Lexus RX 330

wwest · July 2003

I have heard that a few people figured it out but passed on before that could publish....

bodble2 · July 2003

Thanks for the info on the rear gate. And how do you find the wood/leather steering wheel? Aesthetically it looks great, but I'm worried that it is not comfortable (gets hot in the sun) and that it won't grip as well as an all-leather wheel.

bpraxis · July 2003

Thankyou very much for your very insightful and great obervations about both vehicles. Your feedback is very helpful.

  There is no question in my mind that the Lexus is the most intelligent buy regarding resale and sevice.

  JM Lexus in south Florida is now building a gym and coffee bar in their dealership. And they already have a Japanese rock garden, and many other nice amenities

  I will test drive the Lexus and then decide

njexpress · July 2003

Hello!
The RX 330 AWD with Premium package and HID Lamps in at the top of my shortlist and I am looking to buy a new vehicle three months down the line, hopefully when the prices have gone down(?). When I went to the Lexus web site, the least expensive pacakage seems to be the Premium Plus Package with Additional Options, priced at $4,320.00, for three different Zip codes in the NJ / PA area. From what I see on CARSDIRECT.com, they DO offer the AWD with Premium and HID. I am not sure which is correct. Has anyone actaully bought one with just the premium and HID? If so, was that a special order? Somebody, please light the candle
Also, the Local Lexus dealer site links to NADAguides.com for trade-in appraisals and this to me was really suprising; I am a first time Luxury brand shopper - Is this how the high end dealers work, or, Do most dealers still evaluate based on KBB? In that case, I will have to sell my '01 CR-V in the open market by myself. Has anyone had experiences trading in their vehicles at Lexus / Infiniti dealerships? What's the usual practice? :-( OR :-) ?
I would greatly appreciate your feedback. Thank you!

stever · July 2003

What is the "Kelley Blue Book" Price?

I'm not sure where Lexus sales are or where they'll be in three months, but car sales in general are down:

'Incentive burnout' slows down car sales (AP)

Steve, Host

njexpress · July 2003

Many thanks for the feedback! That's the reason I RUN from anybody that tries to discuss KBB with me. I did sell one of my cars on the open market based off of True Market Internet pricing from Edmund's and other unbiased sites.
Again, I make it a point not to trade my used car in as most dealerships price it based off of KBB. I don't want to be in a position to go into a dealership while being fully aware that I will not get true market value, unless I pay sticker on the new vehicle.
It was a pleasent surprise when this one dealership had links to NADAguides.com for used car appraisal. could name at least three that link to KBB and I avoid them completely.
Thanks once again for the useful info. I will keep checking in.
Have a good evening!

tomtomtom · July 2003

Don't mention anything about trade-in until the price on the RX is agreed on both side. Then...you said by the way I could only afford the new RX if I get my trade in for $$$(reasonable price not open market price)

trillium1 · July 2003

The wood steering wheel in the RX330 is very well crafted. Smoothly varnished to a high gloss like Italian furniture, yet it is contoured in the back for a very comfortable and form fitting grip with no slippage. I did not find it to be hot in the summer, at least not more than the leather steering wheel I have on the Avalon. I love it.

njexpress · July 2003

That's exactly how I intend doing it :-)
I am okay with a reasonable trade in value as in NADA,(NOT KBB, DEFINITELY) since the NADA values plus tax savings add up to some 600 below open market value. This, personally, seems to be a decent price considering that I don't have to spend time creating a web page for the car, go advertise on three different sites, cope with no-shows etc...
Thanks again! Any idea on whether we can get a RX-330 with just premium, HID and alloy wheels?
Appreciate your response!!!

btill1 · July 2003

I am picking up our new RX 330 today ay 2:00PM, needless to say I am very excited, it is Savannah with the tan leather it also has the premium plus package, heated seats w/rain sensing wipers, msrp was 41,478 with my trade I am paying 34.5k. My trade was a 97 Maxima SE with 120,00 miles, KBB is about 3k. I have found this forum very helpful in my purchase decision, I will keep you all posted.
Thanks, Brian

lenscap · July 2003

In response to the host's question, car sales in general may be down but Lexus is up. Lexus had their best June ever with sales of 20,951, +11.7% from June last year. Sales for the first half of this year were 118,256, +1.5%.

The RX had June sales of 7,369, +30.8%. RX sales this year are 40,456, +9.9%.

btill1 · July 2003

We are picking up our new RX 330 this afternoon at 2:00PM, we are getting a Savannah with Tan Leather, the MSRP was 41,468. We are trading in our 97 Maxima with 120,000 miles, KBB around $3K, we are paying 34.5K with our trade, I think we are getting a good deal, they were willing to make a deal because it was the end of the month. I found this forum to be very helpful and appreciate everyone's input.
Thanks,
Brian

stever · July 2003

Shhhh, you aren't helping the new buyers any posting numbers like that :-).

You have to go in to the dealer telling them that the incentives on the GM are so good that you are ready to pounce on one, but decided on a whim to pop in to look at the 330 since the showroom was on the way. Or something.

