solar5000

I just bought the 2008 RX 350 and am so excited about it. I have a question for you experienced folks out there.

I still haven't finished the deal, and I have a chance to buy the options before I finalized payment. Should I buy any particular option? What do you think about the extended warranty?

7 yr/75000 miles or 7 yr/100000 miles? Is it worth it? How much are lexus repairs beyond the 4 year mark? I know it's too early to tell but those of you with the 300's.. thanks in advance for your opinions.

solar

Seize

Congratulations and welcome to Club Lexus.

I'm not too savvy on the RX models so hopefully the other members can chime in.

solar5000

Hi Seize, and thanks. It's been a dream of mine to be a Lexus owner and what a great feeling it is to have it come true! These will be two very long weeks of waiting...

solar5000

Also have a newbie question... back in the day with the older cars, you had to drive under 60 mph for the first 3000-4000 miles to let the car "settle in" or something like that. Is that still true of the new 2008 RX 350? Sorry for the naive question. This is my first new car!

ricdiablo

I insisted on the Performance Package since I like the sequential gearbox and ride height control. I would say go for broke and get nav too. I am finding it difficult to install satellite radio on my particular year, and apparently it would have been a lot easier if I had navigation. (Whoops, if you're picking it up tomorrow, it might be a little late for these options)

RXSF

no he has two weeks...lol...

i have the performance package as well. I would recomend it. and nav, thats an obvious choice. once you have it, you cant live without that backup camera.

as for the options, its not necessary to get the extended warranty for a couple of reasons.

1) (the obvious one) lexus cars are very reliable
2) your buying a 2008 model which is the last year of production which means all the quirks have been worked out
3) some lexus dealers, like mine, will still do the work for free even when your out of warranty just because the service is so great

as for after 4 years of ownership...its pretty much the same. expect to pay about $160 for an oil change etc every 5K miles. at 30K, 60K and 90K, expect to pay about $600+ and of course at 100K you have the timing belt which is also very costly (but that is for every vehicle)

as for the break in period, you can totally drive above 60. take it easy the first thousand miles. the rule here is to not floor it or treat it to harshness. however, they tell you to not use the cruise control because you dont want to keep a steady speed. alternate speeds to that the car can settle down for the first 500 miles or so. after 3K miles, or 5K you can do w/e you like


welcome!

solar5000

I guess I was a little vague in my description, but I signed for the car (2008 RX350 with prem plus/navigation/heated seats/rain sensing wipers/tow prep package). The options that the finance guy offered me while we were trying to figure out rates were:

1) mechanical breakdown coverage (also known as the extended warranty)

2) road hazard protection (protection for wheels/tires in case you bump into things a lot)

3) simoniz system

4) GAP loss prevention

5) autobahnd protection (protective film to protect against flying debris to the front of the car)

6) vehicle recovery (lojack)

7) XM radio


I think I'm going to opt out of all of them!

xfirechief

I would keep all except #2 & 6.

mandyfig

The extended warranty is available to you before the regular warranty expires. Although, price would be different, maybe up or maybe down, there's no way of telling. Autobahn is that clear bra? Get it. Lojack, depend on where you live and where tha car will be traveling to. And if you get a huge discount from your insurance. Good luck!

AM1

iTrader: (6)

i would only consider the lojack(maybe) and maybe the extended warranty. everything else is either junk or can be done aftermarket for cheaper and/or better

jmaynard

I got the extended warranty (6 years/100K miles), the clear bra, and the XM. I didn't need the gap protection, since I owned the RX300 I traded in free and clear and that gave me enough equity to get past the upside-down situation the gap protection is designed to correct. Lojack wouldn't do me much good where I live. The road hazard and simoniz weren't offered; I'm not sure I'd get them anyway.

The clear bra does a good job of protecting from flying rocks - and I needed it in the first couple of weeks. The extended warranty is one of those things that you don't need unless you need it badly. I won't have another car without XM, and it was easier to let the dealer install it; installing it yourself is certainly possible, but it requires a fair amount of mechanical aptitude and a nontrivial amount of disassembly.

jugdish

$160 for an oil change?!! WOW.........that's insane! I pay $75 for synthetic and a tire rotate........

AM1

iTrader: (6)

i spend only 20 bucks for an oil change

mandyfig

Where do you get it changed?

AM1

iTrader: (6)

theres a lot of places around where i live. i dont use any expensive oil and i dont go to the dealer.