rsr91128

Hello, looks like a really great forum you have here.

I am close to purchasing a used 04 RX330 for my wife, this will be an extra car that she will drive a few times a week that will be easy for her to haul stuff in, so the size should be just right.

I have looked and researched many makes and models and for the price range I am looking at ($15,000ish) I think the RX330 we picked out looks to be the best value for her, after being disappointed by many so called "immaculate" cars. I have very little respect for dealers in the STL area now after seeing the crap I have seen. On one test drive one of the front air dam pieces blew off in traffic at 65mph and hit the car behind me, then the wheel well liner tore loose and dragged on the tire (and this was the best car we looked at up to that point).

The car I have chosen is an 04 AWD with 90K miles, Flint Mica with Ivory interior. It does have more miles than I wanted but it is by far the cleanest of the dozen I have looked at locally. The interior looks brand new.

Options include Nav with ML sound, Backup Camera, Premium Plus Package (Leather,Tilt/Tele Steering wheel, Roof Rack, Moonroof, Power Rear Door, HID lamps, etc)

I have the full service history, it was a originally a 1 year business lease then purchased by the employee that drove it, and was maintained at the same Lexus dealer for 7 years, then sold early last year to the guy I am buying it from. He had it serviced at another Lexus dealer and had all of the recalls taken care of, then had it serviced at an independant that he is related to last month. The car was inspected by a dealer and passed with the exception that the timing belt and water pump are due for a change.

So here are my questions for the experts:

He has an extended warranty that will transfer and supposedly the water pump (if failing) would be covered with a $100 deductible and the dealer would charge the labor difference and parts to change the timing belt, tensioner etc. that would not be covered under the warranty, apx $500 extra? However I would have to wait until the water pump starts weeping for it to qualify for warranty replacement? I do all of my own work on my other cars and really enjoy doing the work provided I have the time. I am not concerened with doing the pump, belt etc myself and I am sure I can do it for less than the $600 the dealer wants.
So in your opionion should I wait for the dealer to say the pump needs replacing (this sounds kinda stupid to me) or plan to replace it myself? I have not verified this with the warranty company but the warranty was purchased at a Lexus dealer by him when he bought it at the begining of last year.

If I do the timing belt myself, my research tells me the Toyota parts are cheaper than the Lexus parts but the exact same, so is there a crossover list or website that will tell me the direct Toyota part # versus Lexus #? or can I just look up Highlander parts and be safe? I prefer OE parts but if there are aftermarket that people have had good luck with I am OK with that also, any recommendations for aftermarket parts sources?

With one of my other cars there are certain dealers online that offer factory parts at very big discounts, are there any similar sources for OE parts from Lexus? Or should I just buy from a local dealer?

Lastly, any other concerns I should look at on the car before finalizing the deal?

It has newer Michelin tires, new brakes, no leaks or noises on the test drive, everything works AFAIK, no curb rash, very few rock chips on the front hood. The car was in a minor accident last year, it had a scrape on the right rear and front bumper. The paint work on the rear fender is very good, perfect color match, can not find a blend line, even the minor orange peel matches, he also had the front and rear bumpers painted at that time to cover rock chips and scratches, they look very good if not new. I know the body shop that did the work and they are the highest end in the area so I feel confident that it was done right. No other damage to the vehicle was done, but he did get the insurance co. to pay for a new Mark Levinson rear amp, he blamed it's failure on the collision The carfax and autocheck both agree with everything the owner has told me.


If all goes well I am picking it up tomorrow, we are meeting at his bank, he owes more than I am paying so the title lein must be cleared before purchase goes through.

My wife is very excited

Wow, that was wordy, sorry for the long first post, and Thanks in advance. And yes I did a search but really wanted answers for my specific situation.

Carver

Lexus are usually well cared for, not all, but most. Not to rain on your parade but buying the first one you see might not be the best approach. It may be the best available in your part of the world but a little looking might make sense.

