dockerguy

Thanks for all the advice. I didn't think they made a '99, either. Maybe he said '98 (the mind is a terrible thing to lose). The Lincoln owner (pearl white) was out of town today and I saw a '97 LSC, with 105K for $4,995.00 in Van Nuys. Quite a drive, but I think I'll go look at it. Carfax checked out, with one owner, but sold to a dealer at auction. I just liked you guys so much that I didn't want to have to leave the club. But since you said I could stay, I just might go to FoMoCo. Since this will be my third car (in a 2-car garage — the CA sun is not nice to cars) I've limited my budget to $6K. I'll have my Explorer to haul stuff, my 240Z to make me feel forty years younger and my Mark VIII (?) to make me feel my age. :) I have always liked the Mark VIII, but thought they'd be far more expensive. It's ridiculous that they don't sell for way more. I'll keep you posted. You may see me tooling around in a Rambler. Ha! Here's the link to the '97, if you're interested: http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?car_...or=&cardist=200 Here's the '94: http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?car_...lor=&cardist=23

Me again. Some of you read of my experience with a '93 ES300 a couple weeks ago, that I took back. I've been looking since and there just aren't that many in SoCal. I found one in Sandy Eggo. Here's the story: 142K Front seats are trashed Body is OK with a few chips here and there. Dark Green. New tires and brakes The seller (a kid) said his uncle replaced both valve cover gaskets; timing belt; water pump; catalytic converter recently. There are no receipts since it was a "family affair". The seller said he knows someone who can reupholster the bottom of the seats for $60.00 each. It drives nicely, sounds good. Has remote start, which is cool. He want's $3,800.00. VS. '94 Lincoln Mark VIII with 88K miles. Original owner (72 year old retired millionaire), always dealer services, all records; immaculate; rebuilt tranny. Took to a Ford Repair Facility for inspection. All OK. Guy thought it was a '99. He wants $4,000.00 (He just bought two brand new Lincolns, which don't even have plates on them yet. I know these are two totally different cars. The Lincoln feels huge compared to the Lexus and has all kinds of computer toys, air suspension that lowers 1.5" at 65mph, etc. The "cockpit" wraps around you and it even has an armrest that's useful! :) I hate to even mention a Lincoln here, but hey, you guys are open-minded, right? <duck!> What do you think? The Lexus has a better resale value since the Mark VIII is now extinct. Thanks in advance!

I'm happy to report that the Soap Opera ended yesterday when I took the car back to Marina del Rey and received a full refund after threatening legal action. He had the nerve to show me a legal notice that stated that buyer's remorse, and several other things, were not reasons for returning a car. He failed to mention that the last words were "other than fraud." I rented a Buick le Sabre to drive back home and I have to say it was a gorgeous car, complete with XM radio. Coool. I was impressed with an American car! I'll be driving my '99 Explorer for awhile now. My Saluki thanks me for that. If I find a nicer Lexus, I'll be back, but until then, thanks to everyone that gave their advice, opinion and concern. You're a great bunch o' people. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! DG

Alan, I was trying to be funny, but I guess I failed. :( And, why do you have a :) when saying it attacks mostly PCs? I have Windows 2000 Professional on my iBook, but I have yet to figure out why anyone would want to use it! <duck!>

Since I have an Apple iBook, will I have a Mac Attack when I visit this site?

H8R Proof — I was in LA last night and saw a Lexus on the street, so I know exactly where you live. Didn't have my car stealing stuff with me though, but I wouldn't leave it out there tonight, if you know what I mean. Ha ha! :) I would venture to say that there are probably more expensive cars in LA than anywhere else. I can't believe how lax (is that where "LAX" came from?) so many people are in Studio City, where I used to live, leaving their windows down and keys in the ignition. Well, I used to do that too if I just went to the store, but... It seems like most of the members here are from back east or TX. Glad to see there are a couple others from SoCal. Going to take the back road up to Mt. San Jacinto today to see snow! Should be a nice trip.

