SUV faceoff.

"Meatcoma" (mastapoof)
02/23/2017 at 10:01 • Filed to: None

Update: She bought the Lexus.

2009 BMW X5 vs 2008 Lexus RX350.

My mother is in the market for a new suv and these are 2 she has picked out. Any current or previous owners care to weigh in on reliability, repair costs, issues or complaints?

She currently owns a 99 Lexus rx300, has had it for 16 years, never had any major issues with it and loves it, but it needs some downtime for repairs. Once she buys a new vehicle the rx300 will park at my house until I can do some repairs on it and then she will use it for a 2nd car.

DISCUSSION (33)

E90M3 > Meatcoma
02/23/2017 at 10:03

What engine is in the BMW?

DipodomysDeserti > Meatcoma
02/23/2017 at 10:04

If she’s not going to be driving the ‘99 Lexus because of repairs, then buying an eight year-old BMW SUV is probably a bad idea.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > Meatcoma
02/23/2017 at 10:07

I personally would never buy the Lexus over the BMW. But that’s irrelevant. If her primary concerns are reliability, running costs, comfort, and other practical things, she should absolutely pick the Lexus.

RT > Meatcoma
02/23/2017 at 10:13

Have lots of experience with the BMW myself, particularly the 3.0 biturbo diesel. Wonderful car really. Very smooth, and has enough grunt to keep things interesting, yet gets decent fuel economy either way. Plenty of room, comfort and equipment for the money. Reliability isn’t an issue if you have a decent example, but expect service costs (tyres especially) to be a bit silly. I’d say it’s all worth it though.

jasmits > Meatcoma
02/23/2017 at 10:19

My mom has a 2008 Lexus 400h. She absolutely loves it. We bought it around 2010 with 10,000 miles. She doesn’t drive a ton so it’s only up to like 60,000 miles but it’s been pretty much flawless from a reliability standpoint. I have no firsthand experience with the BMW but I think the Lexus would probably be a better choice.

From my mom’s group of upper-middle class empty nester friends literally like half of them have Lexus RXs and they all love them.

ArmadaExpress drives a turbo outback > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
02/23/2017 at 11:04

For reliability, Lexus is the easy answer. But I really like the X5.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > ArmadaExpress drives a turbo outback
02/23/2017 at 11:05

So do I. We looked every single trim/engine of that generation X5 before buying our X3. I was 100% sure we were getting an X5, and I really liked them.

Meatcoma > DipodomysDeserti
02/23/2017 at 11:43

That’s what I was thinking, but just wanted some owners opinions.

Meatcoma > E90M3
02/23/2017 at 11:44

3.0L I6 DOHC 24V Valvetronic

m-b-w loves his SUBAROO > Meatcoma
02/23/2017 at 11:51

If her 99 Lexus has treated her so well, then I don’t see any reason to change it up. The 2008 should be just as trouble free. The BMW will probably leave her wishing that she had stuck with a Lexus.

E92M3 > Meatcoma
02/23/2017 at 12:16

My ex-wife drove a 2011 X5 xdrive35i that we bought new. It only had one repair in 75k miles. The electric waterpump failed at 70k miles. She sold it to a family friend, who has it up to 85k miles now, and hasn’t had any problems yet. I suspect repairs will be in his near future though. Was a great vehicle to drive. The dynamics are much better than the Lexus, but the Lexus will be cheaper to maintain. I would still choose the X5 for me, but for those that view cars as an appliance, the RX is a good choice.

Rico > Meatcoma
02/23/2017 at 12:19

My question is what would be the point in having 2 RX’s? You said the current one would be a second car but I don’t see the point in that at all.

Meatcoma > m-b-w loves his SUBAROO
02/23/2017 at 12:21

See this is how the logical side of my mind works as well.

Meatcoma > Rico
02/23/2017 at 12:25

It’s the way she was brought up I guess. Same with me. Other people don’t have backup vehicles?

Rico > Meatcoma
02/23/2017 at 12:32

What’s her current backup vehicle for the 99' RX?

Meatcoma > Rico
02/23/2017 at 13:56

She’s been w/o for a few years now. Unless you count one of mine as hers.

m-b-w loves his SUBAROO > Meatcoma
02/23/2017 at 14:18

In all honesty, I’d trust her 99 Lexus to be more dependable than the 8 year old BMW.

Rico > Meatcoma
02/23/2017 at 14:40

I think a newer Lexus should be rock solid enough to not necessarily need backup but it would be great to keep it within the family. My initial thought was that she could trade the Lexus in on a newer model or sell it private party.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > Meatcoma
02/23/2017 at 16:36

With regard to reliability, the Lexus is likely to have it, the BMW likely won’t... especially if she’s looking at buying it and keeping it for a long time.

Meatcoma > Rico
02/24/2017 at 09:43

She bought the Lexus.

Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. > Meatcoma
02/24/2017 at 09:50

i have a whole fleet of them. It’s called a bus pass.

Note: I work for a transit agency so I can ride for free. I don’t, but I could...

Noah - Now with more boost. > Rico
02/24/2017 at 09:51

matt farah mentioned that his mom has 2-3 RXs at all times

Luke's Dad Sold His 2000TL To Get a Sienna > Meatcoma
02/24/2017 at 09:57

Lexus loyalty strikes again

V12 Jake- Hittin' Switches > Rico
02/24/2017 at 09:57

I guess it’s normal for me to have a few backup cars, even though I really only drive two of them. I DD the LS400 or S600, but I still have a suburban and an accord just in case.

Rico > Meatcoma
02/24/2017 at 10:06

Awesome! I’m sure it’s a massive upgrade! My family did an upgrade from a 2002 CRV to 2016 CRV and the difference was incredible.

Rico > Noah - Now with more boost.
02/24/2017 at 10:07

Sounds like the start of a hoarding habit

Rico > V12 Jake- Hittin' Switches
02/24/2017 at 10:08

But you wouldn’t have 2-3 Accords lol

V12 Jake- Hittin' Switches > Rico
02/24/2017 at 10:23

Well yeah, but I could see myself owning another LS or S class.

Meatcoma > Rico
02/24/2017 at 10:32

Yea, I just wanted her to have nav and bluetooth so she’s not trying to drive and talk on a phone, should someone call her.

Meatcoma > Luke's Dad Sold His 2000TL To Get a Sienna
02/24/2017 at 10:34

She didn’t like the way the BMW seats felt.

Luke's Dad Sold His 2000TL To Get a Sienna > Meatcoma
02/24/2017 at 11:10

Ahhh. (And I didn’t mean the Lexus loyalty in a bad way, sorry) Doug had an article about how Lexus dealers treat their customers and that’s why people always go back. And I was making a slight reference to it.

Audistein > Meatcoma
02/24/2017 at 15:16

Stock BMW seats are a mess. I have the optional multicoutour seats in my X5 and they’re a massive improvement. The 3-Series needs the sport seats/m-sport seats to even be basically comfortable.

The Stig's former college room mate > Meatcoma
02/24/2017 at 17:27

smart choice. never buy a used BMW without a CPO warranty. I would not hesitate to buy a used lexus. we have an early LS400 that comes in to service with over 400,000 miles on it. Looks brand new, except for the drivers seat and steering wheel.

That is the best looking generation of RX, too. And you got a late one with the 3.5 instead of the 3.3. Good score.