lexuschuck

RX, sounds like you should be a member of the Hummer Forum. Maybe a round of basketball would better suit me. I don't believe I'll be boxing with anyone. Being a saxophonist and pianist, it would be kind of difficult to play with no teeth and a broken neck.

Or you could race your RX's against each other (1/4 mile, Autocross, etc.). Infact, you ought to sign up to be on the show pinks...they'd love to have you guys on. http://www.pinks.tv/

Well, I made the deal on a used 2002 RX300 about 150 mi. from my home that I pick up tomorrow. The dealer in Binghamton NY assures me the RX runs great and is in great condition. pictures online confirm it is in great shape inside and out. Under the hood is, of course, what worries me. Fortunately, this dealer is GREAT and says I can have the car all day to test around town and/or take to a local Lexus shop or mechanic of my choice. He wouldn't even LET me buy it without checking it out for a while. He will let me out of the deal if I'm not 100% satisfired it's a great vehicle.

The RX300 is a gold 2WD with almost all the fixings! No NAV system, but that's about it. 54,000 mi. ; Complete dealer service records from previous owner. I went 2WD for price, lack of many reported problems in the FWD tranny vs. AWD AND because I don't really believe AWD helps much on slippery roads. I'm a snow tire believer with FWD being just fine for on-road driving, which is all this one will see. Also, I got the all-leather (no wood) steering wheel, which I know isn't an "upgrade" but I much prefer it. The wood is ICE COLD in the winter as I found out during other test drives. I didn't see ANY AWD with leather only steering wheels.

Anything SPECIFIC you'd make sure to check out given a day to test this vehicle? Anything to tell the mechanic I take it to to check out other than general stuff? The dealer tells me the tires are 50% gone - will that cause the ride to be much different than I should expect with newer tires? (He's throwing in 4 new snow tires on rims for me rather than waste the remaining tread with new all-weather ones.)

I guess I'm just trying to make sure I check things out as best I can. lots of knowledge and experience with RX300s on this board so I figured I'd ask.

I'm very excited to have this RX300! I'm trading in my wife's Chevy Cavalier, so you can just GUESS HOW excited my wife is!

Thanks.

I would still have the tranny checked/see when it was last serviced. It is my understanding (as you stated) that the 2wd versions do not have as many transmission problems, but I would want to make sure I was not walking into a potentially expensive repair. I would have a Lexus Dealer check t for you.

Well, I made the deal on a used 2002 RX300 about 150 mi. from my home that I pick up tomorrow. The dealer in Binghamton NY assures me the RX runs great and is in great condition. pictures online confirm it is in great shape inside and out. Under the hood is, of course, what worries me. Fortunately, this dealer is GREAT and says I can have the car all day to test around town and/or take to a local Lexus shop or mechanic of my choice. He wouldn't even LET me buy it without checking it out for a while. He will let me out of the deal if I'm not 100% satisfired it's a great vehicle.

The RX300 is a gold 2WD with almost all the fixings! No NAV system, but that's about it. 54,000 mi. ; Complete dealer service records from previous owner. I went 2WD for price, lack of many reported problems in the FWD tranny vs. AWD AND because I don't really believe AWD helps much on slippery roads. I'm a snow tire believer with FWD being just fine for on-road driving, which is all this one will see. Also, I got the all-leather (no wood) steering wheel, which I know isn't an "upgrade" but I much prefer it. The wood is ICE COLD in the winter as I found out during other test drives. I didn't see ANY AWD with leather only steering wheels.

Anything SPECIFIC you'd make sure to check out given a day to test this vehicle? Anything to tell the mechanic I take it to to check out other than general stuff? The dealer tells me the tires are 50% gone - will that cause the ride to be much different than I should expect with newer tires? (He's throwing in 4 new snow tires on rims for me rather than waste the remaining tread with new all-weather ones.)

I guess I'm just trying to make sure I check things out as best I can. lots of knowledge and experience with RX300s on this board so I figured I'd ask.

I'm very excited to have this RX300! I'm trading in my wife's Chevy Cavalier, so you can just GUESS HOW excited my wife is!

Thanks.

I would still have the tranny checked/see when it was last serviced. It is my understanding (as you stated) that the 2wd versions do not have as many transmission problems, but I would want to make sure I was not walking into a potentially expensive repair. I would have a Lexus Dealer completely check it over for you.

i've gone over 110 in the rx300 before, is this cut-off only for a few rx300's?

Hes talking about the rx330, not the rx300. Kinda cool that its limited, i had no idea. The fastest ive every gone on my car is 90mph. lol, the engine noise scares me seems like its trying too hard, haha. wouldnt want to hurt my baby

Oops :whistles:

I never noiced this in the 330 though, maybe i just never needed to get that high

TTE is the only way, but really is expensive. I really tried, and no way to do it besides TTE.

I am not so sure I would trust the accuracy of my speedo much after 65 mph. That is not to say that you are not going close to the speed it states but....I am still trying to figure out why you want to go that fast in such a heavy vehicle that has never been noted for being agile. However, to each their own. Personally, I save the speeding for my Mustang 5.0.

Has anyone had a problem with a low frequency vibration when sitting idle at a stop? It goes away when I shift to neutral or park. As soon as I put it in gear, the idle drops down slightly and the low frequency vibration resumes. It seems to be coming from the rear of the vehicle. Any opinions as to what might be causing this annoyance?