David, Sheesh, I've never heard of Rowland Heights, but I see that it's not too far from Chino, which isn't all that far. I'll try to be there. Thanks for the info!

Stevie, I don't know if anyone would find the topic useful, but they may. I sure never thought wheel balance could effect that it did; i.e., being intermittent. Otherwise, you can lock it as I'm finished with the topic. Thanks!

Can smeone tell me how to delete this topic, since it's no longer valid? Thanks!

Stevie, My heart's still in it. I love the car, especially now — I took it back to Sears and they said "Well, it's nothing, a weight just fell off"! I said I had waited 3.5 hours last Sunday and had to come back today (15 mi. each way) and it's "JUST a weight that fell off??????" The vibaration and shaking is gone! They re-balanced all four wheels. I don't understand how balancing could be intermittent like that, though, but I had it up to 95 on the freeway and it was smooth. I guess I'm resigned to taking the $800.00 and putting another $12-$1400.00 into it and have a nice Lex. (Is that what we "clubbers" <read "fanatics" or "groupie"> do — put a lot of money into cars? It's going to be a hassle to get it repaired, and expensive (considering what I paid for it), but hopefully it will be worth it. Whew, am I glad it was just tire weights! Have a good weekend!

The saga of my '93 ES300 continues. Today I have to decide. I notced a vibration over 70 last Sunday and took it to Sears to have the tires balanced. The guy said they were "way" out of balance, but coming home, the ride was worse. I haven't driven it since then until last night and noticed: It starts shaking at about 73 and up. The whole car, not just the steering wheel. BUT, it seems to be intermittent. Sometimes when I let off the gas it stops, sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes it shakes accelerating after 80, sometimes it stops at 80. Does anyone have any idea what this could be? I can't imagine it's the tires since they would be consistant, I would think. I need an answer today, Oct. 30, as I have to decide whether to keep it or not. Thanks in advance!

How does one know if they can trust a mechanic? All I can say is the guy has a mansion behind his shop (on ten acres) and is a retired LA Sheriff and seemed to know what he was doing, but I can tell you that he wasn't busy. He had two guys working for him. Anyway, he called me back with *his* parts prices and they were $944.70. Mine, with the power steering pump, came out to $619.00 from Kragen, but he said the extra cost would be worth it since anything that would need to be replaced, because of cheap parts, would be high labor. The seller is being difficult again, saying he has to go back east and can't afford to lose money, so I guess the car is going back, or I'll be leaving negative feedback for fraud. I can't handle all this drama and I'm sure you guys are tired of this never-ending saga too! I've learned my lesson, unfortunately, the expensive way. Don't judge a book by it's cover! :) Thanks again for all the help/advice/comments.

Oops! I left the rear struts out of the parts price, I guess. (The mind is a terrible thing to lose.)

Maybe some of you saw my post about buying a '93 ES300 and my thinking I was taken for a ride. I just went to a mechanic and had it gone over. Here's what he said. Front three pistons had a compression reading of 190, which he said was excellent. But, it needs the following: Front and rear valve cover gaskets: $600.00 labor. (Includes timing belt and water pump labor) There is oil all over the bottom of the chassis. Transmission pan gasket and svc. $175.00 labor. (Includes oil pan gasket labor) Brakes (all four) $225.00 labor. Rear struts (said fronts can wait 2 yrs.) $125.00 labor. Power Steering Pump $125.00 labor. Total $1,250.00 labor. Parts: (My guess) Valve cover gaskets: $58.00 Trans. pan gasket $25.00 Brakes $92.00 Water pump $80.00 Timing belt $59.00 Power Steer. Pump $160.00 Approx Total $474.00 TOTAL Total :) $1,724.00 Does this sound about right, or ??? He said it would take two days. I priced the parts at Kragen.com and used the most expensive parts, except they don't have KYB struts, so I used Monroe pricing (most expensive). The mechanic is going to get his prices and we'll compare. The seller said he would get me Lexus parts at cost, but their water pump cost is 141.00 and power steering pump is 340.00. I'll take all advise you guys can throw at me! Thanks!

