Selling Rx300

[RxMike]

Dear all

It is with a heavy heart that I find myself writing this post.

Unfortunately the time has come for me to part with my Rx300. I have been made an offer I simply can't refuse on an Audi A6 and so after much head scratching and talking to the better half, I have decided to part with the Lexus.

Anyone who may be interested then please feel free to contact me via mail as the car is now up for sale on autotrader. (Going very cheap as well). Alas I am not a Gold member and so cannot post the details of the sale here on the web site, but am happy to answer any questions should anyone be interested. I have to sell the vehicle in the next two weeks or trade it in.

I have much enjoyed owning the car as well as posting here on the forum. This forum is without doubt the best motor forum I have seen on any manufacturer I have ever come across and was very helpful to me during my days as a 'lerker' and then afterwards as a Lexus owner.

I personally have had an outstanding level of customer service from Lexus Croydon all the time whilst I have had the vehicle, and have been very pleased with the RX over all. I may well return to Lexus in the future and I certainly do not expect to get the same level of customer service from Audi, based on previous experience, but I have an offer on a new A6 3.0 TDi Quattro I just cannot turn down.

I thank everyone who has endeaverd to help with any questions I have had, and I hope any comments that I have posted here have been constructive and beneficial to those concerned.

You are all a great bunch of people and I shall still drop in from time to time so that I may keep in touch with the Lexus world, should I return in the future.

Best Wishes to you all

RxMike :winky:

[kaldoc]

I moved from an RX 300 to a BMW 535d. You will not regret the move to an Audi. The ONLY time I miss the Lexus is when it snows. The BMW is much much faster and much more economical to drive. I tested the Audi, it is superb.

[chips229]

Hi,

Good Luck with your new Audi bud :)

Chips..

[Kazi]

I moved from an RX 300 to a BMW 535d. You will not regret the move to an Audi. The ONLY time I miss the Lexus is when it snows. The BMW is much much faster and much more economical to drive. I tested the Audi, it is superb.

Hardly the same sort of car to compare though is it to be fair?

Anyway Rx Mike, hope you enjoy the Audi as much as you have done the Lex.

[fergy]

So what sort of deal you get on the Audi ??... I was out in my neighbours A6...2.0TDi S-line, very impressive, 3.0TDi must be even nicer... really impressed with space inside, he's 6'5" and still space behind him.

[RxMike]

So what sort of deal you get on the Audi ??... I was out in my neighbours A6...2.0TDi S-line, very impressive, 3.0TDi must be even nicer... really impressed with space inside, he's 6'5" and still space behind him.

Fergy

Basically have bought a new car for the same discount as a large fleet buyer would get. In my case for the A6 this turned out to be 9% discount. However I have learnt that the rate is variable depending on what fleet discount the potential purchaser is elligable for. This varies from anything from 4% up to the maximum 9% in an A6 model. For me I quialified for the full 9%. If purchasing an A8 i would have been eligable for a 20% discount, an A3 or A4 would have been a maximum of maybe 5% I think.

I have also managed to wangle a Ltd edition model due to various reasons that were outside of my control, but ultimately worked in my favour so I am very pleased as I am told Ltd editions do NOT come with discount ever, but I genuinely fell into an unusual bracket due to the timing of the order and other factors.

I have essentially an S-Line model coming which is fully loaded. The car pulls extremely well and the tiptronic gearbox is noticably smoother to that of the RX (at least on the car I drove). The handling is fantastic, its well engineered for safety and has what I believe to be more space in the back than the Rx, although the layout is a little different.

To be honest I have always been a big Audi fan, and traded a TT against the Lexus when I bought it. I have been very pleased with the Rx however and and am not selling it on for any other reason than I have an offer on a truly great car that I cannot refuse.

More to the point, time is running out for anyone who is looking for a great RX300. Currently on Auto trader for £22,500 which makes it the best buy against everything else it's listed with, so if anyone is tempted this is a too good an opportunity to miss. I am also open to offers in this range.

