2001 Lexus SUV, 162K miles, $3.5K.....worth it?

Tree fiddy x 10?

Sure baw!

Better have the maintenance records. If maintained correctly you can expect an $800 alternator replacement soon

Got my son an 09 ES350 with 145,000 miles on it after he wrecked his 2010 ES350 with 120,000 miles. Four months and $7000 later had to put a new engine in it. Bought it from a Lexus dealer. Beware the high mileage engines.

What is a 2001 Lexus SUV???

They make LX, GX, and RX models

I am going to assume it is an RX because if it is a GX or LX at that price is almost certainly has issues.

It is a solid vehicle and if everything functions normally it will likely go a LOT more miles. The one issue is the Lexus 3.0 engine from the era is known for sludging.

Outside of pulling the valve covers there is no good way to determine if the engine has sludge issues but if it emits oil (blue) smoke on startup or the dipstick shows black oil I would avoid it, though both are true for any car. The 1MZ-FE is an engine I would recommend being scrupulous about oil changes. 5k or 6 months and use synthetic. For most engines this is overkill but it is solid preventative maintenance for that particular engine.

BTW I owned a 1MZ-FE in my last travel car and it had 390k on the clock when the car was totaled. I followed the oil change advice above and the engine internals were never an issue.

Yes

I'm not sure about a 2001. We got a 2009 Rx350 with 140k on it for $5k 3+ years ago. The dash on it is cracked (of course).

I've had one major problem with the v6 motor. The lines going to the oil cooler broke and literally drained a ton of the oil out of the motor. Luckily it was right when I got to work so I didn't even get an oil light but saw the oil all over the passenger wheel well. The part wasn't expensive but was a good 3 hrs to replace and would have been easier with smaller hands. I hate their oil filters as well. But overall I can't complain at all about that suv.

Yea that is a GREAT deal imo. Just pay a mechanic to give it a once over first and buy it IMO.

I’ve got a ‘99 RX with over 250k and I wouldn’t hesitate to drive it across the country today. Don’t know where baw paid $700 or whatever for an alternator, but I replaced mine for less than $200. KNOCK SENSORS are the biggest issue by far! Located under the intake and very prone to fail and expensive (labor) to replace. There’s several work arounds on the web. From splicing the bad sensor wire to the good one under the glove box (to complete the circuit), to installing a dummy sensor to the car frame. I would love to get another one at that price. Pretty much bulletproof.

Yes