Thanks again for all the replies. I just went to a mechanic and had it gone over. Here's what he said. Front three pistons had a compression reading of 190, which he said was excellent. But, it needs the following: Front and rear valve cover gaskets: $600.00 labor. (Includes timing belt and water pump lbr) Transmission pan gasket and svc. $175.00 labor. (Includes oil pan gasket labor) Brakes (all four) $225.00 labor. Rear struts (said fronts can wait 2 yrs.) $125.00 labor. Total $1,125.00 labor. Parts: (My guess) Valve cover gaskets: $58.00 Trans. pan gasket $25.00 Brakes $92.00 Water pump $80.00 Timing belt $59.00 Power Steer. Pump $160.00 Approx Total $474.00 Does this sound about right, or ??? He said it would take two days. I priced the parts at Kragen.com and used the most expensive parts, except they don't have KYB struts, so I used Monroe pricing (most expensive). The mechanic is going to get his prices and we'll compare. The seller said he would get me Lexus parts at cost, but their water pump cost is 141.00 and power steering pump is 340.00. I'll take all advise you guys can throw at me! Thanks again.

Brian, I did a Carfax. It was perfect. No accidents, accuraate mileage, two owners, etc., etc. So... I looked at a '96 w/142K yesterday that was supposed to be "immaculate". Ha! What a joke. The guy lives in a very exclusive 5-acre minimum lot area, has a gorgeous, huge house; four horses; a huge horse trailer; huge ATV trailer; three dirt bikes; three new pickups; a Honda, etc., etc. Million $+. Needless to say I was disappointed. He commented on how clean mine was and couldn't believe it wasn't maintained. Well, his body and intereror sure as hell weren't! But, he was only asking $6,500.00. I found a mechanic about ten miles from here that I want to go to this morning to get his opinion and then I'm either taking the car back or getting at least $1,000.00 back to help with the repairs. It's still raining here and this place turns into a Third World country when it rains as all the roads become flooded and getting anywhere is a PITA! All the ski resorts are opening today which will be the first time in history they've opened before Thanksgiving, which I hope is not a prediction of things to come this winter. Ugh. I feel like morphing into a bear, going into my den for the winter and coming out next April! :)

After searching the Internet for far too long, I found the following web page to be the most useful. Apparently the author really swears by this stuff and says he's unbiased. Good instructions for a quick treatment or a long, drawn out (read "remove seats") treatment. Here it is: http://www.ferrariclub.com/faq/leatherdye.html Hope this helps someone.

KC, the guy told me that ebay somehow didn't put a reserve price on the car and someone bought it cheap and he refused to sell it, and then relisted it with a reserve and sold it (again). I don't know. What I do know is that he just called me again begging me to take the $700.00 and he'll get me any parts I need at dealer cost. If I do that <ta da!> he won't leave me negative feedback! Can you believe that??? How do I get myself into these things??? Oh yeah, those red circles on my back! :) I saw a '97 ES300 for $7950.00 wiith 99,750 miles on it and new tires, clean inside and out, 2 owners, for sale. I haven't seen the vehicle, though, just the ad. Does anyone think that sounds like a deal? I will have it inspected, trust me! Does anyone know of a good nationally advertised inspection service? I've got a headache. Again. Thanks in adavance, again, for any help you guys can give me on this '97. It's supposed to rain tonight and I'm bummed. Begining to wonder why they call this place "Sun City"! Thanks again.

