hey folks, I I am in the market for a Lexus 350 in June as a car for my wife who is giving her old car to my daughter when she turns 16. Since we are waiting for her birthday I have had Time to shop a bit and have historically always bought three year old off lease vehicles to save on the depreciation but I am learning I will need to spend approximately $34k for a 2015 CPO with 25,000 miles, plus TTT. After taking a peek at the fourth generation pricing thread I'm realizing The discount on the 2017 is much greater than I realized and therefore the savings between 17 and 2015 is less than I realized. I have not talked to my local dealer about a new car so this is all a new discovery to me but if sticker is 52 and discounts are up to 15% I could be looking at a purchase price of 44 to 45,000+ TTT. Does this make sense and if so doesn't it appear to make more sense to buy one of the new vehicles instead of a third-generation? Given the low depreciation characteristics of these vehicles, I'm not saving nearly as much as I do on past domestic purchases.

Second, in general, have people been pleased with the 4th gen vs their experience with the 3rd?

 

The 3rd and 4th gen RX350's are different cars. I loved my 3rd and regret buying the 4th...don't get me wrong the 4th is an amazing vehicle, but for me having all the additional safety features, numerous other features...well I could care less. The 4th has some known problems that are driving some people crazy. Hesitation issues with the tranny, noise and vibration issues, two big factors that are seriously worth looking into. I'm lucky I only had the hesitation issue, and that has been resolved 95%. I would rate a fixed tranny at fair for this vehicle. Not impressed with the 8 speed and would not buy again.

Gas mileage is worse than the 3rd gen, only by 1-2 MPG but it should be better.

Pricing a 3 vs 4 depends on if you are financing or paying cash. Great deals on 4 but you still take a huge hit after two years.
How long do you plan on keeping it? How many miles etc are all questions you need to ask yourself.

Personally I would look at a 2014 and buy an extended warranty if you are worried about that.

There should be lots of 2014's coming off lease and maybe get a great deal on one of them. The mark up on a used car is huge so don't be afraid to offer 10-20 % off asking. There are lots of deals to be had, just don't be afraid to walk away...

Good luck on your search.

 

It's very difficult to get 15% off MSRP of new 2017 here in my area(MA). The best I've gotten is 12%.
I've been in this dilemma for the past month. A new 2017 with potential issues that Lexus probably can't fix(a characteristic of the car they said) or a CPO '15. At first, I thought the price difference would be $10K(also assumed that I would get 15% discount) but with the best deal they've given me, the different in price is more like $13-14K.
After reading the 50 page long vibration issue and the fact that we would save more than $12K, I'm leaning toward a CPO '15. But looking for a used car is not for everyone, you would have to live with the scratches and color combo from the previuos owner.
I do wish the 4th gen vibration wasn't as bad as it is. I would've bought one and not look back.

 

I have the FWD 2016 Rx350 with 8000 miles now. I had the tranny software updated and it's much better now, don't notice any hesitation and now have smooth shifting. As for "Vibration", I never experienced any vibrations. My suggestion is to drive the 2017 a bit and determine for yourself if it vibrates.

 

I test drove a total of 4 new 2017 vehicles. The problem I have with these test drives is that they're all very short. The first one I drove was in the rain, I thought it drove just fine. However, it was in the rain and the vehicle was not the exact vehicle I'll be purchasing. The second dealership, I test drove the vehicle I was interested in buying. However, the first drive with 15 minutes of traffic on the highway, I felt some vibration that is abnormal in the 1-2KRPM. When we returned to the dealer, I asked for a longer test drive. My wife and I both drove it and thought the vibration is there although there's no droning noise of any sort. We felt very concern about it. At this point, I was really against buying a new one but the wife really wants the new one model rather than the '15. We took another vehicle for a short test drive but it wasn't the vehicle we're buying so we didn't drive it for long. I thought that one was okay but in my head, I was already thinking why am I shelling out close to 50K(and 50+ after tax) for a new vehicle that I know "might" have vibration. We talked pricing anyway but we couldn't agree on pricing. When I drove my '11 GS350 back, I told the wife this is how a Lexus or any car should behave when you accelerate. There's no vibration on the foot or the steering wheel whatsoever.
The next day, we decided to go to another dealer. This one was a disappointment. They wanted us to make a decision on a literally 10 minutes of test driving the vehicle. We walked out.
My issue is that, I felt the vibration of the 2017 first hand so I know the '17 is still having the same problem. We'll be looking at some CPO this week of the '15. If the price is right, I think I will get the 3rd Gen and wait til the refresh of 4th or 5th to get that one.
I'm also eyeing on a LC500.

 

I drove a 2017 today and while the drive wasn't long enough and I'm not sure I know what I was listening for, I didn't notice vibration or droning. I was surprised at how much better the 17 rode vs the 3rd gen. I drove the, back to back and the difference was unmistakeable. I still like and trust the 3rd gen more than the 4th and the pricing differential may be more than I initially thought but I haven't ruled out the 17 given how well it rode, drove.. also, while I really like the parchment in the 3rd gen, I didn't like it so much in the 17 so I would likely go w a light gray, silver interior, more soothing. I did not get pricing yet so need to do that next.

 

Sent you a note...

Vibration and drone that people are talking about are felt differently by each driver. The drone is not a drone. A low rumble from low rpm's is not a drone. The vibration issue again is something that is probably inherent with the new design. It's not an electric car so there is some vibration if you really have to try to feel for it. Out of 56 cars I've never owned one that didn't vibrate.

There are some people that say it's so bad they can barley drive the car. If that's the case, why it isn't in the shop getting fixed is beyond me. Once you get something into your head it's hard not to feel/hear it. That's all one focuses on. I have only heard one clip of a rattle that was surely not normal and it required dealer attention. What happened I don't know.

Go drive the one you want and see if it's the car for you. Now that you know some people have issues, you'll know what to listen and feel for.

Good luck and happy test driving!

 

I was thinking about used as well before I purchased my 2017 earlier this year. Since RX was redesigned in 2016, I really hesitated to buy a 2015 or older because the exterior appearance. But it was very hard to find an used 2016. And it was even harder to find a 2016 with safety package (not standard on 2016).

On my 2017 RX, I never experienced the hesitation issue. I am not sure about drone either. But I did experience the vibration. However, it is not bad and I will not say it is a POS or not drivable like some others claimed in this board. It would be perfectly fine on a $30K vehicle. But it might be too much for a $52K Lexus.