Hello all,

My friend is a car dealer and can get me the cars off lease (at most three years old) from an auction plus a fee. My short list includes a RX300 and X5. I noticed that in Consumer's report RX-300 came on top but somehow after test driving both I like X5 (2004-05) model a little bit better but not enough to make up my mind. What's your opinion?

thx,

 

I would think that based on a driving test alone, the X5 would be better, but when you factor in reliability and overall build quality, the RX would be preferred. A very difficult choice. I have had my RX for 10 years, and have given thought to selling it in favor of a newer vehicle - either another RX or an X5.

 

Never owned an X5 but have had plenty of bimmers in the past and currently have one (RX300 is for the wifey)

From my experience be prepared for much more maintenance costs. I use to have to change the front brakes on my E34 every 40-50K miles, as well as the radiator and water pump every 70-80K miles (plastic radiators). That's why I like my wifes RX, relatively low maintenance (vs. BMW...which means less work for me )

Bimmers handle much better and overall (IMHO) are more of a driver enthusiasts vehicle but if you want a reliable and relatively trouble-free vehicle, I would opt for the RX.

 

I knew people with X5s in Mexico and they had a lot more reliability issues than even some American SUVs down there.

 

yea i have heard bmws are a serious pain if you want to work on them yourself so unless ur loaded with loot or patience might be better to go with the lexus

i have a 99 rx300 with 210K miles on it and it looks and runs amazing, when i first got it everyone thought i had a brand new car when it was actually 7 years old lol

 

Reason I know about these X5s is because my uncle ended up working on them, including two owned by the neighbor in my old apartment building, a 3.0 and a 4.8 model, after BMW charged him a fortune and he kept winding up with the same issues.

 

I know there isn't much difference and they're always compared together, but isn't the X5 more in the MDX size group, while the X3 is really too small compared to the RX. The X5 is a lot roomier and powerful. Plus, the rear doors have sunshades (possibly not all trims) which is a plus if you have kids. Unless you're going to drive the thing to the ground and put on like 250K miles into it, then go with the X5. If you're going to use it for long haul and want reliability, then RX all the way.

 

Tires alone would scare me into buying an X5. $200+ easy each.

 

I own a 2000 RX300 with about 94,000 miles on it. It's been very reliable and the maintenance cost has been an non-issue. I also own a 2002 BMW 330Xi (AWD) and have a friend who own a 2001 BMW X5.

A BMW is far more fun to drive than a Lexus for me but my BMW and my friend's X5 has been very expensive to maintain, which not necessarily surprising. The X5 drives like a BMW 5-series while having all wheel drive and high clearance of a SUV.

My 330Xi is all wheel drive and I like the fact that it delivers 38% of the torque to the front wheels and 62% of the torque to the rear wheel. The RX300 is something like 95% front wheel drive and only 5% to the rear wheels, which makes me wonder why it is called AWD.

My RX300 takes regular gasoline while a BMW requires premium gasoline.

When I need parts for my Lexus, I go to the local Toyota dealership which is open on Sunday. I usually have to order parts online for the BMW.

My RX300 averages about 19 mpg mixed but mostly city driving and my friend's X5 gets about 15 city and 19 on the highway.

The window regulator on a BMW commonly breaks and is expensive to replace while my RX300 has never had any major cost issues.

My friend's 2001 X5 has about 175,000 miles on it but is still drives like it is new. My 2000 RX300 is approaching 100,000 miles but still feel new to me.

If you want an extremely reliable SUV where you rarely have to worry about it breaking down, get the RX300 (but check out the transmission fluid and the number of times the AT fluid has been changed).

If you like the precise road to wheel feel of the BMW and enjoy how it drives like it is on rails and easily takes on a corner with comfort, get the X5 but be prepared to pay far far more for the annual maintenance costs. If you like working on automobiles, you will quickly learn how to fix and replace parts on a BMW.

 

RX and X5 drive like night and day difference. So is reliability.

 

Yes, that is quite true on the AWD system and its ratio on front/rear on the RX300 (though I highly valued that on the drag strip (no spin on launches).

A long time ago, I used to own a 1990 325ic, best car I ever owned (not vehicle though), and rarely had trouble with it. I had looked at 3-series wagon around the same time I eventually bought my RX300, and was impressed with the 3-series handling, a somewhat better improvement over my old 325ic, but realized I really needed an AWD SUV for Mexico.

One positive I can say about BMW is that they really do use the best OEM fluids in the industry. I used to go over to a BMW dealer in Mexico for things such as Castrol 0W30 oil and ATE Superblue brake fluid. Even in a pinch (since I couldn't get Royal Purple except in a case), I wound up using their 75W140 gear oil (some of you may remember that). However, my landlord's brother had a 320i (version not sold here) and was happy when it ran, but when it hit the shop for any type of maintenance, even a simple oil change, it also hit his wallet. My uncle eventually took over the maintenance of the vehicle.

 

My personal experience is that quality, reliability and maintenance/repair costs for BMWs are comparable to Lexus. The dealership hourly labor rates are the same (in NC) and the maintenance items are similar - a 60,000 mile service on my 2001 BMW 530 (I've owned previous BMWs also) was almost the same as the 60,000 mile service on my 1999 RX300. BMWs don't need timing belts changed at 90,000 miles (they use chains) and there are no "rear" plugs to fight to change! They are both luxury vehicles and they are expensive to own! (Discount BMW's "free scheduled" mantenance and pay for the job to be done properly if you want the car to last).

As far as the RX3xx vs BMW X5, they are night and day different - the RX3xx is a car while the X5 is a big ol' SUV (Expedition style)! You pays your money, you takes your choice..............

 

Tough decision for you man. I am very lucky because I have both Lexus and BMW. I bought my wife a very reliable car(RX300) and bought myself a very fun car (01' 330i). My RX is reliable and comfortable car, no question about that. But it is not very fun to drive. I tested drove X5 4.8i sport with 19 inches wheels before, it handled better than RX. The sound of V8 engine is great but the X5 is too heavy and I didn't feel much push when flooring.

My 330i is very fun to drive. I have 91k miles on the clock and It has been reliable too. However, after it reached 90k miles, something broke (alternator and extension tank). Remember to do all the maintenance on schedule, don't skip anything special on Bimmer. I like my RX because it is a reliable car and I love my Bimmer because it is fun to drive. GL