10 Years with the Grocery Grabber

"Michael Woyahn" (michaelwoyahn)
08/22/2019 at 14:41 • Filed to: None

This summer marks 10 years and 186,000 miles with the Grocery Grabber as a member of the family. 10 years ago, 12-year-old me was crushed when my dad said he was dumping his “cool” 2004 Acura TL for this car. And never in a million years would I have expected to fall in love with this mom-mobile, but here we are.

I won’t entirely rehash my timeline with the Grocery Grabber since I have written about it before when it crossed !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . And then again at !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . But in summary, the car was originally purchased by my dad when he got sick of the practicality and snow driving limitations of his TL. My sister and I both learned how to drive in it, and I drove the car since I got my license.

The day I got my license. Look at those clear headlights!

I stopped sharing the RX330 my sophomore year of college when it officially became my car. At that point, it was nice and broken in with 216,000 miles. Since then, this car has helped me move numerous times, taken me to aforementioned sister’s wedding last summer, brought me to a new school, carted me and my friends around, brought me to my college graduation and my first “real” job.

As if I wasn’t attached to this car enough, this past year is what really sold me on it. So far, it’s racked up over 18,000 miles since January. I went from driving it maybe twice a week to commuting 65 miles round trip every day. And while it did have some bad luck early on, the old girl kept cruising along while keeping me ridiculously comfy.

From -50°F with wind chill in January to 100°F in July, the RX wasn’t fazed. It plowed through multiple snow storms and over a foot of snow when I decided to cut through a snow bank. Most snow days, it was actually the only car of my two local coworkers that made it into work.

This summer, the Grocery Grabber made its second trip to New York, but this time with 265,000 miles on it. It was one of the more reliable options on the Baja SAE team, which is a scary thought, so we took it as part of the caravan.

Honestly, I was a bit nervous for this trip, but the Grocery Grabber proved to me I shouldn’t have doubted it. The RX didn’t have so much as a hiccup and returned the best gas mileage I’ve ever gotten at 27 mpg over 400 miles on the way out there.

The Grocery Grabber and its new Baja SAE friend.

This car also saved my ass this summer. It comes with brake assist, which monitors the brake pedal for the speed and pressure of brake application. If you brake hard and fast enough, it will deem a stop a panic stop and apply maximum braking force. I experienced this first hand when traffic on the freeway suddenly stopped.

This is when I learned that the feeling of brake assist is actually a bit disconcerting. The pedal feels like it basically gives out beneath your foot, but let me tell you, it saved me from kissing the back of the Mazda5 in front of me in a less than sexy way.

Now, my time with this car hasn’t been perfect. As I stated earlier, I did have a streak of !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . And I can’t pretend that we’ve only done routine maintenance, but we really haven’t had a ton of problems with it. The catalytic converter and a couple of radiators are the big-ticket items it’s asked for so far.

Unfortunately, the RX does seem to be showing its age a bit at this point. The rust on the tailgate is getting worse, and I just recently discovered the parking brake has given up the ghost. I’m assuming this also has something to do with that brown menace lurking on the tailgate. In classic mid-2000s Toyota fashion, the soft touch dashboard has developed three cracks. And the RX has finally started to burn some oil. However, this car still feels remarkably normal and solid for 268,500+ miles. I hop into it every day and drive it like any other car.

The 40/20/40 folding seats came in handy.

During my time with this car, I’ve really used it, probably more so than Toyota ever anticipated. I’ve carried 8-foot lumber in it, and I like to think it’s one of the only Lexus RXes that’s carried welding gas.

It’s like this car was made to do this with those tie down hooks!

I’ve had a blast sliding it around in the snow, much to the stability control’s dismay. In addition to the trip out to New York, I’ve driven it down to Nashville. I’ve seen “MAX VOL” displayed on the radio while I’ve screamed along to music more times than I’d like to admit. I’ve also gotten to slide the sunroof back almost every day the sun hasn’t made temperatures too sweaty. When temperatures were sweaty or shivery, the car was able to keep me ridiculously comfy in the climate-controlled cabin. Going to lunch, multiple coworkers commented on how comfortable the RX is, which really made me realize how much of a joy this car is to drive.

