Need some ideas for the boss (1 Viewer)

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Dec 25, 2005
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S. Ontario
The :princess: (aka ---> the BOSS) wants an RX300 ... I'm taking her to look at a 97 LX450 (locked), another 97 LX450 (unlocked) and a '97 FZJ80 (unlocked) tomorrow. All have mileages between 65k and 78k miles and are about the same $$. All look to be in good shape...

BUT I think the LX450/FZJ80 is a better vehicle than the RX300 in terms of :
1. safety
2. value

... but she is leaning towrds the RX.

What can I say to convince her otherwise?

:beer:
 
You may not like my response but here it goes.

They are all great trucks. If this is her DD then let her make the choice, you will be happy you did.

If you want a locked LX450 to play with then let her know that. Maybe she will understand and go for it. But the most important thing is to let her know that you support and her decision 100%. Like I said, all of the above are great trucks if they were taken care of.


:cheers:
 
You may not like my response but here it goes.

They are all great trucks. If this is her DD then let her make the choice, you will be happy you did.

If you want a locked LX450 to play with then let her know that. Maybe she will understand and go for it. But the most important thing is to let her know that you support and her decision 100%. Like I said, all of the above are great trucks if they were taken care of.


:cheers:


Good answer! I agree:)
 
Here are some other concerns:

MSN Auto user reports show several "premature" tranny failures on the RX300's.
The cost of '99 RX300's in the area are the same as the '97 Lx450's/FZJ80's in the area but all the RX's have higher mileages (95k to 120k miles).

And one more thing, I can get under an 80 easily to look around, the RX has to be put up on ramps.
 
Here are some other concerns:

MSN Auto user reports show several "premature" tranny failures on the RX300's.
The cost of '99 RX300's in the area are the same as the '97 Lx450's/FZJ80's in the area but all the RX's have higher mileages (95k to 120k miles).

And one more thing, I can get under an 80 easily to look around, the RX has to be put up on ramps.

All of that really doesn't matter, unless your :princess: is a gear head. Just keep looking for a clean one and be the hero.

My wife knows I love to do what ever wrenching I can. Yet she still picks her cars based on thier looks first and comfort second and cool factor third. What I like comes in @ 15th. That is why she has owned three SOBS.:crybaby: Thankfully she fell in love with a 535is, a car both of us can hang with.

:cheers:
 
My wife really wanted a RX300, I talked up the 100 series for a good week or two, then she caved, I bought a LX470 and brought it home, sight unseen for her, she loves it, but feels a little guilty about the mpg. RX is kinda small compared to a LC/LX, and the RX300 looks more dated compared to the same year LX, it's not a classic.
 
Weight is a safety consideration:

http://www.safecarguide.com/exp/weight/idx.htm

After a scary incident this past winter, all I can do to keep all safe is paramount.

The RX is ~3900 lbs and the LX is ~5100 lbs. which puts the RX at a 32 to 25 disadvantage in crash results (fatalities) vs. the LX.

I've looked for affordable LX470's but none are to be found.
 
IMHO, I believe both a great rigs, if I had a child in that vehicle, I would want the LC/LX450...

If you are considering a child at a later date, go with the bigger rig...

That would be the deciding factor for my family, it's my job as a father to think of their saftey first...

Get the safest rig your money can buy........!

Goodluck.....
 
Well the first '97 LX450 we looked at (the locked one) had no coolant in the radiator overflow bottle (and nothing in the rad that could be seen). We got out of there in a hurry.
The next one ('97 LC) was re-painted very poorly (we didn' t go any further with this one).
The last one (a '97 LX450) was suposed to have 65k miles on it. It actually had 105k miles reported as kilometers. Well it did not have any coolant in the rad overflow bottle but the rad was full of Toyota red. In the last year, our LX450 has not lost any coolant at all that we can see so an 80 with lost coolant is not a great sign. This last truck did not look too bad but without lockers, it was overpriced so we went no further.
Of the three, we might take a look at the last one again after we get back from a well deserved vacation, if the price comes down.
Something good will turn up sooner or later.

One thing they all had in common was signs of winter salt causing corrosion. We may take a look into getting something from the salt free zone.
 
The heavier Land Cruiser might perform better if it’s in a wreck, but the RX300 will certainly reduce her chance of getting in a wreck in the first place. The RX300's shorter stopping distance, vehicle skid control, brake assist, quicker acceleration, etc. are important safety features that you need to consider. The lower center of gravity reduces the risk of rollover and the side-impact airbags are a big plus as well. There will always be situations where sheer mass is a benefit, but newer cars (excuse me, crossover SUVs) take advantage of a lot of cutting edge safety technology that isn't present in our beloved 80s.

If safety is truly paramount, then neither of these vehicles fit the bill. Buy her (gag) a Honda Odyssey minivan. It had 5 star crash ratings from 1999 to present, and has about 20 cupholders to boot!

Regarding you concern about premature transmission failure on the RX300: how about premature head gasket failure on the 80?

Buy your wife a vehicle that she feels comfortable in, has a good safety rating, and that she will enjoy. In this case I'm not convinced an 80 meets those criteria.
 
I tried to search for images of RX300s in crashes.....and I found this...lol. Just show it to her, it can't be a good sign.

Crashtests.jpg
 
The RX300 is a better road car, no doubt. And if she's going to use it as a car, not a truck, it'll be better for her. If you can't find one at a price you like, piss on the Lexus badge and get a Highlander, it's the same car.
 
