Lexus RX 300

Price Paid:  $24000.00 from Park Place Lexus

Year / Model Reviewed:
2002 Lexus/RX300

Summary:
Purchased used thru Lexus Certified pre-owned vehicle at 1yr old w/14,000 miles. I have loved the vehicle until we were on our way from Fort Worth to Florida and the transmission went out in Hattiesburg, MS (87,000 miles). It cost $3500 to have the transmission rebuilt due to a defective part exploding inside. We contacted Lexus and they sent us a check for $800. Since then we have research issues with this vechile and there are many complaints about the transmission. The only reason I bought a Lexus was for reliability. I am highly disappointed. I have owned American made cars prior to the Lexus and never had the transmission replaced.

Weaknesses:
small turning raidus

Price Paid:  $16500.00 from MCLS Autos of Tinley

Year / Model Reviewed:
2001 Lexus/RX300 AWD

Summary:
I had my heart set on getting into a Lexus and out of my old Camry, so after much searching on Autotrader.com I found an affordable 2001 RX 300 right near where I live with not too many miles (66,000). After purchase, I had discovered during a pre-trip inspection to NYC that the trans fluid had NEVER been changed and was filthy black with chunks in it. I took it to a local shop as I was not about to pay Lexus $400 to do a trans flush. I had it changed for $100 and went marrily on my way. Days later I took the vehicle into the nation's harshest driving conditions (Mid-town Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, NY) and have to say that it handled fine with the exception of the poor gas mileage (15.5 MPG). A couple of months later now I am starting to notice a whinning noise coming from either the engine or trans at low speeds. It seems to whine when the trans is still in first or second gear, then its fine. I called CarX and was warned to expect to be buying a new trans soon. I don't know what to do now as I don't have $4K laying around.

Strengths:
Nice ride, handled NYC's streets and traffic great! Great sound system. Fairly roomy.

Weaknesses:
Poor gas mileage, HORRIBLE turning radius, whinny trans.

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 4 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 4.00 votes

Price Paid:  $0.00 from Private used dealer

Year / Model Reviewed:
2002 RX 300 (Coach edition)

Summary:
I have owned this car for a little over 2 years. It has well over 117K miles on it and still seems to be going strong. It does have good pick up, but my husband says it could be faster... I am a 37 year old mom and it's fine with me. Handles very well in town and on highways. This car drives beautifully. A very smooth ride, even over railroad crossings. It has plenty of cargo room! Seats lie flat without any trouble. One of my complaints about this car is the way the storage compartment is set up between the two front seats. It is very awkward. If you have a drink in the cup holder, you can't get to the storage compartment underneath. There are storage areas on all four doors which is nice. Five drink holders...but I have found that a large bottle drink will topple over... so caps must stay on. And the cup holders for the back seat passengers are between the two front seats.
Sorry I am not giving any details on the motor - but I haven't a clue!) We haven't had any major repairs thus far.
I love the leather interior. This car is 5 years old and the leather still looks new. Sunroof opens flawlessly with one touch, but is noisier than I expected. Back hatch is nice, but I wish the window opened seperately. Gas mileage is ok.. not great, but not bad. There doesn't seem to be any blind spots out of the windows in this car. I am 5'3" and can see out perfectly. The only other complaint that I have is the turning radius is very poor - I hope they improved it on newer models. This would be a perfect vehicle for moms with little ones in car seats. There is not a HUGE step up to the back seat like in some SUV's (like my old Explorer). This one is more like stepping into a minivan.

Strengths:
Smooth ride!
Nice interior and sleek exterior
Great head and leg room for back seat passengers.
Back seat is level and great for carseats.
Cup holders for each passenger.
Engine is very quiet.
Easy to convert backseat for hauling.
All windows are automatic (one touch up and down).

Weaknesses:
Poor turning radius.
Awkward cup holders.
Poor design for front console storage area.
Glove compartment door is very heavy, thus hard to close one-handed.
Glass doesn't open seperatley from hatch door.

Similar Products Used:
Ford Explorer 1997, 1999, 2001. I loved my Explorers and there are features that I miss, but the ride doesn't compare! The Lexus drives so much better.

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 4 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Price Paid:  $37500.00 from Nalley Lexus

Year / Model Reviewed:
2000 RX300

Summary:
I purchased the car new and have driven it 95K miles. I've serviced it every time at the dealer, except for the big $1500 90K mile service. I like many of the people who've writen reviews had the same problem. In the same month, my front bearings went out and transmission. I paid for the front bearings bc I know they can wear out, but was upset over the transmission. I called my dealership and spoke with the service manager. After about 20 minutes of talking, he said he would speak to the Lexus rep. I was totally amazed when he called me backk and he said that Lexus was going to eat the cost of the transmission. I was only going to pay for labor. I want anyone to try this with an american car maker. Not going to happen. Lexus stands behind their product and now, so do I (even more so).

Strengths:
Best drive ever.
Quiet drive. I've had people ask me if the engine was on.
Very stylish look

Weaknesses:
Expensive to maintain, not because things break, their service department makes $40 or $50 an hour more than a Toyota serviceman, (but I got a loaner every time I had it serviced, which is a blessing in itself).

Similar Products Used:
Toyota Highlander

Overall Rating
 1 of 5

Value Rating
 1 of 5

Used product for
3 Months to 1 year

Visitors rate this review
2.00 of 5, 4.00 votes

Price Paid:  $12500.00 from Cocoa

Year / Model Reviewed:
1999 Lexus RX 300

Summary:
Worst car I have ever owned. I bought it with 112,000 miles and felt comfortable due to Lexus supposed reliability. Since I bought the car 4 months ago I have dump over $7000 into this car. O2 sensor, air flow meter, air conditioning compressor, dryer and now the transmission. As everyone has stated, the front planetary assembly broke due to faulty design at a cost of $4800. The does not include the cost of the hotel I had to stay at ($110.00) or the rental car ($300.00). Aamco told me that the front planetary assembly is hard to get because there is such high demand due to the extreamly high number of failures.

Strengths:
tight ride-nice interior

Weaknesses:
customer service is the worst- I have NEVER recieved a phone call from the individual assigned to me and they refuse to transfer me to a supervisor!

Similar Products Used:
BMW 540 and Ford Explorer- I put 259,000 on the BMW and it still ran great-put 179,000 on the Explorer without any major problems-would recommend to everyone to stay away from Lexus