When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Whats going on CL! Havent been in the RX section before, I have a GS and was debating upgrading to a 2013 GS or 2016 RX. The wife is driving me crazy for a bigger car since we have a 2 year old. I keep telling her the GS is good enough but lately I’ve been considering the RX more and more. Obviously the RX would be a bigger commitment $ wise, I’m just not sure if it’s worth the extra money and if it’s as reliable as the GS which is made in Japan. How has the reliability been for you guys with the 2016+ RX? I don’t like the looks of previous years or I would’ve considered a 2013-2015 RX as well. I know these are two totally different cars but someone help steer me in the right direction :-). I’m looking to own long term. I keep cars very long. I have had a 2001 GS430 for about 6 years. Took it from 90k to 180k.
My 2 kids are now 23 and 25 - here's my 2 cents from my expensive journey with family vehicles.
Bottom line: Having a convenient and capable vehicle when dealing with kids is worth any amount you can possibly afford to pay. We had 2 close together (17 mo a part) so we did the mini-van thing first. When they were 3 and 5 we figured "now we can go with something the size of a Subaru Forrester". Dead wrong. While it was OK for a while, once your child (or children) starting doing things with friends you run out of space real quick. So we went back up to a Honda Pilot, then Acura MDX. Kids got older and we thought "surely we can go with something the size of an RDX". Again dead wrong. Back to the MDX, and now an X5 (BTW, my personal car is the Lexus: 2016 RX450h F-Sport). Wife had the "family" car. So we own 2 mid-sized SUVs now and we're both as happy as we have ever been with our cars.
I'd recommend in the strongest possible way go with the RX. More cargo space when you need it, you have the option to add towing, roof racks, bike racks - all possible accessories you might need with kids (ever try to fit a kids bike in the trunk of a car? ). Plus you have the utility of going off-pavement if you visit parks or other places where ground clearance is better to have. Explore the 450h and you'll get respectable MPG too (I get 30-32 in mine).
Overall I've never regretted having too much vehicle, but I've always regretted having too little. And I can't say enough good things about my RX. I got it as a CPO just a couple months ago, 20k miles on it. But once I got past the fact that any kind of "spirited driving" isn't really an option, I love everything else about it. Even though it's just me most of the time. My previous was a 2016 IS 200t. I do miss the go-cart feel now and again, but being honest with myself I spend 98% of my time in the car commuting to work. In 2 years with the IS I got it out on a windy road once. I spent a lot of years buying a car for what I wanted to do rather than what I actually did. Commuting in the RX far more comfortable and enjoyable. And even with older kids, we can load up and go and everyone is comfortable.
Well said bro thanks. I was hoping I wouldn’t be convinced to get the RX but now I’m going to test drive it tomorrow
Originally Posted by 1Louder
My 2 kids are now 23 and 25 - here's my 2 cents from my expensive journey with family vehicles.
Bottom line: Having a convenient and capable vehicle when dealing with kids is worth any amount you can possibly afford to pay. We had 2 close together (17 mo a part) so we did the mini-van thing first. When they were 3 and 5 we figured "now we can go with something the size of a Subaru Forrester". Dead wrong. While it was OK for a while, once your child (or children) starting doing things with friends you run out of space real quick. So we went back up to a Honda Pilot, then Acura MDX. Kids got older and we thought "surely we can go with something the size of an RDX". Again dead wrong. Back to the MDX, and now an X5 (BTW, my personal car is the Lexus: 2016 RX450h F-Sport). Wife had the "family" car. So we own 2 mid-sized SUVs now and we're both as happy as we have ever been with our cars.
I'd recommend in the strongest possible way go with the RX. More cargo space when you need it, you have the option to add towing, roof racks, bike racks - all possible accessories you might need with kids (ever try to fit a kids bike in the trunk of a car? ). Plus you have the utility of going off-pavement if you visit parks or other places where ground clearance is better to have. Explore the 450h and you'll get respectable MPG too (I get 30-32 in mine).
