phamh2000

My dad is looking to get either a RX300 or a Honda CR-V. Being a clublexus member, I am naturally inclined to convince him that he should get the RX.

However, I need reasons why the RX is better than the CR-V.

Thanks in advance!

Daddy-O

The RX 300 is priced over $15,000 more than the CR-V.

Sorry, but for me, all comparisons end there.

spinteews

yea... like daddy o said... its outta its league to be compared to the rx3...

but of course... its gonna be way better then a crv.... just expensiver

phamh2000

I know what you guys are saying--it's just that he's willing to buy used and he is willing to spend $18-20k on a car (so he'd buy a 99 RX300 or a '01 Honda CR-V). Thus the question is, with the prices equal, what advantages does the RX have over the CR-V?

satxrx

Okay, I've owned both a '99 CR-V EX and now a '99 RX.

Pro for RX: Ride, comfort, low noise level, V6 power, Nakamichi, luxury, hi-level dealer service.

Pro for CR-V: Roomy, decent ride, decent gas mileage, reliability, good fit and finish.

Cons for RX: Hi-end dealer service, door ding magnet, higher maintenance costs (car washes, leather cleaning, etc.)

Cons for CR-V: Noisy engine, underpowered, stock radio, poor sound insulation

Overall: RX and CR-V are great vehicles for their segment. Would suggest looking at redesigned '03 CR-V for more power, room and refinement if CR-V is the choice. For RX, the $18-20k price range will probably have more mileage and possibly some additional maintenance costs may be involved.

Good luck on your auto buying decision.

Goncookoo

My sister owns a '01 CRV with everything in it and I own a '99 RX with everything in it too.

I'll start with what I would buy if the price of a used '99 RX is comparable to a CRV.

Id buy: Rx300 hands down!!!! No brainer.

Yes, it is true that the service and components are more expensive, but after visiting my sister and driving her car, I came home and sat in my car, and just smiled!

Lets start with the outside and move on in...

The overall appearance of the new CRV is a much better than the first year's model. Its not bad, but Id say the RX is much more pleasing to the eye. I think the RX looks much sleeker and the rear tire in the back of the CRV does not do it for me. I personally hate it! My sister even got the hard shell upgrade because the pleather cover looks horrible. Also, I really dislike the dulled plastic for bumpers and trims. I prefer shiny and blinding to the eye!

The breaklights and blinkers running up the side of the back of the car annoys the crap out of me. Why so BIG?

The rims dont do it for me either! The Rx rims are better. Also the stock lights (non-zenon) do not seem as bright as the stock '99 RX's hallogens.

Movin' on in!

The inside of the crv is not too shabby. Innovative place to put the parking break but i grabbed it a few times when i dropped some stuff on the floor and thats no good! If youve seen it, then you know it looks like its part of the dash but with a nubby grip (I just checked out the interior of a 2003 crv and they seemed to have changed the placement of the parking break... good thing!)

The audi/climate controls are not too impressive either. If youre gonna pay about the same price for both cars, then I'd prefer the sleeker, more classy look of the dash and controls of the RX. I hate the rotary style climate controls of the CRV and love the automatic climate controls of the RX! All the other ***** and buttons just do not seem "luxurious" enough for me (rightly so though, the CRV is not a lux car).

The only redeeming quality of the CRV audio controls etc is the in-dash 6cd changer. That is one thing I wish my RX had. I hate having to open the glove box.

The windows in the car are nice and large like the RX, but not having auto dimming mirrors really pissed me off! I hate the manual switch. Speaking of mirrors, I love the BIG side mirrors of the RX. I could barely see anything in the CRV's.

Oh, that big compartment in the middle of the audio/climate control console.. come on! Its handy, but why there? p\Put it somewhere else, please...

The center console between the front seats are cool, but seems pretty flaky and unstable.

Sitting in the NON leather front seats just wasnt doing it. I hate cloth seats and the RX seats are so much more comfy (my sister said there was no option for all leather seats). The lumbar support on the RX is so nice... so are my heated seats (i live in the cold boston area). Both of which the CRV did not have.

If you compare the 'thunk' of the doors closing in the RX and CRV... well the RX makes a nice muffle 'thump'. The crv... well... it was a loud 'clank'. I hate that. ok dont laugh at me... I always test the doors on cars. Plus if you just look at the constuction of the door, the Rx's seems sturdier. The doors seem flimsy and creaks when you lean on the arm rest in the CRV.

