98es

Land Cruisers are amazing vehicles. My grandmother (ha yeah i said gradmother) has an 02 LX470 and its awesome. That 4.7L V8 is the smoothest you'll ever drive. I've got the same engine in my '03 4Runner. Both of those trucks have FULL TIME 4x4 (not AWD... there is a difference). I personally think that third row seats are useless in 90% of the vehicles they come in. If I were you, I would narrow it down to Sequoia, 4Runner, or Land Cruiser. You don't want your wife to be miserable driving a truck thats too big just to have sufficient 3rd seating for every now and then. Good Luck!

Thats awesome that they're giving you a new tranny. We had my mom's 02 re-flashed, and thats the first thing i noticed was the higher shift points. My first concern was how mpg was going to be. I drove it the other day and just happened to check the gas mileage on the in dash comp..... 14.5 MPG!!! Can you believe that? She didn't even have 200 miles on the tank and it was almost empty. I understand its driven probably 90% city but my 4Runner 4x4 V8 does better than that in the city. The air filter is fairly new, and i've run fuel injector cleaner through it. My mother is definitely not one to hot rod either... so what gives? Should we be worried? It's still under the CPO warranty.

Haha thats crazy. I work at a law office doing real estate closings and know exactly what you mean! Whats the market like up in DC? Everyone's been talking about a slow down but this past week we were so busy with new orders (mostly lot loans and refi's) we didn't have time to breathe, which is really odd for the first week of the month. I'm almost depressed because I locked in at 6.25% and conventional rates are creeping more toward 6% everyday! Good Luck NC! PS- SW, took your advice and went ahead on with purchasing a house instead of waiting until I had my full 20%. With the market flooded like it is down here and rates still low, you were right about it possibly costing more in the long run to 'wait and see'. Thanks.

My great grandmothers 88 cadillac had the foot brake.. but with NO release!!! After searching for like 10 minutes on how to release it, I got so frustrated I just decided to try and drive it. Ends up, it automatically disengages when you shift out of park... would have been nice to know :) I'm not sure if cadillac has changed that design or not, but it was unusual at least from my experience.

Your lex still looks good even on that wrecker... did you just wash it? lol. Though I've never driven a GS, i can definitely attest to the G35... it is SOO incredibly fun to drive. I was looking into one as my next car but apparently the earlier year models have major brake issues. Anyways, good luck on your car hunt and I'm glad your okay.

Thanks for all the replies guys and your insight on the real estate market SW. I think i've decided to go with the MXV4 S8's. The reviews are better on them and they seem to be more quiet than the BFGs. I really would consider the exaltos, but I trust my guys at Costco and really enjoy having free lifetime rotation and balance. I should be making the switch within the next month... i'll let you know how it goes. Thanks.

Read the pinned thread FAQ lexus es. The years your asking about had issues with engine sludge if not maintained (oil change at least every 5k miles). I have a 98 ES300 with 142k miles on it, and have had absolutely no major problems since I bought it at 95k miles two years ago. They're great cars, just find a well maintained one and you'll be fine. Good luck.

Ha yeah I wish... I think we're going to save for a house instead... I told the wife that we couldn't have a house until we had a decent down payment (2-3 years) and she told me then I couldn't get another car lol... But who knows, i'm a really bad impulse buyer so you never know lol I've been trying to find exaltos since ya'll suggested them, but i can't find them at sams or costco. Do they not make them in my size? Thanks for all the input guys!

Well.. its time to replace the rear tires on my camry, and with the front ones being Falken Ziex512's with 10k on them, i'm itching to get them off too. Costco's running a $60 off any 4 michelin tires sale. I tire shopped there yesterday, and here's what it came down to. Michelin® Energy MXV4 S8 P215/60R16 V RATED: $127.99 each ($451.96 for four after $60 off) *Can someone tell me what the difference is between this MXV4 S8 and the MXV4+'s that I have on my ES? I know its about $50/tire pricewise but what else? BFGoodrich® Traction T/A® V P215/60R16 V RATED: $108.99 each ($435.96 for four NO SALE) *I've heard good things about this tire. From what I understand the traction is awesome, which is something I really value on my camry because it's a 5 speed with NO ABS. So there it is... i really think I'm leaning towards the BFG's, but i've had such a great experience with my MXV4+'s on my 98ES (20k on them and not showing any signs of wear!). I also like the BFG's classification as an "all season performance" tire over the michelins luxury touring just because its going on my camry. I need your help!

