Advice For 1998 Es300 With 52k Miles

[lxs300]

Hi,

I'm planning to pick 1998 ES 300 next weekend ? The car looks great and driven by stay at home Mom. Carfax and other reports came Clean, When I called local Lexus dealer with VIN (Car is outta state) for service records he gave me 34 service record as the last record on the system. What are the possibilities that service/maintenance not reported in to lexus records ? What can go wrong with the the car ? though service/maintenance taken care off ?

Is it good to check it up with dealer for all the components working condition ? Is there service offered by dealers for private parties to get their vehicle inspected just like certified vehicle inspection ? If there is how much would be right price for that kinda service?

I'm getting rid of my Jeep (Grand Cherokee) with rising gas prices. Huh! Gets 19 to 21 mileage on highway and 15-17 in the city. Can't afford to fill the tank every week :). Commute over 50 miles...

Thanks in advance for whoever answering my question.

[amf1932]

I know that dealers in the New York City area will certify a used vehicle in good condition for about $1000. I don't know how they determine a price for this, but I went with a friend who saw a used un-certified RX300 at a Lexus Dealer. I asked if it can be certified and that's the price he gave me to have it certified.

[Lexusfreak]

Does the owner have any service records of her own? Perhaps she took the car to an independent mechanic for regular service/maintenance and has all bills instead of the Lexus dealer. Do a search on these forms to see any issues other owners might have had on the 98' model year. How many miles on the car?

[lxs300]

Thanks Guys. I appreciate your response. This car looks great and it has 52K miles on it and I'm thinking of to take it to dealer and let 'em inpect it and give a price for extended warranty? How 3rd party warranty is different from lexus extended warranty. Can we rely upon 3rd party warranty or do they cheat ? I see lots of warranty companies file for chapter 11, then what happens??

I have not asked that question about private mechanic servicing, other than getting info from dealer for service records which shows 34K miles service is the last record in lexus dealer system.

Thx again.

[Lexusfreak]

I know a lot of people in the car business (worked at 3 dealers over the years myself). I purchased an extended warranty from the Lexus dealer that is a "Lexus" warranty, NOT a 3rd party warranty company. I did research on this before I purchased the warranty & it was overwelming from everyone I asked to infact at ALL costs to stay away from the third party warranty company period. you might as well drive down the highway & toss X number of dollars out the window as these people are not going to fix things for you when they go wrong (to prove my point, read the "fine print" on the agreement VERY carfully). IF you can get extended coverage form the actual manufacture at a fairly reasonable price (remember it's a Lexus so prices are slightly higher than your average mid size sedan generally speaking for both parts & labour) I would go that route. If the only warranty coverage is the 3rd party company, I would take it to the Lexus dealer (or your own reliable mechanic that you trust) and tell them to do a very comprehensive inspection (an hour or two of labour to seek out possible problems is money well spent in my opinion) to catch possible small problems before they become large ones & pass on the 3rd party idea entirely. If you don't get a very good report back on the car afterwards, perhaps pass on that specific car & search for another one providing the owner let's you take the car to begin with.

[slstsang]

go and have lexus dealer check out the car for you, it'll cost about $70, they'll tell you the condition and what's coming down the road. things to watch out for are, sludge in the oil, overheating history, drive the car for at least 15 mins and see if it hesitate on stop lights, see if the idle is okay. check transmission fluid, steering and cooling system. if you do decided to get the car, plan to spend 2-300 dollars in changing things like spark plug, filters, wires, fluid change, flush...etc.

[lxs300]

Thanks for responses guys. Finally i picked the car and it was in great condition as described by seller party. Just curious to know what gas(Octane # 87/89/91/93) lexus advise to use ? Any negative experiences using 87 Octane regular Gas and positive Performance/improvements improvements for using 89/93 gas ? Just curious and like yo use the one recommended or gives best performance. Thanks again.

Is it possible to upgrade 89 ES 300 head lights to xenon If so, how much it might cost and where to find...

Thanks again for resonding my post.

[steviej]

when you get the car, register it on www.lexus.com and you can request a free owners manual. the octane recommendation will be in the manual. My guess is it calls for 89.

changing to xenon lights will be about $500 but several people have done it.

Check out Silverstars, PIAA, or MTEC as a lesser expensive alternative to give the brighter look.

Don't get excited on performance enhancements, there aren't many, but some people have made some. Browse though the theads and use the search function.

Every newcomer asks the same questions, so you are not the first.

steviej

[FLiP Sp33d]

welcome to the club! where are the pics?!

[amf1932]

Just curious to know what gas(Octane # 87/89/91/93) lexus advise to use ? Any negative experiences using 87 Octane regular Gas and positive Performance/improvements improvements for using 89/93 gas ? Just curious and like yo use the one recommended or gives best performance. Thanks again.

I used 87 octane on my '94 ES with absolutely NO problems because I didn't notice any differences in performance. I originally was switching back and forth between regular and premium fuels on this car and couldn't justify the added fueling expenses.

Read on:http://www.misterfixit.com/deton.htm

[lxs300]

I will post some pictures soon. Looking forward to upgrade Head lights first. Is it worth to spend xenon and which is good bradns for HID kit ? Did anyone used Hilite bulbs for xenon quality lighting just as it says in this link ?

http://www.auctionworks.com/store/itemDeta...200&id=11717442

Can we trust this ebay link ? Did anyone use these bulbs and successful. I just want better lighting than current lighting... any suggestions ?

Thanks

[Lexusfreak]

Welcome to the club & happy motoring! B)