Hello RX Pro's,
I am finally ready to buy my first RX (financially). I came here to get some advise on what is the best strategy in current car market. Am I better off leasing or buying a 2021 RX with (5-9%) discount on MSRP or try to look for a used 2020 RX ? Should I consider 2018-2019 RX for a slightly lower price as compared to 2020 used RX? Are their significant difference between 2019 and 2020 RX other than the grill and Apple/Android carplay ? Finally when it comes to looking for a used RX what's the best way to go about it? Look at cars, Autotrader, carmax, vroom, carvana etc apps and then email/phone the dealer? Are there other good apps I should try Do they negotiate on pricing or its 'take it or leave it' mostly in used car market? Any advise is much appreciated. TIA

 

Well, prices are sky high right now. The RX is always in high demand; it is only worse now.
The best deal is a terrible deal as compared to just a few months ago.
My advice is, if you are spending this kinda money, get the car you want.
Beyond that, be patient. You might consider a nice CPO car because of the extended warranty.

Good luck.

 

You couldn't have picked a worse time to make your purchase. Good luck but you can't go wrong with the RX in any event.

 

I was in your shoes two months ago. There were so few 2020s and they were priced so close to the new ones that it made no sense to buy used, ended up pulling the trigger on 2021.
Due to the shortage, it's unlikely you'll get 5-9% off MSRP.. at least that's what folks here are reporting (in the pricing thread).

 

Yep they wouldn’t move on the price when I got mine (2021) a couple weeks ago. The dealer had no inventory and I had to buy one that was being delivered.

 

I got 7% off and the corporate cash off when I special ordered. It took 6 weeks and a 1000 down. Worth it for me because I got exactly what I wanted and there's not another RX like mine.

 

I would start with 2020 then a 2022 if available. The used car market is just ridiculous right now with their pricing.
If you do find a used CPO the carplay feature didn't start until 2020 on the RX. Personally it's worth it being I owned a 2016 RX with Nav.
Other an than that it's a pretty good SUV in it's price range vs the others of the same imo.

 

If you have Costco membership, try using the the Costco Auto Program. I used it to get my 2021 RX 350 AWD last week with all the options I wanted and it was 11% below MSRP (Costco membership only price + cash rebate). You can still get a good deal on the Lexus you want despite the crazy car shortage. I posted more information about this under the pricing thread. You also get 15% off any routine service at the Lexus Dealership so that alone is probably worth the membership at Costco if you don't have it.

 

This works 100%!

 

The lease or buy decision really boils down to how long are you going to keep the car. Do the arithmetic of cash outlay of short versus long ownership. This is a sellers market and the RX has always been in high demand. I am a first time Lexus customer and special ordered my RX. I plan on keeping this car for at least 10 years so I was very specific with my options. No real deals on special orders. As a matter of fact, there was a $100 special order fee. My dealer said I could take advantage of whatever promotions were in place at time of delivery. In ten years, if the RX is still in production I would not be surprised to see a price tag of over $100k. Maybe we'll have flying cars by then.

 

Just purchased 2019 RX FWD. I was doing a trade in and the dealer just refused to give any discount over "advertised internet price".

 

dangit69, whether new or used, RX pricing can vary quite a bit depending on options. Start an account on the Lexus drivers site so that you can determine how any particular unit is optioned as well as view its service history. Decide on your must-have options and colors. We bought our '19 new in 9/20 because my wife liked the interior color scheme (changed in '20). That said, the nav screen on the '20s and up is canted towards the driver and a bit closer. Also, it uses the simpler finger track interface that many find preferable to earlier models.

Given your New Jersey location, you are well positioned to shop privately owned units as the pickings should be plentiful. Set a zip code on craigslist and search for up to 200 miles of that zip.

 

picked up a 2021 RX350 F Sport Handling AWD, fully loaded with all the options for 2500 below MSRP ( 1k dealer discount + 1500 Lexus cash) over the weekend. I'm in SoCal too, now i feel kind of depressed seeing all the better deals you guys had.

 

It is a bad time to grab a new or used car in general.
However, my advice is to NEVER grab a 4 RX prior to the model year 2020.
The infotainment on 2016 - 2019 cars is simply a joke just the worst crap out there.
I spent over $700 getting Carplay/Android Auto using Grom Vline (has its own minor bugs too)
There is no excuse for Lexus not to support Carplay/Android Auto in the model year 2018 when early players like Hyundai had them since 2015 and even the late players like Honda/Acura had them in 2018.

Otherwise, RX is an overall fine SUV unless you want something fast.

 

Some folks couldn't care less about Crapple Carplay and AA. Just sayin.