Alan that makes me sick to my stomach to read what happened to your new beautiful car! Its really depressing to know what lowlife scum would do such a thing. Anyways, seems like your handling it well... it happened.. theres nothing you can do but get it fixed! and i'm sure it'll look great. Good luck.

I bought those same headlights off of ebay last year for my 98 ES... within 6 months they had both burned out. I did enjoy the 'blue-like' light, but they weren't very bright. I have since replaced them with silverstars, which are great for halogen but definitely not HID. Good luck.

my local dealer is down to 30 loaners from 60. They're paying enterprise to do most of their loaners, which means that if you get there past 8, your gonna get a crappy car. They tried to give me a Kia last time and I asked for something else, so they upgraded me to an 05 camry lol. My service advisor said for some reason lexus just isn't sending them cars to replace the loaners that are retired after 18 months. He told me a story of one lady with 3 kids that had just brought her new LX 470 in for service... she drove off in a PT Cruiser that a few hours later she had to return because the steering wheel was falling off. I was sure to mention something to the manager about no lexus loaners after I got through paying $40 for them to put windshield wiper inserts on.... what a rip off.

haha at first glance i thought that said 76 Ford Grandpa... which seems well fitting because it looks like something a grandpa would drive lol

haha oh god.. i saw this video a couple of years ago in college and spent 3 hours watching it over and over again trying to fold my shirt like the chinese lady one night. For awhile i thought it was fake but it isn't! It is possible!

BLAKE! So happy to hear the news! You're going to be a great moderator!! Gumart is right- no one deserves it more!!! Congrats!!!

I was kind of wondering the same thing... why? Do you think they're going bad? My '98 has 140k and my mounts seem to be holding up fine...

I like xm because: 1. I don't like hearing the same music over and over. 2. I absolutely hate howard stern and it would ruin my whole morning if i even accidentally stumbled on whatever station he broadcasts on. lol j/k! We have XM on our direct tv at our lake house and never listen to it there... but its the time on the road that's made better by satellite!!!

Nice job... thats a reeallly good looking car! I assume you ended up getting the payments you wanted?

Yeah about $13/month. Each additional radio is $10/month and its cheaper if you buy a year at a time. I use it mostly on trips, thats when it really comes in handy. I also bought the boombox thing that goes with it so I can pop it out of my car and listen to it anywhere. If you ever really wanna big laugh tune to 167. Pure entertainment... lol When you say wire modulator is it the tape deck one or the FM modulator?

So what are you tryin' to say????? Us tennesseans are too stupid to build cars? :D lol J/K!

Haha you know it blake! 121 and 166! Mine is actually hooked directly into my stereo on my camry and it still sounds like crap for some reason. But when I play my ipod through that same connection it sounds great.... That's why i never understood the 'cd quality' slogan that they use. Who knows... maybe i'm doing something wrong. Either way I do enjoy the programming!

I agree. I even have it hardwired to my stereo and its still not as good as friends that have it as a factory options.

I had a '97 Explorer V8 AWD that had been beat to hell by 2 previous owners and towed boats all its life. I flushed the tranny at 115k (presumably the first time the fluid had ever even been changed), sold it at 130k. Transmission was rock solid. For the most part I would say the explorer is and has been well built. I have another friend that has a '98 V6 thats got 130k and i highly doubt shes ever changed any fluids except maybe oil. They definitely don't age like toyotas though... after ~8yrs they rattle and all the electronics start going.

i know what you mean about the baby blue dash. I completely agree. LOL You wonder how these people get rid of the ugly color cars they buy. I assume they would be a perfect candidate for a trade-in... let the dealerships try to get rid of them.

I've been to my local toyota dealer twice wanting to see the camry in an SE. All they have is about 15 LE's and 2 hybrids. Does the SE have a different grille like it did on the previous version? The new camry's are sharp looking but I think I like the new ES better..... but I haven't seen the camry in an SE yet and I imagine it looks pretty good...