Rx300,rx350 Or Rx400H

[littleidea]

Hi, I used to have an RX 300 and now need to buy another Lexus car ASAP. Yes, it has to be Lexus. I have seen a 2004 RX300 for £5k, around 80k miles, a 2006 RX350 for £10k with 42k miles and a 2007 RX400H for just over £10k, with mileage of 89k.

The RX350 is from lexus dealer and the other two are from independent dealers.

I quite liked my ex RX300 and my initial thought is to get the 2004 RX300 and save myself £5k. The car looks alright. The RX350 seems more appealing and it's coming from the dealer. So, i am a bit more inclined towards this car. The RX400h, I am not sure. It's the hybrid bit which I am not sure about. I don't want to spend a huge amount on repairs etc.

Any recommendations please?

My preferred one is the LS460 but above my budget for now.

Thanks

[ColinBarber]

The RX350 is a great car if you can afford to run it. For smoothness it would have to be the 400h, and that will probably hold its value the best too.

Avoid air suspension on the non hybrid models if you don't want high repair bills in the future.

[littleidea]

Thanks Colin.

My maximum annual mileage will be around 7k. I will check if the 350 has air suspension. I am worried about the hybrid overall, just in case anything goes wrong in the future. The wear and tear cost is alright. Also, there are some bad reviews about the breaking system and sudden stop on the motorway (coil problem I think).

I am not able to post pics of the three cars from the iPad (version)

[ColinBarber]

The RX400h is a very reliable hybrid system provided the recalls have been done. Given the numbers sold it is much more reliable that the GS450h at the same age. Having said that failures can happen and if you are the unlucky one then the cost to fix can be very expensive, although to save money it would make sense to find replacement parts for a breakers.

I see the chances of a hybrid system failure the same as a transmission failure on a RX300 or RX350 and would be equally as expensive. You do need to remember that the RX, in any form, is a £40,000+ vehicle and spares are priced accordingly rather than priced at what they cost to manufacturer.

I would probably lean towards to youngest vehicle to minimise wear and tear / age related costs.

[littleidea]

Thanks. RX300 is out of question. So it will be between the 300 and 400h. I will have a good look at both and decide. I will probably go for the 350 as there wil be one year warranty from the Lexus dealer.

[Monte]

Road licence for RX400 is £250pa and for RX350 - £500pa.

[littleidea]

Yep, thanks for reminding me. Will just have to take the hit if I do get the 350. I was going to go for 2006 300,the road tax put me off. So I thought, if I have to pay that much road tax, I might as well go for the 350. The air suspension issue is bothering me now. Need to get a car tomorrow. I have been searching for far too long.

[Rillo]

my 2p worth :

I have had RX 350 and 450H. The 350 is great vehicle. I had it from new for 3 years and had no suspension issues and got between 20-25 mpg - so will you do enough miles to see the mpg saving over the life of the car compared to the Rx400?

[littleidea]

Thanks. My max annual mileage will be around 7k I think. A bit more if we get good summer like this year -:)

[Boxbrownie]

You say you need to buy one "tomorrow"...... no, no, no......take you time however long it takes, you will then buy the car you wanted rather than the car that will do! There are always others on the market, and new ones each week.

400h would be my choice from what you have said.

[littleidea]

I have been looking for 10 months now -:). Good things come to those who wait. Could not be bothered to go shopping for a car in the rain today. I made few enquiries from ads on Autotrader during the 10 months, you won't believe it how many fakes are out there. They all happened to be currently out of the country on duty and needed me to send them money. Of course, the shipping costs were very good, something like £150!!

I will make few more enquiries during the week and hopefully get my car by the end of the week.

Cheers

[Boxbrownie]

Oh I would believe it........so many scammers out there and getting worse I think!

You cannot beat eyes on the metal and a quick call to the previous owner (providing they haven't covered that also!).

Good luck with your search.

[littleidea]

I never thought about contacting the previous owner. Good idea.

[Boxbrownie]

I never thought about contacting the previous owner. Good idea.

With our ML we bought last year I contacted the previous (one) owner and got a huge wad of papers and documents above and beyond the normal car folder and books that came with it, turned out a good move as it was owned by a titled owner before and made a great selling point (but not advertised as such).

Always worth a try.

[littleidea]

Oh, does this mean that you do not own a Lexus anymore?

[Boxbrownie]

Oh, does this mean that you do not own a Lexus anymore?

No, no.......I still have the "lifeboat" as we call it, our faithful '03 RX300. Its never let us down and we love it for its simple luxury and ease of driving and travelling in, not sure we will actually get rid of the RX anytime soon, good for winter (true 4x4) and it just sits on the drive waiting for us to use it.

Its our main car that we chop and change all the time, BMWs, MBs and now the Audi Hybrid for a while.

[littleidea]

I am now thinking of getting an X5, 06 or 07 year. Any reason why I shouldn't get one?

[ColinBarber]

I am now thinking of getting an X5, 06 or 07 year. Any reason why I shouldn't get one?

No, provided you get one that has been looked after and can afford the running costs.

[Boxbrownie]

How old is the model your looking at, or what kind of budget do you have?

Obvious things like service history, proof of any repairs, read the seller!

And finally.....condition, condition, condition.

X5 a great car.......but only slightly bigger than the later X3 inside (in fact the trunk is better on the X3), depending upon engine they can be quite reasonable to run on fuel, but proper servicing and any repairs can be pricey, find a really good independant if you can or bite the bullet and use main stealers, whatever happens do not entrust them to your local "general" mechanic.

[littleidea]

I was expecting the running costs to be similar to the RX350. I have seen couple of good X5s on Autotrader with fsh. The 06/07 Lexus (lexi) seem very expensive compare to the 06/07 X5s.

[Boxbrownie]

I was expecting the running costs to be similar to the RX350. I have seen couple of good X5s on Autotrader with fsh. The 06/07 Lexus (lexi) seem very expensive compare to the 06/07 X5s.

A 3L diesel X5 will be considerably cheaper to run fuel wise than the 350, of that there is no doubt even after taking into consideration petrol/diesel price differentials.

You should get approx 25-28 around town and up to 40 on a run with the X5 3Litre D

[littleidea]

Personally I don't want to spend more than £5k on a 9/10 year car. If I have to go over this amount, my budget is £9k for a 06/07 car, ideally a Lexus. There are couple of private sellers (X5) with FSH on Autotrader. Mileage around 65 to 85k. X5 is my last resort.

[Boxbrownie]

Thats a very low mileage for a 9-10 years old X5........check them very carefully, also at that age its very possible major items might have been "overlooked" in the service schedules, as before you need documented proof of repairs and service....and contact the garage also, if they have done several services on the car they will know it.

I know its hard but 5K on a large 4X4 like an X5 is getting into possible trouble territory, big repairs could be close at hand.......then again, condition and history could get you a genuine bargain.

[littleidea]

This one looks good, slightly above budget.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201408196716146/sort/atcustom/postcode/e174pp/radius/1501/make/BMW/model/X5/page/1/usedcars

[littleidea]

Thanks for the valuable input.