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Lexus RX 450h Prices Paid and Buying Experience

639 messages,  Last post on Jan 21, 2013 at 7:40 PM

You are in the Prices Paid - Buying & Leasing Experiences Forum.

What is this discussion about? Lexus RX 400h, Lexus RX 450h, Hybrid Cars, SUV

Messages Page 10 of 65

#87 of 639 Re: Lexus RX 400h pricing [andy3] by stevedebi

Oct 19, 2005 (2:41 pm)

Replying to: andy3 (Oct 19, 2005 10:54 am)
"I looked long and hard at the 400h, but will be damned if I will pay over $50,000 for just a very, very small increase in MPG performance - there is simply no realistic payback. I hate to leave Toyota/Lexus, but a reasonable, lighter weight AWD SUV, with significant MPG increases, is the 2006 Ford Escape Hybrid, which I can purchase here in my Northern California county for $1,000 over the dealer's invoice - a fully loaded vehicle with all of the top options with a total purchase price, including tax and license, of about $35,000. Not quite as luxurious as the Lexus 400h, but at least $16-17,000 less costly!"
 
Oh man, are you in for a ride with the responses to this post. You dare to post detailed, logical information! Are you from the planet Vulcan, by chance?
 
Seriously, I would hold off on the Escape Hybrid. The technology is not mature at Ford. I would wait for the 2007 model. They did not copy Toyota technology, they independently developed their own stuff.

#88 of 639 ??? isnt Escape toyota tech??? by katzjamr

Oct 19, 2005 (5:45 pm)

Replying to: stevedebi (Oct 19, 2005 2:41 pm)
Andy3, 50K is alot for a vehicle i agree, im not sure i could justify it if my business wasnt paying for part of it. However, there are big compromises in the Ford Escape that you will have to live with. Old hybrid technology, not the latest version. Less power, a poorly integrated AC system, Ford Nav systems that have no idea where they are... the list goes on.
 
To stevedebi: It is my understanding that Ford was developing its own hybrid system and came so close to infringing on Toyotas patents that it was cheaper and faster for them to license toyota technology on the Escape. Ford is working on their own but the Escape hybrid system is a toyota product.

#89 of 639 Re: Lexus RX 400h pricing [andy3] by hendjaz

Oct 19, 2005 (7:16 pm)

Replying to: andy3 (Oct 19, 2005 10:54 am)
Have you driven a 400h? The performance difference over a 330 or most any other SUV is remarkable and it is not a hype. For those of us looking for performance and reasonable mileage in a SUV package, the choices are limited to one - the 400h. For those looking to save money and get the highest mileage possible, and performance is not a goal, then this would of course not be one's choice.
 
This is a "green" alternative to a Cayenne (albeit with a bit less handlng prowess) and not to be confused with a Ford Escape.

#90 of 639 Re: ??? isnt Escape toyota tech??? [katzjamr] by stevedebi

Oct 20, 2005 (1:07 pm)

Replying to: katzjamr (Oct 19, 2005 5:45 pm)
"To stevedebi: It is my understanding that Ford was developing its own hybrid system and came so close to infringing on Toyotas patents that it was cheaper and faster for them to license toyota technology on the Escape. Ford is working on their own but the Escape hybrid system is a toyota product."
 
I'd heard the opposite. Do you have any link to such information? It is a subject I'd really like to figure out definitively.

#91 of 639 Re: Lexus RX 400h pricing [stevedebi] by sportsnut

Oct 22, 2005 (10:28 pm)

Replying to: stevedebi (Oct 19, 2005 2:41 pm)
I made my purchase of a RX400h and I got $4000 off MSRP for a base vehicle without the Mark Levison sound system. After tax and licensing fees my out the door price was a little over $48K. I test drove all 3 hybrid SUV's and I found the Lexus the most enjoyable. The 2006 Escape was my least favorite. It made a rattling sound under hard exceleration and the dealer would not sell for under MSRP. The Highlander was nice but the dealer had a very limited stock on hand and was asking 2k over MSRP which put it at about $42K. If you are looking at a hybrid vehilce for MPG performance/payback buy a Prius. The Lexus is definately worth the extra $13K over a Ford.

#92 of 639 Re: Lexus RX 400h pricing [sportsnut] by scullipit

Oct 24, 2005 (1:12 am)

Replying to: sportsnut (Oct 22, 2005 10:28 pm)
sportsnut, what state are you from? Right now I'm trying to purchase one but the best deal I got was $1700 off MSRP. How did you manage 4k off? Any info would be appreciated.

#93 of 639 Re: Gouged [ctsang] by newmowner

Oct 24, 2005 (9:40 am)

Replying to: ctsang (Oct 17, 2005 9:53 am)
I am just not that happy with it. I think the exterior design is a marked improvement from the old M design, and I think its interior design and layout are superior to Lexus's, but I like Lexus's reliability a bit more.
 
So the Prius got recalled. Should Lexus be worried about the 400h?

#94 of 639 Re: Lexus RX 400h pricing [scullipit] by sportsnut

Oct 24, 2005 (3:37 pm)

Replying to: scullipit (Oct 24, 2005 1:12 am)
I purchased it about a month and a half ago from JM Lexus in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. They only had about five at the discount price and they were the base models without the heated seats or Mark Levinson sound system. Still a great price.

#95 of 639 Lexus RX 400h pricing by andy3

Oct 27, 2005 (11:51 am)

This will be my last rant re this topic. Having given all of the current hybrids a good hard look, my conclusions are: they are over-priced for what you get, except for the Toyota Prius - which is, along with the Honda hybrid, the only hybrids that really get you significant improvements in MPG and thus a realistic payback. The Lexus RX 400h is overpriced, with no real significant improvement in MPG; the Toyota Highlander the same; and the Ford Escape hybrid overpriced for the very significant fall-off in overall quality you get from this vehicle. The current US fad is to go hybrid, which I call the "feel good" vehicle purchase as the buyer thinks he/she is doing something spectacular for the environment, etc. I'll keep my 2002 Lexus RX 300 until something comes along that is a quality SUV with significantly improved MPG.

#96 of 639 I paid sticker price by chops57

Oct 27, 2005 (12:03 pm)

I got mine last weekend from Fremont, CA. I paid sticker price and it's fully loaded. I had been on a waiting list at multiple dealerships, so bargaining wasn't really an option. They took my 2000 Jeep cherokee for about 1k under blue book for the trade in.

Messages Page 10 of 65

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