Hello everybody, I am new to the forums here. I am looking for some advice if you don’t mind =)

I am 18 years old and I am looking for my first lexus. (no no the parents will not pay for it… I purchased my 2004 acura tsx with navi for $29k and I just sold it back to the dealer because they left the radiator cap off when doing an oil change…and it melted half the engine, so I decided its time for a new car)

My mom is leasing the 2001 rx300 and she wants me to get an SUV or an AWD vehicle because of the winter weather around here (Michigan); therefore, I am considering the RX330 or the ES330 (yes I know the es330 does not have AWD).

I read in an article that the RX330 has “lexuslink” which is similar to onstar… but from the lexus website and from the dealer it seems that is not true… does anybody know about this?

I have all of a week to decide what car I am going to get as a replacement to my Acura and because of that I want to at least try to get a car that has everything I want – for example I want Bluetooth for my cell phone in my next car; however, the rx330 does not have it yet…. Does anybody know if it will be possible to add this feature in the future? I know the ls430 has the feature.

Next, for those of you that purchased either the es330 or the rx330 did you buy the extended warranty? How much did you pay? What are the terms of it?

Also, on the rx300 my mom has, every 5000 miles she gets an oil change, how much do you pay for the oil changes and maintenance? She is currently paying around $100 for an oil change.

As for the navigation unit how much are the dvd updates every year? Is it possible to watch dvds on the navi screen while driving? In my acura I had to get the unit from www.avelectronic.com to be able to watch dvds while driving.

Also, has anybody added XM radio to their rx330 or es330? Where did you mount it?

Last, I have not yet taken the rx for a test drive yet, but if you know, is the drive any different from the 01 rx300? Does it speed up any faster? Etc etc

Thanks =)

 

The TSX and ES 330 are very different cars. If you bought the TSX for the sportiness, you might be disappointed with the ES. Perhaps the IS would be the better choice for you. If you want bluetooth with AWD, then you'll need to wait for next year's RX. I read somewhere it should have bluetooth. If AWD is a must, then the RX would be the choice.

As for the maintenace, Toyota dealers should be able to service your Lexus for less money. IMO I would not go with an extended warranty, but it depends how much peace of mind you want and how long do you plan to keep this vehicle.

 

When I bought my RX 330 in February, I was told by the salesman that LexusLink has been discontinued.

 

thanks guys


and yes the lexus link was discontinued... they are going to an all satellite system in 06 (so the sales guy told me yesterday)

although i think i have moved away from the lexus and i am looking at the acura again... probably the 2005 acura rl

thanks though