tmastres

OK the best advice I can give you is to search through the archive of this forum. This same question has been posted many times in just the last few months (regarding the purchas eof 99 and a few 00 moder RX's). There is a lot of "advice" in these posts and "regulars" are unlikely to go into extreme detail (if they post at all) on yet another "should I buy a 99" post. This isn't an admonition, I want you to get all the info you can, and theres tons of it here. I don't mind repetaing myself so I'll tell you that a fair number of people have had problems with their 99 model transmissions. By the number of miles you mentioned on the one you're looking at I'd say its little safer bet but in reality, if it were me I'd keep my eyes open for a 00 model or better yet an 01. As wwest has described in fantastic detail (in the past , in other posts like this) the trans was changed fundamentally in 01 and hadn't seemed to cause much trouble after that model year. Are the prices for an 00 or an 01 that different? I don't really know since i'm not actively looking for one but I can say that if thats a really great price, it may be worth it. The two major issues facing early (99,00) RX's were engine sludging and the trans failure. Theres tons of info on both in the forum archives. If you can get the service history and see the trans has been serviced well and if you can get a mechanic (or yourself) to take a look under the valve covers for evidence of sludging (and find none) then you're covered the majors. Seriously though, do a search and look at what others have said. Good Luck

Why yes it is!! I can say it beacaue I wasn't afraid to do it (although it cost me a lot more than $15k) and, becuase I'd do it again. Our 14yr old loves my RX and he really wants it when he starts driving, though I'm not sure I want to give it up. I may be in the market for another one soon and if I find a cherry 00 or later RX at a good price I'll snap it up without a second thought!

I'd disagree with that as well, insofar as ANYTHING and EVERYTHING will fail eventually. As I've mentioned before on this board, I've got exactly 100k on my 2000 RX, only changed the fluid twice and everything seems fine. Now I don't want to disparage anyone who's had the failure, I've had vehicle problems with other cars and it'll put you in a bad place in a hurry so I can understand anyone who's had problems never trusting the brand again, thats natural. As for your actual question, I'd say AWD's no big dea l, especially if yo've got another vehicle to take if you know theres going to be deep snow or you know you'll be off-road. The only problem is that you may have trouble finding a 2wd model. I friend of mine bought a used 99RX from a non-Lexus dealer 2 years ago. It was advertised as 2wd and priced thus, turned out it was actuall AWD, somebody didn't do their homework/paperwork correctly. I've never inspected a 2wd model underneath but other than the VIN I don't think theres a way to tell the difference cosmetically. Lastly a couple of people have mentioned the MDX in this thread and other than its size (being slightly larger) I personally don't rate it up with the RX. My brother-in-law has one as does my wife's best friend so I've been in them a bunch. I find the seats stiffer and the ride noticably harsher. And while the Lexus is no powerhouse the MDX seems even more sluggish and truck-like. Of course I'm talking about similar vintage vehicles 01-02 , I rate the new MDX pretty highly and when I finally get rid of my RX I'll be looking hard at the Acura as I like the new style .

Thanks for posing this, great info. Hope it works out

i In less than 500 miles I will turn over 100,000mi on my 00RX trans. So far the only trans service I've done is to have the trans fluid flushed/replaced twice once at 45,000 nad again at 90,000. To be honest I dont even check it more than 2-3 times a year. Knock on wood I havent had any problems so far .

We don't have a winter here so I can only guess that it hapens in winter because the rubber in the belt isn't as pliable and has less grip because of the cold. The belts get harder and more brittle over time so I'd say after 4-5 years it might be time to get the belts replaced. I've done this on many other vehicles but when my RX belt began to give some trouble it just happened to be a few days before it went in for the 90k service and I just had it changed then. My point is that I don't have any specific insight into doing the belt swap on an RX. Its basic routine maintenance though and if you don't want to do it yourself any shop should be able to do it rather easily. I'd guess a belt will run $25-30 bucks and honestly it shouldnt be more than $100 to have it done (including the belt) Lexus dealer may be different though.

No magic bullets here! the only way I know is to use regular gas (not premium or mid-grade), keep your tires properly inflated and dont drive fast. I can get 25mpg in my 00 if I drive 65 on the freeway (which I really cant do often) usually its 23 at 70 or so. Just be happy the gas is what it is by you, because I can GUARANTEE you its a lot more here. My favorite cheapo gas station just jacked the price of unleaded regular to $2.99 this morning!!!

I believe this happens when the A/C is activated and as WWest said the belt that drives the A/C compressor is "slipping" past the drivewheel of the A/C compressor. I've had this happen on one or two occasions in very wet weather conditions. I've found the RX 300 to be a bit succeptible to water splashed up when going through deep puddles and I'll get some "belt squeal" and thats when my blinking light has happened. I'd say check your drive belts and tighten or replace them (it) if possible.

I'd have to agree with RX, some SUV makers try to instill a little sportiness in their vehicles X5, Cayenne (of course) MDX, (kinda silly IMHO). While Lexus goes more for comfort. A Lexus is probably one of the last SUV's you'd want to take to the track (assuming you actually WANT o take an SUV to the track). That said, thats why I like them

I wondered about the spoiler too , seems odd if theres no sign that there ever was one. As fo rthe seats, I think its regional , none of the RX's I looked at when I bought mine (00) had heated seats but thay all had spoilers. I guess they figure it never gets cold in So Cal. (yeah right!) I've always wondered if the heater elements are actually in the seats anyway and all I need to do is install some switches????? PS if yo check the VIN you can determine if its AWD. do a search I cant remember off hand the letter that designates it but I'm sure someone else does

I had mine done at 90k at my trusted local shop (independent) I might have had the local Toyota dealer do it but they refuse to service Lexus' even though the nearest Lexus dealer is 30 miles away (Bas_t_a_r_d_s!) My guys did it for $6-700 but that included a trans flush and a new drive (serpentine) belt. I could have done mine myself too but Id probably still be trying to get it all back together!

