2K In Repairs/maintenance 98 Es300

[abackhus]

It's been a while since I've posted, these es300's seem to last forever without any hiccups.

'98 ES300 with 175k. My daily driver for 8 years, did the 90k service and everything has been great. It now needs 4 struts, control arm, tires, and links. 2 thousand total for all but I just started taking the bus to work, so I won't be driving the Es300 that much at all anymore.

Thinking about not doing the struts but doing everything else and saving that 900 bucks. The ride right now is fine except going over bumps it bottoms out and I can't really take 2 adults in the backseat or it may sink...but i wouldn't be doing any of that anyway. I'm just gonna keep it around and maybe drive it once in a while taking the kids somewhere when we're not in the wife's car.

Plus I do have a small sludge problem that gives me white smoke 1 out of 15 times cold start. Do i sink more money in this car or bail on it? I got the car with 75k miles and did all routine stuff, tranny is in great shape, i guess sometimes i worry about that engine oil sludging up.

Any thoughts/opinions would be greatly appreciated.

[gbhrps]

Sometimes it hits you all at the same time.

First, let me say that all of the REPORTED needs are related and will affect tire wear and safety. But do you really need all of them?

If a Lexus dealership made the analysis of what your car requires, you may be further ahead to get a second opinion from a good independent garage. And you do not have to use Lexus parts. There are lots of aftermarket suppliers that can give you just as good struts as Toyota, and maybe for less money, particularly in your case where you won't be putting a great deal of miles on the car anymore.

As for the control arm, a good used one from a wrecker may save you some more. The links most likely will have to come from Toyota, I'm not sure. As for tires, save some more by getting a decent tire with less of a guaranteed mileage than say a Michelin would cost.

With some careful searching a purchasing, you may be able to get everything done for a lot less than what you've been quoted. You may even find that the second opinion may eliminate some of what you've been told needs replacing.

In closing, let me convince you to not forgo the struts, if they are needed. They, the links and the control arm, (if required) will destroy a new set of tires in very short order if they are not replaced when they needed to be. You have a 13 year old car, that has how many more years of dependable driving left in it? Let that help determine just how far you should go when making expensive repairs, but don't let it be the sole determination either. There are a lot of factors to consider. Good Luck!

[abackhus]

Sometimes it hits you all at the same time.

First, let me say that all of the REPORTED needs are related and will affect tire wear and safety. But do you really need all of them?

If a Lexus dealership made the analysis of what your car requires, you may be further ahead to get a second opinion from a good independent garage. And you do not have to use Lexus parts. There are lots of aftermarket suppliers that can give you just as good struts as Toyota, and maybe for less money, particularly in your case where you won't be putting a great deal of miles on the car anymore.

As for the control arm, a good used one from a wrecker may save you some more. The links most likely will have to come from Toyota, I'm not sure. As for tires, save some more by getting a decent tire with less of a guaranteed mileage than say a Michelin would cost.

With some careful searching a purchasing, you may be able to get everything done for a lot less than what you've been quoted. You may even find that the second opinion may eliminate some of what you've been told needs replacing.

In closing, let me convince you to not forgo the struts, if they are needed. They, the links and the control arm, (if required) will destroy a new set of tires in very short order if they are not replaced when they needed to be. You have a 13 year old car, that has how many more years of dependable driving left in it? Let that help determine just how far you should go when making expensive repairs, but don't let it be the sole determination either. There are a lot of factors to consider. Good Luck!

Thank you for replying, you make some solid points.