BadgerMom

Hi, everyone. I am a newcomer, so please bear with me! I have long had a car crush on the RX 330, and I came to realize over the past few months that my window to act on that is gradually closing. So, I have started looking, and have narrowed it down to two in our region. I am trying to determine which of the two is the better bet for another 5 years or 100,000 miles (I drive 18-20k miles per year). Both are one-owner vehicles. Either way, we will be getting a pre-purchase inspection done before making any purchase. Would you all please share your thoughts on whether one or both of these appears to be a particularly good or bad bet?

1) 2004 RX 330, 93k miles: This vehicle has a service history (downloaded from Lexus Owners) that is as long as my arm. The owner hit every service interval like clockwork, and had every recommended item done. As a result, it has had its timing belt and water pump replaced (2012), radiator replaced (2012), Differential and Transmission fluid replaced (2008 and 2011), battery replaced (2016) and rear brake calipers replaced (2017), in addition to regular wear-and-tear items like break pads and rotors, oil changes. etc. I view this service history as a plus, but do wonder if it is normal for a car to require a radiator replacement. One other item I am a bit concerned about is that the car is for sale at a local used car dealer that has a mixed reputation, and was acquired by them at a regional auto auction last month. Considering that this is a one-owner car that was serviced at the same Lexus dealership for 13 years, it seems odd that they wouldn't take it in to sell themselves if the car is in as good of shape as it appears on paper. But of course, I have no way of knowing what the story is there;the owner could have traded it for a new vehicle at a Honda dealership for all I know. I don't know if that is something to worry about or not. Price is 11, 200.

2) 2006 RX 330, 84k miles. This car's service history is less extensive -- records stop with Lexus at 2011. The car had its transmission/differential service (with fluid exchange) performed in 2010. Also, the brakes were regularly serviced/maintained, along with regular oil changes, until 2011. No other service records on the Lexus website after that, nor anything on Carfax that would give me more information. I will inquire with the dealership regarding any additional information on service, but will otherwise assume this one will require a timing belt/water pump service at a minimum, in addition to anything else the PPI reveals. Price is $12,900.

The moral of the story: the 2004 RX 330 has a better service record, but more miles, two years older and I can't tell if the information suggests the car is a good bet or a bad one. The 2006 RX 30 is two years more recent and has 15,000 fewer miles, but I don't know if that makes a truly significant difference in terms of whether or not it is more likely to last an additional 5 years/100k than the other car -- or if that is not realistic to expect either way.

All input would be appreciated. Thank you so much!

mylexbaby

One thing to note is that average miles per year is nearly the same for the two RXs.

Here are a few suggestions:
price the cost of doing things for the 06 that have been done for the 04 (leaving out things like the radiator as bridges that don't need to be crossed until they come up) and add that to cost of the 06 to get a better idea of the actual price difference;
maybe do the above as part of a pre-purchase inspection (PPI) of each of the two cars by a good independent mechanic (a good idea with any used car buy); and
decide on your personal level of risk tolerance compared to the price difference (and recognize that a 2 year difference isn't going to mean a difference of an additional 5 years/100k).

Btw, in response to your question, the radiator in our 05 RX was replaced due to a leak after about 10 years.

Good luck!

Lexuswiz

iTrader: (1)

Before I give my input, are we looking at base models between the '04 and '06? Or do one or both have nav, 18 inch wheels, HID AFS headlights, etc? This helps with judging the price.

05RX330AWD

Difficult to say, as Lexuswiz mentioned, if a RX330 is optioned with AWD & Premium Plus would make a huge difference in price & decision making compared to a Base FWD RX330 with minimal options.
You can always contact Lexus Customer Service with your Vin #, they will email you the complete list of what options the RX had when it was delivered to the dealer new.
As far as the why the owner didn't sell the RX themselves, auction & more, this should give you some bargaining power.
I purchased my used 05 RX330 AWD with the Premium Plus Package & more from a local Hyundai dealer "as is", I tested the vehicle, it seemed fine, the undercarriage was really clean although noticed a differential leak, the Temperature needle was fluctuating.
I inquired if the Timing Belt was done along with other questions were unknown
To make a long story short, very little expense was needed to resolve the issues & to safety inspect the RX in order to plate it. (mandatory here)
When the dust cleared at the dealership, I drove the RX330 off the lot for $2,400. cash , it was a no brainer decision although I still have some non safety issues to resolve as supports for the Tailgate & more.

tbm5690

Out of the gate, I would lean for the '06 being that first model year brings a higher likelihood of issues and/or flaws...although not every '04 falls into this category. As mentioned prior, what option packages are installed? What about condition? You can usually tell how the previous owner treated it. I'm assuming that timing belt may be original on both given the mileage, so definitely something to ask about as mentioned above. Otherwise, common RX stuff: check for headlight condensation, cracking dashboards, and leaky power steering racks on both of them.

NVAKeith

iTrader: (1)

I would lean toward the 2006 for the added safety of the rollover sensor for the curtain airbags. As for service history I think a PPI is more valuable, my local mechanic doesn't report to carfax so it is possible that it's been taken care of. Our 2007 had every service on time and at Lexus dealers. Despite that the tranny started to crap out at 102k, and to add to your uneasiness, it ended up at a wholesale auction because of that.

takeshi74

I wouldn't read too much into it. The owner may have gotten a better trade in value at one place versus another. Keep in mind that trade ins can be part of the negotiation with a new vehicle purchase. Additionally, the vehicle being at a used dealer purchased from auction doesn't necessarily mean that the owner didn't take the vehicle in themselves to their usual dealer. If a dealer takes a trade and doesn't think it can sell it for whatever reasons then they'll send it off to auction. That doesn't necessarily mean that the vehicle had red flags -- it could be a matter of cosmetics, state of the local market, state of their used inventory and/or other stuff.

IMO the full service record is a plus but I'd put much more into the inspection. Make sure you're using a good inspector.

You can't determine such things based solely on MY and miles. The 2 are convenient metrics for comparison but they don't tell you anything about the specific conditions of the vehicles you're looking at. That's what the inspection and, to a much smaller degree, the service histories, are for.

It's not really normal or abnormal in and of itself. It's not just the existence of the replacement that matters but the why behind it and whether or not that why indicates other possible problems. We've had the radiator on our 400h replaced and it has been a very reliable vehicle. Our Honda S2000 had a master cylinder and then a slave cylinder replace but it was also an extremely reliable vehicle. You can't just look at the replacement of one part to determine a given vehicle's reliability. Again, the inspection should give you a better idea.