But Hurry

Regards

RxMike :winky:

[Bartierx300]

So what sort of deal you get on the Audi ??... I was out in my neighbours A6...2.0TDi S-line, very impressive, 3.0TDi must be even nicer... really impressed with space inside, he's 6'5" and still space behind him.

Fergy

Basically have bought a new car for the same discount as a large fleet buyer would get. In my case for the A6 this turned out to be 9% discount. However I have learnt that the rate is variable depending on what fleet discount the potential purchaser is elligable for. This varies from anything from 4% up to the maximum 9% in an A6 model. For me I quialified for the full 9%. If purchasing an A8 i would have been eligable for a 20% discount, an A3 or A4 would have been a maximum of maybe 5% I think.

I have also managed to wangle a Ltd edition model due to various reasons that were outside of my control, but ultimately worked in my favour so I am very pleased as I am told Ltd editions do NOT come with discount ever, but I genuinely fell into an unusual bracket due to the timing of the order and other factors.

I have essentially an S-Line model coming which is fully loaded. The car pulls extremely well and the tiptronic gearbox is noticably smoother to that of the RX (at least on the car I drove). The handling is fantastic, its well engineered for safety and has what I believe to be more space in the back than the Rx, although the layout is a little different.

To be honest I have always been a big Audi fan, and traded a TT against the Lexus when I bought it. I have been very pleased with the Rx however and and am not selling it on for any other reason than I have an offer on a truly great car that I cannot refuse.

More to the point, time is running out for anyone who is looking for a great RX300. Currently on Auto trader for £22,500 which makes it the best buy against everything else it's listed with, so if anyone is tempted this is a too good an opportunity to miss. I am also open to offers in this range.

But Hurry

Regards

RxMike :winky: :winky: Hi Mike enjoy your new car.

[RxMike]

Dear all

I post once more to inform that RX 300 has now sold and some of you may find this information useful in the short term.

My Audi dealer had offered me £20,325 for a trade in date of last week in September against a new A6, whilst my Lexus dealer where I purchased the car offered me £20,500 for a trade in during the last week of August.

I advertised the car in Autotrader for two weeks on the net, with a one week spot in the magazine and Top Marques.

I had about six calls on the car the first weekend it was up for sale, two time wasters who arranged to come and view it and then never showed up.

The first guy who eventually did come to see the car bought it, but had no money to leave a deposit, so we made a gentleman's agreement that I would keep the car until he came forward with a bankers draft for the amount in one week.

After talking to the bank, I was told that a bankers draft actually needed up to five working days to clear once presented, and was advised not to let the car go until the funds were fully cleared in my account. I thus called the buyer and told him he would have to make a CHAPS money transfer instead, or give me the bankers draft and wait for it to clear before he could drive away the car.

He beacame frustated at this and insisted I could call his branch who would be issuing the draft to check that the funds were available. I told him 'no dice'.....wait for the funds to clear into my account or CHAPS money transfer the day of collection, either way I wasn't going to let him drive away with the car until I had CLEARED funds in my account. His response was, 'this is putting everything in your favour'!

I'm not exactly sure what he meant by this but it instantly gave me a bad feeling about him. He was also now harping on about having the vehicle fully inspected before purchase, despite it having a full Lexus service only 3000 miles prior to sale and still having a six month warrenty left.

Now to my surprise, a guy who had called me the day I sold the car to guy No. 1 called me to see if he had collected the vehicle yet, to which I relpied 'No'.

Guy No 2 made me a proposal that he could pay cash for the car, and was prepared to do so within two days if he could see the car and that it was exactly as I had described, but this would obviously mean me telling guy No. 1 the car was now not his, gentlemans agreement or not.

After a chat with the better half, I decided that it was better if we at least let guy No. 2 come and see the car and take it from there as he was very keen.

To cut a long story short, guy no. 2 came to see the car the next morning, left me a £500 cash deposit and the next day deposited the full amount we agreed directly into my bank account using cash which was verified and cleared immediately by my bank.

He then collected the car later that evening (Friday).

I let her go for £21,750, which was the sum I had agreed with the first potential buyer. I reckon I could have asked £22,000 and got it, but I felt that more advertising and time wasting from people was more than I was prepared to stomach and as guy no. 2 was being sincere, I felt it was only right for me to sell the car to him for what I had originally been prepared to let it go for.

