Advice Required For Second Hand Rx400 Purchase

[Kashim]

Hi Forumites,

This is my first post as I'm planning on buying RX400 with approx 2007 plate and 60K mileage

I've looked at Autotrader and eBay extensively and what I've noticed is that the mileage is quite high for all RX400 compared to any other cars in the market and RX400 without satnav seems to go for a lot cheaper price.

I have some questions

1. Can the original satnav be fitted into a Lexus after purchase?

2. At what mileage point the car starts have problems and needs bits replacing?

3. What is the price of replacing the front lights to LHD standard (in case of importing to Switzerland) and oes the satnav cover Europe?

4. What are the common problems with RX400 and what specific things to look for in a RX400 when buying from non-Lexus dealer?

Any other advice would be greatly appreciated.

P.S. What is stopping car manufacturers to produce a car which has front lights that will easily adjust to RHD and LHD countries with apress of a button?

Cheers, Kashim

[steve2006]

Hello and welcome to the LOC.

Retrofitting of the OEM Sat Nav would depend on whether the required wiring loom is present in non SAT Nav models if it is then it would be possible if not it would probably be more trouble than it is worth and I would go for an after market Sat Nav. The OEM system is normally European so I would think Switzerland is included.

Lexus are very reliable but like all cars things wear out but these are generally limited to hard working suspension parts and even then this is dependent on driving conditions ( potholes, speed bumps and the general road conditions the vehicle has been driven on) Listen for knocks on the test drive.

Main thing is a full, preferably Lexus service history.

There are no major known faults with the RX, my local dealer has said they have never had to replace a Battery pack although there have been isolated cases of the invertor system failing but generally this has been recified under warranty.

There was a recall for the "brake problem" but this should have been done on a VOSA recall but check the service history or go to the VOSA website for more information.

LHD headlight units are a wallet busting 600-700 Euros each according to ToyoDiy.com.

Other things to look for are corroded alloy wheels ( this affects all models) and make sure all the tyres are in good condition with even tread wear.

The car Battery ( not the hybrid pack) do fail with time as on other vehicles so make sure you do a cold start when viewing.