Dave_02RX300

Sold the 03 for 22k$ with 66k mi? That sounds like a good deal for the buyer (on paper), except you (the seller) said it was a lemon. I wonder why this one had so many problems?

I'm not sure if it's a clunk or something else in the car settling... but there is some kind of sound it makes that I still cannot identify when shifting out of park to reverse... It's under investigation... I don't know what it is yet but I will keep listening... there's something funny going on there.... 02 RX300.

My CPO RX300 came with Big-O tires, which have to be the most "off" brand there is, considering I'd never heard of them before. And they are mounted with the white-lettering on the inside.

I like hearing the RX400 stories in this Forum along with the 330 and 300's. The RX400 trials and tribulations, and the successes, are part of the spirit of the RX line, I think. My 2 cents.

I have one of the greatest "funny sound" & wife story, but it's not for the RX300, it was the Civic, so I dare not post it here... -D

Congrats - I have not seen ANY RX400H's on the road (behind me, side, or in front of me). If/when I do see one, am I supposed to get out of the way? Or salute? Or just smile and think about getting one years, many many years from now?

I was coached by a friend who sold his car via AutoTrader. I created a document with extra pictures and a list of stuff wrong with the car, and a list of stuff right with the car. That way I could email it to anyone who asked or hand it out if someone came to look at the car. I made sure to tell the buyer what I thought was wrong with the car. i.e.: hear that noise? That's the front brakes, or possibly the bearings, or both. I went to some legal website and printed out a "bill of sale" appropriate to vehicles, and made sure it said: 1) car is sold AS IS 2) buyer's job to do Smog test. 3) vin number. 4) blank areas for buyer's address, name etc. and selling price. I tried to find this type of document in Quicken/Lawyer 2002, but couldn't find it. When I sold the car, all we had to do was fill out and sign "bill of sale", and fill out the Title. Then I scanned both documents on my PC's scanner and printed out extra copies. And I mailed the Title to the DMV. And take that wad of cash to the bank (some of you may be tempted to take it to a Texas Hold-em game, or a strip club... advice: don't) My backup plan on the cash, if presented with a Cashier's check, was to have all parties drive it over to the bank, deposit it and make sure it cleared, and then use one of the tables at the bank to complete the paper work. No way was I going to be holding a check. That was it.

I guess it's where you're coming from. I find my RX300 a rocket-sled. But then again, I drove my 1994 Honda Civic manual 5spd 4-banger for 11 years. And at this point, with the great stereo, I'm actually sad to get to my destination, because the car is so nice to ride in.

www.autotrader.com I sold my old car in less than 24 hours using autotrader, and I got cash - a bunch of 100-dollar bills. It really works. Also, using Autotrader.com, you can see what other people in your zip code are selling their cars for, and you can price accordingly. My 2 cents. Sorry to hear you had so much trouble with your RX300.

We had a thread going on this, I think: http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...19810&hl=theory Anyway, you won't walk out with an RX330 for equal or less than a CPO 02 RX300. No way, not in SoCal anyway. Like I mentioned in previous posts, the dealers seemed to have the same list prices from location to location, but out the door depended on what they had to do to the car, and more importantly, the condition. Also, there is about a 3-5k jump in price when you go from 01 to 02. Real world, I would expect if the list price is 32,900 you could get it for 29,500 before taxes (almost 8% here) for an 02. For a 27,900 01, I got the dealer down to 24,990 (25k) before taxes and registration stuff. But that was an 01 with 52k miles (White/Ivory). I turned this down figuring I could get 23500, and the car was sold to someone else the next day.... that's the market for you. But the sticker price is the dealer starting point. If it says 32,900, tell him 23,900, and if he doesn't blink but says we'll see what we can do (and goes back to see the "manager") then you know you are dealing with a cool dude... If he freaks out... then he's not interested in selling cars. It's like poker, man. My guy didn't blink once... he was made of ice and probably some kind of cyborg. After two trips to the "back" you will get a printout with their final price, and sure, it will be 1500$ more that what you really thought you could pay, but that's the Lexus factor. I love driving this car.... Cranking the "Green Day" tunes, moonroof open, I get to work and back with low blood pressure now, and a great attitude on life. It was worth it. -Dave

I think the leased cars are fine. They seemed the same or in better condition as the "used" cars. They are all certified. The leased cars probably had stricter maintenance schedules. The dealer I worked with... most of the lease returns were for upgrading to RX330. So the people who leased them were more likely fans of Lexus RX300/330, and probably more likely to take care of the car (as I would expect the members of this forum). That's my theory.

I don't think Saturn can sell a Certified Pre-Owned, just a "used" car. The warranty comes from the factory to the Lexus dealer... Look at: http://www.lexus.com/cpo/

I don't show it in my profile, but yes, I am in San Diego too. No basement like we had in Chicago, and it's a "2-car" garage. Meaning it's a 1.5 car garage. The Oddysey get's first dibs, and the 0.5 side gets my 8 bicycles, including two Litespeeds.

