From Toyota Tacoma to a Lexus RX350
09-09-14, 10:31 AM
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From Toyota Tacoma to a Lexus RX350
First, I'd like to thank all of the forum members and moderators for the vast amount of experience and knowledge being shared openly regarding lexus and the RX series of vehicles. I spent an enormous amount of time reading through threads before I decided to make my purchase.
To start with, I think its useful to share with the forum that my family lives and breathes Toyota vehicles. My Grandad always drove Toyota pickups ever since I remember, which would be the very early 1980's. We would offroad through some of the most beat up logging roads in the high country of Oregon. The enormous ruts that were made from the logging trucks combined with the muddy conditions of constant rain made for some exciting adventures. Not once were we ever stuck, at least to the point that the truck couldnt get itself out, and maybe more importantly, the combined Toyota trucks over the years never broke down and left us stranded in isolated areas. To finish the thought, my Mom still has a 1994 Toyota Camry and 2004 Toyota Avalon. The Camry is a world-class sedan that is in excellent condition for being 20 years old. I believe the mileage on the Camry is around 150,000 miles. My Mom's Avalon is a simply gorgeous vehicle and was my inspiration to purchase a Lexus model.
As of last month, I was still happily driving my 2004 Toyota Tacoma. I can't stress enough how strong this truck (was), it felt like the vehicle was just breaking in at 175,000 miles. I fully expected to continue my daily commute using this truck for another 3-5 years. That is until I fell asleep driving home very late one evening and crashed it into a cement and rock irrigation ditch!
Thank God that my dog and I are fine, barely a scratch on either of us. There is no doubt that only through the grace of God and wonderful Toyota engineering, we are here today. And like the wise people say, when life gives you lemons, go make lemonaid. So after the dust settled from the accident, I went car shopping!
My first vehicle I pursued was the Toyota 4-Runner. I thought it was a great upgrade from the 2-seater pickup I was accustomed to. I was interested in the 4-door functionality, 4wd, and some of the overall rugged features the 4-runner offers. I also preferred the newer body model of the 2010 and current models. However, the sticker price was just to much to purchase, with most of the newer 4-runners I looked at running around 30k and up.
My second vehicle I researched was the Lexus IS250 AWD. I really do like this vehicle and would be interested in adding an IS to my garage after I pay off my new RX. My biggest deterent from purchasing this car was that I live a very active life in Colorado that includes playing in a rock n roll band and a consistent regiment of snowboarding w/ friends in the winter. I figured that the IS250 was just a little too cramped to hold my rowdy friends, snowboards, gear and/or music equipment.
After looking at the 4-runner and IS250, I took a moment to reflect on my vehicle needs and wants. I need a 6cyl, 4wd/AWD, 4-door vehicle w/ cargo space. I want a comfortable and luxurious interior, and maybe some technological gadgits too! And as I was comparison shopping the Lexus IS250, I happened to see a newer RX350 classified ad on the same website.
I was amazed that asking price for a newer RX350 was really reasonable, and much less than the 4-runner's I had shopped for earlier. But as I continued to research, the Lexus brand started to blow my mind. I couldn't believe the features, engineering, quality, design and performance of their vehicles. Has anybody read about the Cambridge plant in Canada???
I quickly decided that the RX would be my next purchase and started to read about the vehicle model history. I read about the tranny's of the 1st gen, the lack of HP on the smaller and earlier years (RX300, RX330), the cracking dashboards, and the utter importance of changing the transmission fluid on a consistent basis. From my prior experience w/ my Tacoma, I learnt that buying a model where there's been plenty of years of development for that generation was a great way to allow Toyota (and Lexus) to make modifications and improvements year over year. For that reason, I started to trend towards 2008 or 2009 model year (for a later 2nd generation RX).
