Rx300 Mk1 And Mk2 Differences

[Supradave]

Hi,

I'm looking to buy myself a car over the next few weeks to use for towing duties at weekends and for daily use to and from work for the rest of the week. I run a mobile disco and currently use a Toyota Previa for transporting the gear around which I have had for the past 13 years. The poor old previa is getting a bit tired now and i want to replace it with a trailer and a 4x4 so that I can use the 4x4 for the rest of the week when it's not towing sound equipment around.

I am looking to spend around 8k on the 4x4 and the Rx300 is top of my list at the moment (closely followed by the Nissan Murano and Subaru Forester). I have previously owned an LS400 and loved the build quality, refinement and reliability but was not so keen on the handling (a bit too soft for my liking).

At my budget I seem to be looking at 2002/2003 models which I understand is when the Rx changed from Mk1 to Mk2. What are the differences and is there an easy way to tell which one I am looking at while looking at the ad's on autotrader?

At my budget am I better off with a lower mileage Mk1 or an early (and probably higher mileage) Mk2?