uthorns1976

I got the #3500 Lexus OEM hitch for $265+tax. It's sitting in my garage right now, haven't had time to install it. The OEM hitch in my opinion looks the nicest, some of the non-Lexus hitches have an ugly rectangular box/cage around the exhaust. ← speedy...Thanks for the info. I called the local Lexus dealer, parts dept. The guy I talked to said that the hitch for the 400h is the same as the one for the 330. The Lexus part number is PT22848045 and the cost is $332.72 plus tax. If you want the hitch installed, the total is $617.72 plus tax. If you got hitch PT22848045 for $265, you got a deal. Did you purchase yours at the dealer or online?? bainse...I'll check out the drawtite hitch as well. ← I got my PT22848045 at a dealer. Different dealers have different prices, it definitely pays to shop around. I was told a bunch of different prices: $265, $295, $410, $440 for the part. Labor varied from $230-$300. I plan to keep my hitch off most of the time (for fuel economy) and put it on only when I take a trip with my bicycles. ← speedyq...My brother wants to get the Lexus hitch. He asked about a wiring harness. Did you have to purchase some type of wiring harness along with the hitch??? Is a separate wiring harness required to hook up trailer lights?? Thanks. ← ← Very helpful. Thank you. I'll look into this further.

Patt, you made some excellent points about the dash. Hadn't thought about the glare factor if the dash was light color. Regarding the interior colors, the ivory and silver are both very light colors. So, there's not a heck of a lot of difference. With a black exterior, I think either ivory or silver is fine. Of course, with other exterior colors, you wouldn't have a choice. For example, silver wouldn't go with Savannah, would it??? Nope. Also, black interior is limited as well. What exterior color did you choose?? As I stated earlier, I think the Bamboo is a nice color. Personally, it was my second choice after black. It's different.

UPDATE: With all of my data up-loaded using my Cingular Razr V3, I now updated my Verizon service by adding a Motorola E815 Bluetooth phone. Here it is guys....Very easy to make the bluetooth connection--every time--with a couple of clicks. It has a good, strong signal, never drops a connection as works flawlessly. It is stupid that we have to work around Verizon to get our data loaded, but once in the Lexus system, that Verizon-based Moto E815 is absolutely the best!!! ← Did Verizon give you a deal on the E815?? My brother has Verizon and recently signed a new contract. He told me he called them about getting an E815 and was told that he'd have to pay full price for it...$350!!! To heck with that. Any suggestions?? ebay???

Dan...I can help you out somewhat since I have seen some of the colors in person. The black is as expected...black. That's what my brother bought. When my brother bought his black one, they had a bamboo one as well. It's a very pretty color but in certain lights, it has a slight green cast to it. That's why he passed on it. But, as I said, it is a very nice color. Personally, I don't care for the Savannah but that's just my opinion and no offense is meant. Hope this info. is helpful to you. Did you get to choose your interior color?? My brother's has the ivory interior. The dash is black and the carpet is a very light color that will show a lot of dirt. The silver interior is very light as well and the dash that comes with silver interior is also very dark. I almost wish that he would have gotten the black interior, which I have not seen, since I assume the black interior has black carpet, which would not show all the dirt and the interior would match the black dash. But, a black on black car in Texas, USA is too darn hot. Black exterior is bad enough.

I got the #3500 Lexus OEM hitch for $265+tax. It's sitting in my garage right now, haven't had time to install it. The OEM hitch in my opinion looks the nicest, some of the non-Lexus hitches have an ugly rectangular box/cage around the exhaust. ← speedy...Thanks for the info. I called the local Lexus dealer, parts dept. The guy I talked to said that the hitch for the 400h is the same as the one for the 330. The Lexus part number is PT22848045 and the cost is $332.72 plus tax. If you want the hitch installed, the total is $617.72 plus tax. If you got hitch PT22848045 for $265, you got a deal. Did you purchase yours at the dealer or online?? bainse...I'll check out the drawtite hitch as well. ← I got my PT22848045 at a dealer. Different dealers have different prices, it definitely pays to shop around. I was told a bunch of different prices: $265, $295, $410, $440 for the part. Labor varied from $230-$300. I plan to keep my hitch off most of the time (for fuel economy) and put it on only when I take a trip with my bicycles. ← speedyq...My brother wants to get the Lexus hitch. He asked about a wiring harness. Did you have to purchase some type of wiring harness along with the hitch??? Is a separate wiring harness required to hook up trailer lights?? Thanks.

