CaltonB

This will now have been my third rx300 I dunno what it is that has me addicted to this car, I havn't found anything that can match the reliability, price point and practicality. Gave one to a family member who it served well to. I recently found an 02 fwd (it has vsc not sure if this is standard) with really low mileage (106k) and just smogged. This alone has me suspicious seems to have been driven about 2-3k mi a year. I drove the car and it drove great shifted fine and looked great in and out aside from some minor dings on the corners.. even the antenna works. The only noticeable serious issues were that the coolant reservoir looked almost empty (possibly because they just never drive the car)... the car did not over heat or anything and I had it up to 60mph. Also the ac made an obnoxious clicking/grinding noise when you initially turn it on (it goes away after a while), it seems to only do this when it is on the above facing air mode when facing feet or any of that this noise wasn't present and sounded like it was from the glove box area. The only other thing was that the passenger window seemed on its way out, needs to be rolled down fully before being rolled back up fully (i'm guessing a solenoid or something?). They are asking 6k for this vehicle which is above the high bluebook what is a fair price on this? Also is there something else I should look for like is this window a sign of more electrical issues to come? I ran the whole odb thing which of course had no flags but the car had literally just been smogged. Thanks for any replies.

salimshah

The coolant does not evaporate. Just have it filled up and pressure tested by a radiator shop.

Glass failing to slide on its own ... needs recalibration for pinch protection and if does not behave properly then you may be looking into some repairs.

Low milage usually is not good for the vehicle. You may need new tires due to age [check the date on the tires]

Sorry that I just listed the negatives but have the vehicle inspected.

Salim

CaltonB

Appreciate the response. The coolant was one of my main concerns. It did need new front tires but I am ok with changing them if the car is sound. The window issue is something electrical it will still open and close but just behaves a bit irratic. It requires to be fully lowered before it will roll back up. What is a good mileage point to look for in these cars? My other one was purchased at right around 150k and drove great.

dchan865

Not sure if that window issue you see is common with the 1st gen RX. My 2000 model has the same issue on passenger and driver side. I avoid opening it for the fear that it will not go back up. May be one day I'll fix it.

salimshah

There is the switch, electronics [relays etc], regulator [technical name for the assembly to raise and lower the glass], and tracks/channels.

Start by programming the pinch protection [instead of single flick .. hold the up/down button for the complete cycle].
Then get into diagnose mode. The tracks can be off, after some one touches them [change of lock actuator etc]. The regulator is fairly robust on RX, but with age plastic can break.

Salim

CaltonB

Thanks for the info Salim. I've looked at a couple others and the rear passenger door just seems to have problems. I made it a habit of checking that part of the car first at this point. Either the door lock doesn't work or the window has some issue... is this just a common issue on first gen rx's or is it a sign that the electrical system may be failing on other components.

Also curious as to whether these are serious codes or can be cheaply fixed. P0441 (system incorrect purge flow), P0441 (EVAP System Incorrect Purge Flow), and P0446 (EVAP System Vent Control Circuit). The car drives flawless but has a check engine light of course and seller claims their mechanic cannot find the issue. Everything i've researched seemed like a small fix (such as loose hoses etc. but I assume they inspected all that) but what would the worst case scenario be on this? A replacement gas tank or something?

salimshah

Personally, I would not purchase or sell a vehicle with CEL 'ON'. In my county of residence, I have to pass annual inspection and in 99% of the cases, the vehicle will be deemed illegal to operate on streets. Slow leaks are very hard to trace, and can mean lot of money to cure. It can turn out out to be $1 value hose, but to diagnose it may take lot of hours. If the previous owner did not spend the $$ why should you.
RX has pretty robust electrical system [unless some one tampers with it or takes shortcuts by not attaching the strain reliefs etc]. There are wear times like the lock actuator and relays. They fail simply due to use and or exposed to environment.

Salim

sktn77a

iTrader: (2)

If you really like the car, take it to a dealer and have a "CPO" inspection (PPI) done - will cost you about $120. The clickng noise from the AC is most likely one or both of the HVAC servos ($650 each). The CEL is a killer in CA - it won't pass inspection with the light on and you have to drive it a couple of hundred miles after resetting it before they will test it again. The dealer can diagnose this and give you a repair estimate. You can use this to reduce the final selling pice of the car.