aolshock

I am a former 2002 RX 350 owner (deep blue with the light tan interior) who is still pining for the long-lost car. It was by far my FAVORITE car, but I traded it in for a VW CC (think Passat) when my transmission failed and it just didn't seem worth replacing at the time. Oh, hindsight. Anyway, I am looking at getting another one as a second car (or possibly giving my CC to significant other) and can afford either another first gen (hoping less than 145K miles) or an 80K ish mile 2005 or 2008.

Any thoughts on which way to go if I was in love with the first gen? I valued the smooth ride and quiet most of all. I also felt like I had a good viewpoint on the highway. Thanks!

salimshah

I like the looks of the First gen, but there are many refinements (and some cheaper feel of buttons inside) .... [I know I may be offending some folks ,,, just sharing my opinion] in second Gen.

General rule of thumb ,,, best maintained, least milage is the best option.

Salim

JAB

I think you mean 2002 RX300, not 350.

aolshock

Yes, sorry. I had a 02 RX 300.

I think I have to just wait for the right car to come up in the Dallas Fort Worth area. There's one at a mom and pop dealer listed at $6450 with only 100K miles, two owners, I pulled the lexus service history. It just had timing belt change. Never changed water pump (per report) but no major problems otherwise. I'm doing cash so I may see if they would go closer to 4500 but I may have to sit and wait for the right low mileage to buy direct. Right now all of the outright sales on craigslist of low mileage first gen's are 6800$. Anything closer to $4K mark has issues from what I can see.

2KHarrier

When I bought my 2001 LS430, one of the bargaining points was the fact that the car desperately needed brakes. He was quoted 1700 dollars for the brake work, and was willing to drop the price by that amount because he knew that's what I would be spending. Well, I bought pads, hardware and rotors for less that 300 dollars, and did the work myself.

Point being, you may find a car that has an "issue" that is easily rectified that is scaring the owner out of ownership. So, don't discount the cheaper vehicles too quickly. Like Salim said, "Best maintained least mileage" is always the best option, but not the only option...

jwigley

I would go Gen 2 or later because they supposedly fixed the bad transmission problem that occurred in the Gen 1. That's a very expensive repair to worry about.

Remember at this point that the Gen 1 model is quite old has a lot of normal wear and tear repairs that are potentially coming due. New suspension, new door seals, CO2 sensors, possible transmission, etc etc.

sktn77a

iTrader: (2)

Definitely a gen 2!

thomas1

Having owned both, yes go gen 2.....Loved my RX300 (1999), but, love my gen 2.....

brianmch

I am sick of my gen2 330 2004. Had appx 1.5 yrs and a litany of problems. Now the key won't turn so the car is stuck in my garage till I get it towed for repairs.

It was in my garage getting looked over because I have an intermittent shake like the world is ending at highway speeds. Replaced the rack/pinion and the entire front end on both sides. Aligned, new Alenzas. Nobody can figure it out. This POS money pit is driving me bonkers.

I put 150k on a 99LS400 and that was a boss. This is garbage. My Boxster is cheaper and easier to maintain.

jonas's RX

MTV RX!s









Gang

I actually own both generations (01 300 w 47K and a 04 330 W 53K )
I love both RX and would not ever sell them for two new RXs

With the 300, yes there are many small issues( servos, ATF frequent
maintenance, oil changes you have to be on top of, big turning radius) and some with
the 330 ( drive by wire Throttle lag, potential headlight leaks and dashboard
issues) But ... I still think they are the best RX generations made by Lexus

All the quirks I mentioned were either remedy by Lexus with repair campaigns
or I have been on those issues .

thomas1

Great looking set of RX's

Australian

Depends if you want the original luxury SUV with all the teething problems or the improved model. I assume each one is getting better so less problems perhaps with rx330 but crap can happen to anyone.