jdlierle

I've read some comments the 2012's and up that the ride quality was not as smooth as in the past. This affected cars wtih 19" rims, awd and F sport models

Did the ride quality improve through the years?

I'm looking for a used suv and like many, best value. Would getting a later model car like 14/15 be worth spending $35K or better off getting higher mileage car and maybe even 10 for mid 20's. I tend to keep cars a long time, still have my 98 lexus gs300 still running reliable.

any advise on getting best value for between 2010 to 2015 RX appreciate. I will open my wallet, but only if it is worth it, but $35K is stretching. (any reason a 15 is better than 14, 13 etc)

ps where can I look for private sellers, the local dealers seem quite high (socal) compared to what internet sites say the value is. Plus local dealers say there price is set in stone)

kitlz

Some swear the ride improved on the '13. There's a few threads in here talking about it if you look around. As far as a technical comparison between '10-12 and'13-15, Bert pretty much summarizes it here when he had to go with a '13 instead of a '12. Just disregard the sections specific to hybrid components. And there were minor changes in later years like the addition of LED fogs but nothing significant. I can't help regarding private sellers. Maybe take a look at the 2015 RX pricing thread for dealer recommendations. Sometimes expanding the search area can make the difference. Good luck.

jdlierle

tks for the info

Clutchless

You can always find private sellers at autotrader dot com or cars dot com.

F250

I just spent a month searching for a 2010-2011 RX, and finally bought our new-to-us 2010 RX450h yesterday. I, too, keep vehicles for 5-12 years, and have quite a bit of experience with high mileage vehicles over the past 10 years of my 6 kids growing through their initial vehicle purchases and ownerships. Context for this is that I have purchased more than 10 vehciles ranging from 52K miles to 275K miles at the time of purchase. This has included both gasoline and diesel engines, and includes several BMW's, Toyotas, Hondas, Fords (gas and diesel), a VW Jetta (TDI), a couple of Infiniti's, a Subaru, a Volvo, and now the RX450h. I do all my own vehicle repairs... ALL... and teach my kids to do the same. Of those purchases, we have only had one "bad" vehicle which surprised us by slinging a rod within the first 8 months of ownership (all the research in the world cannot always reveal a previous owners abusive oil-change habits). One other had a known head gasket problem which we repaired, and another had an unexpected (to us) but not abnormal PCV system failure which has been repaired and is running perfectly.

The ride quality of our 2010 is absolutely outstanding. Compared to the couple of other 2010's and 11's I drove, I found no distinction between them... even with the 2011 I drove which had 183K miles drove perfectly and exceptionally smooth.

Regarding the Lexus options, my criteria was to stick with a 2010-11 year model with only 1-2 previous owners, always driven in 100% snow-free driving conditions, less than 100K miles, no accidents, abundant dealership records for maintenance, no indications of having needed oddball repairs/maintenance, located within a 4-hr drive of where I live in Birmingham, AL, and be less than $23K. Color choice was limited to Gray, Smoky Granite Mica, and White, and we bought a Smoky Granite Mica!

Observations:

1) The above criteria combined to offer virtually NO private sale options. The few "low mileage" private sales I found were generally with rebuilt titles while the others were either from the snowy climates or had excessive mileage. Since the private sales for vehicles in the 100K-180K mile range were out of my target zone, I did not evaluate them any further. For context, I searched EVERY day on Craigslist, Cars.com, Autotrader, Auto-Tempest, eBay, local high end dealerships, Carmax, Driveline, and some other chain dealerships... My criteria simply did not uncover a reasonable (for me) private sale option. Where you live, your own personal purchase criteria, and time of year may give you more options along those lines... it just did not work for me.

2) Small mom and pop dealerships often had some of these vehicles with acceptable (to me) mileage and a clear Carfax history, but they were normally imported from the north and sometimes even had one or two minor accident reports which were found after digging further. These small dealerships also had more of the higher mileage options.

3) These year models (2010-11) are hard to find at larger dealerships (BMW, Porsche, Audi, Lexus, etc.), because they typically hit the auction market pretty darn quick. However, if you can find one at one of these "higher end" dealerships, it will generally indicate that it was very well cared for by someone who is generally picky about keeping things in good condition...but they sell FAST so you have to be ready to spot a good potential and pull the trigger quickly. I missed a 2011 the night before we bought the 2010 after trying to arrange a trip to see the 2011 the day before. These dealers will also give you some "inspection room" to put the vehicle on their lifts so you can perform your own detailed undercarriage inspection... they are used to catering to picky people, and therefore offer a more hospitable buying environment. Our experience at a BMW dealer yesterday when inspecting the 450h we bought was simply smooth as silk, and they were exceptionally accommodating.

4) The higher end large dealerships tend to have a few more of the 2012 model years, and certainly more of the 2013-2015 model years. My chosen price range did not fit those year models, though.

5) With fuel prices low right now, hybrids are selling for almost the exact same price as non-hybrids... this ended up driving us to choosing the 450h.

6) It is easier to find these vehicles in the $24-$30K range, but if you're patient, you can save thousands... we did.... our 2010 with 71K miles was only a hair over $22K.

7) Lots of folks recommend the CPO route, but you will certainly pay several thousand more along that road. My thinking is that "it's a Lexus with excellent reputation and demonstrated reliability"...if you do thorough research and can afford to be patient, you can save even more money by skipping the extended warranty while still getting a rock solid vehicle.

8) You can register yourself (for free) at LexusDrive.com as a Lexus owner, log the potential Lexus vehicle's VIN into your account, and get the FULL dealer record database for ALL dealer maintenance/repairs performed on that vehicle. Obviously, this will not include non-dealer repairs, but it is an easy way to accomplish some of your research.

Hope this helps.

jdlierle

very useful info.


found a 12 rx with about 50K, one owner/no crash, one owner - $25K - any thoughts, I like the looks of the 13 but those are about $6K more.

tks for info/help

Kopavi

The similarities are amazing. I ended up purchasing a 2010 RX450H a few months ago with 69,758 miles for $23,000 from a private seller (female doctor) in Phoenix, AZ who changed the oil every 5,000 miles and had extensive service records with a clean Carfax and no accidents. I also limited my colors to Silver, Gray and White. The RX is exceptionally smooth and quiet and is delivering 31.8 mpg. I drive only about 4-5K miles per year so the RX may be in the stable for 10+ years. I also do much of my own maintenance.

I mirrored your process checking CL, AutoTrader, Beepi, eBay and various dealer websites. Another pricing tool I used was http://clearbook.truecar.com/. This source provided a good balance between KBB, Edmunds and NADA pricing; I have also used this pricing tool when selling my vehicles.

I agree with you that you have to be very patient and ready to pull the trigger when something does come on the market. Most buyers lack the discipline to wait for the deal and prefer the immediate gratification. That comes with a price. It took me about 6 weeks to find the right RX for my needs.

The CPO is not really necessary if you can find a well maintained vehicle. Any problems would have likely been addressed by the previous owner.

The Lexus.drive.com suggestion is also a good one. I was unaware of that, but I did send emails to the Lexus Customer Service website indicating that I was selling the Lexus that I was actually considering purchasing and provided the VIN; requesting the original build sheet and service history. The build sheet was very helpful because many sellers don't know what options were included with the vehicle when it was purchased new. Knowing the options lets you zero in on an accurate price.

Good luck to all in the hunt for a used RX.