All in all I am fairly happy with what I got for her, although the amount I have lost in two and a half years is incredible, but we all know how these things depreciate. I am to some extent breathing a sigh of relief however that the RX is now gone. The fuel bills and the overall running costs inclusive of future servicing bills were starting to play on my mind a little, and the lurching gearbox was unsatisfactory for a car of this expense, although it is not the reason I have moved on as I have previously stated.

I have enjoyed very much owning the Rx and it has been a pleasure doing business with Lexus as a brand, I may well return in the future.

If anyone is thinking of selling their Rx soon then I wish you luck. Mine was imaculate with only 19,700 miles and not a mark on her anywhere, all it did require soon was a new front set of tyres as it was still running the original set. My model year, 04 plate, lost £1,000 in depreciation in August alone, and I don't think it will get much better in the next few months up to christmas.

I shall keep on watching the site and may well post again from time to time if I feel my input can be constructive.

TTFN

RxMike :winky:

[GlynnB]

In some ways I envy you swapping out of Lexus but I can't agree with you on the level of service we have received. I t can't be right that a £36K car should suffer wheel corrosion withing the first three years and be refused exchange because the corrosion is not on the outer spokes, or that a gearbox software problem cannot be solved inside three years. The first two years services were OK but the third going out of warranty the car came back filthy with brake dust hand prints all over the wheels. On purchasing the car I had to stop on the way home to fill up with petrol as it was sold with an empty tank - even the salesman was embarrassed about that but said the dealership wouldn't fill it.

I agree the package is good but let down by things that should be basics in terms of customer relations as pointed out in another topic on here. We laughed last week when we received an offer letter to trade up to an RX350. Unlike you I will not be buying another Lexus. I nearly traded it in for a Mitsubishi last week but have decided to keep it indefinitely so as not to lose too much money as like yours mine is very low miles. Enjoy the Audi.

[jaroph]

In some ways I envy you swapping out of Lexus but I can't agree with you on the level of service we have received. I t can't be right that a £36K car should suffer wheel corrosion withing the first three years and be refused exchange because the corrosion is not on the outer spokes, or that a gearbox software problem cannot be solved inside three years. The first two years services were OK but the third going out of warranty the car came back filthy with brake dust hand prints all over the wheels. On purchasing the car I had to stop on the way home to fill up with petrol as it was sold with an empty tank - even the salesman was embarrassed about that but said the dealership wouldn't fill it.

I agree the package is good but let down by things that should be basics in terms of customer relations as pointed out in another topic on here. We laughed last week when we received an offer letter to trade up to an RX350. Unlike you I will not be buying another Lexus. I nearly traded it in for a Mitsubishi last week but have decided to keep it indefinitely so as not to lose too much money as like yours mine is very low miles. Enjoy the Audi.

Perhaps you ought to name and shame the dealer. I have bought cars from Lexus Croydon and Lexus Guildford, and both dealerships have provided excellent levels of services. On all five occassions, the cars were provided with a full tank, all services over a five year period at Guildford have ended with the car being cleaned - sometimes with a box chocolates left in the car. The wheels on my 03 RX300 were replaced twice with no quible - in fact they offered to replace them before they actually had a chance to confirm my complaint. So far, I have not had the corrosion problem on the RX400h. My first service on the 400h cost 150 pounds and the car has been cleaned for free on many occassions because Guildford offers customers a free clean and coffee on Saturday mornings ! I think Dealers who let the side down should be named and shamed into behaving properly.

[RxMike]

In some ways I envy you swapping out of Lexus but I can't agree with you on the level of service we have received. I t can't be right that a £36K car should suffer wheel corrosion withing the first three years and be refused exchange because the corrosion is not on the outer spokes, or that a gearbox software problem cannot be solved inside three years. The first two years services were OK but the third going out of warranty the car came back filthy with brake dust hand prints all over the wheels. On purchasing the car I had to stop on the way home to fill up with petrol as it was sold with an empty tank - even the salesman was embarrassed about that but said the dealership wouldn't fill it.