Thanks for the sales numbers. Looks like you did good, Brian. congrats!

Steve, Host

wale_bate1 · July 2003

Got a call from the Mrs. around lunchtime yesterday. Seems my recent acquisition of an IS300 SportCross got her thinking along the lines of the RX330, which I knew, and that she's pretty serious about this, which I did not know!

She's most enthused about the Crystal White (in the absence of a red) with Ivory, and wants to load it up.

So, question: on the website, they show a Performance package with additional options at $10K that appears to give you the whole shebang without the wood wheel and knob. I know, trillium, that you like it, but I'm just a leather kind of guy with a leather kind of gal.

Is that package readily available out there without having to special order? I don't really care if the sound system is by Mark Levinson, Avis Blumenstein or Toshiro Ikogami, so if that's not part of the gig, no biggie.

Thanks y'all!

tomtomtom · July 2003

by the way, since you already know what you want it would be less pressure by calling/ emailing a few fleet managers in your area to give them your target price. If they're willing to deal they will contact you, if not, it is not going to help to see them face to face.

tomtomtom · July 2003

I once ordered a BMW from carsdirect and they would special order the car for you if they could not find the car in the market. Since the deposit is refundable (hope they didn't change that policy) you have no risk ordering from them if the price is right.

njexpress · July 2003

I appreciate the info. I have all the time on earth and I guess that's a big advantage. I am not looking to buy until late OCT or Nov anyways.
I did note that there is a discrepancy in the invoice price for the AWD as quoted by Carsdirect; Edmunds and KBB have it as (32,235 +575 for destination) = 32810/= while carsdirect shows as 33,265 including destination.
I will keep researching until I am totally confident. I will alo keep checking back once in a while everyday.
Thanks for the response once again!!

awjenni · July 2003

One of the RX330 options is HID headlights. On some other cars (E-class Mercedes e.g. at least older ones 98-99) the HID or Xenon headlights were low-beam only. High beams were still incandescent halogen. So even if your car had Xenon headlights... high beams were not.

Some cars now are advertising "bi-xenon" headlights which I presume to mean Xenon (HID) high beams AND Xenon (HID) low beams.

Do any of you who have this option on your RX330's know whether BOTH high and low, are HID or just low??

Thanks

Al

m5power · July 2003

Don't even go there about Japanese innovation or inventiveness, etc. Just think about it this way- without the Honda Accord, Toyota Camry, Lexus LS/RX, Acura, etc, etc, we'd still be in the stone ages, buying crappy oldsmobiles and ford tauruses, which are only improving now because the japanese have kicked Detroit in the butt. How about the Pontiac Grand Am vs the Acura Integra? Need I say more? So it's a totally facetious argument to pick nits about innovation when it comes to the Japanese- we are ALL (as Consumers) better off because of Lexus, Honda, Sony, etc, etc, etc.

wwest · July 2003

Bi-xenons are still low beam HID, but automatically tilt upward (using the auto-leveling servomotor)about 1 degree when incandescent HB are turned on.

The way it works on my 01 C4 anyway. I have heard rumors that bi-xenons are not be allowed on vehicles (SUVs) that already have high(er) mounted HID low beams. Makes sense.

I don't have an RX330 (yet) but on reading all the material it appears to have the standard auto-leveling HID low beams, incandescent HB, no bi-xenon, but an option for "looking" around corners.

jrdowney · July 2003

Has anyone else noticed that the GPS indicator on the NAV system has been intermittent. The vehicle still seems to stay on track but the indicator is on and off. I wonder if it has to do with the number of satellite signals being received. At one point yesterday the system was totally gone.

Thanks

lok888 · July 2003

I am not sure Japanese are inventors in the automobile industry. And I don't want to start the bashing. But I am sure they know how to make things better. The concept of the electric powered car from GM wasn't so successful. In the meanwhile, Honda and Toyota are already selling those hybrid cars. BTW, is the 4-wheel steering on passenger cars first came from Honda Prelude then Mitsubishi Galant and 3000GT? It reminds me to ask this question when I saw a TV commercial about the GMC Sierra with 4WS.

tomtomtom · July 2003

Yes, I think the Honda Prelude had that like 15 years ago. I wonder why they discountinue that.

lok888 · July 2003

tomtomtom - I think it only helped a little bit when parking and turning plus the service and maintenance. It maybe a considerable option for cars in Japan with narrow streets and tight parking space. It wasn't a big hit here.

blackrx330 · July 2003

Low beams are HID/Xenon (not Bi-xenon), Hi Beams are regular halogen.

bodble2 · July 2003

wasn't a big hit 'cause its handling advantage was negligible, and its parking advantage wasn't needed due to the compact size of the car. The feature would be useful on big trucks and SUV's though.

tnguy1 · July 2003

I have now 3100 miles on my RX330 and have recently notices a "whining" noise from the transmission when coasting less than 20 mph. Has anyone experienced this problem? Thanks.

ljohnson9 · July 2003

Now approaching 5000 miles on FWD RX330 with Nav and ML... my only surprise is the hard suspension which is great on the freeway and around town, but my first encounter with a county road was to be shaken apart... now I did not buy this to be an off-road vehicle, but I am wondering about this super firm ride... anybody had a similar experience... or played around with tire pressures or whatever..

tomtomtom · July 2003

Just curious, for those who love the Nav System in their cars. If whomever starts to charge the use of Nav System (the use of the Satelite), let's say $19.95 per month, would you subscribe to the service?