SK, are you trying to say I might be gullible? You may be right — I tend to have faith in people. I've never bought a used car, except for a 1970 240Z in 1985 that I still have. I bought it from a friend and a month later the police knocked on my door, showed me their badges and barged into my house and went to the garage. They said it had a stolen engine in it. They had it towed, pulled the engine and tranny and told me it was my responsibility to get it out of the impound yard. My freind had no knowledge of anything — he bought the engine from what every Z owner in the area thought was a reputable Z repair shop. Both shop owners were convicted of running a chop shop! (The reason I don't drive it is because I'm too damn old to get in and out of it!) I found out later that a San Jose cop had my engine and tranny in his Z! Like MNJack said, routine maint. on a Lexus is expensive. I guess it may be on every foreign car. A friend has an older 560SEL that costs her $800.00 every time she takes it in for routine service. I called her last night and asked what she thinks she's spent on it since she bought it. Her answer... ta da... "I can tell you almost to the penny, because it's all on my computer — $81,000 something."!!! She loves the car, but I'll be damned if I would put that kind of money into a car. A neighbor 78 year-old widower) has a 1988 American "boat" (I think it's a Mercury) with 200,00 miles on it, but you'd never know it. The day after I bought the Lexus, he saw it in the driveway and came over in awe. He wants a new Lexus and asked if I would go with him to the dealer to buy one. (He thought mine was new!) Geeze, now I'm going to have to explain to my neighbors what happened. Of course they can probably see the bullseye on my back and will understand. :) Anyway, I was thinking about a 97+ Maxima, I30 or J30. I've driven the Maxima (96) and it was super-fun to drive and very quiet. Maybe I'll get over my "need a different car" phase and just be happy with my Explorer. (It's sure easier to mount and dismount!) Anway, the seller just e-mailed me again with another sob story, asking if I'd accept $700.00. Nope. I just don't have a good feeling about it, and that's not good when you've got big red circles on your back. :) Wish me luck!

javascript:emoticon('%20:cheers:') RESOLUTION! I e-mailed the seller again, saying that I wanted a full refund on the car after the Beverly Hills dealership said they could not/would not repair the vehicle to sell on their lot and she told me I should take it back to the dealer and demand my money back. He e-mailed me a nasty message and then called me saying if I kept the car he'd give me $500.00. I told him no, and he agreed to take the car back. I noticed oil in my driveway today and that was the last straw. (The garage is carpeted, so wouldn't notice any oil on it.) Now all I have to do is find someone to drive the 75 miles to Marina del Rey to drive me back! I just called about a '96 ES300 with 142K on it, in La Cresta, about 10 miles from me. They bought it from the original owner and a repair facility in Idyllwild (about 40 miles away) has all the records apparently. The original owner lived in Idyllwild. I will call them tomorrow. It needs tires, but he said everything else was "excellent". He wants $6500.00. It's a two-owner car and is on Autotrader.com. I've noticed that used car prices for my ZIP code in CA are much higher than the mid west or east coast, by about $1,200.00 on a $6,000.00 vehicle, according the Kelly BB or Edmunds. I hope this doesn't upset anyone, but I may look at Maximas also now. I doubt there's a Nissan web site with members as nice as you guys though!!! <---honest. Lexus repair costs are astronomical to me. I know they don't maintain their value as well as Lexus', but "value" is pretty subjective, I think. Does anyone have any opinions on Maxima GLEs? I just want a nice, sporty, sedan that is dependable and fun to drive. Please don't send me messages with that red-faced guy banging the other guy over the head with a chair icon. :) Thanks again for everyone's concern and advice/help. I really appreciate it, especially since I ony discovered this web site a few days ago. It's great! I'll stay in touch and let you know if I'm still a Lexus owner — a satisfied one, I hope.

"Snow"??? Could someone please tell me what that is? I've heard of it, but can't recall off hand what it was. :)

Thanks, guys, for your help/advice. Just for the helluvit I turned the headlights on in the garage yesterday and then drove around in the bright sun and the needles were fine — bright and no flickering. I turned the headlights off and they started flickering immediately. I turned the headlights back on and they continuted to flicker, so turning the headlights on in a darkened area definately has something to do with it, but I'm resigned to getting the needles replaced. I went to Lex Tech's web site, but I couldn't enlarge the photos of their products for some reason and it's difficult to tell anything from the small photos. I'll call them if I get the other problem I have resolved with the seller. Thanks again!

