Overall Best Es300?

[Jimbow]

Hello all,

I'm a newbee here. I have searched and searched-- I'm sick of searching!

What is the best ES300 Lexus model in the 1990's?

My son has a 92 ES 300 and he loves it so far. I have a 92 Mercedes 300D 2.5 TurboDiesel and I am considering selling it and getting a Lexus.

I am in my 70's and am looking for reliability and overall economy. Don't want any tranny problems, tire wear problems, electrical problems, etc. , etc.

0 to 60 mph not important! Big fancy wheels not important!

Reliability, economy and comfort are important!

What are your expert opinions on the overall best ES300 Lexus?

Also what max. mileage should I be looking for?

Thanks in advance for any advice!

Jimbow

[ArmyofOne]

Hello all,

I'm a newbee here. I have searched and searched-- I'm sick of searching!

What is the best ES300  Lexus model in the 1990's?

My son has a 92 ES 300 and he loves it so far. I have a 92 Mercedes 300D 2.5 TurboDiesel and I am considering selling it and getting a Lexus.

I am in my 70's and am looking for reliability and overall economy. Don't want any tranny problems, tire wear problems, electrical problems, etc. , etc.

0 to 60 mph not important! Big fancy wheels not important!

Reliability, economy and comfort are important!

What are your expert opinions on the overall best ES300 Lexus?

Also what max. mileage should I be looking for?

Thanks in advance for any advice!

Jimbow

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With that criteria, it sounds like you would be more well suited to a mid-late 90's LS.

but i think the best ES is from 96-2001. the styling had only very subtle changes during these years. blake918 has an LS that gets really good mileage and it also has high mileage. if i had to choose based on reliability, (based on my opinions and my research) i would have to choose the LS.

Bear in mind (im sure you dont need to be told) that any car, even a lexus, will have problems the older it gets, irregardless of mileage. some people wil try to tell you otherwise, dont listen to them, it is still a machine, and they do break. but when well maintained, their downtime is NOTHING compared to other cars intheir classes.

[SKperformance]

what is your price range.

[blake918]

Don't want any tranny problems, tire wear problems, electrical problems, etc. , etc.

←

That criteria would cross out the ES from my experiences. I've had far too many electrical glitches to list on my ES and tranny problems are reported too often on the ES. If I had to pick a certain year range for ES cars, I'd say atleast a '94 because they have the aluminum headed engine. I'd go for a LS; their mechanicals seem more heavy duty which makes for a very long lasting car. My LS has 252,5xx miles and runs like a dream. Eventhough it has an 8 cylinder engine, it still gets great gas mileage if you don't drive it like a drag racer.

On any old Lexus ES/LS, expect worn suspension bushings, leaking/oozing valve covers and cam/crank seals, dead speedo/tach needles, some steering rack issues, widespread p/s leakages in 90-94 LS's that drip on the alternator and ruin it too. Lexus cars are reliable and have refinement levels that very few can touch but they are not trouble free. B) Any reasons why you want to get rid of your Merc?

[Jimbow]

what is your price range.

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I would like to stay within the Kelly/Edmunds retail $ guidelines but

my priorities are reliability and economy.

It would be great to find an ES300 with complete Lexus service records

and no past accidents or major problems.

That would be worth a premium to me to find a real "creampuff",

as we used to call them, but I may be dreaming. :)

Jimbow

[Jimbow]

Don't want any tranny problems, tire wear problems, electrical problems, etc. , etc.

←

Any reasons why you want to get rid of your Merc?

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I've had 11 Mercedes and I love this 300D 2.5 Turbo!

I love the way it drives, handles, rides, the size, and the 30- 34 MPG mileage.

I like the fact it uses no oil at 172,000 miles, no leaks, no rust, but local dealer attitude and maintenance are issues that cause me to be ready for a change. (Nuf said!)

Jimbow

[turnbowm]

Hello all,

I'm a newbee here. I have searched and searched-- I'm sick of searching!

What is the best ES300  Lexus model in the 1990's?

My son has a 92 ES 300 and he loves it so far. I have a 92 Mercedes 300D 2.5 TurboDiesel and I am considering selling it and getting a Lexus.

I am in my 70's and am looking for reliability and overall economy. Don't want any tranny problems, tire wear problems, electrical problems, etc. , etc.

0 to 60 mph not important! Big fancy wheels not important!

Reliability, economy and comfort are important!

What are your expert opinions on the overall best ES300 Lexus?

Also what max. mileage should I be looking for?

Thanks in advance for any advice!

Jimbow

←

IMHO, Lexus lost the ES-series "recipe" after 2001. The pre-2002s had great styling and much better driveability. Serious hesitation and transmission shifting issues have surfaced in the newer ones, with numerous complaints filed with the National Traffic Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA).

For reliability and low operating costs, the ES-series is hard to beat! A clean, low-mileage 2000-2001 ES300 might just be what you're looking for.

Martin

[Lexusfreak]

2000 - 2001 ES should be what your looking for! B) I personally like the idea of buying the last year issue of a generation model run. But that's just me. B)

[Jimbow]

2000 - 2001 ES should be what your looking for!  B)  I personally like the idea of buying the last year issue of a generation model run.  But that's just me.  B)

 

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Thank you all for for your comments. They help me in my decision.

Jim