OU_CHOT

My wife and I have 1 newborn son (with possibly another in a couple of years). Was looking for a new vehicle and was considering a CPO RX 330 or the Honda Pilot since both use regular unleaded fuel.

Like the looks and reliability of the RX, but I am hesistant about purchasing used and a little concerned about the interior space. The warranty is definitely a bonus. Owned Hondas forever, but not thrilled w/ Pilot styling, but know its very spacious inside.

Your thoughts?? Also open to any other vehicles.

CK6Speed

iTrader: (1)

RX330 works on regular gas, but premium is recomended by Lexus. These cars use anti knock sensors thus lower octane gas can be used without harm to the engine but at possible reduced power.

Anyway,between the two I'd go for the RX330. What year are you looking at though? I would try and get an 05 model. The 04 is still a good car, but more of the bugs have been worked out in 05. I have an 04 myself that went through a lot of the TSIB and recall issued. Nothing major, just a pain in the but.

tfischer

I just looked at buying a Pilot or RAV4 (I used to have one of those) and an RX. The pilot seemed very pedestrian and just another box. I liked the RX300s, but really loved the RX330. About a month ago I would up buying an '04 CPO 330 with most of the options other than the rear seat entertainment thing, which I have no need for since I don't have any young kids anymore. It's a wonderful car, still has a year of original full warranty, an excellent NAV system, power rear door, and is much quieter and comfortable than the Pilot.

PS: the dealer indicated that the rear seat TV setup is dealer installed, so you could get that added to any RX that you purchase by any dealer (unlike the NAV, which is a factory installed option).

Of course there is a price difference, but I was comparing a new Pilot to a used RX330.

As for interior space, how much space do you need? The RX seems like a pretty big car to me.

rxdriver

An 05 RX 330 would certainly be a really nice car to own, and I would highly recommend it.

If you're looking at the Pilot, you might also consider the Toyota 4Runner. A 4Runner Limited has almost all of the same creature comforts and gadgets as the RX, and the 06 4Runner even adds MP3 playback on CD's and an 1/8" aux input jack for a portable music player. 4Runner's are selling at invoice or even slightly below with incentives. The 4Runner is actually the same length and width as the RX330, but the rear end isn't rounded off, so it's got a bit more cargo space. A drawback to the 4Runner would be the gas mileage - the V6 is EPA rated at 17/21, and the V8 is 16/19. The RX 330 (V6) is 18/24.

OU_CHOT

I was looking at getting a CPO 05 RX330 since its the 2nd year of a redesign. It seems like all the bugs are worked out.

Does the 4runner take regular gas? I thought it took premium.

rxdriver

Agreed about the bugs... the 05 is much better than the 04, though none of the bugs in the 04 will leave you stranded. They're just annoying, but at least the dealers are pretty good about fixing them.

The 4Runner runs fine on 87 octane. It seems many of the Lexus and Toyota Owners' Manuals say something like "Use 87 octane or higher. Use 91 for higher performance." That creates a lot of confusion, since "higher performace" is pretty vague. 87 is OK.

Nostics_RX

Hi...First, this is my first post. I just secured an 04 CPO RX330 FWD w/ 42k miles for my wife loaded with Performance package, AFS, HID, Nav, Laser Cruise Control, w/o rear entertainment for 33k. I have not taken delivery yet. I'd like to know your experiences and issues so far. Is 33k reasonable?? Thank you in advance guy!!

HarrierAWD

The RX330 has enough interior space to serve your current and future family. You'll never need the third-row seat in the Pilot. (By the time you do, you'll probably look for new vehicle anyway.)

Honda Pilot looks like a bland box on wheels. The RX330 definitely got style and value. It's a CPO, so if there's any problem, your Lexus dealer will take care of you.

Also the RX330 is real AWD, the Pilot is only part-time AWD if that matters to you. With 244-hp, you'll definitely feel the Pilot torque steer at launch.

blue_rx330

I'm in the process of swapping my '04 RX330 for a '06 Pilot. In your case...with 1 newborn -- the RX330 will be just fine. I have 2 kids - the oldest is 7 -- and we need more cargo space, and we need that 3rd row badly. So its either a decent SUV like the Pilot...or the M-word (minivan....).

Need more cargo space - larger 2nd row, and the best mid-sized 3rd row in an SUV? Go Pilot
Want a cleaner/less-boxy design, quieter ride, and better gas mileage? Go RX

And if you want an RX...go for an '05. My '04 RX had a lot of quirks...but that's the price I pay for buying a first-year Lexus model.

Lil4X

Your choice of RX sounds like a great one! Don't worry about the so-called "quirks" of the 04, mine has had few if any, and it was one of the first 330's in Houston back in the spring of '03. I had the transmission reprogrammed (early models had some occasional rough shifting issues), the front rotors replaced (thanks to some overzealous flat-buster torquing lug nuts with an impact too), and my power hatch has failed to open twice in the past three years - there's a TSB on that, but I can't duplicate the problem, and it hasn't reappeared in the last 2 years. Otherwise the vehicle has been completely trouble-free.

It sounds like you got a good deal on a well-optioned CPO. Enjoy!

Nostics_RX

Thanks. I took delivery Monday. The car is very smooth. I hear the tires going over bumps but don't feel it. I think RX330 with PP has better steering also as supposed to base RX. I do hear squeeks/rattles on rough roads, but I can live with that. On smooth road, this car is very quiet!! I have not been able to test the dynamic cruise control, but everything else works like a charm. HID w/ AFS is fun to watch on a curvy road, too. Very happy with the purchase so far.

ph_RX330

I owned a 05 honda pilot before selling it and buying a 06 RX330. The only thing i didn't like about the pilot was the exterior... i just couldn't get used to it, too much like a van. But some have stated that the ride on the RX is smoother?... this is not true IMO, the pilot was clearly more smoother and quieter. The RX does jump a little more on bumps and has some wind noise (which has been impoved for the rx350). I had to trade it tho, chicks dig the RX more...lol.

LexFather

Has a lot to do with rims and tires, the RX has 18" the Pilot puny 16".

RX= you'll get woman and end up making kids
Pilot= your married with kids

I slay me

tfischer

Oh, yeah! Nothing says sexy, fun-loving, devil-may-care man-about-town than an SUV.

LexFather

Or a SC 430