Rx300

[welshnormski]

Seriously thinking of buying the RX300 SE but after reading your comments on here regarding the problems with the alloys and the paintwork not being up to scratch I have started having second thoughts .

Has anybody got in touch with Lexus GB about the problems and if so what do they say about it all and are they doing anything about it ? For us the nearest dealer is an hours drive away so it's quite a way to go every time you need an alloy changed , and as for the paintwork getting scratched easily what will it be like if you live in a place where most of the roads are narrow lanes and cars are prone to being scratched ?

Would you still recommend that I buy the RX300 ? are the problems worth putting up with ? Went and seen the new Nissan Murano the other day so might consider that if I decide not to get the Lexus , and it's quite a bit cheaper !

Talking of money , any idea what the best price is for an SE model at the dealers ? At Micronetshowroom.com the SE with metallic paint and delivery to your home is £32,033 , is this a good price or can I do better at the dealers ? and has anyone ever bought a car of the internet ? as I'm not too sure about it so any thoughts on the subject would be gratefully appreciated . Thanks .

[MrADeveci]

welshnormski:

Welcome to LOC.

You will probaby find that 90% of the posts on this site are about problems, concerns, and things that go wrong with the lexus owners.

It's just a way of sharing knowledge, and everyone's understanding to help each other.

It's like with everything, we're always to quick to criticise something, but never give it any praise; our cars being one.

If I had the money, I'd get a nice RX.

Don't let the comments put you off ........... get one ! B)

[Brettster]

I've had an RX300 SE twice now as a loan car while mine was in having work done

they are very nice, I dont think the paint issue is any worse than any other car and if you live in an area where things get scratched anyway, no car is scratch proof, except maybe a delorean, you can sand those :)

if you look after your wheels and keep them clean. then they wont give you any problems either.

My family and friends always think the RX is super posh and make nice comments about it, which they dont seem to make about my GS hehe

oh well

have a test drive of both and see what you think.

also welcome to one of the best car clubs in the world :)

[kaldoc]

Have a look at the video "What Car" road test.

http://www.whatcar.co.uk/VideoRoadTest.asp?DL=0&RT=178501

[Lexusjohn]

Seriously thinking of buying the RX300 SE but after reading your comments on here regarding the problems with the alloys and the paintwork not being up to scratch I have started having second thoughts .

Has anybody got in touch with Lexus GB about the problems and if so what do they say about it all and are they doing anything about it ? For us the nearest dealer is an hours drive away so it's quite a way to go every time you need an alloy changed , and as for the paintwork getting scratched easily what will it be like if you live in a place where most of the roads are narrow lanes and cars are prone to being scratched ?

Would you still recommend that I buy the RX300 ? are the problems worth putting up with ? Went and seen the new Nissan Murano the other day so might consider that if I decide not to get the Lexus , and it's quite a bit cheaper !

Talking of money , any idea what the best price is for an SE model at the dealers ? At Micronetshowroom.com the SE with metallic paint and delivery to your home is £32,033 , is this a good price or can I do better at the dealers ? and has anyone ever bought a car of the internet ? as I'm not too sure about it so any thoughts on the subject would be gratefully appreciated . Thanks .

←

I purchased a new RX300se in Jan 2005, had paint issuses, got them sorted, have used the motorway twice and got two large stone chips!!( front bumper), trying to cover these on platinum ice is a waste of time they stand out like black on white using the touch-up paint. Economy has been 20.5 MPG overall, thats not to good as I don't town drive. If you can wait for the RX400h and test drive that, it may be the one to go for. The Nissan Morano is not of the same quality as the lexus, will give same or worse economy, for no real performance gain.

Check internet offerings on the RX, some good deals can be had.

Have a long test drive before parting with your money.

[fergy]

I got an RX300SE last month, my thoughts so far;

Paint work, completely immaculate on delivery, I inspected it very closely after reading about another owners issue. Now have one stone chip after a 600 mile trip to hull and back, BUT, this is common on modern cars with their water based paints. Don't think it is any worse than my last BMW which got chips after motorway journeys also...

Wheels, if they corrode get them swapped at service time, not something worth doing a long trip over. Not a big deal as long as in warranty... heard similar issues on mazda alloys (father-in-law on second set on his Mazda 6). I also had a set of BMW ones that need replaced through corrosion...think it is a common issue but not worth not getting a car because of it.

MPG..26-27 on the inital trip to Hull, about 20 mpg around town.

Must say I love the car, never looked at the Nissan as I was wanting more luxury than anything else this time round...which the RX is very good at. certainly no sports car though..

I 'd say buy one.. but I am biased as I bought one and love it..

[sos10]

I have my Rx300 since May 2004 and have driven close to 45.000 km since.

I have a few stone paint chips, but that's rather normal for any car after so many kilometers. My alloys are as new and I'm not very carefull with cleaning and after a snowy (and salty) ride it can take a few weeks before I have the time to clean it.

I tried the Murano last year in the US. It looks nice, but the drive and build quality fail compared to the RX.

The fuel consumption is rather steep, but that's the price to pay for such a comfortable car.

[Dayu]

Hi,

my family has owned a RX300 since June 2003, and it was a pre-booked purchase (ie. before the first RX300 was available to even view at the showrooms).

There's been no problems with the paintwork or the alloys for us. But then again, I live in Singapore, and since we're blessed with a tropical climate all year round, there's no need to grit the roads, and maybe that helps wrt the wheel corrosion issues.

The ride itself is excellent, with my only issue being that the 1st to 2nd gear shift (auto) isn't very smooth, but after a couple of hours, your right foot tends to adjust as you begin to get a feel for when the car will decide to shift up. The 2nd - 5th shifts are flawless and can hardly be felt at all.

That said, given the price for the RX, there really are very few competitors for what you'd get. In my opinion, the only real competitor would be the Volvo XC90, and the deciding point (for us at least) was the exemplery Lexus service (not sure if it's as good over in the UK :))

PS. In my opinion, the 'best' colour for the RX has got to be black. After a good waxing session, the car looks phenomenal!

[JohnRX400h]

Had a Mk 1 RX300 - good enough to buy Mk 2

Have a Mk2 RX300 - good enough to buy RX400h

Nuff said!

[Realspeed]

Had RX300 MK1 Now got MK2 SE-L RX300

So far no paintwork problems and fuel economy around houses now engine has run in about 21/22mph around the houses and 30+ mph on motorways.

It does depend on the way you drive maybe more than on other cars. it really does pay to be light footed and leaving for a destination a few minutes earlier can make all the difference.

Would I swap ? nope! quite happy with the car I got and knowing the Lexus care to back it up would be silly to go for anything else.

Realspeed