Now I'm Really In Trouble With The Wife...

[Gumart1]

Well 90LS400Lexus - Thanks alot for getting me in trouble (just kidding). But look what I've done now. I just bought another Lexus, a 1993 ES300, after reading your post. I was already floating on air enjoying the recent purchase of a '98 LS400, but while I was looking about a month ago, I found a rare

5-speed '93 ES300 which was so much fun to drive. I read your post a few days ago and it reminded me of that car I passed up.

It was a bare bones model with no moonroof and fabric - but I loved that fabric, rich and velvety, with a thick lined pattern, and in beautiful condition. No heated seats but did have the CD Changer which worked great. Many of you gave me advice on the car at that time which was much appreciated.

So, I followed up with the Seller who lives near me. He had listed it on Craigslist for $4k but did no advertising otherwise. He was waiting on the arrival of his new Infinity, and still had the ES. He is the original owner which is great, it was Dealer serviced pretty well but not perfectly. Timing belt was done at 120k (he was told the interval was 60k, is that true for the '93ES?). Radiator was just replaced. Clutch was just replaced by Lexus 15k miles ago. Car has 163,000 miles. Very rich Maroon color which I don't see too often.

Anyway, I was made aware of a few problems, and I've probably paid too much, but then again the 5spds don't exactly grow on trees and hey, that's the one I wanted. The car needs Sway Bar Bushings, Rear Struts, and Motor Mounts. On the good side, the engine is smooth and strong, idles great, and everything else seems to work fine except the power antenna. I appreciate and enjoy this forum, and I hope to research taking care of the above repairs as inexpensively as possible. Carfax was clean, no accidents or issues. I paid $2900 for the car. Compared to what I spent on the LS400, this is pennies on the dollar. Hope I did OK! Thanks for the motivation, and to this forum, I wouldn't be doing this without all of your support!

[SW03ES]

Sheesh man, its a Lexus not a potato chip, you CAN stop after one lol

Just kidding, congrats!

[ArmyofOne]

Sheesh man, its a Lexus not a potato chip, you CAN stop after one lol

Just kidding, congrats!

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that is an AWESOME deal.

you paid $900 more for yours than i paid for mine...and mine was a pile of *BLEEP* when i got it. you dont even want me to start.

since i got mine, i was rfunded nearly the entire purchase price (thansk to my lawyer who found an undisclosed saftey issue) and have since spent about $2,000 in repairs.

about to spend another $1,000 in a few weeks.

god luck with your rare lex, welcome to the club. mine is pretty rare as far as es's go. post a pic or to eh?

[93lexuses]

Sounds like you are happy.

I love my 5 speed.

Show some pictures. We would love to see it. :)

[Gumart1]

I had a lot of trouble posting pics before, but I'll give it a try again. SWO3ES, great post - your 03ES is awesome!!! Love the color too (my poor boy '93 is a similar color). I now have 4 cars and a tight 2-car garage. If I don't stop now then I'll be living in the garage too. Besides the LS, I drive a Ford Explorer 5.0L V8 for my work truck and my wife, who really isn't interested in cars, is content with her little 5 speed Saturn SL2. I know Saturns take a lot of bashing, but I've owned 2 them and drove them past 200k miles with very few issues, and they were cheap and so easy to work on. My 5-speed '93 SC2 was actually really fast, while at the same time getting over 30mpg. Well, she took a ride in the ES and obviously loved it. So quiet and luxurious when you step up from Saturn. It's just hard to get someone to feel comfortable with the changes like clutch sensitivity and so on. To me the factory stereo sounds very close to that in my '98LS (not Nak), great sound. Right now the car clunks and vibrates and doesn't feel so great. The LCD's and needles are 90% good so I'm not going to mess with them. My ideal is to have the truck be the "workhorse", the ES be the "commuter in style", and the LS be the "luxury" ride. 93Lexuses, I love how short the clutch pedal throw is. How long have you owned yours and what kind of work have you done? And I've never before driven a near-luxury car that also drives like a sports car. The car really moves when called for. ArmyofOne, how were you able to get $ back from the Seller, was it a Private Party or Dealer? Was it an airbag issue? Your 90' REALLY is rare and special. And the best part, although you have spent some serious $, is that you have the peace of mind knowing it is done right, and you probable have an ES250 that performs equal or better than new, plus the appreciation that you took something in such poor shape and gave it a new life. And also the fact that you can share your knowledge with all of us!

