Looking For An Rx

[jpjsavage]

I have a lovely older LS400, but swmbo has taken a fancy to the RX. With a budget of between £5-10k, can you give us an idea of what might be the best model to go for?

I've learnt to buy preowned cars on condition not mileage. So, high mileage doesn't bother me too much. All things being equal, I would prefer a private purchase.

Thanks in advance for any responses.

[teejaybee]

Is is a RX300 or RX400h you are after?

[jpjsavage]

Would consider either. Is one more desirable than the other? Or just newer and different?

[jonthebarber]

Mk 2 rx300 are stunning value at the mo , look for se-l around the 04/05 mark (cheaper road tax) and you will see what I mean :-)

Jon

[teejaybee]

Obviously the 300 is a petrol engine whereas the 400h is a hybrid. Best look at Autotrader for both models to see what's on offer

[jpjsavage]

Yes, I've been doing that. We went to look at this one this afternoon:

http://www.greenwingmotors.co.uk/lexus-rx-300-se-auto-4wd-in-cheshire-3254203

Seemed quite nice, one owner and a full history from Lexus Stockport. But quite steep on the money I think? All wheels needed a refurb, no parcel shelf and some unstitching of the driver seat leather. The sun roof motor was also soooo noisy it was unbelievable!

[teejaybee]

In my opinion if you have up to £10K in your budget then use it! Get the best you can afford, by the way wheel corrosion is a Lexus problem so factor in some money off the price if they are really bad. Again, just my opinion but a FLSH would be a pre-requisite for me too. Good luck.

[rayaans]

That is a pricy vehicle. I sold mine to Lexus Stockport exactly a year ago for £5500. It was an Astral Black/Beige RX300 SE with only 55k miles on the clock and Id had it since new.

Also wheel corrosion is not a Lexus problem. Its a maintenance problem. Someones been using acidic wheel cleaner too often. Mine was 8 years old with no corrosion and no marks at all and the wheels had never been repaired. If its been looked after properly, there will be absolutely no corrosion whatsoever.

[teejaybee]

Sorry Rayaans, think we will have to disagree on the Alloy problem. It's not just a Lexus thing, most Japanese alloy wheels do not have the type of finish suitable for the British climate. Yes, of course in an ideal world you would clean your wheels frequently but that's not always possible, non-Japanese cars can put up with this but I'm afraid most Japanese cars will suffer. Maybe you've been luckier than most or your maintenance schedule is better than most.

[jpjsavage]

Thanks for the advice so far. We are at the beginning of our search so if you see anything in your travels that looks good please let me know.

[malibu]

The car that you viewed is advertised with only 66,000 on the clock, however the seat stitching is coming apart. I thought these seats would've been more robust and good for well over 100,000.

[Duncan Roberts]

The driver's seat gives cause for concern - simply does not happen and I cannot recall anyone with an older car complaining of it here.

There is no parcel shelf in the spec surely - unless these early cars had one?

[jpjsavage]

Agree with all the comments. Won't be buying that one but definitely on the look out. Would prefer a private sale if at all possible.

[rayaans]

Sorry Rayaans, think we will have to disagree on the Alloy problem. It's not just a Lexus thing, most Japanese alloy wheels do not have the type of finish suitable for the British climate. Yes, of course in an ideal world you would clean your wheels frequently but that's not always possible, non-Japanese cars can put up with this but I'm afraid most Japanese cars will suffer. Maybe you've been luckier than most or your maintenance schedule is better than most.

I believe that the older models did have this problem, however, it was actually rectified in the newer model years. However, I still dont believe that it is the finish of the wheels that is defective, but the products used on the wheel. Acidic wheel cleaners get into cracks in the paint and bubble them up. No finish, be it Bentley or Nissan would be able to cope when the car is not washed for 3 months.

[teejaybee]

Acidic products wouldn't be on sale if they caused the corrosion seen, they simply couldn't afford the damages claims! Maybe newer models have better alloy finishes but even if you didn't wash your car for a long time that's no reason for corrosion on alloys, they're simply not up to the uk climate.

[malibu]

I've viewed many RX400h and without exception all suffered from the same two problems. Corrosion on the alloy wheels and corrosion on the four underside corners of the roof rails.

I think it's too much of a coincidence for the problems to be indicative of a particular cleaning product the owners had used. In my opinion there was some sort of manufacturing fault that has probably now been addressed by Lexus.

I can't comment on RX300 though.

[vrodman]

These are on a 2008 RX400h - under 50k miles.... not a pretty sight !

It would appear that when the lacquered surface gets broken eg. if the rim is kerbed then the resulting corrosion spreads like wildfire if unchecked.

[malibu]

Blimey! ......... and I thought mine were bad.

However, my wheels are showing considerably more corrosion around the Lexus logo than yours. The top photo showing bubbling in the bottom left is similar to mine and every wheel is affected. The corrosion in that picture doesn't appear to be a result of kerbing.

Left unrefurbished, I now have an indication of how bad they will get. Polishing makes no difference, these wheels appear to rot from the inside out.

[vrodman]

Not mine Paul, I hasten to add - these were on a car that was for sale that I had enquired about.

Dan

[rayaans]

Acidic products wouldn't be on sale if they caused the corrosion seen, they simply couldn't afford the damages claims! Maybe newer models have better alloy finishes but even if you didn't wash your car for a long time that's no reason for corrosion on alloys, they're simply not up to the uk climate.

Its a fact that acidic products CAUSE corrosion and bubbling in alloy wheels. Hence, why the products always say "do not apply to wheels with scratches". I had mine for 8 years. No corrosion whatsoever.

Oh right ok then, so you think your car would be perfectly fine if it had bird poo on the paint for 3 months do you?

[Stuart Aspey]

Rayaans, that RX450h F Sport looks fantastic! I need to earn some better money!

[rayaans]

Rayaans, that RX450h F Sport looks fantastic! I need to earn some better money!

Thanks Stuart! Let depreciation take its toll and when I fancy a new one, you can take it off my hands.

[Stuart Aspey]

Rayaans, that RX450h F Sport looks fantastic! I need to earn some better money!

Thanks Stuart! Let depreciation take its toll and when I fancy a new one, you can take it off my hands.

Lol. I'll get my balaclava on and make a deposit from a 'not a local bank'.

[teejaybee]

Acidic products wouldn't be on sale if they caused the corrosion seen, they simply couldn't afford the damages claims! Maybe newer models have better alloy finishes but even if you didn't wash your car for a long time that's no reason for corrosion on alloys, they're simply not up to the uk climate.

Its a fact that acidic products CAUSE corrosion and bubbling in alloy wheels. Hence, why the products always say "do not apply to wheels with scratches". I had mine for 8 years. No corrosion whatsoever.

Oh right ok then, so you think your car would be perfectly fine if it had bird poo on the paint for 3 months do you?

Ok, I think we've exhausted the "do they corrode/don't they corrode" scenario some of us think the wheels aren't up to it and some do so I think we should draw a line under it now

[j20]

hi, i never had a problem with my wheels corroding. Not on my previous IS 200 or this RX.