Hi all

This is going to be my first lexus and I am going to buy a used one. I have been researching this forum for a few days and was trying to figure out which one to choose among a 330, 350 and 400h. Looking at user experiences I figured 400h was not a good choice due to battery and coolent / transmission leaks problems reported. I have narrowed down my search to 330 and 350. I have a honda and thankfully my honda has no maintainance issues which has made me a bit lazy in a sense that I want a RX that gives the least problems and I don't have to run to a mechanic very often.

Please share your recommendations and experiences with these two that can help me choose between a 330 and a 350.

Thanks

 

RX350... has a timing chain instead of a timing belt used in the RX330 needing changed every 90K miles.

 

Also RX350 has guidelines when putting it into reverse (this is if you get a US car with the nav installed). Also the engine is much more "free" revving than the 330 and is quite pokey on the take off compared to the 330.

 

Unless you have an actual need, try to avoid AWD if possible, just more moving parts to maintain.

 

The OP lives in Texas, so very little need for AWD.

 

Thank you all for the replies, how about some genuine issues that are specific to the model /year. For example I have heard that one of the 330 has some steering problems at freeway speeds. Are there any genuine problems with 350?

Thanks

 

As much as I like my 330, I figure the 350 with a bigger engine likely has more pep. There have been times when I pulled out in front of someone and mine didn't quite move like I expected (just got it a few months ago). I'm a big fan of buying the newest model you can, hopefully they have worked out the kinks over time. I'd get the newest, nicest, lowest mileage 350 I could find.

 

As with anything if a car is properly looked after and maintained, regardless of the year then it should give you trouble free riding. You can have an RX350 that's new with lower k's and not looked after that will give you more dramas than a RX330 with slightly higher k's that has been maintained.

At the end of the day, get a thorough vehicle inspection before purchasing any car. After that it's really just luck and how well you maintain the car that will determine how bad some stuff may go in the future.

 

I would still go with the 400h. Consumer reports shows them to have great reliability, they are faster than the gas versions, and you get a bonus of about 8 extra MPG.

 

No experience with those (other than the 350's used by the dealer as service loaners) but our 400h doesn't have the issues that you're worried about. That said, I'm not sure that collecting anecdotal evidence will really prove what you're trying to prove.

 

The 330 does not 'have steering issues' at highway speed. I don't know where this stuff comes from. Any issues an individual car may have can be remedied.

 

Either 350 or 400h would be fine... I would go for a CPO tho

 

My 2005 RX330 has no problems at 75000 miles, it's now ten years old will never part with it because it's made in
Japan not Canada look for a Japanese made Rx.

 

I too am toying with the idea of an RX330 or RX350 as my next vehicle.

What about the 2GR-FE 3.5L V6's reliability vs the 3MZ-FE?

I'm concerned about water pumps failing, ignition coils burning up, valve noise when cold, as well as oil leaks...all of that my 3MZ-FE in my ES330 doesn't suffer from.

 

RX 350s are made in Canada. And their Canadian plant won the Platinum global plant award. That means it was the top manufacturing plant in the world in 2011. Thats a pretty high standard. So I'm pretty comfortable with the quality of Lexus vehicles made outside of Japan.

http://www.toyota.ca/cgi-bin/WebObje...uality.JDPower

Every year since 1990, the authoritative J.D. Power and Associates award Gold, Silver and Bronze North American Plant Quality Awards. These awards are based on the findings of an independently funded study of new vehicle quality, which monitors and reports on the number of problems per 100 vehicles that customers actually experience during the first 90 days of ownership.

In 2011, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada (TMMC) South Plant in Cambridge, Ontario, was awarded a Platinum Plant Award for the highest ranked global automotive manufacturing facility. This marks the first time ever that a Toyota plant outside of Japan has won the global top honour. TMMC South Plant is also the only plant outside of Japan to build Lexus.