Now that my co-op term has ended, the RX be getting a very well-deserved break since my commute has turned to walking to class. But when I first got my job this January, my dad said the commute would kill the RX. 18,600 miles of commuting to work, weekend trips, and a trip to New York later, the Grocery Grabber is still here to laugh at this statement.

DISCUSSION (27)

OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars > Michael Woyahn
08/22/2019 at 14:46

My first ever published article:

http://www.rightfootdown.com/cars/reviews/avid-defender-lexus-rx/

Arrivederci > Michael Woyahn
08/22/2019 at 14:53

It’s amazing how durable those things are. Hopefully most modern Lexuses are the same - my 2011 GS has 116k on it and still runs like a champ.

Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever > Michael Woyahn
08/22/2019 at 15:08

These things are tanks. Is it a 330 or 350?

412GTI > Michael Woyahn
08/22/2019 at 15:09

Great write up. They truly are solid machines. My friend in college had the hybrid version and continues to drive it today with a mere 190k, original batteries too. Sometimes I wish I kept my reliable Japanese vehicle but oh wells.

Michael Woyahn > OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars
08/22/2019 at 15:12

Love it!

Michael Woyahn > Arrivederci
08/22/2019 at 15:15

I love that gen GS. It should last you awhile! I am curious to see how modern Lexuses compare reliability wise. I’ve heard the RX the generation after this one was cheapened a bit, which is disappointing. Not sure about the other newer Lexuses though!

Michael Woyahn > Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever
08/22/2019 at 15:15

They really are! Mine’s a 330. My dad has a 2008 RX350, so we’ve got both covered haha!

Michael Woyahn > 412GTI
08/22/2019 at 15:17

Thank you! Oppo’s Resident Lexus Guy’s family shop has a loaner RX400h that has over 300,000 miles on it so it seems like your friend has a lot of life left in theirs.

I can’t blame you for going with the GTI! I actually almost ended up with a 2010 GTI instead of taking the RX up to school. It’s interesting to think about the possibilities if I did go for it.

Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever > Michael Woyahn
08/22/2019 at 15:25

Yeah, I eventually found your other post with both cars. We’ve still got a 2007 RX 400h in Hong Kong . It’s running fine with regular maintenance, even in the humid and salty climate. Like yours, t he dash has seen better days!

Michael Woyahn > Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever
08/22/2019 at 15:33

Oh nice! Part of me wishes we got the 400h, but it didn’t exist in 2004 so not much I can do there! It’s interesting that Toyota’s dashboards either melt or crack from that era, apparently no matter the location!

OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars > Michael Woyahn
08/22/2019 at 15:50

Its nearing 380 k on the original battery now!

Oppenheimer - not missing my shitboxes anymore > Michael Woyahn
08/22/2019 at 16:11

I wish I could do the same, but I suffer from the “housefly syndrome”. I change my mind every 10 minutes, so the longest I’ve owned a car was around 15 months, in one car. All others were around 8 month.

I’m still paying debts because of that. I am not a smart man.

Under_Score > Michael Woyahn
08/22/2019 at 16:32

Stories like this make me want to keep my RAV4 for a long time. I often think about buying a newer RAV4 or even a luxury crossover (of course from somewhere dumb like Off Lease Only), but I’ve recently been thinking about getting a hybrid sedan to keep with the RAV4 (still from a place like Off Lease Only where the car has structural damage).

90,000 miles and barely any problems.

Michael Woyahn > OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars
08/22/2019 at 16:40

That’s insane!

Michael Woyahn > Oppenheimer - not missing my shitboxes anymore
08/22/2019 at 16:43

I can’t really blame you! Now that it’s starting to age a bit quicker, part of me wants a new car. But at this point I’m really committed so I’ll stick with it at least until I’m out of college, as long as nothing big happens to it!