I comparisoned shopped most of the online used car sites, and the lexus dealerships. I will give the forum my personal opinion, and point our members towards TRUECAR.COM. I was able to find the ideal pricepoint for my Lexus (and all the SAH-WEET options that came with). For example, I noticed that several local dealers in Denver had a HUGE descrepancy in price and options. One 2008 Lexus RX350 w/ 100,000 miles, limited options (maybe only leather), and a non-existant service history could be priced upwards of 22-25k. I also noticed, and eventually purchased a 2008 Crystal White RX350 w/ 100,000, HID, NAV, Backup Camera, Auto Sensor Wipers, Heated Seats, Roof Rack w/ rails, Moonroof, Ivory Leather, XM Radio and a Lexus maintenance log on CarFax w/ 5,000 service intervals for a purchase price of 18k. In conclusion, it appears that dealers really can mark up for the Lexus brand name but if you shop dilligently, there are excellent deals to be had!
Now, after driving this vehicle for the last several weeks, here are some initial thoughts. First, the RX350 is a smooth and comfortable ride. My cabin is extremely quiet and the seat fits my body excellently. I feel like I'm driving a lay-z-boy most days. Second, (and not why I bought it), but the reaction of friends/family/strangers is incredible. They are all complementary and overall extremely impressed with the quality and looks of my new Lexus. Both my parents are basically blackmailing me (te he he) to trade me their cars for my RX350. My girlfriend absolutely loves the Lexus, and I won't be surprised if she purchases another RX to add to our garage in the next several years. Third, the Lexus RX has an awesome suspension. I was a little worried that the crossover to a car frame would be a little weak, but when I've hit a pothole this vehicle is solid! It almost bounces through bumps and poor road conditions like my Tacoma did, in fact, to the driver its a very similar feeling! After that experience, my concerns about this vehicle and whether its solid enough to handle bad road conditions have been put to rest. I will try to follow up with this thread over the winter of 2014-2015 and share RX performance on snow and icy road conditions.
One final thought, after driving and riding in Toyota's my entire life, I can see the similarities and improvements in the Lexus RX model. Its a perfect balance of luxury, creature comforts, durability and familiarity.
To start with, I think its useful to share with the forum that my family lives and breathes Toyota vehicles. My Grandad always drove Toyota pickups ever since I remember, which would be the very early 1980's. We would offroad through some of the most beat up logging roads in the high country of Oregon. The enormous ruts that were made from the logging trucks combined with the muddy conditions of constant rain made for some exciting adventures. Not once were we ever stuck, at least to the point that the truck couldnt get itself out, and maybe more importantly, the combined Toyota trucks over the years never broke down and left us stranded in isolated areas. To finish the thought, my Mom still has a 1994 Toyota Camry and 2004 Toyota Avalon. The Camry is a world-class sedan that is in excellent condition for being 20 years old. I believe the mileage on the Camry is around 150,000 miles. My Mom's Avalon is a simply gorgeous vehicle and was my inspiration to purchase a Lexus model.
As of last month, I was still happily driving my 2004 Toyota Tacoma. I can't stress enough how strong this truck (was), it felt like the vehicle was just breaking in at 175,000 miles. I fully expected to continue my daily commute using this truck for another 3-5 years. That is until I fell asleep driving home very late one evening and crashed it into a cement and rock irrigation ditch!
Thank God that my dog and I are fine, barely a scratch on either of us. There is no doubt that only through the grace of God and wonderful Toyota engineering, we are here today. And like the wise people say, when life gives you lemons, go make lemonaid. So after the dust settled from the accident, I went car shopping!
My first vehicle I pursued was the Toyota 4-Runner. I thought it was a great upgrade from the 2-seater pickup I was accustomed to. I was interested in the 4-door functionality, 4wd, and some of the overall rugged features the 4-runner offers. I also preferred the newer body model of the 2010 and current models. However, the sticker price was just to much to purchase, with most of the newer 4-runners I looked at running around 30k and up.
