Purchasing A 1990 Lexus Es250

[ArmyofOne]

hello. I am purchasing a 1990 Lexus ES 250 in a few days. it has a 2.5L V6 and an Auto 4 speed. cloth interior. a motorola car phone is installed, i dont think it came as OEM. it has 130K and is a 1 owner car, some body damage, but overall it is better than your average 14 year old car. i totalled my 1995 Ford Contour GL on august 16th 2004 and was looking for a replacement. my boss mentioned he would sell his lexus to me and i happily agreed after looking at it. he is 65 years old so i dont think he has beat the car too much. it has:

-Cruise control

-Maple Woodgrain trim

-4 speed atx

-Power Sunroof

-New tires all around

-New catalytic converter

-New A/C system

-New Battery

-New plugs and wires

i am paying $2,000.

the interior is SPOTLESS. nothing wrong with it. however, it does have a leaky front valve cover (the one closest to the grille) whch shouldnt be too aweful hard to fix. its not leaking bad enough to even have to add any oil to it in between oil changes. and it needs rear brake pads.

so comments, suggestions? he is firm ont he price as he is selling only to me. and thats fine, hes not out to ream me on the price, im actually paying about 350 under bluebook value for it. so my wquestion is, what are the querks on these cars??? i should have it by wednesday, so i will have pix up soon.

thank you for your time. :)

BTW: it looks identical to this:

[steviej]

BE WARNED! once you buy a Lex, you will never go back to anything else. They are addicting.

If all it needs is a valve cover gasket and you are on a budget and more so....you feel good about it then go for it.

Keep in mind that all the NEW stuff adds up to more than the car's selling price AND it is 14 years old.

If you buy it, then I wish you the best. Enjoy it.

steviej

[ArmyofOne]

thanks for the input. according to the carfax, it failed the last emissions test 3 times. i inquired as to why and my boss told me it was due to a bad catalytic converter. so now that that has been replcaed, it should not be a problem.

[ArmyofOne]

well it looks like it will be a few more weeks until i can purchase the car. the aiur conditioner units (2 story, 2 units) went this moring. total repair cost...$3,800 (1,900 for each unit.)

just my luck...its ok, ill have another thousand in cash in a couple weeks.

[Lexusfreak]

A PCV valve & 02 sensore change can do wonders for future emissions tests. Also have a fresh oil change done just before the test & perhaps even premium fuel too. All the little things can help. B)

[ArmyofOne]

nah, it passed emissions with flying colors today. and those A/C units that went were for the house.

[VBdenny]

I can't believe that people use to actually LIVE in the south before A/C.

[90LS400Lexus]

I say buy it, if it is as good as it seems. For $2000- you can hardly even buy a 90' Camry or Accord for that price. I can think of no real trouble spots on these cars. They are very similar to the 87-91 Toyota Camry- which are excellent cars. I have owned two 1987 models and a 93 Camry- ALL were super cars. I sold one of the 1987s in 1997, when it had 207K miles. I sold it to a older gentleman who I still see driving it at least once a week, because he drives the same road that I drive daily. That was 7 years ago and it still looks like new. It was however a 1-owner car when I bought it and it had seen extremely well care. If the 90-91 ES250 is as reliable as the 90-91 Camry- you should have no concerns. Interiors are different, but the basic chassis is the same I suppose. These probably have less trouble spots than the 90-91 LS400s, because they are more simple, but still a Lexus. Probably the A/C is the only possible trouble spot, but since it was replaced in this car- you should be OK.

Good luck!!

[ArmyofOne]

well i cant buy it yet, but the owner has told me he will not sell it to anyone but me. in 2 weeks i will have the cash...i SOOOO cant wait. i feel like a kid again. :P

the a/c units on the house totalled out at $7,565 in repairs, we are looking to claim it on homeowners ins right now. until then, the lexus will stay with my boss. i dont think its going anywhere. :D

the A/C system is ALL new. less than 1 year old.

[90LS400Lexus]

I see. That is great that he is holding it for you. I think it is a great deal.

