| Sophie |
Thanks for the great posts. I've gotten some really good leads on getting a decent price on an MDX.
I'm trying to decide between an MDX and the new Lexus RX 330. I'm leaning RX, partly because it is new and the new MDX isn't due until October.
Does anyone have a good online source for Lexus deals, like the Texas and Ohio Acura dealers who have been mentioned here?
How about a forum like this one for Lexus (other than Edmunds which didn't have this kind of info).
Thanks. Feel free to tell me why I should choose the MDX -- I haven't made my final decision yet! |
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| OP MDX |
| I went back and forth on both and was leaning towards the RX until I saw one. It is still too chickish. If you are a male, do not drive one of these! I'm certain it's a terrific vehicle as far as reliability and features, so don't take this as a slam on Lexus. I've been extremely satisfied with the MDX, in fact I love it. I'll be trading this one in for the 2005 model year. |
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| BaldEagle |
Sophie, both are very good vehicles. Pick the one that is right for you. The MDX has more room, an important factor for us because we travel with a lot of stuff. Looks are up to individual tastes but both my wife and I liked the looks of the MDX better. Others like the RX better.
The MDX does have a better owners forum but you are welcome to post here even if you choose the RX.
Good luck and hope you are happy with your decision. |
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| jswift2000 |
| :werd: what he said. |
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| Sophie |
Thanks to all of you for making me feel welcome. I found Clublexus, but they don't appear to have an insider track to good dealers like this forum.
I keep going back and forth. As for the RX being a "chicks" car -- hey I are one! That may be why I like the design of it. I prefer the MDX for the way I can sit up high and really see everything. It is the best vehicle I've ever driven for that.
I think I need to get another demo in an MDX. My one and only exposure was over a month ago and I just did the RX this week.
Hmmmm. Decisions, decisions. . .LOL.
BTW, I own a 1994 Mercedes E320 and I have had many repair headaches. That ticks me off. I bought a Mercedes to avoid that -- figuring if I did all the service as recommended I'd have few problems. Yeah, right.
Prior to the Merc I had two Toyotas (Camry and Supra) and never had a lick of trouble with either one.
My first car was a Honda Prelude. What a sweet car that was -- I'm talking the 1980 original.
Sweet! |
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| jswift2000 |
The RX will cost you some more $$$ but you will receive a more lux inside, power liftgate (will you really ever use that), adaptive headlighting (that rules) and 18 inch rims. You're also buying a car in its first prod year... something to think about.
The mdx is cheaper, a little less lux inside but bigger, doesnt have ugly clear tail lights, is a proven car and has a great navigation system.
You need to decide what size SUV you want - if you want large, go for the MDX. If you want a smaller one, go for the RX. Good luck and let us know. |
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| Blackura |
I parked right next to a brand new RX 330 yesterday so I had a chance to compare directly side by side. The RX 300 had a romance novel on the passenger seat, so I assume the driver was female. I hope that's not a sexist remark, but I don't know ANY men (gay or straight) who read romance novels.
Anyway, the Lexus looks a lot narrower from the back. Maybe it's the design that emphasizes that; I don't know. I like the RX from the front and sides, but the rear is just plain hideous to my eyes. I very seriously considered getting one but now have no regrets on choosing the MDX instead.
I think I could use the power rear gate when carrying big bags of landscaping mulch, big boxes of equipment, multiple grocery bags on a rainy day, etc. The Lexus has wonderful leather too, but still overall I love the MDX a lot more. Like I said, no regrets here.
Good luck either way, Sophie! They're both good vehicles. |
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| wmquan |
Sophie,
Regarding finding posts about deals, have you tried www.edmunds.com, and their "TownHall" message boards? The boards there are not as freely conversational and engaging as systems like this. But I have seen posts there discussing discounts on RX330's. This will, of course, vary by region. Some people are claiming significant discounts already.
