Newbie With A Few Questions

[carlvr87]

hello everyone,

I am a long time lurker and decided to finally post. My name is Paul. I'm 22 and from Philly.

Right now I own a 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe(which I love) and I have previously owned an 05 and 06 santa fe and an 07 sonata. I have always loved Lexus and hoped to own. I'm thinking about purchasing an Avalon or an ES( probably a 330). I love everything about the Avalon although I drove a touring a while back and didn't care for the ride. I would most likely go for an XLS. I would love an ES350 but I'm sure that's out of my price range. A guy i work with has an 03 ES he purchased last year with 7,000 miles and he loves it. I take care of a lady's car at work(i work for a dealership detailing cars) and she has an 08 es350 and a 02 es300, she loves both of them as well.

I'm leaning more towards the Lexus just for the quietness and I love all of the wood trim.

I know cars pretty well but I have a few questions

1. Are the Lexus vehicles expensive to repair?

2. I would probably be looking at an 05-06 es330, any problems I should be aware of?

3. I know the ES is more like a camry but can anyone compare the Avalon to the ES?

Any replies would be greatly appreciated and I'm looking forward to all of the info I can get.

I look forward to getting to know some of you!

Paul

[GM1995ES]

My old 95 ES has been no more expensive to repair than any other of similar type. Shy away from Lexus dealers, though - if you want branded parts and service, take it to a Toyota dealer, and any decent local shop can fix 'er up. My take on the Avalon vs. ES - Sort of like Granny's car compared to one driven by a youngish Aunt Ruth. To me, the Avalon is a bit too much like a Buick - soft ride, not the greatest handling, largish size, uninspired styling. No expert here, but the only ES model year I have heard really bad things about is the '07. Look up reliability ratings and such on the Internet.

[carlvr87]

Thanks for the reply!

those are the 2 of the things that draw me to the avalon, soft ride, and largish size. I do however agree about the handling. The dealership I detail for services all makes and models but I would prefer to take either car i decide on to the Toyota dealer down the street. I'm not in any rush to purchase, just waiting for the right car. If I decide on the Avalon, it's going to be Phantom Gray with gray interior. If I decide on the ES330, it's going to be the bluish/green color (i forget the name) with black interior.

My next step is to probably test drive them back to back to decide what I really want. It seems as though I can get an 05 ES cheaper than an 05 Avalon.