O.K. I might get in some trouble here but here are my thoughts....I have a 2001 RX300. I have felt the vibration and noticed it on all of the RX300's I test drove. However, I also noticed it goes away when the engine gets to operating temperature (normal in my mind). If the air conditioner is on I can notice it a little more. However, no matter how you slice it, this is an SUV not a car. I have never been in an SUV without some vibration or engine noise. Thus although some may find this unacceptable for a $40,000 vehichle, it is what it is (an SUV/truck) and deserves to be reviewed as such with the same expcetations. Maybe mine is not as bad as others but to me this is acceptable.

The one thing this forum has taught me is that people expect their Lexus to do the following: Never break no matter how hard they drive them and/or how little they maintain them, make zero noise from the engine or rattles (impossible), and blame Lexus for making a high priced inferior product if anything like this occurrs (unfare). Now I agree the transmisson issue is a concern but the one thing I would like to know on the transmission end of things is of all of the people aho have had this trouble, how many have had this issue on a vehichle they have owned since day one? How many failures from people who have bought their 300 used and have no idea how it was driven by the prevous owner?

Sure services are pricey at times. However you spend $$ @ the dealer and they will take care of small problems when you're out of warranty. Do medical doctors cut you a deal when you're sick?

I think the underlying message hinted at is: If you go to the dealer for all service and then something goes wrong out of warranty, you may have a leg to stand on where as if someone else has been servicing your vehichle and for example your transmission breaks.... Lexus may say tough luck since they do not know how it was serviced and with what. Thus the old pay me now or pay me later analogy.

Oh by the way if you read the threads, you will have less pain and heartache if it is a two wheel drive vehicle. The AWD has an inheret weak point in the tranny. It can cost big bucks, $$$4300 or more.

Yes, check the TRANS...cannot say that enough. Just to clarify..I bought it at a dealership called Lujack Lexus. Also, My rule of thumb is not to pay more for a car than what the car would be worth if I were to buy it from a private party. Lenore is right though, once you decide in your mind what you are will to pay, sit tight...and let them come to you.

Hi, guys

Thanks for your input. it is from one of largest lexus dealers in MA and they have already sent me the copy of carfax, it shows clean history with two owners and dealer also willing to give me the whole repair and check history of this vehicle.

also, with certified, the warranty is lexus backed 3yr/100k b to b and powertrain (but not include wear to team items).

one good feature of this dealer except the regular CPO benefits is I get free oil change every 5k miles, I double checked this with the salesperson.

as to APR and terms, they said ave apr is 6.99% depends on my FICO score and change terms to 54months from 60 after I negociated the price down.

Bottomline, i feel my offer (22500) is really close to their bottomline, otherwise they won't call me everyother day and also offer me some of features like floor mats.

Question is: should I negotiate the base price again or should I focus on adding some options like: cargo nets,cargo box etc?

Again, I really appreciate your input and will keep you posted my negotiation process.

First off...I concur with Lexus411. A detailed car does not mean it is necessarily clean. As I stated, check the trans and yes, do a carfax (which the dealer did). Has all service been done at a Lexus dealership? Make sure you have all maintenance records/they are provided. If it was maintained at a Lexus dealership, this is easy for them to produce.

The financing sounds different than what they told me but it has been a while since I bought mine. However, in November they told me I would get NEW car rates which were 4.99% for up to 60 months. My thoughts are this, if it is CPO they are going to make sure to the best of there ability that it is not a lemon, been wrecked, etc. If you feel comfortable with that price then get it. However, look at what the trade in price is too. For Iowa the trade in price is around $19,000. Thus they are still making money. As I said earlier, I got mine with about 10,000 less miles for $22,988 (Lujack Lexus) so they are not out of wiggle room in my mind...and by the way, that was advertised price, I did not have to spend 6 hours there haggling.

Chuck

Joe:

Go to the following site. This fully explains what the CPO Warranty gives you. This is what I recieved: http://www.lexus.com/cpo/what_is_cpo.html

It almost sound like a third party warranty and not the Lexus CPO. If it is the Lexus CPO, they do not have wiggle room so to speak (at least in my mind) on the term/months.

The CPO Warranty to me was worth it because I got a loaner anytime I was in for service (so they say) roadside assistance, etc. Plus, I am not personally wealthy enough to spend $20,000's on a vehichle and roll the dice on repairs. I think if you buy it right you are not really paying that much more and you get a new car warranty (which is about what the CPO is). Plus, the vehichle is fully detailed and in my case almost looked new (some flaws but nothing huge).

Joe:

Here are my thoughts...I bought a 2001 gold RX300 with all options except the Navigation for 22,988.It had 38,850 miles. It is/was certified (3 years, 100,000 total vehicle miles) and the first oil change is free. It has newer tires (within 5,000 miles) and overall is in good shape.

I would check the trans fluid to make sure it is pink (these seem to have week transmission)s and do a once over twice in general. If it all checks out you are probably in the ballpark price wise. However, as you can see I got mine for about the same amount with less miles.

Chuck

I just recently purchased a RX300, I think I got a good deal on it but Im not 100% sure. It gots, AWD, VHC, HID Lights, No Nav, Spoiler, 52000 miles and extra 3 year/36000 mile warrenty for $24000 (not including licenseing or tx ). Bad Deal or Steal ????

←

I got my 2001 (CPO) for $22,900. It is gold, fully loaded and 38,750 miles. Some minor flaws but looks and runs great. Bought it at Lujack Lexus in Davenport, IA.

Hi there, I'm about to purchase a 2000 RX300. The price was $21000 and 38000 ml on the car. Is it a good deal?  Can someone help to look up the Carfax please? Here the vin number - JT6HF10U1Y0163236.  Greatly appreciate for your help!

-Wil

←

I got my 2001 RX300 (CPO) with 38,750 miles for $23,900. Some minor blemishes here and there but overall a nice car. Runs great.