As to which one to buy, it comes down to what your priorities are. They are both excellent vehicles. Obviously we're generally biased here in favor of the MDX. Partly because it is the vehicle that meets our needs. Generally, you'll find the MDX to have better cargo and passenger room and some more sportiness with less polarizing styling. While you'll find the RX330 to be more luxurious, have generally better dealer support, and have some more comfort and convenience features. |
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| cotmc |
Sophie,
I am an MDX owner who has been looking at the RX330. I think the RX330 is a very nice improvement over the RX300. However, I still think the MDX competes very well against the RX330 when you compare the cost, performance, and utility. As already mentioned, be aware this is the first model year for the RX330, and so there may be a glitch or two -- even for Lexus! James Healey, who writes the automobile reviews for USA Today, noted some significant hesitation problems with the RX's new 5-speed automatic transmission. Hopefully, that isn't an issue on recent production models. I also don't mean to scare you away from a new RX, as I'm sure it will be much more reliable than your Mercedes. (FYI: April's Consumer Reports Auto issue doesn't rate a single new Mercedes model as "average" reliability or better!)
As William suggested, Edmunds.com's Town Hall has some good information on the RX330, including some prices that people claim to be paying. Although I am not seriously shopping the RX330 at this time, I am a little disappointed that Lexus is not offering any RX330s in our region for less than $39.4K MSRP. These are Front-Wheel drive units with Premium Plus and 18" wheels. All-Wheel drive units are typically further equipped with options and more expensive. Lexus is NOT offering any models around here with the lower-cost Premium Package. Who markets a "Premium Package" and then makes it unavailable for purchase?!! Hence, we cannot purchase one locally without the Wood Steering Wheel! :3:
For an FWD unit, the best price I've seen quoted by a buyer in Town Hall is $36.9K, but most dealers seem to be wanting closer to $38K.
If you change your mind toward the MDX, I know where you can get a great deal on a used one! :rolleyes: |
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| wmquan |
Rob brings up some good points.
I may be mistaken, but RX330 production is being partially (mostly??) fulfilled out of Canada. While those should be good quality, they may be more susceptible to first year problems. However, I understand that initially (and perhaps longer than that?) some RX330's shipping to the West region will be made in Japan. I feel that those would be better bets, but obviously this only helps if you live on the West.
I like the RX330 so far, though I haven't had enough experience with it. I think that if we were shopping for an SUV now, we might get it over an MDX (would also consider an XC90 for its huge potpourri of safety features, though I don't like the engine selection and am wary of its reliability). Sure, it's a "chick's car," :rolleyes: but the primary driver of it would be my wife. It makes as good a mommy-mobile as our MDX currently does (call it the Mommy Drives X). She likes the new RX330 from what she's seen of it on the street and in the MotorWeek review on television.
However, Lexus's pricing is a bit tricky, as Rob has pointed out. I tried configuring an RX330 on Lexus's website. It turns out, as with Lexus regions around the country, that you can only get certain combinations of options and packages. So while an RX330 may look less expensive on paper if you use a non-Lexus configurator (e.g. Carpoint, Edmunds, etc.), you can't buy that cheaper Lexus. Many (most?) dealerships won't order a customized one for you.
According to the site, I would be forced to buy an RX330 with the Premium Package (fine), but also to get the additional options of: power rear door (fine), cargo mat (er, sure, but I'd sooner get a WeatherTech), 2-level heated seats with rain-sensing wipers and headlamp washers (fine), wheel locks (eh ... okay), wood and leather steering wheel (don't need it, don't want to pay for it, and the towing package (don't need it at all, why should I pay for it?!?). This lists for $40,908, not cheap at all. However, someone on Edmunds claims that dealers in the Northwest are giving some discounts already, which is somewhat surprising.
However, for that money, I'd want xenons as well so I'd have to get the Premium Plus package, which makes some of the above options part of the package, but Lexus still forces me to buy as options four of the above options.
If you are basically forced to buy options with a package, why the heck even call them "options?" They're not options anymore, they're now packages!
Of course, in the early days of the MDX, dealers were forcing accessories like crazy. But you often could get around it by trying another dealership, and over time this has changed. With Lexus, this seems to be policy of the regions. Even the RX300 in its last year had similar bundling (they'd force items like a rear spoiler). |
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| aceman75 |
Hi Sophie,
My wife and I were in the same predicament 6 weeks ago. Of course, we ended up with a brand new MDX which we love and glad we made the choice. This wasn't the case 6-8 weeks ago.
