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Old, used Lexus RX. How are they? In general?

ibex333

ibex333

Diamond Member
So I have someone offering me a used 2004 RX with 117k miles for 5k.

I think it's not a bad deal. Generally these seem reliable from what I heard. I could be wrong though, because I don't know all that much about cars.

In your experience, are Lexuses more expensive to repair when they break down as compared to Toyotas? Do they require premium gas?

Any other thoughts/suggestions? Thanks!
 
My sister had one from that time period. She absolutely loved it, said it was reliable as can be.

I DD an LS 460. It's a joy, but it's not "cheap luxury" like some people think. The power train is about as bullet proof as they come but things do require service, and if you go to a Lexus dealer its not cheap at all.

My average service bill is over $1000.

It does require premium fuel.
 
Whether or not they require premium depends on the model. Mostly, they're using the same engine as the Toyota models that require regular gas - if the engine is tuned to produce more power w/ premium gas, the computers are still "smart" enough to slow down timing and operate in "Toyota" mode when you don't give them premium. I wouldn't put a lot of stock in the "87-octane killed my engine!" claims that float around. Something something deposits something something, blah blah I drive like a jerk and wore out my engine bits.

That said, premium gas is a real thing, and should give you closer-to-advertised performance, if that matters to you. I also think the engine sounds ever so slightly different, which may be psychosomatic, or may be my really, really good hearing. (I was tested!)

As far as repair costs, it depends partially on parts commonality and availability. For example, an ES series has pretty much all its drivetrain components in common with an Avalon, and a lot in common with a Camry, so parts are easy to find. I'm not so sure about an RX.

Certainly body panels and trim will be rarer/pricier.

The maintenance costs are going to be a lot more dependent on where you take it, because the main cost is the labor, not the parts/fluids. Luxury (and even not-luxury) car dealerships around here charge half again to double what a decent independent mechanic charges. ($90-$100 vs. $150-$180.) But anybody can do oil changes, tire rotations, fluid swaps, and other required maintenance.

@dasherHampton - at $1,000 per trip, I think your dealership may be screwing you pretty hard there.
 
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Maybe its high, but its included stuff like brakes, tires, major interval service etc

I'd rather go to Lexus and pay a little more.

How does a person without any special setup rotate tires by themselves without major hassle?
 
Uh, two floor jacks?

Or for my cars I can get away with one; suspension is stiff enough I can lift the front and rear with a single jack up front.
 
dasherHampton said:
Maybe its high, but its included stuff like brakes, tires, major interval service etc

I'd rather go to Lexus and pay a little more.
Click to expand...

It's up to you. your money and whatnot. But for things like fluid changes and other "major service interval" stufff, my indie place is usually coming in at under half the price of a dealership.

You should also be getting oil changes and stuff done a lot more often than your major service intervals. If every visit is costing you $1k, that's terrible, but if you're just getting $1k bills every 30-45k miles and are doing oil changes and whatnot more frequently for $50 each, that's less bothersome.

Brakes I do myself, because I have no desire to spend $500 to have a dealership replace $250 worth of parts that I can buy on Amazon for $125. I have the money, I shouldn't care, but it's literally offensive to me.

How does a person without any special setup rotate tires by themselves without major hassle?
Click to expand...

An independent mechanic is going to still have a "special setup" so I'm not sure what you're getting at, but to answer the question, you need a $20 floor jack and two $15 pairs of jack stands. Jack it up, put it on the stands, take all the tires off, and put them on in the different places where they go. A breaker bar is helpful too.

https://www.tirebuyer.com/education/tire-rotation-patterns
 
ibex333 said:
So I have someone offering me a used 2004 RX with 117k miles for 5k.

I think it's not a bad deal. Generally these seem reliable from what I heard. I could be wrong though, because I don't know all that much about cars.

In your experience, are Lexuses more expensive to repair when they break down as compared to Toyotas? Do they require premium gas?

Any other thoughts/suggestions? Thanks!
Click to expand...

Any shop that can fix a Highlander from that era will have no problem with a RX330.
Just remember that that engine uses a timing belt. The service interval is every 70K ( I think).
Those cars are pretty well built that should hold up for a years. I don't recall any design or engineering quirks that should concern you.
At that age and mileage, it should be a turn key car. At most the throttle body might need a good cleaning.
 
The 300s might be sludge prone. Non interference motors if I recall.

330s are timing belt with interference motors.

Both are good motors tho. I thought about getting one myself but if I was to get something that vintage I might try a 4 cylinder highlander.

Try not to get gold on gold. Most on the road are gold on gold.


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ibex333 said:
So I have someone offering me a used 2004 RX with 117k miles for 5k.

I think it's not a bad deal. Generally these seem reliable from what I heard. I could be wrong though, because I don't know all that much about cars.

In your experience, are Lexuses more expensive to repair when they break down as compared to Toyotas? Do they require premium gas?

Any other thoughts/suggestions? Thanks!
Click to expand...
We have an 07. My wife loves it. I do most of the maintenance on it. Pretty reliable, but check out clublexus for year specific issues. I think maybe waterpump may quit early. Maintenance in general is not more expensive than the equivalent toyota highlander.
 
T2urtle said:
The 300s might be sludge prone. Non interference motors if I recall.

330s are timing belt with interference motors.

Both are good motors tho. I thought about getting one myself but if I was to get something that vintage I might try a 4 cylinder highlander.
Click to expand...

