Reasons To Buy The Es Over Other Cars

[TA in KC]

My friend is looking for a new car, upgrading from an old Honda Accord, and is looking at cars like ES300s, Nissan Maxima, Infinity I30, Acura TL etc. A 2001 ES with 127K for $7500 has caught my eye. Any idea of reasons to convince him to buy the ES over these other cars?

[busoptr]

My friend is looking for a new car, upgrading from an old Honda Accord, and is looking at cars like ES300s, Nissan Maxima, Infinity I30, Acura TL etc. A 2001 ES with 127K for $7500 has caught my eye. Any idea of reasons to convince him to buy the ES over these other cars?

Wow! These are hard choices, considering all these cars you stated have real excellent reliability. Ok, heres my opinion on why buy the lexus. This is my opinion, my point of view, I am sure some people will disagree but heck, if this helps its all good.

1. Acura TL- looks too technical, like 80% technology, 20% aesthetics, but I used to drive Honda, and it was reliable as heck. Boring to drive though, it was an Accord. I guess the S2000 is more exciting to drive.

2. Nissan Maxima - Fast and smooth and reliable but no shock appeal.

3. 2000 Infinity I30 - Simulated Wood Trim. Mechanically related to the Maxima. Dont get me wrong,the Infiniti M class and G class are awesome luxury vehicles.

4. 2001 ES300 - real wood grain trim, glass has coating that traps 90% of UV rays ( good for summer days ), build quality is excellent, unibody frame made 30% more rigid than earlier models, crash resistance is upgraded from earlier models. And for me is more beautiful than Acura TL, Nissan Maxima or the I30. Even the cupholders were moved to a better position than later models. ALso interchangeability with most Toyota Camry parts which are so easy to get at the junkyard. Plus it bears the LEXUS mark, setting fear to MBZ owners broken down on the freeway LOL. I have a 2000 MBZ ML430 but to be honest,I drive the my es300 more. Plus this forum is the best forum I have ever joined.

Cmon man, when you go to a bar and someone asks you what u drive, dont u think Lexus will sound more powerful than saying Acura, Maxima or Infiniti?

This is my observations, so its still up to you if you want to get the es or not. Good Luck.

[Lexusfreak]

I would suggest you tell your friend to research all the used models he is considering on various websites such as consumerguide.com, consumerreports.org & beleive it or not a site that has excellent & detailed used car reviews is www.canadiandriver.com

I owned a 2001 Nissan Maxima SE 20th A.E. (almost identical to the I30) & had some trouble with it (my first car I purchased brand new & actually traded that in for my previous 2001 ES 300). Acura's (and the Accord of the late 90's & early 2000's) have tranny troubles. Here are some links that might help...

1997 - 2001 Lexus ES 300...

http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/jc/97-01es300.htm

2002 - 2006 ES 300/330...

http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/cc/02-06es300-330.htm

1999 - 2002 Nissan Maxima & Infiniti I30...

http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/bm/99-02maxima.htm

http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/jc/00-02i30-35.htm

1999 - 2002 Acura TL...

http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/jc/99-02tl.htm

One thing that always bothered me about my Maxima is that it had a torsion beam rear suspension set up, not independent. Hope this helps.

[TA in KC]

I would suggest you tell your friend to research all the used models he is considering on various websites such as consumerguide.com, consumerreports.org & beleive it or not a site that has excellent & detailed used car reviews is www.canadiandriver.com

I owned a 2001 Nissan Maxima SE 20th A.E. (almost identical to the I30) & had some trouble with it (my first car I purchased brand new & actually traded that in for my previous 2001 ES 300). Acura's (and the Accord of the late 90's & early 2000's) have tranny troubles. Here are some links that might help...

1997 - 2001 Lexus ES 300...

http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/jc/97-01es300.htm

2002 - 2006 ES 300/330...

http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/cc/02-06es300-330.htm

1999 - 2002 Nissan Maxima & Infiniti I30...

http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/bm/99-02maxima.htm

http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/jc/00-02i30-35.htm

1999 - 2002 Acura TL...

http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/jc/99-02tl.htm

One thing that always bothered me about my Maxima is that it had a torsion beam rear suspension set up, not independent. Hope this helps.

Yes, he figured out about the transmission troubles with the Accords and TLs, I think those are out of the question now.

[carlexes330]

My friend is looking for a new car, upgrading from an old Honda Accord, and is looking at cars like ES300s, Nissan Maxima, Infinity I30, Acura TL etc. A 2001 ES with 127K for $7500 has caught my eye. Any idea of reasons to convince him to buy the ES over these other cars?