There don't seem to be too many in your part of the world but at least look at the prices, specs and mileage on these to make sure you are getting a reasonable deal.

http://www.carsforsale.com/find_a_ve...ueltypeid=&bt=

The car you are considering may be on this list, just check them out to see if anything looks better.

rsr91128

Thanks for the reply!

I have actually driven 3 of the cars on your list and didn't bother with the other ones that are local after seeing them up close.
The bottom one had the most promise with a really nice sales rep but that is the one that failed the test drive (and left parts out on the highway). The second one up from the bottom has hail damage, the middle black one is filthy in person, and the wife does not want anything gold or similar to that color. I didn't go see the other couple because they are hours away and with the overall condition of the one we are looking at is so much better than the 12 or so other cars we have looked at.

Also looked at MDX, FX and a couple of Tiguans but she didn't like them.

Personally I wanted an X5 4.4 or a Cayenne S but she thinks they are too big and the ones in my range were really high miles and questionable service history. X3 is out because my boss has one and I have called it a "chick car" for so long I couldn't bring myself to buy one.

I really think the RX330 is the best bet for her needs and our budget. Just wondering if I missed anything that should be obvious before I pull the trigger.

DixieLex

Time to some more looking around. www.cars.com

Carver

There are some consistent problem areas, condensation in the headlights, leaking PS rack (expensive), rotors and of course, the expense of the timing belt and water pump.

Make sure it has had all the recalls done. You can sign up now at the Lexus site and get all the service records and find out if any recalls are due.

https://secure.drivers.lexus.com/lexusdrivers/home

rsr91128

Any reason in particular for the car that I described?

Cars.com, autotrader, carsforsale, craigslist were all scoured for a reasonible candidate. We looked at 12 RX330 finalists, most were misrepresented. I only bothered to drive 3 RX330's that we thought were worth putting in the final list. About 6 other makes were checked out also.

Thanks, from what I could tell here is what I found;
The headlights had the look of being "restored" but it has been a couple of months since it rained here so I don't know about the condensation.
PS rack was dry and quiet compared to one of the others I drove which growled in full lock.
The brake pads were new, the rotors looked clean and fresh but I can't say for sure if they were replaced with the pads.
The timing belt, pump and extras seem reasonable in price actually (aftermarket anyway) but I really want to know if it is worth it to have it partially covered and done at a dealer, or for less money do it myself and learn about the workings of the car. I am pretty sure I will do the work myself, just wondering if there are recommendations for a "favorite" parts source on this board?


Already done

Attached is the Lexus service history, there are 2 more receipts for service in the last year and a half that do not show up.

According to the owner the dealer told them it always had synthetic oil, but didn't know brand so take that for what it is worth.

See anything scary in the history? The non-oem theft deterrent was an XM receiver that is included with the car.

Thanks for the help

Carver

Looks like a well maintained car, post pics when you get it!

RX330inFL

The vehicle is so close to the time when the timing belt is scheduled to be replaced (90K), I would see if they would perform this service to close the deal. Normally, they just inspect the water pump and leave it alone if no problems found. What the Lexus dealers here in this part of FL are doing.

If you hold off on that until later to do for yourself you will want to search the forums here for more on this topic. Previous threads of those who have seen the timing belts coming off at 90K say they are in very good condition. More than likely the belt is good for 120K miles, easily. However, if the water pump leaks beforehand you will want to do it all at once time. YMMV.

Otherwise, I think Carver has it covered.

aztr0

Sounds like a good deal, and you've done your share of research.

rsr91128

Thanks for the replies!

I am going to give it another close look then hope to close the deal this afternoon.

I have priced the wp/tb parts and I really want to just do it myself, probably should let them take care of it but I like to work on my own cars, so I am looking forward to it if I buy this one. The seller seems up front and honest and is throwing in the extended warranty, XM, all weather floormats (don't match but look ok), bluetooth unit, and other little stuff. So I am ok with a few hundred bucks on my end for piece of mind.

Thanks again for the replies and I'll post pics if we get it, or more questions if we go for a different one

LEXRX04

It looks like the previous owner took care of it...that is the biggest thing when you buy any car...and you have the proof. I would say that your getting a good deal...and yeah post some pics when you can!