The only thing with the 4banger Highlanders of that era is that there is a stripped head bolt issue on the 2.4. Impacts 2002-2006.

T2urtle said:
Try not to get gold on gold. Most on the road are gold on gold.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Just spent a good 5 minutes trying to recall an RX330 that was NOT gold.
lol
 
Oh yeah, i think another issue is the rack and pinion may have power steering fluid that may leak. It's about a $600 repair, but it's extremely slow.
 
dave_the_nerd said:
It's up to you. your money and whatnot. But for things like fluid changes and other "major service interval" stufff, my indie place is usually coming in at under half the price of a dealership.

You should also be getting oil changes and stuff done a lot more often than your major service intervals. If every visit is costing you $1k, that's terrible, but if you're just getting $1k bills every 30-45k miles and are doing oil changes and whatnot more frequently for $50 each, that's less bothersome.

Brakes I do myself, because I have no desire to spend $500 to have a dealership replace $250 worth of parts that I can buy on Amazon for $125. I have the money, I shouldn't care, but it's literally offensive to me.



An independent mechanic is going to still have a "special setup" so I'm not sure what you're getting at, but to answer the question, you need a $20 floor jack and two $15 pairs of jack stands. Jack it up, put it on the stands, take all the tires off, and put them on in the different places where they go. A breaker bar is helpful too.

https://www.tirebuyer.com/education/tire-rotation-patterns
Click to expand...

I certainly don't want to argue car maintenance with experienced do it yourselfers.

I respect what you guys can do immensely.
 
ibex333 said:
So I have someone offering me a used 2004 RX with 117k miles for 5k.

I think it's not a bad deal. Generally these seem reliable from what I heard. I could be wrong though, because I don't know all that much about cars.

In your experience, are Lexuses more expensive to repair when they break down as compared to Toyotas? Do they require premium gas?

Any other thoughts/suggestions? Thanks!
Click to expand...

117k is nothing. those are great cars. run for many many many miles. my brother had a 2000 or 2001 model yr he sold on at like 275k. lady crashed it a couple yrs later at 350+. she called him up wanted to know if he had another after the accident..... I know they did little to no maintenance
 
Thanks so much to everyone who responded. I agreed to buy the car. It feels very nice despite some minor cosmetic wear inside and outside. Nothing that cant be ignored or fixed for relatively cheap.

Question for those who know:

I saw some talk online regarding the timing belt needing to be replaced every 70k miles. I know for a fact the belt was never replaced. I don't want to just go to a mechanic and say "replace my belt because it needs to be changed every 70k". What are the signs when this belt is going bad if any? How do I tell?

Should I just get it replaced blindly anyway?
 
ibex333 said:
Thanks so much to everyone who responded. I agreed to buy the car. It feels very nice despite some minor cosmetic wear inside and outside. Nothing that cant be ignored or fixed for relatively cheap.

Question for those who know:

I saw some talk online regarding the timing belt needing to be replaced every 70k miles. I know for a fact the belt was never replaced. I don't want to just go to a mechanic and say "replace my belt because it needs to be changed every 70k". What are the signs when this belt is going bad if any? How do I tell?

Should I just get it replaced blindly anyway?
Click to expand...

It may not be the popular opinion but when in doubt, assume the worst.
Change the belt.
 
ibex333 said:
Thanks so much to everyone who responded. I agreed to buy the car. It feels very nice despite some minor cosmetic wear inside and outside. Nothing that cant be ignored or fixed for relatively cheap.

Question for those who know:

I saw some talk online regarding the timing belt needing to be replaced every 70k miles. I know for a fact the belt was never replaced. I don't want to just go to a mechanic and say "replace my belt because it needs to be changed every 70k". What are the signs when this belt is going bad if any? How do I tell?

Should I just get it replaced blindly anyway?
Click to expand...

Actually getting eyes on the belt is almost as much work as replacing it. So I'd just replace it as a preventative measure. You don't want that thing snapping.
 
Replace the timing belt, do a coolant system flush with new hoses, T-stat and radiator cap, new coolant. Maybe toss in new spark plugs while you are at it and a new Cabin Air Filer. Have the brakes (esp rotors) checked for excessive wear. Same for steering linkage, ball joints, shocks. And you may need starter or alternator around 150K or so ... Those you can change yourself, if you can see them they are a DIY job
 
You want to replace the timing belt. And I would also replace the water pump while you're getting the timing belt replaced. It should cost you little over $1k to get both done. And I would take it to the Toyota or Lexus dealer to insure OEM parts.
 
Good call on the water pump. I forgot that has to come off to do the timing belt. Should also do a new serpentine belt and tensioners & idler pulleys as well.
 
They are good cars. I'm driving a 2001 Lexus ES300 with 360,000 km on it now. Only real issue was my tranny burning up but that's because I didn't change the fluid.

Definitely change tranny fluid every 30-40 k miles. Drain and fill.
 
dave_the_nerd said:
An independent mechanic is going to still have a "special setup" so I'm not sure what you're getting at, but to answer the question, you need a $20 floor jack and two $15 pairs of jack stands. Jack it up, put it on the stands, take all the tires off, and put them on in the different places where they go. A breaker bar is helpful too.

https://www.tirebuyer.com/education/tire-rotation-patterns
Click to expand...

considering that you can rotate the tires with nothing more than what comes with the car (assuming there's a spare), that's still a special setup. 😀
 
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