Hello Scotty,
I will be buying my mom a vehicle around July or August. I’m having trouble deciding between a 2002 or so Toyota 4Runner or a similar aged Lexus RX300. Also I would come to Nashville to purchase if I can have you inspect the vehicles for me?
Thank you!
Thomas in Milwaukee
Two completely different cars. 4Runner is a based on a truck and have a rough ride while the RX is more refined luxury ride. Both are good but you should decide what you want.
Well...what I’m more-less getting at is if there is no quality or reliability difference, then yeah...I’d like to get her the Lexus, hands-down. However, as someone else on here explained, given that its a luxury brand, it might give her more trouble because its not as simple as a 4Runner. So the 4Runner would probably be what wins. However, the Honda Pilot is similar...which between the two do YOU think would hold up better?
Honda Pilot is a good one too although you may consider Toyota Highlander as well.
Oh yeah true! The Highlander wouldn’t be a bad choice. I think I was confusing the 4Runner and the Highlander. The Highlander is the most she would need lol
You're talking about vehicles nearly 20 years old. As @yaser pointed out they are very different. Another issue to consider is that since it is a luxury car the Lexus has more complex systems to go wrong with it. When it comes to frequency of repairs and overall longevity simpler is better in an old car.
The simpler argument was honestly what I was thinking too, but I didn’t know if the Lexus from that time had THAT MUCH more tech than the 4Runner.
Another candidate would be a Honda Pilot. Do you think either one is a toss-up in terms of reliability and durability? I can get a Pilot for about $1-$2k less for a similar year 4Runner. She honestly wouldn’t need better than the Pilot.
If the Lexus was newer it would be less of a concern. Then again you could get lucky, they're well-made, but things still can go wrong over a couple of decades. The Lexus Scotty got for his wife is not much newer and from what he says it's been good - but he's there to take care of anything that does go wrong. For the Pilot you'd want to check into any problems specific to the model year you're considering.
I think my mom would probably prefer the Lexus.
Mine too but my mom has my 2014 Camry right now, I bought a 2018. However, lets just say she’s not holding up her end of the deal when it comes to keeping the 2014 (specifically, paying her share of the insurance and doing basic maintenance and upkeep). So I’m selling my 2018 and taking my 2014 back.
The point I’m making is, she’s gonna get what I can reasonably give her that will be reliable and not cause her any trouble. She would LOVE a Lexus but if the 4Runner would be a much better choice, then I’d go with that.
If you want Scotty to inspect a car you will have to setup an appointment with him (for Monday-Friday) and then take to his house in Clarksville. You can email him at scottykilmer@gmail.com with the subject “Appointment: Clarksville”
Thank you! This was EXACTLY what I was looking for! Have a great day!