SW03ES

Have you looked at the tires? It could be a lot of things, ball joints, worn bushings, etc. The thing its least likely to be is struts. Is it looseness over bumps?

The EL 42s are crappy tires, but the MXV4s would help smooth things out.

The results aren't as good if you don't have a machine to polish out the lights. They may have even wetsanded his lights. There are MANY polishes out there for this.

The daytime running lights are not LEDs, they are the high beam bulbs at low power.

Oh I know, I've seen the study data on the subject there is no question that they work.

That looks great! Clear headlights make sucha huge difference.

I stopped by Carmax the other day to see an 04 LS430 they had I saw online. I looked around the car and when I got to the rear end I noticed that there were paint lines around all the emblems on the trunklid, obviously the trunk had been repainted and the bodyshop couldn't even be bothered to remove and re-install the emblems, they just taped them off. Carmax guys were clueless, "Oh it hasn't been repainted sir, this car passed our inspection and its never been in an accident" Right... I'm not a serious buyer so I didn't push it, but Carmax aint all its cracked up to be...

They sell every one of them they can stock. The normal Highlander is more than $40k for a loaded Limited. Bear in mind the Land Cruiser is over $70,000 now. Vehicle to vehicle, I like the Highlander more than the RX. It just speaks more to what *I* am looking for in a vehicle such as that, its larger, seats more people, and looks more like an SUV. As for resale, I dunno. I agree resale is better on a Lexus than a Toyota, but I think the fact that its a Hybrid probably negates that somewhat. It'll be interesting to see the new RX. Its going to be larger and more expensive than the current one, no doubt.

I stopped trying to read them years ago.

Almost all cars have them now, and all of them will soon. Been the law in Canada for years. Its not to illuminate your path, its to make your car more visible to oncoming drivers.

I just don't like the way they look from the outside.

No, mine's a 03. My point was that the older models did have an OFF switch, and even then I leave it in AUTO because its a pain to have to remember to use the lights. My point was you get used to them.

Yeah hers is AWD, I think the MSRP was $50,500 and she paid $47k or so. I expect the new RX will get significantly pricier...

Really...it just doesn't make sense. The reason the used ones are so expensive BTW is the gas prices... Look up Geo Metros on eBay.

It gets much better mileage than the normal Highlander, a-okay in my book. If you want really good mileage, get a Prius. I would trade our Prius on a Highlander HYbrid or an RXh in an INSTANT. I loathe driving it. The little woman won't allow that though, and it doesn't make sense for me to drive an SUV every day with all the miles I drive. I wish they made an ES400h...

You're going to drive yourself crazy trying to justify the purchase, because it cannot be justified. A Lexus, or any luxury car, is a luxury purchase. It is not a practical purchase, you don't NEED it, you WANT it. If you've worked hard and its within your budget, and it something you really want, just buy it. You only live once, and if you're not going to suffer for the purchase why not? Enjoy it!

Well, I've seen the studies myself. Doesn't matter the time of day or the ambient light, the DRLs make your car more noticable on the roadway. In practical terms, you'll wind up !Removed! the car up and voiding the warranty to try and disable them. I think they're dumb looking too, and my ES actually has a DRL OFF switch on the turn signal, but if your DRLs are off you loose the AUTO function so I just leave em on.

I agree, just not worth it. Even if it cost the same as buying a used one here (I bet it would cost you at least $10,000 to import it) it still wouldn't be worth it and here's why: 1. Lets say your CR-V is worth $10,000 2. Lets say a used CR-V here costs $10,000 3. Lets say it costs $10,000 to import it. So you've put out $10,000, but you still only have one CR-V that isn't even worth $10,000 anymore because it'd be impossible to sell here. You'd have to ship it back and sell it there. So, if you bought another CR-V you'd have two! And can sell whatever one you ultimately needed to whether it be the one here or the one there. You're better off to buy one here.

The Sync is awesome, really, really well done.

And drive with the parking brake on? I wouldn't. You'd have to physically go in and disable them by either pulling the fuse or something like that. I'd just get used to them. I don't like them, but I don't dislike them. I don't understand the correlation between the outside temperature and using the DRLs? The benefit is people subconciously notice your car oncoming much sooner with the DRLs, thats proven fact.

Yeah, the Highlander is almost $47k fully loaded, and this dealer wasn't negotiating on them due to demand. A coworker of mine just bought a loaded RX400h and paid about that after negotiation... The Highlander is more SUV-like, has the third row, has the keyless start and & entry. A little more interior room too. I'd be hard pressed not to go with the Lexus to be honest given that scenario...

Congrats!

Hey guys, I was driving by a Toyota dealer today and figured I'd drop in and see how many Hyrbids they had on the lot with the gas prices. Answer was they stock no Priuses, 10 week wait on them, they sell every Camry Hybrid in about a day, and it takes 2-3 days for Highlander Hyrbids. He had a Highlander Hybrid Limited and I figured I'd take a spin. I've driven the RX400h but never the Highlander Hybrid, very nice! In fact it reinforces my original feeling that I almost like it more than the RX400h. Definately as a family vehicle (3 rows of seats, more rugged looking), don't know about for me as a business car...

Agreed, no reason to replace the thermostat.

You would have it reverse the route you just drove by setting the last position as the destination, then you'd have the guidance instructions.