what to look for in an ES300

[maggotdecay]

I posted that I was getting a new car soon in the general section and I was getting some ideas on what I wanted.

Now, I have made up my mind, but it will take a month or two before I am able to buy. So in that time, I figure I should browse the Lexus forums more often and ask you guys/gals a question.

I am almost super duper sure that I will be getting a 1996-1999 Lexus ES300 with under or around 100k miles. Now, what are things that I should look at/for while I'm taking the car for a test drive and giving it a once over? What are weak points in a Lexus ES300?

Any suggestions and advice will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

[ArmyofOne]

take a look here:

http://www.lexusownersclub.com
http://www.clublexus.com
http://www.lexuslovers.com

as for what to look for, make SURE all youhave all maint records, or at least the majority of them. the latest group before the major redisgn (1997-2001 i think) had problems with engine sludge. once it starts its too late to stop it.

the trannies are another point of concern, some despise the hesitation that some of the 1999-current models have. i rarely notice it unless i pucnh it on a friends 2002 ES330. they arent race cars, and shouldnt be treated as such, most of the time...my philosphy is, if you drive normal 90 percent of the time, you can have some serious fun 10 percent of the time with relatively little worry.

[Toysrme]

Definately join the forums ArmyofOne listed above.

There is no real weakpoint.
As with any Toyota v6 car, or SUV. You want to take a flashlight and look at the backside of the engine (or the passanger/lefthand side for RWD) and look for oil deposites.

If there is up high, the valve cover is shot (easy $12 fix per cover) if it's halfway down, the hea gasket is blown (not common) if it's almost at the bottom, the rear main seal is blown. Get ready for no less than a $700 rebuild, and the tranny to be dropped.


Other than that, there is nothing special to check... The car is bulletproof from build quality problems.

[maggotdecay]

awesome, i'll be checking out those sites and taking all that into mind. basically tranny and oil depsoits. and of course i ask for a log book or maintenence records. i do drive hard on test drives, and not so hard in real life, so i'm sure i can tell if the tranny is not up to par.

[ArmyofOne]

the issue isnt relaiblity fo the tranny, its the hesitation. it takes a second to engage the gear. other thanthat the tranny has very little wear over the course of time. i tent to hammer mine fairly frequently and no trouble yet *knocks on wood*.

on the other hand, the one in my 2002 Chrysler Concorde Limited went kaput a 50K. so its all relative. (that was dealer fuck up though)

[maggotdecay]

that's good, hesitations isn't an issue for me, if i get a Lexus, i'm driving that thing like i own a Lexus, and that is very carefully and slowly, well, I mean i'll do the speed limit and all, but I'm not going to be stomping on gas all the time. just like i said in the thread "as you get older do you drive slower?", I said that i keep getting better cars and basically want then to stay in good shape.

[gato]

are you still looking?

[maggotdecay]

sorry, many problems have come up that put us in serious debt for a while.

[haa21]

Does this transmission hesitation apply to all ES 300's? I am considering buying a 2002 ES 300 with 18,000 miles on it. When I drove it I didn't notice any hesitation. Are there any major problems or even minor issues that people are aware of with the 2002 model year?