Son wrecked the '05 MDX. '04 RX330 as possible replacement? Questions...

[BRnPA]

I had given my son my '05 Acura MDX when I picked up a Mazda CX-9 a few years ago.  Three weeks ago someone hit him, at under 30 mph, on a blind curve as he was pulling out.  Side airbags went off and the impact broke the rear driver's axel.  Damage wasn't so bad but with the airbags going off, insurance totaled the car.  So, we've been looking for a replacement and driving a lot of cars. Tonight we found a 2004 Lexus RX330 with about 120,000 miles.  Florida car that spent some of its life in NY, and it's very clean.  Rides very well and was well kept, so it's a possibility. But, I know nothing about these cars;  I've been working on my Acuras for the last 15+ years and doing just about everything.  Is there a list of 'what to look for if you're buying this generation of the RX'?  I crawled around under the car and the drive train, suspension, and exhaust is in really good shape for it being a part-time northern car. I popped the hood and the only red flag was oil on the front of the engine, as though the valve cover gasket was leaking oil.  I did check the oil and tranny fluid, and they both looked clean - the tranny fluid was pink and did not smell burned. Is there an issue with these cars and valve cover gaskets or is this probably just a fluke?  Anything else I should be looking for?  This is an amazing riding car so I'm really considering it.  Thanks!

[RX400h]

Welcome to the forum, Bill.

I consider valve cover gasket replacement as a maintenance item in the sense that no gasket lasts forever. We had ours replaced 2-3 years ago. Here's what I do when I first contact the seller of a vehicle in which I am interested:

1. Conduct a phone interview. You may be able to save yourself a trip if you don't like what you hear.

2. Ask to see both the maintenance schedule and the either the work receipts or a list/spreadsheet of what work was done, along with the dates and odometer readings. Whenever I sell a car, the buyer appreciates having peace of mind that the vehicle was well-maintained.

3. Check for codes and of course look for any illuminated symbols when you test-drive the vehicle.

3. Test everything that you would normally use. If you can get ahold of an online owner's manual, read through it. Ask the owner if there's anything you don't see but feel you need to have.

4. Bring ramps (if necessary) to check underneath the vehicle. Some people have the vehicle inspected by a mechanic but I often don't need to do this. 

Looking at the 04 RX330 in Consumer Reports Trouble Spot listing (2009 Buyers guide), I see only three areas that were not much better or better than average:
Minor transmission
Body integrity
Audio system
I have attached a listing of some of the troublespot area descriptions.
Good luck!
Dave

[BRnPA]

Thanks Dave.  I'm in the club.  We actually found a 2005 that had been owned by an older woman in the Philly suburbs.  120k miles but it had been serviced 100% at the Lexus dealer and she has a huge folder with all the records. New Continental tires and the inside/outside is pretty perfect for an older car.  The only issue we're having is that the coolant reservoir is consistently going down when driving.  I've read a ton about these cars having coolant leak issues so I'll have to start looking for a leak and will probably end up taking it to my mechanic for a cooling system pressure check.  Car rides great so I think we did OK. - Bill

[RX400h]

Hopefully, it's just the expansion tank cap. But do check your oil dipstick to make sure it is not milky, which may indicate a head gasket leak.

[BRnPA]

That was one of the first things I checked before I bought the car.  No milky oily mix on the dipstick.  I did order a new radiator cap and will continue to monitor.  Other than the that, the car is great!

Update: I installed the new radiator cap today and the radiator was full, so the fluid loss is probably not there; however, when we were looking for any leaks, my son noticed that the radiator on the mid-left side, just behind the overflow tank, had some reddish crust on it, and we're betting that the tank (17 years old) has a leak.  We'll drop it by our mechanic for a pressure test to see if we can isolate it.  I really don't want to do this work since it involves pulling the entire fan shroud assembly so I'll probably bit the bullet and pay my mechanic. 

[RX400h]

I fully understand. Please let us know what is found.