puffpuff10

Hello,

I am trying to decide between purchasing a newer SUV like a 2014 Traverse with ~70k miles or an older 2010 RX350 with 80k miles (see below). They are both about the same price.

In considering the longevity of the car (engine, transmission, etc), do you think that the newer car would last longer or that the quality of the 350 would make it the better option. I really don't want to go above $20k on a car, and while I really like the 350, I'm wondering if the age and miles will end up costing me lots of $$$ in the long run.

Thanks for any advice!

https://phoenix.craigslist.org/evl/cto/6028771818.html

ColAngus

Not sure if serious...
The Lexus/Toyota product will typically outlast an equivalent American product by an outlandish margin with a far lower maintenance cost. And, a Traverse is NOT an equivalent American product in the first place!
Ask yourself why the far newer vehicle has depreciated so much compared to the Japanese one.

Freds430

The Kelly Blue Book value on this car as a private party sale is $16,000. I would show them this info and offer no more. Not sure in AZ but in NC it is hard to sell a vehicle by owner especially one over $15,000. In addition you will be saving any dealer processing fee that can range from $300-$600. We had this exact car and color. It is a great color for where you live. It does not show dirt. If you log in to the Lexus owners site and enter the vin#, it will show you all the maintenance done on it. As far as what choice a no brainer. Lexus has been #1 in the J D Power’s dependability study for six years in a row. They are also the third least expensive to maintain. There is no timing belt on this which can be a expensive repair item at around 100,000 miles. Take it to a mechanic, run a Carfax, check the maintenance schedule on lexus.com. If everything checks out and you can get it for around $16,000, you will really enjoy this RX. On the other hand you will really enjoy this RX for $17,000. You will still be getting it for less than at a dealer.

http://twocents.lifehacker.com/the-c...ver-1781639773

JT4

IMO I wouldn't buy a Traverse with 70K miles, however I would purchase an RX with 80K miles. Since this is a private sale ask the owner if you can see the service records. If this RX has been well maintained 80K isn't really that many miles on a Lexus..

Welcome to CL...

SkiMe

Hard to decide. Like for like, the Lexus will hold together better. I have 04' Suburban and 89' Blazer, so I do like my Chevy's. But the Lexus was more reliable. We finally sold our 07' 400h with 170k on it ($9500). Our suburban has 160k on it. Suburban does take more money to fix and run, but I do most of the work so that saves us a lot of coin.

We just bought a 13' 450h and love it. We got it with 52k on it because it's a Lexus. I'm not really too concerned if it had 10k more miles than I wanted....based off of our past experience.

But, the light blue you posted looks pretty high in price to me. AND it's just a FWD not AWD (less desirable).

The traverse has more seating capacity (I believe), so you could use it differently than the Lexus. But Chevy really seems to put a lot of their effort in the Suburban/Tahoe trucks vs. the smaller ones....just my opinion.

Kopavi

When I was considering a new to me SUV I focused on reliability and safety. The RX is at the top in these categories. Unfortunately many people are looking for the same attributes when looking for a used vehicle, and most well priced RX's are not on the market for long. Over the last year I purchased a 2010 and 2011 RX450H from private parties. I would have preferred a RX350 but none were available when I was searching. I paid quite a bit more, but the vehicles were loaded, lower mileage and in very good condition. I would have definitely jumped on the RX you posted. I always prefer the private party sales to avoid high dealer fees and sales tax.

Not a fan of the color but that could help you negotiate a lower price. (You never like the color the seller has and if it is a 2wd, you prefer a 4wd; even though the vehicle is perfect for you, pretend that it meets very few of your needs but you could live with the short comings if the price were right) I would suggest you obtain the VIN from the seller and enter it it the Lexus owners site to see the repair history if the owner does not have adequate service records. You can also get a Carfax if you know the VIN or plate number. A search of all Craigslists will provide many providers for about $5 or less. I would also pull a KBB and Clearbook pricing report to help determine a fair price.

budwom

I received the annual Consumer Reports car issue yesterday, which includes extensive reliability ratings for many used vehicles....across the board, the RX350 reliability ratings are extremely good.
I doubt you can find another vehicle equally highly rated. (Which is why I chose the RX in the first place)

kitlz

And the highest mileage thread confirms the RX can go a long way.

puffpuff10, being a Lexus forum, the opinions are obviously going to be biased. You said you liked the RX. Was this based on a test drive? Have you driven the Traverse? Checking service records is definitely a good idea like JT4 mentioned. It could make the decision easier. The RX has average mileage at seven years, the Traverse above and four years newer. The automatic reaction might be to go newer. But I wouldn't focus on that given the RX's proven track record.

The link in your first post has been removed by the author which tells me the vehicle might be sold.

BLexodus

iTrader: (1)

To me, this is a no brainer, LEXUS.

I could give countless examples of Toyota and Lexus vehicles going 200k+ miles with little or nothing needed outside normal maintenance and wear and tear. I cant do the same for chevy/GM products.

An 8 year old RX is much preferred over a 4 year old Traverse, especially with similar mileage. A co worker of mine has Traverse (12 or 13 I think) that he bought new, no problems with it yet, but its not nearly as nice as a 2010 RX. And he purchased the Traverse when his chevy s-10 blew an engine with 135k miles. With the RX you'll be getting a nicer car to start and a car that should last longer, despite it being older, and it will likely have less issues.

Htony

I might be biased as a Lexus RX owner. But for me this is no brainer. Lexus will give less trouble and will keep future value better even if it is older than Chevy to start with. Just make sure the owner of Lexus you are looking at maintained the vehicle well(service record).

roadbike56

I would have differed from the posts above, but the mileage is a significant factor. The mileage is virtually the same. That said, the Lexus holds up very well over time so the age difference is not a factor in my opinion. I'd spend some time studying the Carfax document to make sure there's no accident or a large number of previous owners or other issue with the Lexus. Also, I'd take the Lexus to a mechanic or better still, a Lexus dealer for a complete evaluation. If it checks out, and the money is the same as you said, then what would you rather drive a Chevy or a Lexus? To influence me to go with the Chevy, I would have had to see a significant difference in mileage, price or a problem with the Lexus Carfax. You might want to play it safe and pull both Carfax and Autocheck. Two of the cars in our family and one we passed up had significant differences between the two documents.
Good luck with your decision.