Hi all. I am closing in on my new-used car purchase and am really just
trying to decide if I should get what I want (IS300) or something with a
little more room that would probably make my wife happy (RX300).

I'm looking at an '01 RX300 SilverSport, but this morning read this report
on Carpoint for the '99/'00/'01 model years:

Occasional problems on this vehicle are failures of the Engine, the Air Fuel
Ratio Sensors and the Mass Air Flow (MAF) Sensor. Failure of the Engine is
caused because the engine oil gels. Engine oil gelling will also cause
excessive engine oil usage. When proper maintenance schedules for oil
changes are followed, oil gelling should not occur. Lexus has issued an 8
year unlimited mileage goodwill repair for this condition. Failure of Air
Fuel Ratio Sensors or MAF Sensor will cause a drivability problem or the
check engine light to illuminate. The cost to repair the Engine is estimated
at $4500.00 for parts and $1514.50 for labor. The cost to repair the Air
Fuel Ratio Sensors is estimated at $377.31 each for parts and $65.00 for
labor. The cost to repair the MAF Sensor is estimated at $151.88 for parts
and $32.50 for labor. All prices are estimates based on $65 per flat rate
hour and do not include diagnostic time or any applicable sales tax.

Occasional failure of the engine? WTF? That's certainly not something I
would expect from a vehicle rated so highly. Maybe it's my pilot side
talking, but I can't really get excited about a vehicle that suffers from
occasional engine failures...

John