I really don't have the answer to my own question. I would love to own a lexus someday but it has not happened yet. I have test driven many and compared them with other cars when I was looking for one but everytime when it comes down to actually getting one, the lexus has always been a 2nd or 3rd choice. I am curious to know if some of you are in the same boat. I know this is a Lexus forum and the majority of you own one so I appreciate if you share your experience. I really enjoy my stay here because most of you are really open minded for discussion so my question to you is - when you got your FIRST lexus, what was it that made you decided to get the lexus over the others? Was it a hard decision? It seems so hard for me.

 

wasnt a hard decision after i opened up my options from strictly owning German cars. I came from the VAG family for many many years and to some extent i was pretty close minded about what car I would buy. I wasnt open to it until the recent release of the new GS that really caught my eye. My wife and I went and test drove the car...and that sealed the deal. Dollar for dollar, this car offered more standard features than the Audi A6 that I was pricing. I'm very happy w/ my decision so far...it was tough thing for the site that i helped run which was and Audi enthusiast site...got a lot of hate from some of the diehards but also got support from others that were a bit more open minded.

 

My first Lexus was a '00 RX 300. My business requires me to travel both in town and over about a 600-mile territory. Airfares are rising and with the latest round of security delays, schedules - especially when connecting to smaller cities are iffy. By using the RX as my on-the-road office and "executive jet" I have become much more efficient. My '04 RX 330, like it's predecessor has proven a dead reliable, comfortable transportation device that is as at home on the highway as it is on a ranch road or oilfield corduroy. It is capable of light hauling, yet retains a great deal of luxury for entertaining clients. It is swift, silent, and nimble - all attributes that were at the top of my "wish list" when I abandoned conventional truck-based SUV's after well over a half-million miles of having my backside beaten by these upscale pickups.

What will I replace the RX with next year? I may not replace it at all - but now, thanks to Lexus' product leadership, there are many alternatives that seem to offer similar features at a lower price. Right now, I'd like to hold off 'till 2007 to see what the RX 350 will be like.

 

You have ruled out the RX400H, Lil? Too much of a waiting list and price gouging?

 

Luxury, of course.

I do have to admit that Lexus owners are pretty privilaged to drive a pricier car compared to most other cars out there. Yes, I could have gotten a Scion or Corolla or Civic, but I guess I'm spoiled from the amenities that I have been accustomed to. My family has BMWs and Lexi, and my first new car was a '04 Toyota Solara (excellent amenities, but you know you always want more...). As soon as I was more financially stable, I sold the Solara quickly, and ordered the IS350. Now I just have to wait for the next gen SC!

 

My first Lexus was a 1996 ES 300 and I still have it. I have over 244K miles and I don't think Mercedes, BMW, Audi or Jaguar could go that many miles without any major problems such as replacing the motor, transmission or any major electrical work. All I've done is the preventative maintenance from time to time such as changing the oil, oil filter, other fluids, replaced the battery, tires, brake pads, timing belt, O2 sensors, air filter and spark plugs. As you can see no major problems whatsoever.

Sure BMW is a great performance car, Mecedes has got the image as well as Jaguar and I'm sure Audi is a great car as well. I wanted a car that had luxury, reliability and great customer service when ever I take my car to the dealership. It was plain and simple for me. As human beings it's never going to be enough but I was and still am satisfied with Lexus.

 

We were looking for something to bring down to Mexico that was very good quality and solidly built. We kept in mind that Toyota was opening its doors just in case of a problem, even though Lexus still is not here. We looked at the Infiniti QX4, Toyota RAV4, BMW 325i wagon but I always loved the beautiful shape of the back of the RX300. We eventually found a used 4x4 model took a test drive and took it. Almost 4 years later, we are quite happy and proud of it and it is one of the fastest RX300s in the world given its modifications and track times.

I have had other cars but nothing more fun than my RX300.

 

Im curious what are your track times?

 

Do you have any pictures of your RX 300?

 

When I got my first Lexus.....a yellow IS300...it was a tough choice between the IS300 and some upper-level Toyotas....I seriously considered a Solara V6. The IS300's paint job, chronograph gauges, chrome ball shifter, ride and handling refinement, low noise level, and a number of other features swayed me in the end....though the Solara was also extremely quiet. I bought my IS300 with all-season tires but was still unimpressed with its winter traction and since then I have become a convert to AWD....which Subaru does best in the under-35K range.
If you are considering a Lexus, you don't have to buy new, of course. Lexus has one of the best Certified Used ( Pre-Owned ) programs in the country. Lexus also has some excellent AWD cars now....you don't have to buy an RX330 or truck-based Lexus SUV any more to get it....but the IS250AWD and GS300AWD are both rather pricey.

 

Thank you for asking

I have some external shots, but nothing that can show the modifications specifically, but I plan to show some in the RX forum over the holidays after a friend and I take some good quality digital shots.

As far as track times, the fastest I recently clocked was on Dec. 9th with an 18.056 in the 1/4 mile. I have seen in the Lexus brochures my vehicle was supposed to do 16.8 stock, but I think other publications have shown high 17s at sea level. Still sounds slow, but keep in mind 7,400 feet elevation at my track in Tlalnepantla, Estado de Mexico will slow your times down dramatically. My fastest 60 foot time was 2.694 with a top vehicle speed of 123.69 km/h. I have also never lost to another SUV, though several trucks.

If you do a search on my prior posts, you can follow along.

 

Correctional charts... for NHRA only go up to denver's altitude which is 5900 feet or so.. But I see a pretty linear pattern. Basically every 100 feet of altitude you take a multiplier of 0.0013 off to get the Sea level corrected times. For NA cars

So going of that: 7400 feet times 0.0013 would give you a multiplier of 0.9038. So your best time corrected to sea level is about 16.32. Thats not bad thats probably faster then most SUV's minus the sport suv's like FX35/45, Cayenne, X3/5, G wagon, and some big displacement V8 suvs like the armada and etc...

But I guess thats a very rough estimate since actual atmospheric pressure readings vary day to day and time to time. Next time you go you should make a note of that the atomospheric pressure reading that day is and make a note to roughly what altitude that translates to...

 

Actually, I started making a better note about air pressure and humidity before I leave. Of course the RX has an outside temperature indicator.

I use, http://www.weather.com/outlook/trave...om=search_city

and http://www.wunderground.com/weathers...graphspan=year

for historical weather for Mexico City.

If you see my posting in https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=190667 (you need to scroll down)

you will note 49% humidity, 30.36 pressure and 55 F temp (actually the temp is what I recorded at the track)

I have beaten a Cayenne V6 (I think weight kills them). I don't know if a Pathfinder Armada would rumble down any faster given the weight. The other week I lost to a Dodge Ram Hemi powered 2500 (5.7L 345 hp if I remember correctly) and it was clocking 17.0 as its best time.

Ford Escape and another model called an Ecosport can roll very close, 18.2 and 18.3 best times I have seen.

 

Back in '98, I was in the market for my first "nice" car. Considered the E and 5, but after I saw the 2nd gen GS for the first time, I knew it was going to be my next car. Up until that point, nothing in the Lexus lineup remotely interested me or got my blood pumping (LS, ES and 1st gen GS were all too sedate).