My second vehicle I researched was the Lexus IS250 AWD. I really do like this vehicle and would be interested in adding an IS to my garage after I pay off my new RX. My biggest deterent from purchasing this car was that I live a very active life in Colorado that includes playing in a rock n roll band and a consistent regiment of snowboarding w/ friends in the winter. I figured that the IS250 was just a little too cramped to hold my rowdy friends, snowboards, gear and/or music equipment.
After looking at the 4-runner and IS250, I took a moment to reflect on my vehicle needs and wants. I need a 6cyl, 4wd/AWD, 4-door vehicle w/ cargo space. I want a comfortable and luxurious interior, and maybe some technological gadgits too! And as I was comparison shopping the Lexus IS250, I happened to see a newer RX350 classified ad on the same website.
I was amazed that asking price for a newer RX350 was really reasonable, and much less than the 4-runner's I had shopped for earlier. But as I continued to research, the Lexus brand started to blow my mind. I couldn't believe the features, engineering, quality, design and performance of their vehicles. Has anybody read about the Cambridge plant in Canada???
I quickly decided that the RX would be my next purchase and started to read about the vehicle model history. I read about the tranny's of the 1st gen, the lack of HP on the smaller and earlier years (RX300, RX330), the cracking dashboards, and the utter importance of changing the transmission fluid on a consistent basis. From my prior experience w/ my Tacoma, I learnt that buying a model where there's been plenty of years of development for that generation was a great way to allow Toyota (and Lexus) to make modifications and improvements year over year. For that reason, I started to trend towards 2008 or 2009 model year (for a later 2nd generation RX).
I comparisoned shopped most of the online used car sites, and the lexus dealerships. I will give the forum my personal opinion, and point our members towards TRUECAR.COM. I was able to find the ideal pricepoint for my Lexus (and all the SAH-WEET options that came with). For example, I noticed that several local dealers in Denver had a HUGE descrepancy in price and options. One 2008 Lexus RX350 w/ 100,000 miles, limited options (maybe only leather), and a non-existant service history could be priced upwards of 22-25k. I also noticed, and eventually purchased a 2008 Crystal White RX350 w/ 100,000, HID, NAV, Backup Camera, Auto Sensor Wipers, Heated Seats, Roof Rack w/ rails, Moonroof, Ivory Leather, XM Radio and a Lexus maintenance log on CarFax w/ 5,000 service intervals for a purchase price of 18k. In conclusion, it appears that dealers really can mark up for the Lexus brand name but if you shop dilligently, there are excellent deals to be had!
Now, after driving this vehicle for the last several weeks, here are some initial thoughts. First, the RX350 is a smooth and comfortable ride. My cabin is extremely quiet and the seat fits my body excellently. I feel like I'm driving a lay-z-boy most days. Second, (and not why I bought it), but the reaction of friends/family/strangers is incredible. They are all complementary and overall extremely impressed with the quality and looks of my new Lexus. Both my parents are basically blackmailing me (te he he) to trade me their cars for my RX350. My girlfriend absolutely loves the Lexus, and I won't be surprised if she purchases another RX to add to our garage in the next several years. Third, the Lexus RX has an awesome suspension. I was a little worried that the crossover to a car frame would be a little weak, but when I've hit a pothole this vehicle is solid! It almost bounces through bumps and poor road conditions like my Tacoma did, in fact, to the driver its a very similar feeling! After that experience, my concerns about this vehicle and whether its solid enough to handle bad road conditions have been put to rest. I will try to follow up with this thread over the winter of 2014-2015 and share RX performance on snow and icy road conditions.
One final thought, after driving and riding in Toyota's my entire life, I can see the similarities and improvements in the Lexus RX model. Its a perfect balance of luxury, creature comforts, durability and familiarity.
09-09-14, 10:51 AM
#2
Moderator
Congrats on your purchase. Be sure to register your vehicle at the Lexus drivers site:
https://secure.drivers.lexus.com/lexusdrivers/home
https://secure.drivers.lexus.com/lexusdrivers/home
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