If you can get a 2003 like that with Nav. for 30k$ take it... The ones's with Nav seemed to run about 1k$ higher than without. When I was negociating my 2002, my first bid was 21,900, and the guy didn't even bat an eye - this guy was like a prof. poker player on TV. He went to the back, came back with 1k$ lower than the list, so I said 23k$, and he went back to the office, and came back with his bottom line price printed out with the VIN and all the stuff, plus tax and registration. And that was his price. It depends on what they had to do to the car... It seemed like all the cars had the same list price, but they would not go too low on cars they spent a lot on to shape up. Needless to say, I did not get the car for much below 30k$, so your 30k$ price for an '03 vs. my '02 sounds good to me.

Who's got room in the garage!? Mine has to sit on the driveway.

Do you guys have any pictures or screen shots of the display that shows the engine and electric motor output... any cool graphics or anything on your console display? I don't have a brochure... Or maybe there is a web link to that?

Yeah, I miss him too. I wish I could get a jersey at Sportmart or a highlights DVD or something. Most of all, he was one of the few softspoken guys in his field. Thanks for the comments on the picture. -Dave

Mileage wise.... one thing I forgot to mention - the will not, and CANNOT, certify a Lexus that has over 60k mi. So that's where the mileage comes into play. Maybe you get one with 20-30k mi, and sell it back in a few years with less than 60k mi and they can certify it again (and you may get a better selling price to the dealer). I don't plan on keeping my 02 for ever. Let's see how the 400H runs in its second, third or forth year. Perhaps I will end up buying someone's Certified 400H come 2008.

Looks like a good deal to me for a 2003. Something like that in SoCal. would list more like 34900 or more... Sunshine tax. Of course you should be able to talk them down a few thous.

Well, I just got my Lexus Certified Pre-Owned 2002 RX300 with 39k miles last Friday night, after about a month of searching (because I am picky). The warranty was the number one thing driving me to get a LCPO car. That, and the near perfect condition of these vehicles. They are basically like new cars, except the odometer. Basically, the leases come up, and the cars get returned or traded in to a dealer or a central depot. The local dealers bid in the ones they want. Not all used cars can get certified. They can't have been smashed and crashed or used as submarines etc. Cars used as a U-Haul for the local dog show - not certifiable. So only the best of the best can get certified. The dealer does not want to get you a factory warranty on something that will shortly break. The dealer preps the car. They buy the factory warranty (and pass the cost on to you). They detail it. They change all fluids whether needed or not. If the tires are 50% worn, you get new tires. Mine are brand new (although a goofy off brand which I will replace with Goodyear or Michilin). If the brakes are 55% worn or more worn than that, they replace the brakes. When I closed on the car, they provided me with a computer printout of ALL the stuff they did, for my maintenance records. For my vehicle, other than the detailing (cleaning and polishing stem to stern) they only had to do the tires and fluids and filters. The non-tire stuff was 150$ cost in parts to them and 500$ labor. They use these numbers in figuring out how much they can gouge, I mean charge, you in the bottom line sale price. The dealers in my area all had about the same list prices and out the door prices but each car was prepped in a different condition. One dealer clearly had the worst conditioned cars, and one clearly had the best. I made a deal for the best. The warranty is 3 years or 100k mi whatever comes first, and as I drive this thing only about 5-7k mi a year, it's a 3 year warranty for me. Factory bumper to bumper. If the trunk lift piston fails, it's covered. If the dash light fail, covered. etc. Tires, belts, regular maintenance, and other wear and tear items are not covered. I thought it was a great deal.

Since I'm new, I was searching around for the right place to be. I think I answered my own question by going to http://www.lexusforum.com/ and finding no posts, zero, ziltch, in the RX area. http://www.lexusforum.com/forumid_13/tt.htm -Dave p.s.: I think http://www.lexuslovers.com is even smaller...

Yeah, my 1991 Camry Wagon had that. Makes ya wonder why the Lexus doesn't.

You mentioned above there was a recall on the Canadien RX330. I was wondering if there is a "Recall" forum on this site that simply lists all recalls applicable to the RX300/RX330/RX400H, with URL links to the Lexus or goverment recall site. Just wondering, -Dave

I think it's bright enough when turned up during the day, but then too bright at night. It needs a sensor, or maybe there is an auto-light-sensor for it - so like dashboard lights on my other car, it needs to brighten up during the day with the headlights off, and go to a dim setting at night with the headlights on. The Saab93 has all this programmable, but I am not sure about the RX300.

Thanks for moving this to the detailing forum- I only noticed this forum after I had posted to the other forum. Overall, the car is extremely clean - the dealer's detailer did a fine job, and the car was in excellent condition to begin with. I think I will take a q-tip of cleaner around the nooks and crannies of the steering wheel to get out some of the crumbs. Otherwise, there's not a spot of dirt on the car. Just way way way too much Armor All on the seats and dashboard. -Dave