I Drove My Father's 1999 Lexus RX300 Today

[CarreraS2]

It just turned 200,000 miles. Boy, how it has changed since it was new. It used to ride so smooth. Now it rides pretty rough and actually has some rattles in the interior.

[Todd Simpson]

What a piece of crap!

[Tim Polzin]

Originally posted by SoCal911SC
It just turned 200,000 miles. Boy, how it has changed since it was new. It used to ride so smooth. Now it rides pretty rough and actually has some rattles in the interior.

Interesting point Brian, although I appreciate your humour. I have 370,000 km on my 911 and 325,000 km on my BMW. Both cars are tight and responsive. Rattles drive me nuts.

I guess I've been looking for a reason to own S. German cars.

Tim

[scottb]

My 02 Lexus RX300 has had a dash rattle since day one. I've had it serviced five or six times, including having the dash replaced. It still rattles. When I complained to the factory rep that it still rattled, he said, "we've done all we can do. If you're still unhappy, you can take us to arbitration."

If I could afford to dump this piece of ***** I would in a heartbeat, but I can't afford a car payment right now. So, I'll drive it until I can afford to dump it, and then buy either an Acura or Volvo.

NEVER AGAIN WILL I OWN A LEXUS OR TOYOTA PRODUCT.

[ischmitz]

I just picked up a 2000 ML430 with 80k miles a couple of weeks ago and like it a lot. Spent all day today to change fluids (engine, transfer case, front and rear diff). Once the rest of the parts show up I will tacke the transmission and torque converter. It rides smooth, looks and feels like new. No rattles or squeaks.

Ingo

[HardDrive]

I have an RX330, that is the simply amazing. Quiet, smooth, nice handling.

We drove every competitor, and literally left an MB dealer to go buy the Lexus.

We had a rattle in our dash as well, but it was taken care of immediately when we had the car serviced. Our dealer (Lexus of Seattle) has given us amazing service at every step.

A collegue of my wife has a mid 90s seadan with 225k on it, and it runs like a top.

Having had the car 2 years, I can say that the competition will have to give me a strong reason not to purchase another Lexus product. Very pleased.

[fireant911]

Originally posted by scottb
My 02 Lexus RX300 has had a dash rattle since day one. I've had it serviced five or six times, including having the dash replaced. It still rattles. When I complained to the factory rep that it still rattled, he said, "we've done all we can do. If you're still unhappy, you can take us to arbitration."

I am not sure how this varies from state-to-state but I think that I would called his bluff concerning the arbitration. The vice president of our company bought a new Nissan Frontier for his hunting camp. Shortly thereafter the heater stopped operating. He took it to the dealership where they informed him the concentration of the antifreeze was incorrect thus causing the problem. A short while later (approximately at the 1,500 mile mark) the truck simply ceased to run. Back to the dealership he went - the dealership proposed fixing the engine / the owner wanted a new engine. To abritration they went. Abritrator ruled for them to replace the engine and the fix heater (surprisingly the antifreeze concentration wasn't the problem...). After the time period specified by the arbitrator had passed the owner contacted the arbitrator again and informed them (as he had already told the dealership) that the heater still didn't work. The arbitrator had another meeting and ordered that Nissan America to buy back his truck and replace it with a brand new truck.

Originally posted by HardDrive
We had a rattle in our dash as well, but it was taken care of immediately when we had the car serviced. Our dealer (Lexus of Seattle) has given us amazing service at every step.

Competency at dealership service departments is a huge, huge issue. I refuse to go to our local dealership simply because of the ineptness by the personnel there. I realize that some dealerships are quite capable but most could care less about fixing the issue with a previous customer's vehicle.

[techweenie]

Surprising to hear this.

I've advised -- and helped -- friends buy Lexii. They were treated like royalty by the dealerships, and I was impressed by the cars.

I wonder how many $45K cars are smooth and solid after 200K miles, though? Would a Boxster at that mileage be better or worse than an RX300? Would the service history of any new generation Porsche compare with that of a recent Lexus at 200K miles?

Side note: A few months ago, I sold a '91 C2 coupe with 208K miles. The car was super tight and drove as if it had 40/50K miles on it. But the 'Porsche faithful' by and large had no faith in the notion a 911 could last that long. I ended up selling it to a 'non-Porsche guy.' So I guess you find out what's real when it comes to voting with dollars...