Hi everyone, I am currently looking for a used 3RX for my mom (upgrading her from a 2001 GS300). I am targeting to spend ~$18-20k for one with 60k miles or less. Could you please share if there is anything I should look out for with this gen overall/specific model years? Any input is appreciated.

Thanks!

 

Go for 2013-2015 as that is when they did a mild refresh and updated the styling, infotainment system and a few other things. Also, the earlier minor problems in the 2010-2012 models had been resolved.
You can search cars.com using the advanced search feature to narrow down your search by miles and those within a certain distance from you.
Finally on a used car the maintenance history is extremely important. You can use the Lexus drivers site to learn the dealer service history of any Lexus by signing up and entering the VIN. You don't have to own the car to do this search. You can do this for Toyota also with the same log on at their site.

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

 

^^ What he said....

 

A 2015 might still have some power train warranty left for a little peace of mind

 

I think you can go down to 2012 tbh. 2010-2011 take premium, 2012 is when they switched to regular and nothing else really changed with the engine until 2016. I like cars that recommend regular because then you don’t have to worry if the previous owner put premium when filling up. 2012s will be cheaper just because it’s pre refresh but nothing really important changed in 2013 tbh. Also 2012s have swiveling HID headlights, 2013+ lose that function. Such a shame.

Also try to find one built in Japan - VINs will start with J and are usually the ones with the Luxury package. I think the adaptive cruise option might be good to look for if you plan to keep the car a long time, will keep it current. Only some luxury package 3RXs have it. Very rare option but if yours has it you’ll be very happy on road trips.

 

Just curious what changed between the 10-11 to 12 that it went from Premium to regular? The engine is the same right?

 

You can run regular in any of them 2010-2015. All that changed was marketing. Nothing in the engine.
You lose maybe 5 horsepower on regular. It has no effect on engine life. Lots of members have only run regular gas.
Toyota/Lexus said that so they could say the Lexus RX or ES had more power than the Toyota Highlander or Camry for example. All had the same 3.5 engine.
Now lets not sidetrack this thread into another regular vs premium argument as it has been done over and over.

 

I spent the last 3 weeks looking for one of these......finally found a beauty with 60k at a great price......dealers here in Cleveland, Ohio are looking for almost 7k more out the door all in. Just be careful.....the good ones sell very quickly and because of the lack of used cars on the market the dealers are asking crazy prices.

I can tell you an exceptional price for an exceptional vehicle is around 18k........blink and you'll miss it. So many of them have damage also.....very hard to find a clean one of these.

Definitely go for a '13-'15.......mine is a '14.......if you find one grab it whatever color it may be. I've seen every single one within 500 miles of Cleveland......don't overpay and bide your time....patience is a virtue. I traveled to NJ for mine and it was worth the trip!!

Good Luck!!!

 

Congrats! Luckily, I am in no rush to buy and am taking my time. My mom has been pretty picky about color; there seems to be a bunch of white/black RXs on the market that are a no-go for her. Still waiting for a perfect mileage/price/color combo.

 

Buying used means a lot of homework. Luckily Lexus Owners website came to my help also. It was from that site that I was able to get the complete maintenance records and came to know that my car had gotten a brand new hybrid battery. I was prepared to spend 18 to 20k but I ended up buying a car with 115k but had each and every service done at a Lexus dealer and it drives like new. Just takes patience.

 

with that https://drivers.lexus.com/lexusdrivers/ link, would it show canadian vehicles on there as well? I did make an account and entered my VIN but no info was shown.

 

https://www.lexus.ca/lexus/en/build-price/rx
Came across that link but didn't explore much as I'm at work. It would be surprising if there's nothing for Canadian buyers about history.

 

Unfortunately, there isn't for Canadian buyers. CARFAX is one easy way to find whether service was done when it was supposed to. The other way would be, if you're buying from a Lexus dealer, to ask them for the maintenance history if the vehicle was serviced at that same dealer.

Even if the vehicle wasn't BUT was serviced at another Lexus dealer, they can still track that down and you can call the other Lexus dealer's service department to get a rundown using the VIN of the vehicle you're looking to buy. If you're buying private, you can still back into this information by calling a Lexus dealer's service department to see if it was serviced at any Lexus dealers.

 

Yeah except for some strange reason, Carfax didn't show a lot of services performed on my car that were routinely performed by the Lexus dealer. The Carfax didn't show that the Hybrid battery was replaced. It was only when I pulled the info from Lexus drivers that I came to know of that.
But yeah calling the Lexus dealer with the VIN number is a good start.

 

Carfax showed no maintenance records on my 2011.

Also What were some of the minor problems with 2010s to 2012s? I didn't notice too much when I looked quickly.