Moving to the back seat.

Its pretty roomy in the back of the crv! But is nothing compared to the RX. My sister drove my family and my girlfriend around sometimes and most of the time we had 3 people in the back. Im 5'11'', my girlfriend is 5'8'', and my dad (my mom gets sick in the back seat) is 5'10''. We fit pretty well back there. BUT the one bad thing is the design of the center seat belt! Where the f*&k is it? To my surprise it was hanging on the ceiling behind me! geez! It took me a while to get it to work and it was not comfy! Sitting bi*%ch was not a smooth ride at all... (im not sure if they changed the design of the belt or not for the 2003 model. In the RX i fit a 300lb friend, my girlfriend, and another 200lb'er very nicely. And everyone had a seatbelt that was comfy.

The trunk space seemed smaller??? I dunno. It was kind of deceiving because the interior was black. But it worked.

The side swinging rear door of the crv is a change from the hatch-back's of many cars, but I cant say how many times its rained and I stood under my RX's hatch with it open!

Ok the drive...

The power for the size of the crv was pretty good (160hp i think). It had a little umph but not nearly as smooth adn powerful as the Rx. The most noticeable difference was the louder cabin noise of the CRV as compared to the RC. geez, i was really annoyed i could not hear the passengers in the back when i was driving. The last time that that happened I was driving the tank they call the explorer.

The ride in the RX is extremely smooth. Sitting in the crv was a chore. i personally dont like the seats in combination with the ride. no good IMO.

The turning radius is better! I made many a turns in it. The feel on the highway going 85-90 was not the same as the rx either. The Rx seems to glide and the CRV seems to struggle a bit. Plus, the wind noise was significantly louder too. I dont know where it was coming from, but it was quite annoying.

In conclusion... get the RX300!

Honestly, when I got off the plane and got into my car in the parking lot, and started engine and heated my seats... a feeling of satisfaction came over me. I turned to my girlfriend and just smiled... She knew I loved my RX.


Proud owner of a '99 RX and not a CRV.
HTH
Paul

Goncookoo

I just went to the honda web site and checked the 360 degree view of the interior....

My bad... the parking break is still the same

check it out... its weird

http://www.hondacars.com/models/inte...ModelName=CR-V

its right by the left rotarty climate control dial. see how there seems to be a silver button thing. see how there seems to be a handle like think on the opposite side? now imagine pulling that straight back... thats the parking break.

-pw

LexRX

The CRV comes in a baby-poo brown with a...column shifter

I must say, however, the CR-V is an excellent choice in it's class. It is easily outclassed here.

Chuckieb

No question, the CRV is best in class. We were VERY disapointed in the RAV4, and we are big Toyota fans.

Having said that, we were looking at buying our 2000 RX last fall, the dealer made us a ridiculous offer, and we walked away, drove to the honda dealer & drove a new CRV - we really liked it. But 2 hours later the Lexus dealer called & dropped the price on the RX by $5000, there was no question for either one of us - we drove to the Lexus dealer & mae the deal. Sure, we spent more money and got a used vehicle, but 5 years down the road we will be better off. And we will have had the pleasure of drive the RX rather than the honda for that time. And the thing I relaly like? there are about 1000 CRV's in town, and maybe a dozen RX's.

DrRasta

I debated buying a 2003 CR-V vs. leasing a 2003 RX300 vs. an Acura MDX.

Have your father drive both cars around and ask him how he feels when he drives each car.

My girlfriend has a 2002 CR-V which I've driven extensively. She was jealous when we went out on our first drive in the Lexus....

The new CR-V EX is a far better vehicle than the models that ended in 2001, with more horsepower, refined suspension and quieter. The EX comes standard with a moonroof. You can get dealer installed leather seats with heaters for an additional $1800. List is $22800 and dealers are advertising around $21900. It's a very nice SUV for the money that will hold it's resale value at about 50% after 4 years.

As someone said the RX300 is just in another class. It's bigger and heavier (and uses more gas!). Very classy interior with a superior sound system, ride, and quietness. It says "luxury" while the CR-V says "utility."

For me it came down to number crunching and the pleasure factor. Lexus financial was offering a .0009 lease factor (2%) in December, making the payments on a 39 month lease just over $400 for me. A similarly priced Acura MDX was going to run $550 for the same duration.

A lease on a CR-V would have run about $360-375. So for the extra $50 a month getting a Lexus was a no brainer.

Good luck!!