dembohns

Hi!

I'm looking at a 2006 RX 330 with just under 80k miles. It's immaculate. The only bells and whistles it's missing are due to its age - no USB interface, no audio display of artist/song, no sat radio.

The real appeal to me of the RX 330 is that it takes regular gas, not premium. What I'm thinking of doing is driving the 330 until the 2012 RX 350 (also regular gas, not premium!) start showing up as CPOs in a couple of years.

I can't get back to the dealership until tomorrow evening - the price just got reduced so I may miss my window with this particular car, but I'm sure I could find another eventually.

This would be my first Lexus after 25+ years as a Honda owner. I'd be trading a 2002 AWD CR-V with about the same number of miles, upgrading to get power seats, leather, back-up camera, etc, V6, power liftgate, etc. Love them bells and whistles!

R3Wood

Hi,

You may be looking at the timing belt in 10,000 miles or so. I have owned Mercedes and Audi, currently own a A6, and my wife's Lexus dependability blows them away. It is a solid vehicle.

http://www.vaistech.com/dev/home.php makes nice integrated units for connectivity.

I still run Shell V-Power in her 2004 RX330 and the occasional can of BG44K thru the tank. The only problem we ran into were chrome rims leaking air.

Oh, and both headlights were replaced

Good luck, I don't feel 80,000 is a ton of miles on an RX as long as maintenance has been performed.

Rich

alchemist

iTrader: (1)

I bought ours at 78k miles. I have not had to do much since then. Biggest things are spark plugs soon and then timing belt. I am waiting on timing belt until I hit 120k miles, we are at 105k now. I'll do the spark plugs here in the next month or so when it warms up.

I would suggest putting premium in these vehicles, it is what they call for...you can put lower grade but it will get crappy gas mileage so it is up to you. I would go with what the manufacturer recommends.

RX330inFL

Welcome to Club Lexus, dembohns.

I would agree with the statement below about the timing belt at 90K miles. If this is a Lexus shop, ask to see the service history for the vehicle. If not, take the VIN to a Lexus dealer (or perhaps call) and ask if they can pull up the records to see if the timing belt has been changed.

Either way, you might be able to use this in your negotiations.

In reality, the timing belts coming off most RX at 90K look good. However, that is a decision you must make.

RX330inFL

Will have to disagree with this statement of yours. I run 87 octane in my RX in my day-to-day driving and have never seen much of a drop compared to when I was running 93 octane for an extended period of time. I still get 22+ MPG (calculated by hand) in my daily driving which sees plenty to stop signs and lights though perhaps not a great deal of traffic as I avoid rush hours. Pure highway driving on regular sees around 26 MPG at 70-75 MPH.

I do run 89 and 93 octane still on occasion, however, those are when I am fully loaded on my trips to PA and back, running up and down hills.

There are plenty of reports here at CL where RX330 owners are using premium and getting lousy mileage and plenty of reports of those using regular getting decent gas mileage. Depends on location, driving style, the gasoline itself and the vehicle itself.

Would be suffice for you to say that while the 2004 RX330 was designed to run on 87 octane one "might" see better performance and an increase in MPG in using higher octane fuels. However, that is highly subjective and in the end, YMMV.

dembohns

Thanks, Rich! I appreciate the link to VAISTech -- who knew????

I have service records for the vehicle from 55k to the present, as well as notations on the CarFax that "recommended maintenance" was done at the appropriate intervals. It's had some fixes, but nothing too awful. I'd prefer to have the moolah to go straight for a CPO RX 350 for the warranty, but I'm willing to have this be a 2-3 year car, not an 8-10 year car.

dembohns

Thanks for the welcome, RX330inFL!

I would be doing mostly in-town driving. We have a 2012 Honda Crosstour that is very comfortable for long trips, so that would still be our highway car.

R3Wood

I am not 100% sure, but if you go to Lexus.com, there is a drop down under "Owner's Resources", then "My Lexus". You can sign up and put your VIN into that. Lexus Dealer Service information goes into this automatically. You can also add service you have done yourself or 3rd party. So the service history could show up here, if a majority was done at the dealer .

alchemist

iTrader: (1)

Interesting, I see a 3-5 mpg difference when I use low grade vs high grade under same driving conditions.

RX330inFL

Statistically, I saw little to no difference within a margin of error. I calculate MPG on each tank right on the receipts, though I do not track much in the way of historical data like jfelbab does.

Keep in mind that I live in Flatland FL. YMMV and I would not expect to see the same result in different situations.

dembohns

Long story short, my husband hated the 2006 RX 330. He's 6'3", with very long legs, and he just plain didn't fit in the car.

That also knocked a 2008 RX 400h I flirted with online, since it shares a lot of the size characteristics with the 330.

On the other hand, hubby was ready to plunk down $33k for a 2010 RX 350 with 25k miles. We brought it home overnight and I put it through its paces this morning and came the the conclusion that, alas, it's not the right fit for me. I guess I'm just not a Lexus type? It felt too big, too splashy in the steering and brakes, and too isolated from the road. Maybe I'm just used to the Honda ride? IDK, but I took the 2010 back to the dealer this morning and thanked her very politely.

I appreciate all the responses here as I tried something new!

RX330inFL

Please keep in mind that the 2010 RX350 is a 3rd Generation RX and is somewhat larger and heavier than the 2nd Generation RX330 and RX350. And yes, one of the complaints some reviewers have made about Lexus over the years was its disconnect and isolation from the road. Just the nature of the beast. Honda/Acura definitely have a different feel to them.

JLeffler

Just got home a couple hours ago with an RX330. It has 81k, 2005. Lexus dealer serviced. Timing belt and water pump done in December! Lexus says next major service is spark plugs at 100k. I am new to Lexus, upgraded from a Saturn Aura. I say that's quite an upgrade. Very much in love!

Rainbird

Welcome to Club Lexus. Actually the Lexus dealer is wrong. The spark plugs should be changed at 120k. The coolant is replaced at 100k, but you don't need to do that since the water pump was recently replaced. You should register at the Lexus Owner's website. The complete Lexus service history of your vehicle will be there as well as any warranty work or recalls. You will need the VIN to complete the registration.

https://secure.drivers.lexus.com/lexusdrivers/home

JLeffler

You're right! I looked at the paperwork again and it does say 120k... I actually did look up the VIN before purchase...a recommendation I actually found in this forum, thank you. Turns out whoever owned it before serviced it within 200 miles of every required service. He had no warranty repairs and had oil changes every 3500-3800 miles. Even the notes on each service show the only thing he ever declined was the free wash at the end. He always did it himself. The Carmax was the clearest one I had ever seen too....only had his yearly registration on it.

One thing to note, my mechanic, who has done our car for years, indicated that the radiator appeared to have a small leak as there was pink residue on and around it. I was able to work those repairs into the deal and that should get fixed this week. There is also a small pit in the windshield which should be fixed or replaced as well. That's it!

On a different note, I traded in my 2008 Saturn Aura for this and as it turns out, my wife and baby girl will be doing the most cruising in this...boo! I guess I can take it for groceries on the weekend!