Sorry about your air conditioning- really a misfortune to have to spend that much on new units.

Good luck.

[ArmyofOne]

it is an awesome deal, it leaves a little to be desired (paint is peeling and lifting off of rear dorrs, but the clearcoat isnt peeling yet) asthetically, but at the same time, im not out to look good justyet, i used ot look good sporting this:

then i smacked a dodge ram in the !Removed!. anyway, i needed a fast replacement and my boss told me since hsi wife died :( he doesnt need 2 cars, so he'd sell me the lexus and drive the jeep grand cherokee LTD.

ya, when i camer home one day my dad was like: "i cant loan you the $$ for this car now...the A/C units are gone on the house and we are gonna get reamed on new ones"

i said awwwww #$%&^@*! first i wreck my car (2 hours after i paid the last payment on it ) and then i get sued for it so i have no money left to buy anew car, and now my dad said he woudl loan me the dough to get this car. then he has to pull it out from under me cause the A/C units are gone, and we cant live in TX without them. (they are also tied to the Heating system as well, so the heater will not function without them). so yeah...im riding a bike to work and then to class (college), totalling almost 20 (like 19.4) miles per day...on a bicycle!!!

im a determined student, what can i say?? LOL.

[90LS400Lexus]

One of my best friends at work has a car just like that- even the same color, but hers is an automatic. She wrecked hers to in the parking lot. A old woman running a stop sign hit her. It was in the shop for a while. She really abuses the car, I cannot believe it is still going. She always has it at full throttle.

[ArmyofOne]

tell her to let off the gas, contour Automatic trasnmissions are not the most abuseable trannies on earth (plastic gears!!!)

the 5 speed like i had was fun to zip around town in, and can take up to 400 FWHP, so the 140 my little zetec was throwing at it was nothing. the CD4e Auto can only handle 130-140...so tell her to back off, if she has a v6, shes wayyy over on power for that tranny, i dont understand why ford put this tranny in this car...

Fwiw, Zetec (I4) stock motor makes 130 HP, Duratec V6(1995-97) makes 165. 1998-200 Duratec makes 170 HP and the 1998-1998.5 SVT Duratec makes 195 HP, and the 1999-200 SVT Duratyec makes 200 HP.

the auto didnt coem with the SVT's.

anyway, back to the lexus...any querks i shoudl knwo about???

BTW best 1/4 i ever saw out of my tour was 15.7...i wont expect anywhere near that withthis car, i probably wont even race it.

[silvermate]

hey army is that your Viper?????

my dream car..... :P

i WILL own one some day

[ArmyofOne]

hey army is that your Viper?????

my dream car..... :P

i WILL own one some day

yes... :whistles:

...NO! LOL. i wish though. 800 TT... i will own one someday too...till then, ill just have to sport the lexus, when i get it that is... B)

[silvermate]

viper venom......

sick.........

yeah we'll get there some day :P

[ArmyofOne]

There is a Henesey 1000TT Viper Venom at the big dodge dealer here. only #1 of like 120 i think...sumthing like that.

[VBdenny]

Too bad it has an automatic. Will you be able to stand that after having a stick? My truck and my Corolla both have 5 speeds and I prefer driving them (except in stop and go).

[ArmyofOne]

i think i can live with it, if im not stop and go, im contantly freeway. hardly ever a mix of the 2. i wont miss it that much, Ft. WorthTraffic is a B****. im probably going to keep the contour too, fix it as i come across $$$ and time. for $850, i can have the structural damage repaired, and then the rest i can do from there. will need a new dash too, thats gonna suck ($1,100)...:chairshot:

but overall it is a VERY nice car. the outside, like i said is a bit discheveled, but no more than your average 14 year old car. the paint is still shiny, though it has its share of dings (paitn peeling off of rear doors) and the motor is very sound.

i checked the carfax and the following mileage/dates were posted:

6/23/02

Passed Emissions Inspection

Mileage: 132,957.

7/14/03

Passed Emissions Inspection

Mileage: 134,993.

so they guy drives like, 2.5K miles a year...damn good IMO.