Toyota Introducing Lexus Brand to Japan By YURI KAGEYAMA, AP Business Writer Tue Jul 26, 6:34 AM ET TOKYO - Bow-tied waiters held trays of mineral water and chic ambient music filled the air as Toyota unveiled the three models Tuesday that will mark the introduction of the Lexus luxury brand in Japan, 16 years after it was rolled out in the United States. For a combination of cultural and business reasons, Japan's No. 1 carmaker has until now avoided using the Lexus brand in its homeland, choosing instead to sell many of the same models under its trusted Toyota name. For years, conformist Japan has lived under the ideal that everyone is middle class, and most people tended to shun flashy or luxury cars that stand out. But Toyota officials say Japan is changing, and a growing upper class is willing to spend — though how the new brand will fare in this notoriously finicky consumer market is uncertain. Toyota Motor Corp. says it's trying to sell more than a car. It wants to give customers "an experience," and set up luxurious-looking dealerships, complete with leather furniture and hotel-quality service, especially for the Lexus. The showrooms open Aug. 30. "This is the realization of our dream to create a global luxury brand," Toyota President Katsuaki Watanabe told reporters at a giant tent pitched in a Tokyo park, similar to tents for fashion shows and other gala events here. "This is something we have wanted for many years." The Lexus models sold in Japan, which were known here as the Toyota Aristo, Soarer and Altezza, are slightly different from — and cheaper than — the sedan models shown Tuesday, the GS430/GS350, SC430 and IS350/250, priced as much as $61,000. Toyota is counting on the success Lexus scored since its debut in 1989 in the United States, including excellent J.D. Power and Associates rankings, to woo rich Japanese, who now buy imports such as BMW and Mercedes Benz. Toyota, based in Toyota city, in central Japan, has set up a special training center to groom classy, courteous dealers to sell the Lexus brand in Japan. That's proved a challenge because Japanese dealers are already superior to what people are used to in the United States and other nations. Watanabe said Toyota is targeting 3,000 vehicles a month sales for the three models combined, and other Lexus models will start selling in coming years, including a hybrid GS next year. Toyota sold 7,900 of the planned Lexus three models combined last year in Japan as Toyotas. This year, Toyota expects to sell 84,000 vehicles of the three new Lexus models around the world, 20,000 of them in Japan, Watanabe said. Next year, that the company hopes that will climb to 500,000 worldwide for all Lexus models — 50,000 to 60,000 in Japan, he said. Toyota sold more than 358,000 Lexus vehicles around the world last year, about 80 percent of them in North America. Since 1989, Lexus global sales have totaled more than 2.7 million.

LOL yes, yes i do know that cars are a bad investment...The only reason why i buy all these cars is because i want them. If we didn't have the money then i wouldn't buy them, but fortunately we do have the money so i buy nice things for me and my family. It wasn't until after i started working for a few years (like 10) before i was able to buy nice cars etc. My wife and i have worked hard for our money, and we are very thankful for what we have today, including our family (that's what really matters to me). It wasn't until our youngest was born in 1990 when we were we able to afford the things we can today. My wife and i weren't exactly living richly when our first son was born when we were both in college, both still kids ourselves. It has taken us a long time to work our way up to where we are today, and we will spend our money as we see fit. ← LexKid630, I'm with you when it comes to buying the things that you want. It's your money to do what you want with. It really is no one elses business how you spend your money. to as many cars as you see fit. B) ← You go LexKid!!!! You can't take it with you...nobody ever has. May as well spend it while you're here. Enjoy. Wonder if you can take the tax deduction for purchasing the hybrid?????

"No fix for it." Needless to say, that's bogus. It worked fine when you bought the vehicle for $50,000, didn't it?? So, tell them to make it work like it did when it was new. I had a similar problem with a non-Lexus vehicle. The front passenger side door had sort of a "hitch" in it when opening the door. Took it to the dealer. They fooled with it and charged me. Wasn't fixed. One day, I was having the oil changed by a local independent mechanic. I asked him to look at the door. He looked at it and quickly discovered that a piece of trim molding had moved out of place. He tapped it back into place with a trim hammer. Problem solved in 1 minute...no charge. Perhaps your problem is something simple like my problem was. I hope this helps.

LOL I have to try that!! I'm getting rid of it because the only difference from it and the Rx330 is that the 400h doesn't have a wood steering wheel, the tan interior in the 400h has a black upper dash. ..bottom line; it's not worth the money at all!!! I don't feel luxurious in the 400h. I'd rather keep my 2004 rx330 with 52,000 miles. I waited over a year for THIS?? Jeez im trading it in tomorrow for a brand new 05 GS430. In my opinion, the rx400h is just a status symbol..like.."oh, oh i have a lexus hybrid!! I'm the future!!!!" If that's the future then i'm sorry. So what about the extra "power" that 400h gets over the 330. You can't "hear" the power, all you hear is an electric motor squeeling. It's not the kind of thing for me. ← LexKid...This is absolutely none of my business but is the dealer going to "give you your money back" for the 400h??? I'm sure they are not. I'm curious how bad they are going to "ding" you?? Feel free to say "nunya" if you are so inclined.

