plainview

Soon I plan to purchase a used 2nd gen RX or a 3rd gen GS 350. Wanted opinions, pros and cons from anyone who wishes to chime in. This will probably end up being my daily driver. Live in SW Ohio so i do take winters in consideration. Otherwise I was interested in whether either vehicle for those years had more known issues, or which would be more reliable and less likely to need repairs outside of routine or scheduled maintenance. As far as need for an SUV or a sedan that's not really important. The wife will be getting an SUV soon and if I don't choose the RX maybe I can talk her into one. One thing I found when looking at these two models is that it's rare to see an RX with much technology while almost every GS appears to have the upgraded convenience features. All input is appreciated.

Stoodo

iTrader: (4)

If the wife can handle the SUV duties, I'd go with the GS. As I single parent, I could really use the space of an RX, especially since the GS450h trunk is pathetic.

Make sure you go AWD if you go GS. The GS overall seems to be more fun and luxury oriented.

plainview

Thanks. I agree with you on the GS being more luxury and fun oriented and AWD is the only way I would go.

hvargas

I went through this similar thought process before buying the GS 350 AWD (I'm up in Toronto in Canada). We have a young daughter in a booster seat so it was enough interior space for the 3 of us. I enjoyed the sportier feel of the GS which was a big factor for me. If we extend our family with a new addition, it will definitely be a bit of a squeeze - I've put my baby nephew in the car and I generally have to move my seat up (if he's behind me) or passenger's seat quite a bit. I guess this also depends largely on the design the baby seat. Trunk space is good for things like camping, groceries, luggage but not much beyond that.

To summarize, I'm enjoying the GS but I won't be surprised if I end up owning an RX sometime down the road as well.

plainview

Thanks for sharing. I've got a similar situation as I have a 3 year old In a convertible car seat and a 14 month old who will be transitioning to a rear facing convertible so I know what you mean in regards to that. I will take into deep consideration the safety and the profile of the car seat we get for him. Luckily I will have my 3yr old behind my seat and will put my son behind my wife's passenger seat. She is all of 5' and I'm not very big at 5'9". We made this work before in my 04 ES330 and it wasn't bad. I recently sold that and got an 07 ES350 that only had 26k. The car is in very good condition and still smells new. This is really why I started looking for a DD but something that's still nice. I'm not sure if that's crazy but I'm really motivated to keep that ES pristine. I keep my cars for a while and don't tend to put that many miles on them so I may have this car for 10yrs. I did buy a 2010 Venza a month later after the ES and while it's nice and had all the options it's not a Lexus that I'm used to and there is another rub to that situation but that's another thread. If I get a GS hopefully I can talk my wife into the RX and problem solved. Lastly this is somewhat related but what does everyone do to protect their nice leather seats from car seat damage? I've done a little searching and have seen a few suggestions but don't know what's the best option. I had a mat by diono in my old ES and an infant base and used a towel under it but when I took them out to sell the car I could definitely tell they were there. Those super latches that connect to the hook really make a separated spot between the seat and the chair. Suggestions anyone?

hvargas

Yeah... regarding leather damage I simply put a microfibre towel under the chair lol. With my daughter's chair it's not too bad but my nephew's chair has much thinner plastic on the bottom that "digs" into the chair. It is quite annoying. Going to look into that Diono mat - thanks.

plainview

I know what you mean. I've got quite the case of OCD when it comes this sort of thing. There is wealth of info here.
http://carseatblog.com/21536/vehicle-seat-protectors-update-what-you-need-to-know/

But the long and short is that they don't really recommend any mats or protectors and say some are just okay. It would be nice to have a list of quality car seats that won't gouge, dig, dent or strectch the leather.

TRD_Power

My parents have a 2014 RX350, and even though it is a very nice, safe SUV, I would take my GS over it any day of the week. When they first got it, they asked if I wanted to drive it to the place we were all going out to dinner, and I still chose to drive my GS The overall build quality of the GS seems better as well; the RX has sort of a hollow, generic feeling to it. But, either way, you can't go wrong.

plainview

I appreciate the info and its good to hear. The good news is that my wife bought an 09 RX350 tonight so there's really nothing to consider at this point. GS350 it is. Now I've just got to unload a 2010 Venza and its time to go GS shopping.

hvargas

Lol nice. Share a pic or 2 when you get it!