I agree the package is good but let down by things that should be basics in terms of customer relations as pointed out in another topic on here. We laughed last week when we received an offer letter to trade up to an RX350. Unlike you I will not be buying another Lexus. I nearly traded it in for a Mitsubishi last week but have decided to keep it indefinitely so as not to lose too much money as like yours mine is very low miles. Enjoy the Audi.

Glynn

I am sorry to hear you have had a disappointing level of customer service from Lexus. Your experience has been totally different from mine. I do know what it is like to be flogged off by a bad dealer as I have had this in the past, ironically from the same people I have bought the A6 from, however I was forced to use that dealership for the deal I have obtained on the new car. If they slip up just once however, I will be straight to Audi UK to complain, and off to another dealer as well for any servicing I may need.

I dealt purely with Lexus Croydon whilst I had the Rx and they were nothing short of superb. They were friendly, helpful, and curteous at all times. They filled my tank on a number of occasions, or at the very least returned the car to me with more fuel in the tank than it had when it went in. I had the bonnet resprayed due to stne chips and in essence every detail of the car was meticulously looked after by the team there. The salesman I dealt with was always honest with me, (thanks Iain), and I feel a credit to the company he works for. I really can say that Lexus Croydon are one of the few companies I have dealt with during recent years that really have exceeded any level of customer service I may have been expecting. For though, the lure of the A6 was more than the Rx was able to compete with, although what want from a family car now is a little different to what I wanted from the Rx when I bought it.

It is unlikely I will be changing cars of this Ilk for some time now, but when I do I will certainly have a look in on Lexus Croydon again, because as they say, 'you can't have enough of a good thing'.

If I were you I would start shaming your dealer here on the website. Let every one know how bad they really are...it will cost them sales and servicing, although too late for you I guess.

Regards

Mike G

[stringbender]

Congratulations on getting a private sale of the RX Mike. Thanks also for all the detail you supplied about bankers drafts etc. This was something that did concern me but it's nice to think that someone out there has £21,750 in cash !! Lots of us will miss you and your posts but John has been very happy with his Audi and I hope that you will be too. Very well rated by Which? magazine which stands for a lot in my book. I had a call the other day from my local Audi garage so I may be paying 'em a visit pretty soon. You never know?

Cheers,

Alan

[GlynnB]

I dealt with Lexus Sheffield and found the sales side excellent right up to collection.

Up to the first service they were part of a Toyota dealership where the servicing was carried out.

By the second service they had let the Toyota dealership go and were part of a Hyundai dealership next door and still had use of some facilities there. By the third service I believe the Hyundai dealership had been sold and they are now stand alone and so have servicing facilities in factory units next door and so maybe they have no valeting facilities any more? If anyone kows better maybe they can enlighten me.

The service engineer said he didn't know of any problems with lurching on the RX300 but had heard of problems with the GS300?

My wheels are corroding on the flat inner faces and the service manager showed me a letter from Lexus GB which seemed to interpret as saying that only outer facing visible parts were covered by the replacement option. So does that sound right that the wheels on a £36K car should suffer from corrosion in 3 years and under 20000 miles? It is an obviously well known weak point as the posts on here confirm and I had always washed and waxed the wheels weekly to hopefully prevent it happening to mine.

How does one get on one of these satisfaction surveys?

[Lexusjohn]

I am sorry to say "lexus" is losing it's appeal in my neck of the woods.

I moved last year to Audi after trouble with two new lexus cars ( RX300SE and the new GS300SE ) both of which I only kept some 3/4months each.

I bought the A8 TDI 3.0 and got 20% discount drove it for a year (11K) trouble free, I got a great deal of 20% discount on the new (56 plate) AudiA8 4.2TDI V8 Sport, and I must say it's the best car by far I have EVER driven. NO more lexus for me :shutit:

I whent to the motor show with lexus and them group of lexus fans I was with were very keen to see the new 460, BUT the price was barmy, £100K+ for the long wheel base, those guys openly said to lexus uk that in NO WAY would they be interested in one. B)

Best regards