2000 Es300 Transmission Options / Problems

hans2112 · September 15, 2015

New member and new to Lexus, really need some know-how. Eyeing a really nice '00 ES300. The owner claims the trans got a crack and I assume drained out and blew. I've researched and 2 transmissions seem to be avail. And the one in this car is the more expensive one. I assume that a swap to the other isn't a possibility? Has anyone heard of cracks developing? I really appreciate any info that can be shared on this. Really want this car is it isn't going to be a money pit.

gbhrps · September 17, 2015

hans2112,

Toyota/lexus trannies are pretty bullet proof, unless the car hasn't been properly maintained or its been beaten to death. Tranny failures are rare.

If you spring for the car, swap in an exact replacement from the same generation ES.

Be prepared to steal the car for the absolute lowest price you can, because buying a used tranny, or a rebuilt one, and then paying to have it installed is going to be costly. DO SOME HOMEWORK and find out exactly what it'll cost you before you even consider buying the car.

Now, here's the sticky part .... the owner tells you the tranny has a crack in it. Is it driveable? If not, you are buying a pig in a poke. There may be all kinds of other nightmares that exist that you can't check out because the car is undriveable. Are you sure this is the wisest purchase you can make?