I believe this has been discussed here previously. It is my understanding from my dealer that the 400h wheels are specific to the 400h and should not be changed. But, whether that's set in stone, I can't say for sure. By the way, did you buy your 400h from the "S" dealership or the "PP" dealership?? Just curious. Our 400h came from "S" dealership. ← ← Seems to me that having the factory wheels "chromed" might be okay but I'm no expert. Chroming probably would add weight to the wheels. That might be a problem. But, as I said, I'm no expert. I know this is off the subject but did "PP" discount the vehicle you are purchasing?? "S" gave us $1,000 off sticker and over value for trade-in. "S" had exact vehicle we were looking for on their lot. Black/Ivory, all options. Closed the deal in a total of 2 days. Nice ride. I think I inquired with "PP" but got no response.

Concur. I use the Jabra earpiece. Takes apx 30 seconds to link with my cell phone (of course, must have a bluetooth cell.) Extremely lightweight and comfortable, AND I can use my voice dial features/auto-answer via set up on my phone. Apx $125 (but got mine for $30 as my hubby was an AT&T Dayton, NJ corp manager at the time of purchase.) ← This is interesting to me and I'll tell you why (and pardon my ignorance but I don't own a cell phone.) My brother recently purchased a 400h. It has the in-car system, yadda, yadda, yadda. His provider is Verizon and he signed a new contract recently. His cell phone is mortally wounded and he needs a new one. From what I have read in the Hybrid forum, the E815 is the way to go but Verizon disables some bluetooth functions (I think). So, you can't xfer your phonebook to the Lexus But, I saw a post that said the E815 works great with the Lexus in-car system (even though you can't xfer your phonebook from the E815 to the Lexus.) Irrespective of that, are you (two) saying that in your opinion the best setup is the E815 and a bluetooth headset and forget about using the Lexus system?? No chairshots, please. ;)

I believe this has been discussed here previously. It is my understanding from my dealer that the 400h wheels are specific to the 400h and should not be changed. But, whether that's set in stone, I can't say for sure. By the way, did you buy your 400h from the "S" dealership or the "PP" dealership?? Just curious. Our 400h came from "S" dealership.

UPDATE: With all of my data up-loaded using my Cingular Razr V3, I now updated my Verizon service by adding a Motorola E815 Bluetooth phone. Here it is guys....Very easy to make the bluetooth connection--every time--with a couple of clicks. It has a good, strong signal, never drops a connection as works flawlessly. It is stupid that we have to work around Verizon to get our data loaded, but once in the Lexus system, that Verizon-based Moto E815 is absolutely the best!!! ← jyinger...Were you able to transfer your phonebook entries from the Moto E815 to the Lexus or did you have to enter them manually??? ← Pardon my ignorance but how can the Verizon-based Moto E815 make a bluetooth connection in the Lexus?? Doesn't Verizon in their infinite wisdom disable bluetooth in the E815?? :unsure:

According to what I have read elsewhere, this is a concept car or some such thing and will not actually be produced. Too bad!!!

jerryray...Way to go man!! You got what you wanted. Good for you. I'm curious, did they "discount" the new vehicle more than the other dealership or did you get a better trade-in, assuming you had a trade-in?? Enjoy... ← ← Hey, $500 is $500!!! Enjoy your new ride. My brother really likes his, especially since his fuels costs are 1/2 what they were when he had his previous GM SUV. Does NY require a front license plate?? If so, you gonna' let them drill two holes in your front bumper cover to mount the bracket?? In TX, a front plate is required but the dealer didn't drill my brother's bumper and he's really happy about that. He wants to keep it pristine!!

jerryray...Way to go man!! You got what you wanted. Good for you. I'm curious, did they "discount" the new vehicle more than the other dealership or did you get a better trade-in, assuming you had a trade-in?? Enjoy...

UPDATE: With all of my data up-loaded using my Cingular Razr V3, I now updated my Verizon service by adding a Motorola E815 Bluetooth phone. Here it is guys....Very easy to make the bluetooth connection--every time--with a couple of clicks. It has a good, strong signal, never drops a connection as works flawlessly. It is stupid that we have to work around Verizon to get our data loaded, but once in the Lexus system, that Verizon-based Moto E815 is absolutely the best!!! ← jyinger...Were you able to transfer your phonebook entries from the Moto E815 to the Lexus or did you have to enter them manually???

The Highlander is an interesting vehicle, especially with the hybrid system. However, from what I have seen, Toyota is dumping the old body style in favor of a new, sleek body style. I have seen pictures. It looks sort of like a Nissan Murano. Not sure when this new body style will debut. More than one person has mentioned the Honda Pilot. I checked it out. No side-curtain air bags, etc. In my opinion, side-curtain air bags are a must on any new vehicle. Thanks. All suggestions appreciated. ← At the risk of some chair shots, what about the Hummer H3??? I have seen the vehicle and it's pretty slick. I have not driven it. Of course, the 5-cylinder engine's gotta' be anemic but there will probably be aftermarket turbos or superchargers to remedy that situation. Not sure if GM would honor your warranty though.

