rankone

Hey CL,

Responses on this forum helped me in buying a 2000 ES300 which turned out to be a great ride & now we're looking to purchase a 2nd Gen RX330 (2004-2006) but I do have a couple of questions. Price wise, the 2004 model is obivously cheaper but I was wondering if there are significant changes between the years. Essentially all of them are the same car, but were certain quirks of say the 2004 year fixed in the 05 and 06 RX330s? Are there are any known issues with the 2nd gen RX's that I should be looking out for while test driving the car. Would getting a warranty on the car make a big difference in terms of repairs or would I be shelling out a lot of money if I don't opt for the warranty. Lastly in terms of city driving what kind of gas mileage could I be expecting? I know these are a lot of questions but having never bought a SUV before I kind of don't know what to anticipate in terms of repairs with an used SUV or just regular maintenance of the vehicle. Hope you guys can help me out.

Thanks

Carver

The 04 had an earlier gen nav than the 05/06 and no blue tooth so keep that in mind.

rankone

Some of the models I was looking at didn't have the Navigation at all, I was wondering if this could be installed after market or through a Lexus dealership.

Carver

Click the Kenwood link in my sig.

rankone

Thanks for the responses, I'll definitely consider that installation once I get the car, just wondering how it would pan out in terms of repair/maintenance costs and gas mileage.

Carver

They are Lexus, no horrible problems ready to leap out and ****** your wallet. They get about 16 in town and I got 26.5 on a trip. I got mine at 73k an decided to do a full mid life service, complete fluid change, trans, radiator, steering, brakes, oil. Wheel alignment, detail, etc.

It needed brakes (pads and rotors) and had a slight leak in the PS rack so I replaced that as well, that was about it. If you maintain the car it will probably last as long as you want to drive it.

Post pics!

jfelbab

Very happy with my 2004 and would definitely buy it again. Keep in mind that there is a fairly expensive 90k mile service. Great vehicle.

rankone

Thanks for the responses, when you say fairly expensive how expensive is the 90k service. I am assuming this is when the timing belt is changed.

RX330inFL

And water pump...
and accessories/serpentine belt...

Plugs are good until 120K.

Carver

Some Toyota dealers and independents range from 450-650, as you might imagine Lexus dealers are more in the 1100-1500 range. Add a couple hundred for water pump and labor. If you have a mechanic for your ES ask them what they would charge.

rankone

Yeah on my ES300 when my AC compressor went bust & I had to get the power steering fluid flushed along with a couple of other things, I took it to the Lexus dealer & they ended up charging me $2000 for it all. At the time I took it in, because it sounded like something was going on with the transmission as it kept making this noise whenever I accelerated. The good thing with the Lexus dealer is that they give u a loaner, and all these repairs took about a week. Although with the RX I think I would have to go to a Toyota dealership in order to save some money.