OCed

I want to thank everyone for the help and you reading this post.

My wife is thinking about getting a first gen RX with around 100-120k miles. They are plentiful around us.

What are the common problems? Any suggestions of what I can look for? Any general suggestions?

Anyone selling?

Thanks a lot.

2KHarrier

First of all, welcome to the club. There are many, and I mean many posts which deal with problems (common and not so common) surrounding the 1st Gen RX.
Obviously, history is important and that includes maintenance records.

Feel free to peruse the sticky's on the top page here, and you'll see what we as owners, have been dealing with.

hypervish

Welcome to Club Lexus!

Please read the stickies, you will find all you need to know!

If you have any questions feel free to ask!

kalali

As far as the expensive drivetrain components are concerned, the transmission appears to be the weakest link. Make sure you have it checked extensively before purchase.

Lexmex

Welcome to the Club.

Might be helpful to let us know what prices and years you are looking at locally, as we have helped others zero down on vehicles over the years that way.

jntaylor78

Welcome, I recently purchased a 99 rx300 for 2k cash and so far has been a good suv. If you can get one cheap, the extra money saved each month can be put towards maintenance and repair. It's a trade off as I see it. Have a newer car with a loan and less repairs or have a paid off car and spend a little money to keep it going. Just recently, my CEL came on (misfire code cyl 6) and I had to spend $100 for new plugs and a coil, but overall it's been a reliable suv.

OCed

Thanks, I'll read the stickies.

I'm looking at an 03 with 140k. Pretty loaded. They want 6000. I'm guessing I can get for 5500

hypervish

Timing belt been done?

With an 03' you don't have to worry about sludge and the transmission should have the beefed up internal parts.

How's the transmission fluid look?

Any service records? You can check Lexus service records on drivers.lexus.com if you create an account and have the VIN number.

Lexusblack

Welcome. make sure you know when was the last time they brought it to the mechanic. Take a look at the belts, water pump, oil change. Definitely check the pipes under the car for any corrosion or water damage.

AKBimmer

Make sure the check engine light turns on when you put in the ACC position, mine was disabled during the test drive, but my scanner found the knock sensor code, which helped negotiate a cheaper price....

You can also get a car fax account for the month and run the history on any car with just a plate number, which is handy to find out how many times it switched hands and how long the last owner has had it. The last owner of ours had it for 7 days, I'm guessing they bought it auction and were flipping it, they had a nice story about buying for a niece who then moved out of state. So they knew nothing about the history, or the car, they didn't know what any of the buttons did or what was normal and what wasn't.

I would also assume iit needs a timing belt, shocks, and brakes if you don't have a detailed service history. Mine needs all three. Use that sort of thing against the seller to get a cheaper price.