ColdLexus

Oh, and we have a 2008 RX hybrid, since new in Jan 09.
Over 40,000 miles (65,000 km) with no problems. Great mileage in city and very good mileage on the highway.
Slightly over pressure tires, always 91 octane, drive it like a hybrid in the city, like an SUV on the highway. Snow tires in the winter and all season for the rest of the year.
Almost 3 years old, no squeeks & rattles, not quite out of warranty.

rx300mm

Looks very clean, thanks for posting the pictures.

wase4711

well, first problem today..
Wouldn't start this am; had to get it towed to the dealer..turned out to be a bad 12v battery with 2 dead cells..no big deal, except this car had its first battery changed when only 1 year old, in feb 09
that battery only lasted 2.5 years..

Is this an issue with the 2008 400h, or, was it the fact that it sat on the dealers lot for 3 months, and might have only been started occasionally?

2 batteries in 3.5 years doesn't seem normal to me

thanks if you have had a similar issue and can advise!

hobbes

These batteries seem very small to me. While they do not have to turn over the engine, they do see lots of drain normally as the car "has some work to do" after you turn it off. We had to replace ours in the first week or so of ownership (bought it used). Put a deep cycle in and moved on. No problems so far (9 months).

roulette

Hey Lexians

Can you share how much you paid for your used 2008 model. I am looking to get one too, similar to wase4711, the price seems to vary a lot based on the following factors
- location
- dealership (lexus or non-lexus or random used car lot)
- mileage.

I am especially interested in price range for a good AWD '08 with around 25-50K miles on it. What premium do you have to pay for CPOs, is it better to buy a used car and slap on an Lexus factory extended warranty?

Any help would be much appreciated!

PS: If you don't wish to disclose the exact figure, please provide a range or indicator.

wase4711

ok, I will go first

I paid 35900 for mine; a certified, 2008, AWD, with EVERY option, including Martin logan stereo, fancy chrome wheels, custom tinted windows, and 36000 miles. Certified adds around 1000 to the cost of the car, and, for me, I would make sure that you get a certified one; that means they went through the entire car when they got it, and should have fixed every problem that they found on it. Buying a 3 year old SUV can have some downsides, so ensuring that your car is certified will hopefully eliminate any major surprises in the first year or so..


This was from McGrath Lexus in Chicago
I love this vehicle; I traded a 2010 mazda CX9 for it, and its a lot nicer, even 2 years older and 20k more miles.
I get 28-30mpg in the city with it; we have had several hybrids, so we know how to get the best mileage. My wife has a H250, and gets 43 mpg in the city!

Good luck

roulette

Thanks for the info. I think you got yourself a good deal.

Did you mean to say Mark Levinson? I thought that was the only option they offered.

How much were the dealers asking for it?

Thanks!

wase4711

yeah, sorry, Mark Levinson..

Well, this one had several options added to the base model; they gave us the window sticker, and there were several add ons from the factory, and a couple dealer installed options, like the chrome wheels, custom window tint. It was a california car, so I wasn't worried about the rust issue here in chicago,

they had it listed for 39000, but it sat on their lot for 2 months or so, so I figured I could low ball them.
Depending on the miles and condition, the 2008's go from 32000-40,000, at least around here.

Driver125

I have had the same problem with my 08 400h, I found it best to avoid a dead battery when you turn off the automatic headlights and the auto interior light on function inside the vehicle...

nopcbs

45 psi or no 45 psi, it is extremely unlikely you are getting anything like 30 mpg with any RX400h. That is what you may get with an RX450h...which does much better than an RX400h can...but is seriously ugly.

RX400h's typically get 24-26 city.

I just bought a 2008 with 18,500 miles to replace a totalled out RX330. (Rear-ended by a fool in a Civic.)

The RX330 was an 8 year old 2004 and was still very solid. Looked and drove like new.

My wife was getting 16-18 mpg city with the 2004, so we will be very happy with 24 from the 2008.

- nopcbs

djliteft

I bought mine with 29K miles. Still tight, 25-26 mpg. I live in Va so it isn't so cold but if u are nervous about the battery, replace it!!! Definitely a lot cheaper than having to be rescued... Good luck!

thomas1

bought mine with 88k miles....for $24995.......from carmax....did that in march, now have 103k miles...however I changed the timing belt, water pump, and idlers at 101k....I did have a failure day before thanksgiving with a hybrid system fault...turned out to be the hybrid cooling pump. cost to me at toyota dealership was $573....If i had codes at time of failure, the pump is only $167.....real scarey situation...but lot cheaper than inverter or batteries. by the way this pump ismounted on frame, just below the left headlight area.....

RobF15E

I just bought an 08 RX400h with 99,000 on it for $19,600 plus 900 for shipping. It has the performance package, Nav, BU camera. Tires only have about 10k left on them. Otherwise the car is very clean. I know I am rolling the dice with regards to repairs, but I perform all my own maintenance. Parts are ridiculously expensive and the hybrid has lots of them. One thing I didn't know to ask was the timing belt replacement at 90,000. I don't have any records that it was performed as the last stealer maint was at 55,000. We have only had it a week, but it runs well with no rattles or creaks. Computer is showing 27-28 MPG so far. I haven't used a tank yet, so I don't know how accurate it is. I'll buy a timing belt replacement kit this spring and jump in. Hopefully I'll be able to find some guidance on how to perform it. There is a nice YouTube video on how to perform the replacement on the RX 330.

thomas1

I did my timing belt recently, bought the Aisin kit with timing belt, water pump, and idlers. You do have to remove the wind wiper cowling to perform this task...Was a little time consuming and the hardest thing was getting the rear cam to stay in position while aligning the belt. However there are no accessory belts to remove which is great. I have the written procedure, but dont know how to post the multiple pages...I also made my own tool for removing the crankshaft pulley bolt, made it a breeze. I am in northern california (Sacramento area) Without that tool my little air impact gun would not work...I was able to use an extension bar and it came right off.

prowler97

The Mazda CX-9 is a great vehicle, but I decided against it because of the horrible gas mileage. The 400h is a great choice, especially if you do a lot of city driving. If you are concerned about the miles on the vehicle than buy a Certified Pre-Owned Lexus and you will get e 5 year / 50k miles warranty. If you can't find CPO, you can buy a CPO warranty from Lexus dealer as long as the vehicles history is clean.
CPO vehicle is better then new because the price is 25%-60% off retail. I'm not sure why people buy new cars when there are so many CPO's out there.