thanks guys, esp SW0ES. makes sense, i will ask him to look under the oil cap.
now, if there is sludge, that brings us to a decision point:
1. if there is sludge, do i just walk away?
2. if there is sludge (but the car drives ok now) , and i from now on, ONLY put in synthetic oil every 5000KM, will the sludge build up/become an issue.. i dont know what the composition of this stuff is, does it harden over time,etc.
i have found a second es300 99 (205,000km) that i am also exploring, but this is my first choice pending a mechanical check... i do now have that 'desire' to own one since i dr