scoobie

Check this out for the top 10 most stolen cars. http://www.lojack.com/top-10-most-stolen-car.html Thieves seem to target cars for which they can easily sell parts for. I think the RX is safe for now.

Let's see ...., I drive about 10,000 miles a year, it'll take me 30 years to get to 300,000 miles (60 years to get to 600,000 miles, which monarch claims is the typical lifetime of a Toyota engine), so if the sole purpose of using synthetic is prolonging engine life, then I don't think this is an issue for me.

Yep, the overview chart is a good piece of work, probably made by engineers rather than marketing types. (Sorry if this offends marketing types out there :chairshot: ).

What is the advantage of using synthetic oil ? Is it worth the extra $ for the average driver ? (No drag races, no off road, not a traveling salesman.)

Speaking of lousy oil filter placement, years ago I owned a Suburu Justy (now extinct), the oil filter is situated such that you have to remove some AC plumbing to get to it; even the quickie lube places refuse my business, I had to take it to the Suburu dealer every time to get an oil change. At the other end of the spectrum, my last vehicle was a Jeep Cherokee, the filter is easily accessed from the hood, and draining doesn't require raising the car because of the high clearance. Oil change was a 10 minute job. I haven't looked around the engine on my '05 RX330 yet, but from what some of you are saying learning to change the oil might be a new challenge.

So are you saying you went from an Audi to a Lexus because you think the Lexus brand is somehow safer than the Audi brand, or because you wanted an SUV vs another sports coupe and Audi doesn't sell an SUV. In my book, the Audi more than passed the safety test, the car crumpled, you didn't. Anyway, I'm glad you like your RX330.

Here's another take on it, let's say you drive an average of 14000 miles a year (so 7 years just about equal 100,000 miles). You'd use up the original warranty on the power train in 5 years (70,000 miles). Option 1: Instead of purchasing the extended warranty you put that $2150 into an investment that yields 8% (conservative, I think), then in 5 years you'll have about $3159. Option 2: If you buy the warranty, then at the end of 5 years you'll have the peace of mind that your car's major components are covered for the next 2 years (at this point you can average 15000 miles per year). So it seems what you're really buying is just 2 additonal years of coverage for $3159.

No wonder so many people are willing to shell out '50 large' for this thing. Any idea on the 0-60 mph or 1/4 mi times ?

RX400h, where did you find specs on the 400h, 650 ft-lbs sounds awfully high, if that number is accurate it would almost put the 400h into supercar status. Also, if wwest is right, you wouldn't be able to use all that available torque because Lexus doesn't think 'average' drivers can handle it.

wwest, I agree on AWD or 4WD vehicles tire rotation may not be essential, but what's the reason for not rotating on 2wd cars, how long do tires on your non-AWD vehicles last ?

Yes, indeed, how soon we forget :o , the clean box does answer Seaduck's original question. It may not be all that practical, but it certainly is aesthetic. However, reading between the lines of Seaduck's orginal post, I get the feeling that the Seaduck household probably generates refuse at a quantity and variety for which the clean box does not suffice, so the search continues ............ :P

Looks like it attaches to the space left and below of the shift knob, I see two potential issues : It may interfere with a fidgety driver's right leg , and You have to make holes in the vehicle (it attaches by screws, according to the diagram). Even without these issues I question if this item is money well spent, it is essentially a fancy holder for gas receipts and gum wrappers. It certainly doesn't look like it can hold anything larger.

If she doesn't like the Wal-mart bag, then try a Macy's bag :D . Sorry, just couldn't resist. And thanks for the naming a practical use for the front arm rest, it's a poor excuse for an actual arm rest, in my book. Getting back to your question, my personal view is that there is no classy way to handle large pieces of garbage, the Wal-mart bag solution is as good as any, but I'd put it on the floor in the back seat so it'll be out of the way (works only if the back seats are usually unoccupied). Or you can do what I do, I avoid eating or drinking in the car so the only refuse I get are small stuff like gas receipts and an occasional gum wrapper, I put them in the center console or door pocket till I get to my destination then I take it with me.

Well, after 1000 miles and about 5 weeks, here are my personal impressions of the RX 330, this is my first Lexus (first 'luxury' car, for that matter). I'm just going to ramble on as thoughts come to mind, first, the things I especially like: The engine is smooth as silk, I've never seen or heard an engine so quiet, I can't tell if it is running when idling. Pretty good gas mileage, I've filled up 3 times thus far, first tank I got about 18 mpg, 2nd tank about 20 mpg, and 3rd tank is looking to be even better. Interior is very comfortable, I don't know how it compares with other luxury brands but the RX 330 is one comfy ride, lots of leather (or leather-like material) surrounds the driver and passengers, I know some cars have leather only on the 'seating surfaces'. Finally, the retracting steering wheel when exiting the car is a really nice feature. ---------------- Now, a few things I don't like: First, as some others have noted here, the acceleration is dismal, especially from a dead stop; the advertised torque is 242 ft-lb @ around 3400 rpm, but the profile (torque as function of rpm) must be very peaky, 'cause from a dead stop, it feels like I'm driving a ship (I may have been spoiled by my previous vehicle, a Jeep Cherokee w/ 4.0L engine, which has great low-end torque). I find this car a bit difficult to back up because the view is somewhat obstructed, but the tilting outside mirrors help. The power rear door/hatch is too slow to get to open, I have to push the unlock button (on the key fob) twice, then push and hold the power door button in order to open the rear hatch, this process takes so long that a lot of times I find myself already standing next to the car before I've finished pushing the buttons, why can't they program the power door button to unlock the door as well (so you push once vs 3 times). The 'Homelinks' garage door opener doesn't seem compatible with the model I have (Genie screw drive), I don't know exactly what the problem is, I followed the directions (to the letter) on how to program the opener but still doesn't work. Lastly, I don't find the (driver) arm rest very useful, it is too small to serve any purpose and not particularly comfortable, it actually gets in the way when making a turn, I'd prefer to have the center console taller, which then could function as an arm rest as well. So, there you have it, overall grade I give the RX330 an 85/100. I bought a Lexus mainly for its reputation for reliability and resale value, as long as those characteristics hold up I'm content. Thanks for reading.