The Highlander is an interesting vehicle, especially with the hybrid system. However, from what I have seen, Toyota is dumping the old body style in favor of a new, sleek body style. I have seen pictures. It looks sort of like a Nissan Murano. Not sure when this new body style will debut. More than one person has mentioned the Honda Pilot. I checked it out. No side-curtain air bags, etc. In my opinion, side-curtain air bags are a must on any new vehicle. Thanks. All suggestions appreciated.

December...that stinks!! Perhaps another dealer in your area has a vehicle with RSES? Have you tried using edmunds.com or similar website to find a vehicle with RSES??

If I were you, I wouldn't take the car. You want the RSES, you're paying $50+K for the vehicle, get what you want. Don't settle. If you settle, you'll have buyer's remorse. You don't want that. Is there a particular reason you want the RSES?? To keep kids entertained??

My dealer offered me (still does) a dual screen system that mounts in the headrests. It can play two different DVDs at the same time. The agent who did my papers said that it would tie into the onboard systems, that it was not a stand-alone system (like you would get at CostCo or Best Buy). But I didn't press her on the details... and I don't think she would know anyway. The cost was $2500 as opposed to the $1800 markup on the factory unit (assuming you can find a 400h in your color with the RES installed) Another thing to consider is that the factory unit mounts in the way of the rearview mirror which reduces your visiblitiy out the back when the screen is down. If the dual screen can be integrated with the car the same way (or better) than the factory unit is, then I would opt for the better visiblity and individual DVD choices that the aftermark offers. Plus you don't have hinge your 400h purchase on the RES. ← I agree with skyfish. I would opt for the headrest system if it's integrated with the onboard systems and the price is right. Personally, I would not pay $2500 for it. No bashing intended but I think there's no way the Lexus RSES is worth $1,840. Like skyfish said, when the screen is down, it blocks your view to the rear. Also, the screen seems small to me. And it costs $1840!! The headrest montors don't block your view and the 2 rear seat passengers each have their own monitor. (If there's a third rear seat passenger, he or she would of course have to share.)

I got the #3500 Lexus OEM hitch for $265+tax. It's sitting in my garage right now, haven't had time to install it. The OEM hitch in my opinion looks the nicest, some of the non-Lexus hitches have an ugly rectangular box/cage around the exhaust. ← speedy...Thanks for the info. I called the local Lexus dealer, parts dept. The guy I talked to said that the hitch for the 400h is the same as the one for the 330. The Lexus part number is PT22848045 and the cost is $332.72 plus tax. If you want the hitch installed, the total is $617.72 plus tax. If you got hitch PT22848045 for $265, you got a deal. Did you purchase yours at the dealer or online?? bainse...I'll check out the drawtite hitch as well. ← I got my PT22848045 at a dealer. Different dealers have different prices, it definitely pays to shop around. I was told a bunch of different prices: $265, $295, $410, $440 for the part. Labor varied from $230-$300. I plan to keep my hitch off most of the time (for fuel economy) and put it on only when I take a trip with my bicycles. ← I checked out lexus-parts.com, which is Sewell Lexus. Their price for PT228-48045 is $265 plus tax and shipping. According to what I saw online, the draw-tite part number is 75153. Prices vary...$131.40, $144.95, and $164.50. Is the Lexus OEM hitch merely a Draw-Tite hitch in disguise at an inflated price??

I got the #3500 Lexus OEM hitch for $265+tax. It's sitting in my garage right now, haven't had time to install it. The OEM hitch in my opinion looks the nicest, some of the non-Lexus hitches have an ugly rectangular box/cage around the exhaust. ← speedy...Thanks for the info. I called the local Lexus dealer, parts dept. The guy I talked to said that the hitch for the 400h is the same as the one for the 330. The Lexus part number is PT22848045 and the cost is $332.72 plus tax. If you want the hitch installed, the total is $617.72 plus tax. If you got hitch PT22848045 for $265, you got a deal. Did you purchase yours at the dealer or online?? bainse...I'll check out the drawtite hitch as well.

Thanks for the suggestions. Based on J.D. Power rankings, I was under the impression that Jeep vehicles, e.g. Grand Cherokee, were unreliable. Obviously, that has not been your experience in the past. Funny you should mention the Pacifica. When my brother was in the market for a new vehicle, he said something about the Pacifica. I told him, "Dude, that's a freaking minivan." So, he lost interest in the vehicle. I haven't seen the inside of a Pacifica so I don't know what it's like.