Overall I've never regretted having too much vehicle, but I've always regretted having too little. And I can't say enough good things about my RX. I got it as a CPO just a couple months ago, 20k miles on it. But once I got past the fact that any kind of "spirited driving" isn't really an option, I love everything else about it. Even though it's just me most of the time. My previous was a 2016 IS 200t. I do miss the go-cart feel now and again, but being honest with myself I spend 98% of my time in the car commuting to work. In 2 years with the IS I got it out on a windy road once. I spent a lot of years buying a car for what I wanted to do rather than what I actually did. Commuting in the RX far more comfortable and enjoyable. And even with older kids, we can load up and go and everyone is comfortable.
Also as a pro tip in married life, a happy wife is a happy life. If she's the one pushing for the bigger car, get the bigger car. Your 2 cents will be which bigger car you'll end up buying. I was in the same boat but we only have 1 child, he's 6. When we needed a reliable car, the only car that I like at that time (2013) was the newly redesigned Mazda 6. At that time, this car for what we paid for it had everything we needed, looks, space to comfortably sits 4, safety features such as BSM and backup camera. After 3-4 years, the wife started to ask for a bigger car. At around the same time, the RX was redesigned (2016) and she has been jonesing for one. I was finally able to stop procrastinating and got her what she wants. The compromise was that we went with a CPO versus a new car as it saved us about $20K due to the options.
This was literally 2 days ago so we're waiting for the car to be fully prepped by the dealer before we pick it up. Good luck to you and your search!
Well in case you guys can’t already tell by the multiple threads I’ve been creating lately, I ended up getting a 2017 RX F Sport. You guys were right, the difference is night and day putting stuff in the trunk and taking the baby in and out of the car seat. Worth every penny.
Well in case you guys can’t already tell by the multiple threads I’ve been creating lately, I ended up getting a 2017 RX F Sport. You guys were right, the difference is night and day putting stuff in the trunk and taking the baby in and out of the car seat. Worth every penny.
Thanks for all the excellent advice!
Congrats! Yah, not having to bend/struggle to get the kid out is helpful, haha.
Thanks! Haven’t really had a chance to take pics, but here are the two I snapped the other day. Coming from a 2001 GS430 is a huge change, so many features I feel like an old man with a flip phone but I’m getting used to it.
That looks great! That RX looking like it's fully decked out. Funny, my wife who drives the newly acquired RX said the same thing. Coming from a basic sedan (Which I'm driving now, ha), all the flips/switches/screens is borderline distracting but cool! When we services the car recently for a couple of TSB, they loaned us a base NX. The difference in not having all of the bells and whistles actually mattered this time around.
The gotcha is that, whatever the next car will be, the bar has been raised rather high...lol
Well in case you guys can’t already tell by the multiple threads I’ve been creating lately, I ended up getting a 2017 RX F Sport. You guys were right, the difference is night and day putting stuff in the trunk and taking the baby in and out of the car seat. Worth every penny.
That looks great! That RX looking like it's fully decked out. Funny, my wife who drives the newly acquired RX said the same thing. Coming from a basic sedan (Which I'm driving now, ha), all the flips/switches/screens is borderline distracting but cool! When we services the car recently for a couple of TSB, they loaned us a base NX. The difference in not having all of the bells and whistles actually mattered this time around.
The gotcha is that, whatever the next car will be, the bar has been raised rather high...lol
Lol yea my wife saying the same thing but she loves it. It’s the f sport with the triple beam LEDS and running boards which add to the looks I think. I told myself only way I’m getting an RX is if it’s a 2017 (for safety suite standard) f sport and with the triple LEDs, I think it makes the whole car. I see a few f sports around my way without them and it’s a big difference. Funny because at first I was a bit disappointed with the RX, coming from my V8 430. The hesitation and slow tranny were noticeable. I read somewhere that someone tried premium gas and it helped and it made me realize something. Years ago this same engine Lexus was recommending 93 gas but I feel like they started recommending regular gas to make the car appeal more to the family type who usually buys an RX and would otherwise be turned off by the premium requirement. Yes the car can run on 87 but it’s horrible without premium gas. Feels like a new car with 93 in it. Now I’m truly in love