[ArmyofOne]

ArmyofOne, how were you able to get $ back from the Seller, was it a Private Party or Dealer? Was it an airbag issue? Your 90' REALLY is rare and special. And the best part, although you have spent some serious $, is that you have the peace of mind knowing it is done right, and you probable have an ES250 that performs equal or better than new, plus the appreciation that you took something in such poor shape and gave it a new life. And also the fact that you can share your knowledge with all of us!

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No, it wasnt an airbag issue. It was actually the rack and pinion.

i will PM you with the details so as to keep the thread intact.

:)

[SW03ES]

Gumart- Thank you! I just gave it a wash and a wuick wax, shinin again.

[ArmyofOne]

Gumart- Thank you! I just gave it a wash and a wuick wax, shinin again.

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Yes, i have to agree with Gumart, Steve. You have the best looking 03 ES on the site IMO. :)

[SW03ES]

Why thank you ;)

[93lexuses]

I had a lot of trouble posting pics before, but I'll give it a try again. SWO3ES, great post - your 03ES is awesome!!! Love the color too (my poor boy '93 is a similar color). I now have 4 cars and a tight 2-car garage. If I don't stop now then I'll be living in the garage too. Besides the LS, I drive a Ford Explorer 5.0L V8 for my work truck and my wife, who really isn't interested in cars, is content with her little 5 speed Saturn SL2. I know Saturns take a lot of bashing, but I've owned 2 them and drove them past 200k miles with very few issues, and they were cheap and so easy to work on. My 5-speed '93 SC2 was actually really fast, while at the same time getting over 30mpg. Well, she took a ride in the ES and obviously loved it. So quiet and luxurious when you step up from Saturn. It's just hard to get someone to feel comfortable with the changes like clutch sensitivity and so on. To me the factory stereo sounds very close to that in my '98LS (not Nak), great sound. Right now the car clunks and vibrates and doesn't feel so great. The LCD's and needles are 90% good so I'm not going to mess with them. My ideal is to have the truck be the "workhorse", the ES be the "commuter in style", and the LS be the "luxury" ride. 93Lexuses, I love how short the clutch pedal throw is. How long have you owned yours and what kind of work have you done? And I've never before driven a near-luxury car that also drives like a sports car. The car really moves when called for. ArmyofOne, how were you able to get $ back from the Seller, was it a Private Party or Dealer? Was it an airbag issue? Your 90' REALLY is rare and special. And the best part, although you have spent some serious $, is that you have the peace of mind knowing it is done right, and you probable have an ES250 that performs equal or better than new, plus the appreciation that you took something in such poor shape and gave it a new life. And also the fact that you can share your knowledge with all of us!

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I got mine in 2003.

I also love how the clutch is.

If you look in the Tell Us About Your Car And Its Mods Or Problems in the ES Forum it will tell you everything that i had done. I hope that it helps you out.

[blake918]

Congrats on your ES Gumart! :D A two Lexus household is a beautiful thing-treasure it! B) lol It sounds like you found a winner with just the few typical ES problems.

[jahon]

Yeah big props on finding the 5spd. I wish mine was a 5spd at times but then again it sucks driving it in the city IMO. Enjoy it, i have a 93 es as well and i have fixed possibly every problem known to happen in this year so hit me up if you ever need help or have questions on it. Congrats and have fun with it!

[Gumart1]

Here are a couple of pics. The interior doesn't show well in photos with the "moire" effect due to the fine pattern in the fabric. Nonetheless... :)

[Transit921]

i love stick shift, cool car

[98es]

dang..... you did good for $2900. It looks really clean. My headlights on my 98 don't even look that clear, even after a buff w/wax. Congrats!

[DobieG]

Looks great! Enjoy it!

I miss manual transmission! :(

[SW03ES]

Nice! Needs a little detailing on the interior but its in beautiful shape for 12 years and $2900!

[93lexuses]

Wow your car looks great!

I like that color.