Im probably just confusing you. It might just be me, I drive a dodge ram with the HEMI on a daily basis, and my wife drives the lexus...so it might just be that.

So far it has been a wonderful car and we were very pleased making a long road trip with it loaded up with dogs and luggage. The same trip last year in our explorer was not as comforatable, the explorer had more room, but we were much more comforatable in the lexus and didnt really notice and lack of room. I think the dogs even like the RX better as they seemed very well behaved .

My only complaint so far is the brakes. I can feel and hear some type of pulsating/vibration from them, but it may just be time for new pads. It is not really bad, but I am one of those types that can feel and notice any slight detail of a car. My wife would never notice.

Also, mine is black and the paint really needs some TLC. It has some swirl marks and all the other blemishes associated with black cars. Anyone have any suggestions for that?

Thanks.

[PharmGuy]

trout,

I recently bought a 2000 RX300 & have noticed the same rough idling as you described. It only seems to idle rough when it's in drive, not when it's in park.

I've also noticed when it idles rough, the vibe is more apparent in the driver's door. Kind of strange that it's isolated there. Have you noticed that in yours as well?

Sorry for the dealy in my reply...

The vibration in ours cannot really be felt. I dont know how to describe it, I cannot really 'feel' it and its not really a sound. Perhaps its just the engine? It just kinda has a small engine feel to it when idling in gear. Its probably a normal thing, but I cant describe it. Its not really a vibration. If i take my foot off the break it goes away, almost like the idle is a little low. Im probably just confusing you. It might just be me, I drive a dodge ram with the HEMI on a daily basis, and my wife drives the lexus...so it might just be that.

So far it has been a wonderful car and we were very pleased making a long road trip with it loaded up with dogs and luggage. The same trip last year in our explorer was not as comforatable, the explorer had more room, but we were much more comforatable in the lexus and didnt really notice and lack of room. I think the dogs even like the RX better as they seemed very well behaved .

My only complaint so far is the brakes. I can feel and hear some type of pulsating/vibration from them, but it may just be time for new pads. It is not really bad, but I am one of those types that can feel and notice any slight detail of a car. My wife would never notice.

Also, mine is black and the paint really needs some TLC. It has some swirl marks and all the other blemishes associated with black cars. Anyone have any suggestions for that?

Thanks.

Hey trout,

I've got a 2001 Rx-300 which is great also, but the brakes seem to be

a little bit mushy. I've got 57,000 miles on it, so the next time it goes back to

the dealer, a brake check is definitely in order. My wife doesn't see anything

off with it either, but it rides smooth.

I've been a little concerned over the cold New England weather though.

I have to garage it outside (wife's Altima gets the garage-go figure). Really

looking forward to getting a warm enough day, so it gets a good bath.

PharmGuy

[mek88]

I bought my 99 RX300 AWD on 7/03 with 90k Miles from first owner for $16.5k, and as of 02/04 it has 100K miles. The car has never been involved in any accidents at all.

The ride is not as soft-ride and smooth as what people said.

I felt the bumps over the not so smooth roads & a lot of rattles from the left side of dashboard, glovebox and center display.

On the highway, I also got a serious wind noise & road noise from the tires (Michelin LTX 225/70/16)

Also the car has a tendency to pull to the right.

I'm averaging 20 Mpg combination city/hwy in Los Angeles using Chevron 87-octane, and Mobil-1 15w30 synthetic oil with Lexus oil filter.

I haven't change the timing belt yet.

Does anyone have the same problems as I have?

Have you guys had any transmission and front differential fluid changed?

I welcome any suggestions.

Thanks

email: mek88@yahoo.com

[yoyoyojo]

On the extended warranty keep this in mind (this applies to all extended warranties). An actuary came up with an over/under. Meaning there is a dollar amount where they say half the cars will require work less than this amoutn and half the cars require work over this amount.

Now keep in mind Lexus, or any party offering this warranty, needs to make a profit. So what they are charging is usually a little bit more (or a lot of bit more) than this over/under amount.

So when they offer you a 3 year warranty for $1,200 they are essentially saying "we have a good guees that your car will reuire less than this amoutn in repairs over the next 3 years".

Since I'm in insurance and this is not a critical issue I figure according to the acuary I can expect, on average, to pay less or abotu the same amoutn as the cost of the warranty.

In other words there is no free lunch. But it is a gamble.

I am suprised you were offered a "bumper to bumper" warranty. The Lexus dealer in Serramonte offered a three year limited warranty.

