Which Rx?

[simon k]

i'm looking at getting back into a lexus after around 4 years without one, my last one the 220D killed the experience for me so i moved over to the BMW.

i'm wanting a 4x4 mainly for weekend as i have a company car which gets used mon-fri, i started off looking at the Range rover sport then the Vogue but with a budget of around 20-25k these are mostly high mileage ones in my price range.

my local lexus dealer has a 400H SR ( navigation ) with multi media and ICE on a 08 plate with 48K on the clock for under 18K as well as a 450H SE-L with a panoramic roof on a 11 plate for 23K but with 99k on the clock.

any body have any opinions on the above two models? i have not been around the forum for a while so any help would be great.

Simon

[RXJasonRX]

hi, i have a RX 400h.. fantastic car.

I have also tried a new 450h, and that is good too. It's a evolution, not a revolution though,

just got a few more bells and whistles.. i do like the daytime running lights (that i dont have on my 400h) and all round

parking sensors.

99 k sounds high milage, so for that sake i would go with the 400h.. but have a long test drive first in both..

[ColinBarber]

the 450h is a bit more refined and has a small improvement in economy over the 400h (not as big as the official figures would suggest). Given the mileage I think the 450h is worth £21k rather than £23k.

[simon k]

thanks for the replies, the ICE package in the 400 is a bonus, are there any problems that come with it?

[rayaans]

450h hands down. I test drove a 400h but it wasnt as nice to drive as the RX300 or 350 of the same shape. Hence never bought one and waited for the 450h. Its better in every respect and you will NOT regret it.

[stevet]

I was in the same situation last year. Had 19k to spend. Dealer had a 2008 on 40k and a 2010 on 90k. I went for the 2008. Better condition, felt faster I thought the suspension was too harsh on the 450. I would test drive them both.

[simon k]

Oh we'll I called into Lexus sheffield this afternoon to look at both cars, the 400H was sold within 2 days although its still on there website, the 450 was still there but it looked like its had a hard life, lots of stone chips on the front end and the drivers leather seat was in poor condition for a 2 year old car, I think it was an ex lexus lease vehicle.

I will keep looking on there website but also having a look at the Audi Q7 and VW tourag

[jonthebarber]

Hi

Have owned both Q7 and a touareg ..... Deep pockets are needed , glad to see the back of both , although they where great to drive etc , its just when you get the "old" warning lights it's always telephone numbers (and I had a mate in the trade) 2 issues I had were climate control flaps (air directions in car) parts around £50 , 6 hours labour dash out , 6 hours labour dash in and a few rattles later ! Prop shaft failure .... £1500 .

Now I have had 3 Lexus's over 5 years , cheap as chips to run . Not saying one is better than the other , but do your research

Jon

[rayaans]

Hi

Have owned both Q7 and a touareg ..... Deep pockets are needed , glad to see the back of both , although they where great to drive etc , its just when you get the "old" warning lights it's always telephone numbers (and I had a mate in the trade) 2 issues I had were climate control flaps (air directions in car) parts around £50 , 6 hours labour dash out , 6 hours labour dash in and a few rattles later ! Prop shaft failure .... £1500 .

Now I have had 3 Lexus's over 5 years , cheap as chips to run . Not saying one is better than the other , but do your research

Jon

Haha my brother in law has a new Q7. Its been to the shop 3 times with a sunroof leak and because of that, it fried the MMI. Turned out to be an expensive fix. He had an R8 in Daytona Grey, beautiful car when its working but the gearbox failed. Again, expensive fix.

[DanD]

I gather that you have ruled this specific RX450h out, but should you have a similar choice again I would recommend the 450h for two reasons, based on the fact that your post implies that you will use the car only at weekends.

- I would not worry too much about high mileage so long as the car is in good condition. If you are only going to use the car at weekends, the current high mileage will soon become average mileage

- Importantly, if you use a RX400h only at weekends, it is likely that you will quickly encounter Battery problems. I won;t go into the details here as there are endless posts documenting this. Note that this refers to the "standard" Battery, not the hybrid system.

[simon k]

Thanks for all the replies, I'm in no rush to buy so I'm going to hang on until the right car comes along, the 450 would be ideal but i would prefer a low mileage one even though it wont get high mileage use, unless the wife spends the money on something else

[fulmar]

I have had a RX450h from new for nearly a year now. I like every aspect except the ride is too firm. I have reduced tyre pressures to 33 psi which gives a slightly smoother ride. But it's not nearly as good as my old GS300. I can only conclude that the 4x4 needs a 'stiffer' chassis to prevent corner roll and provide good handling.

When I first got the car I had read about Battery problems after leaving the car for a week or more and I wondered whether they would appear during winter months. They haven't. Initially I kept an eye on the voltage of the 12v Battery in the boot. This was consistently good so I gave up being concerned. The only winter effect I noticed was that mpg dropped by about 5.

[ColinBarber]

When I first got the car I had read about battery problems after leaving the car for a week or more and I wondered whether they would appear during winter months. They haven't. Initially I kept an eye on the voltage of the 12v battery in the boot. This was consistently good so I gave up being concerned.

This is more of a 400h issue and even then a Battery in good health will still allow you to start after two weeks.

[rayaans]

I have had a RX450h from new for nearly a year now. I like every aspect except the ride is too firm. I have reduced tyre pressures to 33 psi which gives a slightly smoother ride. But it's not nearly as good as my old GS300. I can only conclude that the 4x4 needs a 'stiffer' chassis to prevent corner roll and provide good handling.

When I first got the car I had read about battery problems after leaving the car for a week or more and I wondered whether they would appear during winter months. They haven't. Initially I kept an eye on the voltage of the 12v battery in the boot. This was consistently good so I gave up being concerned. The only winter effect I noticed was that mpg dropped by about 5.

I kept mine over winter for 4 weeks. Started first time although it is garaged. Im surprised you found the RX ride too firm. Im riding with 36 psi on an F Sport and i think its a nice balance between handling and comfort.

[stevet]

I doesn't seem to effect all 400h's mines be left for over 2 weeks and started ok. I know what you mean about the harsh ride in the 450, the 400's glide over the road surface by comparison.

[rayaans]

I doesn't seem to effect all 400h's mines be left for over 2 weeks and started ok. I know what you mean about the harsh ride in the 450, the 400's glide over the road surface by comparison.

But theyre also pretty scary going round a roundabout :/

[stevet]

I doesn't seem to effect all 400h's mines be left for over 2 weeks and started ok. I know what you mean about the harsh ride in the 450, the 400's glide over the road surface by comparison.

But theyre also pretty scary going round a roundabout :/

That's what the ISF is for :)

[rayaans]

I doesn't seem to effect all 400h's mines be left for over 2 weeks and started ok. I know what you mean about the harsh ride in the 450, the 400's glide over the road surface by comparison.

But theyre also pretty scary going round a roundabout :/

That's what the ISF is for :)

No arguing with that! ha