Honda what a POS that would be compared to the lexus . 127K thats nothing as long as you keep up the oil and filter changes transmission fluid changes with filter you should see at least 300K before things start wearing out and at 7.5K thats $20 a mile ha ha try getting your honda to do that :) Change the standard air filter to a K&N filter (! million mile warranty clean it every 50K and re oil it ) buy your cabin filters from toyota $14 as opposed to $44 from lexus and you have a sweeeeet Car :) Tires use the yokohama yk 550s 65K warranty and are excellent

[Lexusfreak]

Thomas, what year(s) ES300 is your friend considering exactly?

[TA in KC]

Thomas, what year(s) ES300 is your friend considering exactly?

He has looked at a few 1997-2001 models. He is back looking at Accords again, but I hope he does not have transmission trouble if he buys one of those. I know 3 people personally who owned Accords and had complete failures before 100,000 miles. Anybody here know anything about Accord transmissions?

[Lexusfreak]

Thomas, what year(s) ES300 is your friend considering exactly?

He has looked at a few 1997-2001 models. He is back looking at Accords again, but I hope he does not have transmission trouble if he buys one of those. I know 3 people personally who owned Accords and had complete failures before 100,000 miles. Anybody here know anything about Accord transmissions?

That makes two of us.....they have had alot of problems with the tranny's in the late 90's & early 2000's.

Has you friend driven both vehicles?

[TA in KC]

Thomas, what year(s) ES300 is your friend considering exactly?

He has looked at a few 1997-2001 models. He is back looking at Accords again, but I hope he does not have transmission trouble if he buys one of those. I know 3 people personally who owned Accords and had complete failures before 100,000 miles. Anybody here know anything about Accord transmissions?

That makes two of us.....they have had alot of problems with the tranny's in the late 90's & early 2000's.

Has you friend driven both vehicles?

No, he has not driven either one yet. Sadly, I think he will never get the chance to drive an ES as the only ones within his price range have 90-100K miles, which is "too many" for him. Don't really understand this as his current vehicle (Accord) has over 150K and runs fine.

If he drove the Accord and then the ES, I'm sure he would see what a difference there is and reconsider. Just seems like he has his heart set on the Honda though.

I looked at and drove an ES with 127K that I thought he might be interested in. While it is not the same as my LS, it is a wonderful car. If anyone is looking for a good deal on a 2000 Coach Edition, there is one for $7000 here in KC! Just needs a little cosmetic TLC. Felt like just buying it for myself....

[Lexusfreak]

Tell him to at least take an ES out for a test drive (high mileage or not) & see if that peaks his interest. That way if he does add the ES to his 'short list' you can maybe find one in his general price range with a little less miles. ;)

What year Accord is your buddy looking at & 4 or 6 cyl? I'll see if I can send ya a comparo. ;)

[TA in KC]

Tell him to at least take an ES out for a test drive (high mileage or not) & see if that peaks his interest. That way if he does add the ES to his 'short list' you can maybe find one in his general price range with a little less miles. ;)

What year Accord is your buddy looking at & 4 or 6 cyl? I'll see if I can send ya a comparo. ;)

He is getting ready to buy 2001 4-cyl Accord EX. He was not able to find any ESs with the miles and price he wanted.

I am sure how the Accord compares to the other cars in it's class, because I have never owned one. In addition to my LS, I also have a 2000 Toyota Camry. I have never driven an Accord, but ridden in the various years/models owned by family members.

My impression of all those Accords, ranging from 1991-2003 model years, has always been that they do not ride as softly as the Camry, and that the interior materials are not of the same quality either. That being said, it is probably still a much better car than it's American competition. I cannot even begin to tell you how disappointed I was the last time I drove a Chevy Impala. I think the Camry is just a much better car than all of them.

My opinion of the Accord, and Honda products in general, would be much higher if they would do something to help their customers who have had failed transmissions in Accords, Odysseys, and Acura TLs. I know 3 people personally with those cars, who had a failure that was not covered by warranty and were all forced to pay close to $4000 to cover the cost of repair. Last month, the transmission failed for the second time, in the Odyssey owned by a family member of mine.

The excellent service I have gotten from Lexus corporate, and the same great service the few times I have been to the dealer, are enough to make me a Lexus owner for life. They built their reputation on great cars and great service. They have done a great job keeping that reputation.