Since this is a car, and not your health or life, I would say keep the $1,200 and you may or may not have that much in repairs in the next three years. They've already crunched the numbers for you.

As for wind noise our recently purchased 2001 Rx300 hs some wind noise. We bought an BMW 325i 2001 brand new and noticed through time we get wind noise.

What happens in all cars is eventually the weather stripping and rubber shrinks slightly or goes a little bit our of shape and there really is nothing you can do about it except to replace all your weather stripping ever 3 years.

So far no problems except for a timing belt adjustment which was covered and a ash tray that woudl nto open. We bought a certified pre owned from a Lexus dealer. they adjusted the belt and swapped out the ash tray from another used car!

[mckellyb]

I bought my 99 RX300 AWD on 7/03 with 90k Miles from first owner for $16.5k, and as of 02/04 it has 100K miles. The car has never been involved in any accidents at all.

The ride is not as soft-ride and smooth as what people said.

I felt the bumps over the not so smooth roads & a lot of rattles from the left side of dashboard, glovebox and center display.

On the highway, I also got a serious wind noise & road noise from the tires (Michelin LTX 225/70/16)

Also the car has a tendency to pull to the right.

I'm averaging 20 Mpg combination city/hwy in Los Angeles using Chevron 87-octane, and Mobil-1 15w30 synthetic oil with Lexus oil filter.

I haven't change the timing belt yet.

Does anyone have the same problems as I have?

Have you guys had any transmission and front differential fluid changed?

I welcome any suggestions.

Thanks

email: mek88@yahoo.com

Decent deal. It's great they don't depreciate horribly. I'm there with one car, have lost over 50% in the first 3 years. Hurts.

Not soft/smooth. Well, not really, but it *is* well-controlled. Remember, this is a Camry in different duds. You don't want creamy/cushy, as that means the struts are toast...big $'s.

20 MPG is fine. Don't worry about it. Pulling to the right means you *might* need an alignment, but the tires will tell you the story, if you look at them closely. All cars pull to the right, as our roads are cambered that way, for drainage.... Find what looks to be a big, flat parking lot, and drive slowly, hands-off the wheel, and see if it pulls the same way.... Go in all directions, too, in case there is a grade you can't see, but the car can.

Wind noise. Check all the door gaskets and make sure none are torn/falling off. Trust me, it happens. Reminds me, I need to fix one of my own...

The glove-box rattle might be easily fixed by making sure the little rubber 'cushions' aren't missing. Have someone drive while you push stuff to find which panels are rattling...

Good call on the Mobil 1, IMNSHO. Engine will last forever.

Noisy tires. Yeah, different tires can be loud, but that's a tradeoff, sometimes, with capabililties. Plus, road surface has a **TON** to do with it. You think it's loud where you are?! Come to Oregon where every paranoid idiot drives around, in-town, with studs. The Intrepid I have has urethane bushings in the suspension, and you can't hear yourself think, sometimes.

Also, it depends a lot on what you came from...if your last ride was a '94 Town Car, yeah, the RX is gonna seem loud and rough. If your last ride was a '77 Pinto, there's a problem with the RX.

I've changed the axle fluids, but the tranny is shipped with synthetic, so you shouldn't *need* to change it. You can, but knowing it's synthetic, I'm not touching it. I had to use a vacuum pump to get the front diff oil out, as I could *not* get a wrench on the drain plug. So it goes. Wasn't hard at all, but you have to have the $25 hand-held Mity-Vac.

[jcgso]

I just bought a 2000 RX300 with 48K miles on it yesterday. It seems to be in superb condition. It is missing a few things though. The biggest item being the retractable cargo cover. I'd really like to replace it, but not through the dealership. I've searched ebay, with no luck. Any thoughts on where to pick one up at a decent price?

[SW03ES]

Check out www.lexus-parts.com ;)

[mek88]

I have the original tan color retractable cargo cover in good condition, asking $200.00

Thanks

Email: mek88@yahoo.com

Location: Los Angeles, CA

In reply to:

I just bought a 2000 RX300 with 48K miles on it yesterday. It seems to be in superb condition. It is missing a few things though. The biggest item being the retractable cargo cover. I'd really like to replace it, but not through the dealership. I've searched ebay, with no luck. Any thoughts on where to pick one up at a decent price?

[beachbum]

EBay has the retractable cargo covers all of the time. They typically go for anywhere from $75-$150.

Search under RX300 cargo or RX 300 cargo...