Buying used Lexus RX350 vs VW Atlas vs Toyota higlander

Comments

• au1994 Member Posts: 3,377

  January 2021

  Of those choices I would definitely lean to the Toyota products, especially if the intent is to keep long term. You should be able to find one will all of your requirements although depending on your part of the country, AWD may not be plentiful.

  2021 Jeep Wrangler Sahara 4xe Granite Crystal over Saddle
  2024 Audi Q5 Premium Plus Daytona Gray over Beige
  2017 BMW X1 Jet Black over Mocha

  1
• stickguy Member Posts: 50,507

  January 2021

  the Atlas is a barge, and the Highlander is pretty big too. If you don't need the small 3rd row, I would suggest a 2018 Acura RDX with tech package. Gives you everything you seem to need. And having done it numerous times, I can verify the seats are great on a 7-8 hour straight through trip. Not as big, but the back seat (bench) is quite roomy and comfortable, and the cargo room is more than acceptable.
  
  I had a 2013 for 8 years before trading in for a 2020 RDX, and it was pretty much bulletproof.

  2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.

  2
• graphicguy Member Posts: 13,665

  January 2021

  Lexus, while reliable, will have higher maintenance costs, because....well....it’s a Lexus and service costs more.
  
  VWs tend to have higher maintenance costs, too.
  
  The Toyota is a good choice.
  
  But, I concur with @stickguy .....Acura RDX will be a steady and reliable vehicle with the maintenance costs of an Accord.
  
  

  2023 Honda Accord Hybrid Touring

  0
• Castillo_Masch Member Posts: 3

  March 2021

  Thanks for all the great suggestions. I bought a 2018 Lexus RX 350.
  Things I noticed while car shopping and during test drives.
  My wife liked the 2019 and newer Acura RDX which comes with the new grill on the front. That also meant pushing our budget near 35k or above. We did like the RDX but we found the front seats/legroom to be less spacious than a Lexus RX 350. The Acura's panoramic moonroof was beautiful. It definitely felt sportier than the RX350. So we decided to increase our budget to ~37k which brought a lot of newer (2020, 2021) RDXs within our range.
  
  Things that pushed us towards Lexus. Firstly, our experience with the first Acura dealership was awful to say the least. The salesperson in the second dealership felt like didn't know enough about the car in general and only interested to make a sell. The third dealership was nice but had only one car in their inventory that was 2019 or newer. The couple Lexus dealers that we visited were outstanding. They treat you in a manner that we would be interested to earn them business (unlike the first Acura dealer).
  
  We paid $42k on road for the 2018 RX 350 and it has a decent amount of warranty left on it and is L/certified. It had 16,000 miles on it from previous (single) owner. We loved how spacious and quiet the cabin felt. The rear seats and cargo space is generous. The car drives very smooth at cruising speed and feels very comfortable. The naturally aspirated V6 puts out enough power for my needs. So, we plan to put on as many miles as possible and not worry about getting rid of it.
  
  Thanks All.
  
  PS: I realize we ended up $12k higher than our initial budget. But my wife and I discussed about all the pros and cons and decided to go with it. This was our first time car shopping and we were very skeptic about everything. I realized that so much changes when you actually start visiting dealerships.

  0
• Michaell Moderator Posts: 240,955

  March 2021

  Castillo_Masch said:

  Thanks for all the great suggestions. I bought a 2018 Lexus RX 350.
  Things I noticed while car shopping and during test drives.
  My wife liked the 2019 and newer Acura RDX which comes with the new grill on the front. That also meant pushing our budget near 35k or above. We did like the RDX but we found the front seats/legroom to be less spacious than a Lexus RX 350. The Acura's panoramic moonroof was beautiful. It definitely felt sportier than the RX350. So we decided to increase our budget to ~37k which brought a lot of newer (2020, 2021) RDXs within our range.
  
  Things that pushed us towards Lexus. Firstly, our experience with the first Acura dealership was awful to say the least. The salesperson in the second dealership felt like didn't know enough about the car in general and only interested to make a sell. The third dealership was nice but had only one car in their inventory that was 2019 or newer. The couple Lexus dealers that we visited were outstanding. They treat you in a manner that we would be interested to earn them business (unlike the first Acura dealer).
  
  We paid $42k on road for the 2018 RX 350 and it has a decent amount of warranty left on it and is L/certified. It had 16,000 miles on it from previous (single) owner. We loved how spacious and quiet the cabin felt. The rear seats and cargo space is generous. The car drives very smooth at cruising speed and feels very comfortable. The naturally aspirated V6 puts out enough power for my needs. So, we plan to put on as many miles as possible and not worry about getting rid of it.
  
  Thanks All.
  
  PS: I realize we ended up $12k higher than our initial budget. But my wife and I discussed about all the pros and cons and decided to go with it. This was our first time car shopping and we were very skeptic about everything. I realized that so much changes when you actually start visiting dealerships.

  Congrats!
  
  Thanks for the report on your final decision.

  Edmunds Price Checker
  Edmunds Lease Calculator
  Did you get a good deal? Be sure to come back and let us know! Post a pic of your new purchase or lease!
  
  
  MODERATOR
  
  2015 Subaru Outback 3.6R / 2014 MINI Countryman S ALL4

  0