[Lexusfreak]

Here is a comparo between the 2001 ES & 2001 Accord V6.....I was not able to get the 4 cyl model. But the 4 cyl model either has a 135 or a 150 hp engine depending on the model. They are very cimilar in size. Click on each of the vehicles name for a more detailed (4 pages each) review. ;)

http://www.nctd.com/review-compare.cfm?Veh...p;VehicleThree=

[busoptr]

Here is a comparo between the 2001 ES & 2001 Accord V6.....I was not able to get the 4 cyl model. But the 4 cyl model either has a 135 or a 150 hp engine depending on the model. They are very cimilar in size. Click on each of the vehicles name for a more detailed (4 pages each) review. ;)

http://www.nctd.com/review-compare.cfm?Veh...p;VehicleThree=

get the ES!!!! Accords are a bore to drive. Trust me. I had one. LOL

[TA in KC]

Here is a comparo between the 2001 ES & 2001 Accord V6.....I was not able to get the 4 cyl model. But the 4 cyl model either has a 135 or a 150 hp engine depending on the model. They are very cimilar in size. Click on each of the vehicles name for a more detailed (4 pages each) review. ;)

http://www.nctd.com/review-compare.cfm?Veh...p;VehicleThree=

get the ES!!!! Accords are a bore to drive. Trust me. I had one. LOL

He bought the Accord.

I went over to his house tonight to take a look. Drove the car, and while better than the Impala, I think it is still a downgrade in just about everything compared to my Camry. Judging by how picky he was with the other used cars we looked at, I expected this one to be in excellent condition, especially with 66K miles. That could not have been farther from the truth. Had I not known earlier, I would have guessed the car had at least twice that many miles.

The car was owned by a smoker, and the interior shows. The exterior of the car has quite a few scratches, a 2-inch ding in the passenger door, and a large dent right in the front of the bumper. Has no maintenance records and is due for a timing belt change, but he seems to think that is not important. The belt will probably have to break for him to finally realize what a big deal that actually is.

Main reason I thought he wouldn't like the ES I looked at earlier is because it had a couple scratches on the trunk lid, but I think this car is actually in worse condition. Worst part is, he paid $200 more than what Blue Book says the car is worth. Their values seem high to me anyway.

But, it has LOW MILES. (rolls eyes)

Needless to say, he is a good friend. It was just frustrating to go to all the work to try and help him find something good, but he just got too anxious and bought a piece of crap.

[JIBBBY]

Get a Camery... They are cheaper and basically the same...

[busoptr]

Here is a comparo between the 2001 ES & 2001 Accord V6.....I was not able to get the 4 cyl model. But the 4 cyl model either has a 135 or a 150 hp engine depending on the model. They are very cimilar in size. Click on each of the vehicles name for a more detailed (4 pages each) review. ;)

http://www.nctd.com/review-compare.cfm?Veh...p;VehicleThree=

get the ES!!!! Accords are a bore to drive. Trust me. I had one. LOL

He bought the Accord.

I went over to his house tonight to take a look. Drove the car, and while better than the Impala, I think it is still a downgrade in just about everything compared to my Camry. Judging by how picky he was with the other used cars we looked at, I expected this one to be in excellent condition, especially with 66K miles. That could not have been farther from the truth. Had I not known earlier, I would have guessed the car had at least twice that many miles.

The car was owned by a smoker, and the interior shows. The exterior of the car has quite a few scratches, a 2-inch ding in the passenger door, and a large dent right in the front of the bumper. Has no maintenance records and is due for a timing belt change, but he seems to think that is not important. The belt will probably have to break for him to finally realize what a big deal that actually is.

Main reason I thought he wouldn't like the ES I looked at earlier is because it had a couple scratches on the trunk lid, but I think this car is actually in worse condition. Worst part is, he paid $200 more than what Blue Book says the car is worth. Their values seem high to me anyway.

But, it has LOW MILES. (rolls eyes)

Needless to say, he is a good friend. It was just frustrating to go to all the work to try and help him find something good, but he just got too anxious and bought a piece of crap.

Man, yeah, I know how u feel dude. That timing belt will set him off at least $ 600.00 at the dealership. I had a Honda Accord and it was pretty reliable but it didnt turn any heads you know what i mean? Also with all the dents you said your friend's Honda Accord will just be another old Honda. My ES has 230k miles now but it still accelerates like a Mother*##$%. LOL. Dont worry though, your friend will learn his lesson and his taste in cars will grow up. Trust me.

[Lexusfreak]

Sounds like you friend was more concerned about low miles than condition or maintenance history. I wish him well though.....just too bad he didn't give the ES a little more consideration.