redeldo Posted September 12, 2008 Share Posted September 12, 2008 Thanks for all the replies on the CTS vs ES. I am going to look at several this weekend. As of now you all have said the ES is the better choice. Surprisingly some of the comments on the Caddy forum suggested the ES over the CTS. I would like to buy American but after 2 Caddy's with problems, I am not willing to take a third try. I am keeping optimistic that the Lexus I purchase will not cause any problems for a good while. Does any one know of a site where I could see a sales brochure for the 04 ES330 or the 05 ES 330? A dealer called an said he had an 06 available but it may be out of my range. There are a lot of ES cars out there so either they sold a lot or leased a bunch of them and now they are coming off lease. Thanks Wayne On Edit: ONE OTHER QUESTION: Does the ES use premium or regular unleaded gasoline. Seems I read somewhere that the premium was preferred and performance would suffer if using regular. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SW03ES Posted September 12, 2008 Share Posted September 12, 2008 No idea about the brochure...try eBay maybe? They're coming off lease, so three model years old is the sweet spot, should be plenty of cars right now with 36k miles or so. Premium is suggested, but they will run on regular. Its the same engine as the Camry...and it specifies regular. I'v3e always run premium in mine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lexusfreak Posted September 12, 2008 Share Posted September 12, 2008 I run my 05 on regular & get fantastic fuel economy. As for the brochure.....as SW suggested, give e-bay a try if your looking for a 'hard copy' you can refer to down the road (If I had an extra one, I would mail it to you.....but I only have the one 05). If your looking for an online copy, try here... http://www.toyotareference.com/#ES02 Try & find a brochure specifically for the ES only....they have the 'full line' brochures that do not have as much detailed info on the ES. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timothy Posted September 13, 2008 Share Posted September 13, 2008 hello, i will look around to see if i have my 04 brochure around, in my pile somewhere. i keep all that stuff. i have a 1969 camero brochure in same pile, i hope. my 04 is a great car. tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SW03ES Posted September 13, 2008 Share Posted September 13, 2008 I still think you should go drive an LS430. If you're buying used anyways, I'd rather get a 2002 or 2003 LS430 than a 2004 or 2005 ES330. Sales of pre-owned LS430s are down because of public perceptions that they guzzle gas because of their V8, but in reality the economy is pretty similar in the ES. You do have to run premium in the LS. The ES is a great car, I love mine...but the LS is in a league of its own. I had a very difficult purchasing decision when I bought my ES new, did I want a 3 year old LS or a new ES...and I bought the ES because it was new and had all the latest technology. However, if I were going to buy used I wouldn't even consider an ES...I'd go straight to the LS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TA in KC Posted September 13, 2008 Share Posted September 13, 2008 That toyotareference site is very interesting. Found it a few months back. It certainly provides a lot of helpful information. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redeldo Posted September 14, 2008 Author Share Posted September 14, 2008 I still think you should go drive an LS430. If you're buying used anyways, I'd rather get a 2002 or 2003 LS430 than a 2004 or 2005 ES330. Sales of pre-owned LS430s are down because of public perceptions that they guzzle gas because of their V8, but in reality the economy is pretty similar in the ES. You do have to run premium in the LS.The ES is a great car, I love mine...but the LS is in a league of its own. I had a very difficult purchasing decision when I bought my ES new, did I want a 3 year old LS or a new ES...and I bought the ES because it was new and had all the latest technology. However, if I were going to buy used I wouldn't even consider an ES...I'd go straight to the LS. Hi Steve I haven't checked out the LS as the nearest one is 40-50 miles away. I looked at the prices and they seem higher than I can swing at this time. We are looking at about $20,000 max with as low mileage as I can find. May go Sunday to Woodstock to see what is on their lot. Hopefully they will have an LS. The ES is nice but it is missing some of the "standard" items on the Deville so sure would(will) miss them. Anyone have any idea as to what the best color is? The photos of the white edition surely is nice. Wayne 01 Deville 01 Monaco Dynasty DP 04 Jeep Liberty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SW03ES Posted September 14, 2008 Share Posted September 14, 2008 You can buy a very nice LS for $20k. I have a colleague that bought a UL Model (top model car, air suspension, power/memory/heated/massaging rear seats, laser cruise control, car was $72,000 new) 2003 with 60k miles for $21k. You just have to look around and remember the market for these cars is VERY soft and negotiate...don't be afraid of miles, we have members here with 300k miles. Look for one with good maintenance history. The LS is literally the most reliable car on the road. Thats true of any Lexus by the way, don't worry about mileage. Find one with a good service history. Once you drive the LS...you won't want the ES. As for colors thats a matter of preference. I like the white, I also like the car in silver. I love my color but its hard to find. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lexusfreak Posted September 14, 2008 Share Posted September 14, 2008 Hi SteveI haven't checked out the LS as the nearest one is 40-50 miles away. I looked at the prices and they seem higher than I can swing at this time. We are looking at about $20,000 max with as low mileage as I can find. May go Sunday to Woodstock to see what is on their lot. Hopefully they will have an LS. The ES is nice but it is missing some of the "standard" items on the Deville so sure would(will) miss them. Anyone have any idea as to what the best color is? The photos of the white edition surely is nice. Wayne 01 Deville 01 Monaco Dynasty DP 04 Jeep Liberty red, what items are you referring to that the ES is missing that the Deville has? I don't disagree what Steve about the LS......when comparing it to the Deville.....they are close to being the same size. At least drive one before you commit to the ES. The LS was out of my league (mainly because of finding a nice lower mileage for a reasonable price & one other factor was the RWD and winter weather we see in these parts.....not enough dough for a second set of wheels & tires). I also didn't 'need' a V8 engine. Keep us posted on what you do & have close look at the 'certified pre-owned' section of Lexus.com. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redeldo Posted September 14, 2008 Author Share Posted September 14, 2008 red, what items are you referring to that the ES is missing that the Deville has? I don't disagree what Steve about the LS......when comparing it to the Deville.....they are close to being the same size. At least drive one before you commit to the ES. The LS was out of my league (mainly because of finding a nice lower mileage for a reasonable price & one other factor was the RWD and winter weather we see in these parts.....not enough dough for a second set of wheels & tires). I also didn't 'need' a V8 engine. Keep us posted on what you do & have close look at the 'certified pre-owned' section of Lexus.com. Good luck. Went to Woodstock today and drove the es330, surely did perform nicely but the rear bumper was all scratched up and the area around the volume knob on the radio was rubbed off (long finger nails ?) They did not have an LS but did drive an Infinity M35 that was really nice, priced a little too high for me though. On the Deville, right off the top of my head it has heated front and rear seats, a very good Driver Information Center, rear a/c controls, big cupholders front and rear. Were not offering diddely squat (sp?) for the trade on the Deville, but I expected that. I will keep looking for an LS or the right ES. Keeping my fingers crossed that one is out there for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SW03ES Posted September 15, 2008 Share Posted September 15, 2008 The LS has all those features ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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