2fast2furious · July 2003

No.

clee4 · July 2003

The GPS satilites are already paid for by the tax payers. With so much of the aviation industry and ground transportation industry using GPS, charging for their use would be a task greater then the IRS.

tomtomtom · July 2003

We tax payers paid a lot of other things too but that didn't stop the charging. I guess your answer is No.

s852 · July 2003

Of course not.
No one would spend $2000 on the system, then pay a monthly fee and risk having a useless system if the company collecting the fees and controlling the access went out of business or had technical problems.

lok888 · July 2003

tomtomtom - I guess the majority is not favor in this idea, including me. Just curious how you came up with this idea. BTW, I have never owned car with nav. system before. Is the system manage and maintain by the car manufacturer (customer service) or the some communication companies or the FCC? However, it is not impossible for them to charge a monthly fee if they come up with some excuses like some fancy voice active commended features.

You are right Tom. We paid a lot of things and that didn't stop the charging. I think your question is about can the car companies afford the renting/using the satellites or having some IT guys who got pay big bucks by monitoring the system. BTW, there is a monthly fee for the use of Lojack in some countries in addition to the huge initial cost of the system plus installation.

tomtomtom · July 2003

No, I didn't hear it from anywhere. I just thought about it the other day when a friend asked me if I need to pay for using the system. When I told him it is free and he said "why would anyone let you use their satelite for free?"

I thought some of you didn't mind paying it since some said they wouldn't buy another car without it.

tidester · July 2003

There is no possible way to charge a continuing use fee. The GPS satellite signals broadcast continually and detecting whether you are both receiving and using those signals is simply not feasible.

You might, however, be charged a tax on the GPS unit at the time of purchase. Clearly, if the tax were too large a blackmarket would be created.

tidester, host

wwest · July 2003

More likely it would be a surcharge on gps/nav DVDs at the manufacturer level. If Bush actually manages to bankrupt our government as he clearly intents you may begin to see all sorts of surcharges like this.

tidester · July 2003

Let's not incite the politicos here! :-)

tidester, host

wco81 · July 2003

They could encrypt the signals like satellite TV services. Not sure if existing satellites can do this but if they could, you'd need new GPS receivers with probably a card like the ones in the Direct TV receiver. These cards would only be active as long as your account was in good standing.

BTW, the EU is lauching their own global navigation satellite network. No word on whether its data would be available for Euro. civilian use, let alone use by non-Europeans.

ctiger · July 2003

I have had my RX330 for about a month and less than 1000 miles. I have also noticed a sort of whining noise when I just coast down the road. At first I thought nothing about it, but it has become even more noticeable going down hills. I will have it checked out on my "free" 1000 mile check up.

cotmc · July 2003

I'm guessing you've already double-checked the tire pressure in all 4 tires? Our RX330 was delivered to us with tires inflated to 38 psi. We verified this the morning after we drove it home. We have since lowered the pressure to 30-32 psi. Big improvement!

s852 · July 2003

It is not their signal to encrypt and it would affect too many other systems unless they built a private satellite only for their car navigation systems. This is a non-issue.

tomtomtom · July 2003

Forget about the technical thing or can it be done, just "What if and will you?"

lok888 · July 2003

I still think it could be a possibility for some sort of fee for the services provided but not for the use of the GPS or satellietes or maybe fees some optional features beside navigation. But it will be hard to apply since GPS was introduced as a free service, just the cost of the unit. And it is getting popular within the past few years. Anyway, I am just thinking of my cellphone provider with those extra fees and charges like 911 surcharge, universal connectivity charge, etc. It wasn't so much of fees when I have it years ago.

lamken · July 2003

Anybody with the multipanel moon roof Rx330. Mine will rattle if you go over a big bump when the moonroof is half opened.
Any similar expereince?

irazabul · July 2003

Does anyone think the production of the RX330 beginning in Sept 03 in Canada will lower the price one can expect to pay? I am considering buying now or waiting until then.

Thanks.

coppermine2001 · July 2003

Anybody have a picture of the multipanel moonroof for the RX330?

tsmith67 · July 2003

Has anyone found a use for the sliding console and if so, what is it? Also, where is everyone storing their cell phone?

laterldf · July 2003

Yes, we've used it several times--when you have three passengers in the rear or need to place something in the middle of the floor back there (e.g. a cooler), moving it forward to give more space to the middle seat passenger, back when we want to store/place something in the front space, to name a couple of uses. later, ldf

tomtomtom · July 2003

I thought Lexus designed that sliding console so there is a place for women to put their purses. But my wife said the space is too narrow to fit a normal sized purse. Also, no place for her cell phone. I think she uses the cup holder for cell phone now.

Lexus RX 330

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