In the begining, I liked and preferred the RX330. True, it's often nicknamed a "chicks" car because someone on MSN that reviewed the RX300 said that 59% of all RX300 drivers are female, but that wasn't the reason I went with the MDX. We extensively test drove an RX330 with performance pkg (air suspension, adaptive front lighting). The interior is absolutely gorgeous and the dash is rather attractive when turning on the lights. The materials used inside are second to none. When doing various tests, performance is my most critical evaluation. I left the Lexus dealership (3 visits total) rather dissappointed. The RX330 is an extremely quiet vehicle, but did not handle or respond as quickly as I thought. You cannot feel the road when you are behind the wheel, and on quick turns was a little slow to react. Also, when accelerating (like flooring), the transmission seemed confused and most of the time did not accelerate until about 3 seconds after a floored it. This was very unacceptable.
Also, after consulting this site and other owners, it got to the point where most of the convenience features of the RX330 I could care less about. The adaptive lights are definitely cool, but I was convinced that it's a "who cares" feature. The only feature we liked that we would have wanted was the auto liftgate. The air suspension is also another "who cares" option and it didn't seem to help the car perform any better.
Once you compare the value and features between the MDX and the RX330, your decision will be much simpler. It's hard to compare feature to feature as Lexus packages it's options a lot different. One thing for sure, to get navigation and a premium Mark Levinson sound system, the RX330 would have been 46,900...way more than a fully loaded MDX. In the Northwest, all Lexus dealerships are selling them at MSRP with AWD and 18" wheels and tires, period, and all are coming from Japan. If I still wanted the RX330, it would have been the performance package. But get this, you cannot have the Mark Levinson sound package or rear entertainment with this, that is why I did not like the way Lexus packages the RX330. Plus, it will definitely cost more (if this is an issue to you). After two weeks of much research and numerous visits to Acura and Lexus, I was convinced the MDX was for us since it has more cargo space and definitely more value at less $$.
I hope this helps. If you have any more questions, I can help. I can go on and on regarding this comparison. |
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| Sophie |
Just through this message board and a few other online resources I've gotten MDX prices $2000 below MSRP and RX 330 prices $2500 below MSRP.
I just spent $40 to get Fighting Chance's info on both the MDX and the RX 330 and expect to do better price-wise when I try their "fax attack" approach next week.
I am leaning towards the RX 330. Two major reasons: I like the more luxurious interior (I am a chick and like the fact that it is more refined than the MDX). Plus the RX 330 is a 2004. The MDX is nearly at the end of the model year with the 2004 due out in October. |
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| shootist |
quote:
Originally posted by Sophie
I am leaning towards the RX 330. (I am a chick)
Yep, that confirms it- RX 330 is a chick's car! |
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| tabasco |
| The RX really looks like a mini van and chicks like mini vans. |
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| dlipter |
Sophie,
Could please report on your impressions with the "Fighting Chance" service.
Thanks,
Dennis |
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| azfansinnc |
quote:
Originally posted by Sophie
Plus the RX 330 is a 2004. The MDX is nearly at the end of the model year with the 2004 due out in October.
It is cool having the first of a car in your neighborhood. I had it with the 2002 TL-S I acquired in April 2001. I realize none of us bought our cars as an investment but if you need/want to resell it that's an extra 6-12 months or so worth of mileage on that vehicle.
When I traded my S after 23 months of ownership and 20K miles, I always got the "that's a lot of miles for a 2002" comment. That was in March of 2003. Unfortunately, the Blue Book does not take length of ownership into consideration.
Just my $.02 |
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| srpbep |
Mileage "hit" is no where near as bad as a model year hit. Model year depreciation is going to be a MINIMUM of $4,000 and probably more like $6,000.
Always go for the newer model year. Buying an end of model year vehicle to save $500 or $1,000 is a losing proposition (for the buyer) unless the buyer is going to keep the vehicle for ever. |
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