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Downward lateral car move

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debian0001

Senior member
Hello,

I currently own a 2012 Buick Regal 2.4... 88,000 miles. Last year the timing chain blew and I had to get a new engine. The engine had 15,000 on it.

I'm a bit jaded and I want to get a SUV / Crossover but I don't want to buy a new one... I was looking at Lexus RX series. It seems if I tried to get a used one for a similar price, I could get a early 2000's RX for around 5K....

Does this sound insane?
 
If you want a SUV/Crossover, then the RX is one of the best of the pack.
I had a friend at work who had a lexus RX300 who kept it for almost 20 years and over 250,000 miles ...
He finally scrapped it after it got to the point where it was going to need multiple thousands of dollars to fix emission and transmission issues, and the tires were about to need replacement and it needed a brakejob and it was burning oil ....

Anyhow, that thing lasted more chicago winters than most, and for many years, ran like a top with just fresh oil every few months.

It's one of the reasons why I bought myself a Used Lexus when I sold my Subaru (though I wanted a Car, so I got a GS 350)
 
Guess it depends on mileage and general condition but 5K for a nearly 20 year old SUV seems too expensive to me.

Notice how BurnItDwn's friend got rid of it at almost 20 years old because problems started to crop up, as does rust if winter roads are salted.

At 5K I'd be looking at something smaller and newer, maybe a 2006 RAV4? I know a few years newer doesn't seem like much but if that's a few more years you own it before major repairs...
 
mindless1 said:
Guess it depends on mileage and general condition but 5K for a nearly 20 year old SUV seems too expensive to me.

Notice how BurnItDwn's friend got rid of it at almost 20 years old because problems started to crop up, as does rust if winter roads are salted.

At 5K I'd be looking at something smaller and newer, maybe a 2006 RAV4? I know a few years newer doesn't seem like much but if that's a few more years you own it before major repairs...
Click to expand...

I read 2000s thinking like ... 10ish years old .... but yea, if it's early 2000s, then it is getting up there ....

In my area, Most of the 2012 Regals are around 8-13K on autotrader ...
8k will get you a 2008 or 2009 Lexus RX with 150K+ miles on it ....

Rav4's and highlanders tend to live very long lives as well ...
 
debian0001 said:
Hello,

I currently own a 2012 Buick Regal 2.4... 88,000 miles. Last year the timing chain blew and I had to get a new engine. The engine had 15,000 on it.

I'm a bit jaded and I want to get a SUV / Crossover but I don't want to buy a new one... I was looking at Lexus RX series. It seems if I tried to get a used one for a similar price, I could get a early 2000's RX for around 5K....

Does this sound insane?
Click to expand...

Sometimes age catches up even if it's something reliable. Definitely wouldn't go down to something 10 years older unless you wanted a specific generation/model. Instead of one big expense you might end up with 5 different smaller things break just due to age.

Did you know why the timing chain blew? Usually it's due to running low on oil either due to leaks/oil burning.
 
If its made by Toyota then it will run for a long damn time with proper care. If that RX for 5k has low miles...its a winner Im sure.
 
my 07 RX350 is chugging along fine. As long as your recalls are addressed and the power steering column is fixed there are no other major issues with it.
 
debian0001 said:
I kind of feel Lexus owners take care of their cars vs Toyota. Hoping that's the case...
Click to expand...

Nah. ISes get beat to hell by RacerBoyz and RXes are popular with the "lease it and ignore maintenance and repairs because I'm getting a new one in 36 months" crowd, so you have to look at the owner history and hope they've been kind.

And any of the Lexus-specific parts are crazy-expensive, so while the powertrain is likely solid, damage to trim and body panels tends to fall victim to neglect when the owner is balling on a budget.
 
dave_the_nerd said:
Nah. ISes get beat to hell by RacerBoyz and RXes are popular with the "lease it and ignore maintenance and repairs because I'm getting a new one in 36 months" crowd, so you have to look at the owner history and hope they've been kind.

And any of the Lexus-specific parts are crazy-expensive, so while the powertrain is likely solid, damage to trim and body panels tends to fall victim to neglect when the owner is balling on a budget.
Click to expand...
Funny, I have both of those cars you mentioned and I am meticulous as hell with both vehicles, borderline OCD. Maybe the 1st gen IS's get beat up and riced out. I think most RX soccer mom owners just have their RX's serviced at the dealership and eat the ridiculous dealer prices.
If you DIY ,powertrain parts are the same price as toyota stuff. Never had to get replacement body panels/trims.
 
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