Well the theory was thet the 99/00 models have the problem and they're the vast majority to fail. I too have a 2000 AWD RX that I've only had a drain and fill at 60 and a flush at 90 and (cross your fingers ansd knock on wood) not even a hint of problem. As we've gone over in laborious and painstaking detail on this forum only a relatively small percentage of 99/00 tranny fail at all but most of those reported here are 99/00 with less than 100k. In fact many have failed even though the owners did some kind of trans fluid replacement so we cant even pinpoint that as the cause. The only thing we DO know is that after 00 we have far fewer reported failures.

If you learn anything from all of this it should be to NEVER buy a first (or even second) model year vehicle No matter how well made, there are bound to be things that only actual use will uncover. That said, the RX is a fine vehicle and as many of the Sages of this forum have already said ( and frankly, you're lucky they respnded to your very first post) Change the tranny fluid and change the oil regularly . I say use synth oil as well , but thats just me. As an aside I'm really glad to see all the new blood on this forum recently, keep it up.

Great news, thanks for reporting it. I assume it was out of warranty at that age but I'd be curious to hear more. Thanks!

The only thing I can help you with is to suggest trying a tank of regular gas and see if you notice any difference. I run my 00 RX on 87 exlusively and it runs fine. And not to be a wise-guy but you could sell the 03 RX and probably buy a brand new or nearly new Scion Tc or similar. Better mileage and maybe more appropriate for a college kid (fun-wise)

WWest has posted some very detailed descriptions of the differences between the 99/00 and the 01-03 trannys. There are differences. I'm sure if you search for them you'll find all the details you could possibly want. My understanding is that the mileage wasn't really the issue with the 99/00 trannys. I remember a lot of them (99/00) failed in the 50-80k mile range with some even sooner.

Ditto everything RXinNC mentioned (and he knows firsthand!) I personally reccomend using Synthetic oil as an added precaution, since these engines are pretty hard on oil. If not be sure you're VERY diligent in keeping a 3-4k mi OCI. The sludging issue appeard to again be with earlier models, but why take chances, its not that tough to use synth oil an/or change it regurlarly. I use Mobil 1, 5-30 and change at 5k.

Well you know the saying, "They don't make em like they used to" A lot of things were made more durably back in the old days :D Now I've only got 25 years of driving experience under my belt (just a Noob by some standards) but I''ve serviced (changed the fluid) in evey auto trans vehicle I've ever been in charge or maintaining. It just doesnt seem realistic to expect something to last indefinitely under those kinds of conditions. Its kind of a moot point though ,really, because if you have and RX, you have to do it whether you "should " have to or not. Anyhow, I think Chris gets the point, Hey Chris , if you get this car you'll have to change the trans fluid regularly. Capiche?

Well, technically I said MOST and even though I believe your assesment of the 2001 + trannys to be accurate, there certainly aren't near the number of failures you see in 99/00 years. Additionally, simply sticking to a normal (or near normal 20-30,000) trans OCI should keep someone clear of problems, whereas this wasnt true in the 99/00 versions. Sure the trans wasnt perfect but it was much better and thus made the RX a better vehicle than it had been The context of the question was relating to whether an 01 RX is/was a worthy purchase and IMHO , it is a better choice than a 99/00.

I've got about 20k miles on A set of Dayton Timberline HT's. These are great tires at a really great price. CR rated them 3rd out of about 20 they tested in (05 when I bought them) and they were only $75 a piece installed at Tire Pro's. I've had them in light snow and rain and they work well and seem to be holding up very well. Also, they dont look too "chunky" on the RX as some AT tires tend too look and even better they not ridiculously loud, like many suv (truck) tires tend to be. Realisticly, the RX 300 is a car/van and not a truck so shoe it accordingly. For me dry traction was most important (since its dry 95% of the time here) but these had good wet performance as well (in the tests). I didnt pay too much attention to ice or snow traction review ratings, but these seemed to do fine the couple times I had them in those conditions. If you do a lot of highway driving the noise factor will be more important then you might imagine, it was for me and the Timberlines we're "reasonably" quiet. Not like true car tires but definitely not like truck tires.

You must be Retired! Nobody else has that much time on their hands :D

Hey, we tried to warn you :D Let me know what the Diagnosis is. Thanks!

Thats too bad actually because this is the perfect arena to contradict and/or respectfully disagree with someone. Everyone has the same access to make statements or comments here. I've followed up RX on numerous occasions stating contrary opinions and I believe that can be quite helpful. If you've had a great experience with yor RX then why not chime in with your experiences when someone on the forum asks?

A quick scan of recent topics here will give you loads of info re the RX 300 series. As a quick summary, by 01 most trans problems were gone. In fact most of the annoying problems, that haunted the 99-00 RX were gone. I don't know if the price is good or not since I havent priced one lately. The curious thing for me is that I've never seen an RX 300 (other than the 99's) without a spoiler, does it look like it was removed? Maybe it a regional thing, but be sure its actually an 01.

I'm confused...The bearing has nothing to do with the strut mount problem. It's the rubber design inside the strut mount. Exactly what did you replace? My mistake, that is exactly what I replaced. Sooo.. Just for clarification, you're saying you DID replace the rubber bushings but that DiDN'T solve the problem? Just so I follow, Thanks!