"such a no-brainer that is guaranteed to be a success"... Turned out to be the understatement of a lifetime. Simplicity comfort luxury competency and bulletproof quality. Toyota was absolute genius when they created this.
I still own mine, no matter what I do to it it will not die. Currently 274000 miles on it and all I’ve ever done besides wearables has been the timing chain and O2 sensors.
I have a 2000 RX300 that has 200k miles. It is so solid and an amazingly comfortable car. Retailed for 38k but I paid 2k a few years ago. Tip for those who have one. Only use Mobil1 synthetic oil or you will have the oil gel problem. Lexus rebuilt the engine at 100k due to this under a recall deal years ago. Said to only use synthetic oil. Plus Mobil1 will keep it running great for years. Better than a Highlander. It is very smooth on the road. Love this car.
Similar story. I bought my 2000 in 2014 for $4K, it still has the window sticker in the glove box for $35K. Currently have 274,000 miles on it and the only thing I’ve done outside of wearables was O2 sensors and I started getting weird firing and dash lights took it to the Lexus dealer who found it was on its original timing chain. They did that and the water pump, it easily passed NYS inspection and is now good for another 275,000 miles. This same dealer said they service about three others of the original first model year of RX and all of them are over 200K and going strong.
@@petayV8 She is the first owner bought it brand new around the year 2000. It was a 1999 model year though. It was being replaced by the next years models in the dealership so she didn't get it right as it came out. She got it when she was still working and she is retired now and still driving it.Basically she gets oil changes on schedule, new tires, pads, rotors,,water pump one time and timing belt since it's a 99. 212,00 miles on the odometer and transmission is smooth. She is putting another timing belt in she is actually overdue. by 12,000 miles. Great quality car.
@@red_lantern Thanks for the info! Makes me so happy to read this! How are the seats? You can purchase the skins online and reapulster the bottoms. That's what I did
Who would've thought that this Lexus RX300 would REVOLUTIONIZE the auto industry and put a bullet on the coffins of minivans and sedans. The MOST INFLUENTIAL vehicle of our lifetime...... the 2000s and beyond....
@@343Epsilon The LS400 may have (temporarily) up-ended the import luxury sedan market three decades ago, but it certainly did not blaze any trails the way this RX crossover did. The LS was a basically a simpler, cheaper and more reliable knock-off alternative to a MB S-class... Fast-forward 25 years and the RX continues to dominate sales in the luxury crossover market niche that it created, whereas the LS is now languishing against the same Germans that stole their luxury sedan crown back two decades ago.
@@4MATICbenz so true.... even the Lexus LS is a victim to the bullet of its own sister the RX.... the RX has been a hot seller since its first year on the market.... the LS has been cooled since the current generation when Lexus decided to put a v6 turbo in its hood instead of a v8..... people who can afford the price if the LS don't care about MPG..... they only care about size and power..... Lexus failed the LS with a v6 turbo inspite of the beautiful design
I drive a 1999 Toyota Harrier. The same as the Lexus rx300, only the steering wheel is on the right side. Very reliable car, powerful 1mz-fe motor, mileage 365,000 km. There is only one drawback: a weak automatic transmission, does not like sharp acceleration, and lacks 5 gears. In terms of comfort, it surpasses many modern cars. I live in Russia, our roads are not very good, but my Toyota has never broken down. Modern cars often break down (even Toyotas)
Yes, it is a very popular car in Russia and CIS countries. There is a Russian-language channel in Kazakhstan dedicated to the repair and maintenance of the RX300 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-lhugE04CJf8.htmlfeature=shared
These cars did have some quality control/design issues. There is a really bad exhaust vibration that turns the entire rear hatch into a vibrating speaker, the door lock mechanisms are prone to fail as well as the climate control servos. The brilliant thing is a quarter century later the car still looks clean and modern. If you have done global travel you see these cars are still being used enthusiastically in Cambodia and Eastern Africa. Trust me the roads are way worse there than the worst road here. You still see them all over the place in my neck of the woods and you won't get laughed at by the valet when you pull up to the fancy restaurant.
the RX didnt "revolutionize" or "create a new segment" it was actually the Mercedes ML that created the segment, and as always, Lexus Copied them just like they copied the S class by making the LS, the C class with the iS and the E class with the ES
Your fact is wrong... the Mercedes ML is a truck-based suv.... the Lexus RX300 is a CROSSOVER..... SUV are Crossover are not the same vehicle and don't belong to the same category.....
@@Aikynbreusov this is about "LUXURY" midsize mall crawlers not who was the first crossover ever. The RX did eventually become the top seller in the segment though
