Hello. I am looking to buy another car and recently found a 2001 Lexus RX300 for sale. The interior and exterior are pristine and the odometer reads 143xxx miles. However, the seller told me that he had the engine replaced with another after his wife ran the old one bone dry with no oil, and that he also decided to have the tranny rebuilt. I know this cars are suppose to be good, but is this particular one worth it? He is asking $4,000; but I got him down to $3,500 with cash in hand. Should I pull the trigger on this?
The price is expensive and I would not think that the car was cared for. If you do want to buy it, MAKE SURE to have a mechanic do a pre-purchase inspection on it BEFORE you buy the car and see if the engine and tranny are in good shape. Don't buy on site. If the owner doesn't let you do that, walk away. I would not pay more than $3000.
engine replacement and tranny rebuild are very tricky jobs. I would be very worried that it was done correctly, and not slapped together with used parts. If he can show documentation for those jobs, then maybe. But I would probably keep looking.