Found another '97 LX450 on autotrader at a local FORD dealer ! (What was the PO thinking?).


A one owner vehicle in good shape.
117 k miles.
Locked like a chastity belt.
A few small issuses that the dealer must fix.

Put an offer on it.
I will find out on Tuesday.
If it comes to pass, pics of LX450 v.2.0 will follow.
 
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Well, as the world turned, my :princess: did get a 2000 RX300. We went down to Washington DC this last weekend to look around, say hi to George, etc. and visited a couple of car dealerships. One had two 97 cruisers (LX450 + FZJ80) but my :princess: liked the RX300 parked next to them better. So, we traded in her car and imported the RX300 to Canada (a piece of cake).

While down there, I also picked up and Iron Pig Off Road skid plate for the LX450 we have and a CDL switch from Lance in Frediksburg. Really great service.

I've loosened the TC cross-memeber bolts after applying alot of PB Blaster. One half turn out and one quarter back in and then repeat. I did not want to break anymore bolts! I'll post picture of the install.
:beer:
 
That was a good move. I encouraged my wife (while we were engaged) to buy a Camry over a Ford. He family is big Ford fanatics. Let me tell you, whenever she got mad at me, I never head the end of it. She hasn't owned a Ford since we have been married. She now has a Honda. Every time we get a new car, he father says "Oh no not another Jap mobile". I did get a new Mustang converitible last year so hopefully that will keep us in the will.:D
 
The heavier Land Cruiser might perform better if it’s in a wreck, but the RX300 will certainly reduce her chance of getting in a wreck in the first place. The RX300's shorter stopping distance, vehicle skid control, brake assist, quicker acceleration, etc. are important safety features that you need to consider. The lower center of gravity reduces the risk of rollover and the side-impact airbags are a big plus as well. There will always be situations where sheer mass is a benefit, but newer cars (excuse me, crossover SUVs) take advantage of a lot of cutting edge safety technology that isn't present in our beloved 80s.

If safety is truly paramount, then neither of these vehicles fit the bill. Buy her (gag) a Honda Odyssey minivan. It had 5 star crash ratings from 1999 to present, and has about 20 cupholders to boot!

Regarding you concern about premature transmission failure on the RX300: how about premature head gasket failure on the 80?

Buy your wife a vehicle that she feels comfortable in, has a good safety rating, and that she will enjoy. In this case I'm not convinced an 80 meets those criteria.

I agree 100%, if your a steering wheel holder, driving a tank is safer, when you see your going to hit something close your eyes and mash the brake. If your a driver, have experience, training, confidence in vehicle handling at or past it's limits, a lighter better handling vehicle can be safer.

For years my wifes favorite accident related saying has been; "My favorite accidents were the ones we weren't in." We have had two big high speed events in her Camry, nether resulted with vehicle contact, one resulted in big time flat spotted tires and she didn't even complain about the vibration on the 500 mi trip home! As the driver in both events I can say with reasonable certainty, that nether would have ended as nicely in my LX, they would have been real ugly!

If all of the "safety talk" on this forum were more than talk, more would be signing up their loved ones for driving school. Not the kind down at Sears, where they teach the proper turn signal etiquette. The type where they have skid pads, etc and teach vehicle handling past the limits of tire adhesion. If the driver doesn't have experience in this type of driving and can't react instinctively, the chances of them making the correct choices in the stress of an event, are about zero.

IMHO if your looking for safety the best and first $$$ should be spent in the driver. Vehicle selection is important, but IMHO is far back in second place to having a confident, educated, experienced driver behind the wheel.

Rant Off!:D
 
JACQUES

You need to clear out your PM's because your inbox is full, and I can't reply to you,

thanks,
 
For years my wifes favorite accident related saying has been; "My favorite accidents were the ones we weren't in." We have had two big high speed events in her Camry, nether resulted with vehicle contact, one resulted in big time flat spotted tires and she didn't even complain about the vibration on the 500 mi trip home! As the driver in both events I can say with reasonable certainty, that nether would have ended as nicely in my LX, they would have been real ugly!

Well it happened just two hours ago. On the way home from the summer house, we were going 50 mph on a 50 mph speed limit paved two lane road. A car on a paved cross road to the right and about 300 feet up the road from us, turned left safely onto the highway BUT the person behind them did not stop and kept going right in front of us. Well, it would have been lights out for this person, who was in a Pontiac Sunbird, if we collided. We were in my :princess:'s new (to us) RX300. I slammed on the brakes, the ABS kicked in, I steered to the right (luckily there was pavement there and not the gravel shoulder since, by now, I was on the cross steet) and missed the back end of the Pontiac by less than a foot. My wife was quite shaken. The Pontiac sped off into oblivion. The RX300 did a very nice job of avoiding the accident.

I then wondered what would have happened if we were in the LX450. The Pontiac driver would like have been hit because I don't think the LX would have avoided this one. So in the end, the RX prevented a brain dead driver from becoming officially brain dead.

Where do these folks get their driving licences, in a Cracker Jack box ?
 
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One year after the last post, the tranny let go on the RX300. Should have bought the LC. Now :princess: drives a 100 series and likes it. The RX series is scary expensive to fix and its engine is a piece of bonehead engineering with its sludge problem. Even Mr. Toyoda drops the ball once in while.
The 100 series gets at leat 20% better fuel economy vs my 80 too! What a nice surprise.
 

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