Oppenheimer - not missing my shitboxes anymore > Michael Woyahn
08/22/2019 at 16:46

Hang in there, stick with it! Be smart!

Michael Woyahn > Under_Score
08/22/2019 at 16:46

It’s funny you mention Off Lease Only, I’ve definitely seen their cars pop up here. The good thing is with 90,000 miles, if you do want to keep it for a long time, it’s got a lot of life left in it! If not, it should be holding its value pretty well!

I’d love to do something similar to what you said. A hybrid commuter and I’d keep the RX for snow driving and as a hauler, but I have a feeling I might be pushing it if I try to keep it beyond two years. But it’s already lasted beyond what I ever expected, so it definitely could surprise me!

Michael Woyahn > Oppenheimer - not missing my shitboxes anymore
08/22/2019 at 16:51

Yes that’s definitely the plan! Though, if it needs a repair that’s more than $1,000, I think it’ll be time since it’s only worth about $3,o00 on a good day at this point. Hopefully we avoid that though!

Under_Score > Michael Woyahn
08/22/2019 at 18:06

My train of thought has jumped from new Ranger or new small crossover to new Versa SR or used Q50 Hybrid AWD, TLX AWD, etc.

Also, value?! I’ve had two wrecks with $3,000+ damage each.

Michael Woyahn > Under_Score
08/22/2019 at 22:34

Something I love about the Q50 Hybrids is they have an odometer for miles traveled in only electric mode.

Ah yeah, I forgot about the accidents. Might be worth it to keep it a bit longer!

Under_Score > Michael Woyahn
08/22/2019 at 22:35

The problem is that they’re so hard to find in AWD. There’s one in the color I like somewhat near me, but it’s a dealer that seems to sell every lemon Nissan and Infiniti in America, no joke.

Michael Woyahn > Under_Score
08/22/2019 at 22:38

Huh, maybe you have to come farther north since I think they’re pretty common in AWD up here! But then you have to deal with rust.

Under_Score > Michael Woyahn
08/22/2019 at 22:50

It’s Atlanta Best Used Cars. They’ve existed for years, and they don’t have free CarFax reports for a reason. When CarFax had its free LemonCheck (why did they get rid of that), all of the VINs were lemon buybacks. If this was a year later, I’d seriously reach out to the dealer to ask about getting a free CarFax from them. Based on select CarFax reports from them, the front plate brackets, and AWD on usually non-AWD cars, their cars are lemon buybacks nationwide (usually California) that get sent to auction. Most of them are Nissans and Infinitis, but they manage to squeeze a lot of other brands in there.

Here’s the car in question.

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/779421856/overview/

Michael Woyahn > Under_Score
08/22/2019 at 23:01

That’s really interesting! They must bank on a lot of buyers never checking the CarFax.

I do like that color a lot. Any particular reason you’re looking for AWD?

Under_Score > Michael Woyahn
08/22/2019 at 23:10

I drive kind of crazy (sometimes floor it when I take off) and I like driving with one hand on the wheel. I don’t want a ton of power to the front or the rear wheels; being able to go from 30-80 with just one hand barely on the wheel and little to no torque steer is very nice. Though my RAV4 sometimes seems unstable, I need to take for granted my ability to drive 80+ with one hand on the wheel. I drove a V6 RAV4 with FWD once and I felt like I was gonna lose control “testing the power.” It sounds reckless, but I don’t want to have to act more gentle because my car might spin out at 50+ MPH, potentially causing a big accident that wastes my time, hurts the car, and wastes the time of others around me. I could change my driving, but I don’t want that risk. This is also why I always like the lower power options; I make them powerful.

Under_Score > Michael Woyahn
08/22/2019 at 23:10

Michael Woyahn > Under_Score
08/22/2019 at 23:26

Makes sense! I’ve been lucky with basically only driving AWD and I will tell you it is so nice to never have to worry about spinning the tires, even in the rain! It’ll just grip and go!

I can imagine that a FWD RAV4 V6 would be quite a handful.