• Excellent Value
  Perhaps most people don’t look for Lexus cause they know it has high resell value, or maybe it is because these things were made crazy reliable so there are a lot on the road, or perhaps a combination of both, but for whatever reason they go for cheap.  I still see in 2023, some 2008/2009 models popup for $6000 at places like facebook marketplace.  And this is in Los Angeles, CA where car prices are crazy inflated.  That’s cheaper than most cars around here or at least comparable.  You will find most models for $10k or under.
• Incredible Reliability
  Like nearly all Toyota or Lexus vehicles, this SUV is more reliable than most.  They were designed and manufactured as Lexus brand’s introduction to the SUV market in America.  They went all out.  Bringing best of their engineering prowess to the RX line and eventually the GX line.  
• Solid Performance
  It has one of the most reliable variable timed V6 engines around.  It is designed for smooth acceleration and power (not the fastest, mind you).  Our’s were originally designed to punch out 230 horse power.  It conquers snow and the mountain roads while handling like a luxury car.
• It is COMPACT
  Despite it being an SUV, it is only inches larger than the Toyota Corolla.  It is unbelievable but true!  Compared to a 2023 Toyota Corolla, it is only about 4 inches longer and about 2.5 inches wider than the Corolla.  Which makes this SUV compact!  It is great in L.A. where parking is tight and limited!  Easier to park than Toyota Camry in most scenarios as it is considerably shorter.  
• TONS of space! 
  It may not be much longer or wider, but it is taller.  It comes with significant storage area and the seats comes down to make more room.  Has all the bells and whistles of an SUV as it is one. In my opinion, it has all the benefits of a Corolla’s size while having the benefits on an SUV.
• Luxury Features!
  Even for an older car, mine comes with dual climate controls and even seat warmers that still works like a charm.  And you will see details like faint lights added so you can still see inside the cabin in the dark without turning on the map lights.  There’s even features like headlight cleaners.
• OK fuel economy
  We get about 20-22 Highway MPG which is not bad for a V6 AWD vehicle.  It is also not good by modern standards.  But to put this in perspective, this was about how much a 2004 V6 Camry got.  It is a respectable fuel efficiency for a vehicle like this one.  There are also hybrid models of the RX in the used market if you are into CVT Transmissions.

So what’s the CON?

With all things, cons comes with the benefits.  The major CON we found is that the maintenance can get really high.  If you are into BMW, Lexus is still the cheaper repair in general but there are some luxury features that add unnecessary and, quite frankly, insane cost.  For example, there was a leak on our right headlight which burned out the bulb.  On vast majority of cars, I’d just reseal the headlight and replace the bulb for a total of $10-$40 (depending on how nice the bulb is).  On the Lexus, we spent… are you ready?… $1000!!!!  That’s right. Not a typo.  Why on earth would it cost that much?  It turns out the AWD variant that year used nice Xenon bulbs so when it blew, it blew the ballast that controls it.  AND the headlight assembly is also a motorized one that changes direction of the beam and no third party versions of those existed.  So to replace them was about $940 in parts alone.  Just to get the right side headlight to work.  I’m sure there are other unique features lurking in the vehicle that would cost ridiculous amounts but I haven’t had issues with them yet.  Other than these situations, parts are basic.  The gas cap was about $60 which was surprising.  My Honda Ridgeline 2008 gas cap was closer to $70.  

Can be outdated
Because RX models can date back to 2000, electronics in the Nav/Stereo department can be very outdated.  Like no bluetooth but comes with a cassette player outdated.  But this is expected on nearly all older vehicles so not unique to Lexus.  I thought it was worth mentioning since RX line has been around for a while.

So all in all, I think if you can snag one, you should!  Before people start discovering how awesome these are and demands spike.