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Lexus ES 300/ES 330
5443 messages, Last post on Aug 14, 2010 at 9:21 AM
You are in the Lexus ES Forum.What is this discussion about? Lexus ES 300, Lexus ES 330, Sedan
#2667 of 5443 bondguy1 by lenscap
May 23, 2002 (7:16 am)
Some responses to your comments:1. The 2002 ES 300 is faster than your friend's 1999. Maybe your friend drives harder, maybe it's perception. Whatever, the 1999 is slower. And if I'm not mistaken, the A6 3.0 is pretty slow itself.
2. Lexus cars are still great bargains vs. BMW. I have a 2002 ES 300. I also looked at a BMW 330i. Comparably equipped that car was $44,000. And the Mercedes C-Class goes toward $50,000. What was the price on your Audi? I'm sure as much if not more than the ES 300.
3. While the Audi's maintenance cost is covered, that does not make up for the inconvenience of servicing the car. Two people in my office have Audis (both bought new). Here's what they have experienced:
a. 2001 A4 - Car was six months old. My co-worker was driving 75 miles to home from a client when all of the lights, inside and out, went out. Since it was dark out, she called roadside assistance. They would not come out since the car could be driven. Ridiculous. It then took three days to fix the car (electrical malfunction).
b. 2002 A6 - Car was three months old. Wipers started going beserk when it wasn't raining. Dealer said they could fix it in one day. Gave a Cavalier from Enterprise as a loaner. Dealer then needed one full week to address the electrical issues. Finally car was ready. A few days later the car stopped shifting out of first gear and is now back at the dealer.
c. Another co-worker has a two-year-old Passat (I know, it's a VW) that has also had numerous electrical problems. And the car has not started on several occasions.
Getting the service paid for under warranty doesn't help having to deal with the inconvenience of constantly going back to the dealer. Or wondering if your car will start. Or thinking what will go wrong next.
No question the Audis are nice to look at and sit in. I know this is only based on two examples (and one VW), but that's enough evidence for me to stay away from these cars.
I am not an Audi-hater, and I do hope you enjoy your car. But it is wrong to say Lexus needs to get their act together. While you may think this, the majority of car buyers in this market think Lexus is doing just fine as the ES 300 is far outselling its Audi counterpart.
Again, I don't want any hard feelings. I'm just stating my opinion. Enjoy your new car.
#2668 of 5443 Snapping Noise by gwn333
May 23, 2002 (7:33 am)
2000 ES300 I have a Snapping noise on the passenger side that sounds just like a stone hitting the windshield. Sometimes it is louder than other times. I have had passengers in the car when it does happen and they about jump out of the seat. It can happen daily or go for days. I have noted this on all surveys and requested the dealer to locate the problem each time the car is serviced. I have had no feed back from Lexus. Has anyone had or heard of this problem.#2669 of 5443 SC-430 by karklin
May 23, 2002 (4:51 pm)
Does anyone know how many miles you get on the run flat tires? Thanks Leo-Klk5727
aol.com
#2670 of 5443 sliang - Tried transmission advice by atoews
May 23, 2002 (8:56 pm)
I have driven to work the past couple of days, using 4th gear as opposed to OD IAW your recommendation. It was a huge improvement. Thanks for the advice.#2671 of 5443 ES300 transmission advice for atoews by sliang
May 24, 2002 (11:44 am)
I am glad to hear the improvement of using the 4th gear for your driving needs.Be aware that the gas mileage might drop a little bit because the higher ratio of the 4th gear vs. the overdrive.
If you have chances to drive on the freeway with speed over 60 miles, try to use the overdrive. By this way, your transmission might "learn" how to shift with your driving habit.
My ES has over 6K miles, and I am still trying to "teach" the transmission how I want it to shift. The major difference I can feel between now and day one is the transmission can hold one gear up to 3K rpm before shifting up if press the gas harder vs 2.2K rpm when it was 2k/3K miles. And the acceleration of the car is much, much better and smoother now, I can feel the momentum when I press the pedal.
Although the ES transmission has all these issues, but I can see it will continue to improve when I get to 10K. And thinking about enjoying the luxury interior and many other fine features(NAV,ML,etc.), I can live with the transmission problem as long as it always functions.
#2672 of 5443 Thanks sliang by atoews
May 24, 2002 (11:17 pm)
You give me hope that perhaps my car will get close to perfection. Except for the transmission, I'd say the car is just about there now, considering it is a human creation.
I currently have 2200 miles on the car, and will monitor the rpms as you have.
#2673 of 5443 Good Deal? by ahinchliffe
May 26, 2002 (8:06 am)
Visited a Lexus dealer (in the Wash. DC area) yesterday and they offered to sell me a ES300, loaded, for $36,400. It has the Nav/ML audio pkg, leather, heated seats, HID lights, sun shade, VCS, cargo net, trunk mat, wheel locks, and wood/leather steering wheel. MSRP of $39,343 and invoice of $34,342I buy a new car about every 7-10 years, so I'm not sure if today that represents a good deal. On paper it looks like the dealer more than split the difference between invoice and sticker. What do you think?
Also, am not sure if I want the black leather or charcoal. Am a little concern that the lighter charcoal coler will show scuff marks more than the black will. Would appreciate actual upkeep experience from owners with the charcoal color.
#2674 of 5443 ahinchliffe - Grey by atoews
May 26, 2002 (11:26 am)
I have the grey interior. So far, I have cleaned all scuff marks successfully using Zaino leather cleaner.However, I am single and have no children. There have not been many scuff marks. Over the regular mats, I have places those little bathroom rugs, which I purchased from Bed Bath and Beyond. I have sheepskin seat covers on the front seats, and I keep charcoal colored towels in the car, one on the passenger seat, and one on the rear seat, because I fear that something (like the ink from an ink jet printer) will get on the seat cover (front) or the leather (rear seat).
If I were concerned, or if I often carried other passengers, particularly children, I would get the black, provided it were an option for you.
#2675 of 5443 ahinchliffe - Lots of price discussion by atoews
May 26, 2002 (11:41 am)
If I were you, I'd check some other discussions of price on this site. For example: Msgs 2511, 2517, 2460, 2476. The most difficult thing is to figure out which options were available on the individuals' vehicles.I think ramzak got one of the best deals on a loaded car, but he is in the West, not the east as you are. My deal is on msg 2517. But it appears as though I had a different MSRP than you do. Does the vehicle you are looking at come with AVS?
From this board, it looks as though prices have come down a little in the past couple of months. I think it is because of the shortage because Sept 11 fears caused Lexus to scale down production. Put another way, cars were in short supply back in March. Good luck.
#2676 of 5443 ahinchliffe by cwdavis1
May 26, 2002 (11:38 pm)
Looks to me like you have a pretty good deal. I contacted 40 dealers in the midwest for a quote and although many wanted sticker or close to sticker, I finally went with my local dealer who gave me a $3,000 reduction off list price on an ordered car....silver with light charcoal and loaded. Outside of that, the best I was able to do was $2,500 off with one dealer and one other was willing to match my dealers $3K off but very reluctantly. All this took place about 6 weeks ago. I more recently spoke to a fellow who has a loaded ES and had nothing but praise for the car. Wished for a little for power but outside of that, everything was great. No tranny complaints either. Dealers are more willing to discount with existing vehicles and now one has to start thinking about how soon the 2003 car will be issued. I doubt there will be much of a change with the 2003 model but there could be a price increase.As for color, I wanted something lighter so it would not be so hot during the summer. The drawback is wear and tear will be more visible but I still prefer the lighter interior. Personal preference.
My car should be arriving in a couple of weeks.
Hope this helps.
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