Buy Or No Buy, Higher Mileage 92 E300

[GAMMA]

Hi I was wondering about your guys opinion on buying a 92 E300. It has roughly 277,000 km on it (172,000 miles) and the body is in fair shape with a low price tag of $2500. However should I be worried about a "clunk" / "lurch" that happens whenever it shifts from park to reverse or drive? Is this a sign of a worn transmission? I mean it shifts fine while driving, it is just the initial lurch. Is it worth the purchase? Thanks again.

[gbhrps]

gamma,

That mileage on a properly cared for Lexus is not a concern.

As far as the clunk when putting the car in gear is concerned ..... take the car to a good independent mechanic you trust and have him check it out. It may be the best $50 you have ever spent, to either confirm you are buying a great car, or avoiding buying a money pit. Good Luck!

[Zacharias]

In terms of the mileage, I just purchased a 1996 ES300 with about the same kms. My car came from a family that had it for a decade but weren't too fussy about maintenance.

I can only tell you that -- even with the issues the car has, due to some stuff that needs to be caught up with -- I am blown away by how my car performs. I have had it three weeks now, and on Sunday went for a 3-hr highway trip and ended up loving it even more.

The main issue with it is rust in some areas underneath (floor pan is clean until you get to the back of the tub, rear suspension area). You folks out west use a lot less road salt then is the case here in Quebec, so you shouldn't have that issue.

Always have a car this age checked out by a competent mechanic, preferably one familiar with Toyota products. In my case, the vendor was a customer of my mechanic, so I got a pretty good rundown of what I was looking at.