Hi,
I am looking to replace my recently stolen car and have been offered a 2011 Lexus Rx450h with 85,000 miles on the meter. The car has perfect service records and is in excellent shape inside and out - no scratches or excessive wear and tear. It surely looks great but its age is troubling me. It has just been checked by a company specializing in hybrids and pronounced problem-free. I like the fact that it has been pampered by the previous owner. I wonder what Scotty will have to say about this. One more thing - the price is right by European standards. And, I don't plan to drive it more than 8,000 miles a year. Neither do I plan to keep it very long unless I get to like it too much.
It should be fine for a while but after a few years repairs would start costing $$$$ so for long term I'd get a regular gasoline version. If you don't drive much and take care of it then Toyota makes great hybrids so it may not be a bad idea to buy it. But expect no more than 150,000 trouble free miles (usually more but bottom line is around there).
Scotty talks about hybrid cars using a Toyota hybrid
Scotty: Should I buy a hybrid car?
Scotty talks about the Lexus RX
The most common problem on those I found is the ABS Actuator going bad
Generally speaking, it’s not a great idea to buy older hybrids. But, 85K miles isn’t that much for a Lexus hybrid, especially if the previous owners took great care of it. If you can get it at a reasonable price and it’s in great shape, there’s no problem buying it. You said you’re only going to put 8K miles/year on it so it should be problem free for another 70K-80K miles. If you can get a good deal on it, go ahead - or else look for a normal Lexus RX.
After years and years, hybrid system will break down.
RX450h - hybrid = RX350
Scotty usuals in favor of of used hybrids. I beg to differ.
I think some excellent deals can be found, especially if you know what to expect down the line and factor that into your costs.
If the price is right, I’d jump on a Lexus Hybrid SUV used.
*Scotty is usually not in favor of used hybrids.