What I told him in my e-mail is that I want $1,800.00 to relace the struts, brakes and timing belt or I want him to buy the car back, plus my out of pocket expenses. Sears quoted me $1080.15 for Monroe Sensitrack struts and 18,000 mile (their "best") brakes. That's with their 1/2 price discount on strut labor. Big-O Tires quoted me $906.00 just for the rear KYB struts. With the Sears deal it will leave $600.00 for the timing belt and I'll pay for the water pump and power steering pump myself if they need to be replaced. As for records, no, there weren't any. I had spoken to a few dealerships who told me that few owners turn over their records when they trade a car in, so I thought this was normal. The seller on e-bay is essentially a wholesaler, I suppose. I have to call Jim Faulk Lexus in Beverly Hills this morning again as the woman I spoke to last week said the records report wouldn't print for some reason. I want that as proof that it wasn't maintained — at a Lexus dealership, anyway. The deceit of the ad, that I fell victim to, was the "Beverlly Hills" part. If any of you have ever been to Bev. Hills, you know that there are a lot of Bentley's, Rolls, Lexus, Mercedes, BMW's, etc. and they are probably garaged in mansions and had the best of care. I assumed this vehicle fell into that category from the description. It also has a rear USC Trojan license plate frame, which led me to believe that it was owned by a well-to-do person, but I now know that doesn't mean they take care of their cars! Do you think I should direct the seller to this forum for him to see your comments? I failed to mention that he had the Buy it Now price at $6995.00 to begin with, then hours before the auction ended, lowered it to $6495.00, then about an hour before, he dropped it to $6195.00, which I bought it for (there was only one bid at $1,500.00, I think.) I had spoken to him several times on the phone, priror to bidding and he told me he had never seen a more perfect car for it's age and mileage. When I bought it, he stressed that he wanted me to leave him positive feedback, which makes me believe that he bought it from the Lexus dealer on looks alone and embellished the maintanence part. About e-bay's protection program — it doesn't cover "wear and tear" of anything, and specifically excludes suspension and brakes. Their web site suggests that you try to resolve it with the seller and if that fails, to go through "Square Deal" who will arbitrate. I wanted to feel good about this vehicle, but as you can imagine, I don't, and I don't want this to drag on for a long, making me feel worse. I have a 1999 Explorer that has never cost me a penny except for oil changes and filters, which I do religiously, and tires, brakes and struts. It looks like new, I just got tired of it. Thank you all again for your advice. I appreciate it. As I said earlier, it's nice to have a support group during one's "grieving period". I don't feel like such a fool anymore, just stupid. The seller is supposed to call me this morning and I'll let you know what the outcome is.

I paid cash; i.e., $100.00 bills, but I'll call Capital One and see what they can do. haha! I sent him e-mail this evening giving him the options that Sears suggested: Send me a check to repair the car to bring it up to advertised standards or refund my money or I will leave negative feedback, contact the CA Consumer Affairs Dept and BBB. He gave me a sob story that I don't buy, but won't go into detail about. (I wish *I* could afford to live in Marina del Rey!!!) He also told me that he's a Christian and if I was, my concience wouldn't allow me to leave negative feedback! Oh, he told me on the phone that he could get me used parts cheap or new parts at dealer cost. I guess I look dumber than I thought. I think he bought this car on looks alone, but he could have just stated: "Looks gorgeous" and not embellish the condition of the entire car. I've calmed down a bit and the veins in my forehead have gone down somewhat. My blood pressure is down to 285/200. :) This is a great "support group" and I'm glad I found you guys. Thanks again!

Thanks to you guys who replied, and especially for not saying "Why in the hell would you buy a car on e-bay?!!!" It's not easy finding a mint car, of any kind, in Californiad at a reasonable price. I don't know why, but TX and PA and MA and FL have hundreds of cars on Autotrader.com and Cars.com (which carry most newspaper ads). I looked for a month, trying to find a nice ES300 in Southern CA, but most had 200K+ on them. Most of the ads in SoCal are for 2000 and newer. I guess people here keep their cars longer than most. Taking the seller to small claims court sounds like a good idea if he doesn't resolve the problem(s), but I will try to resolve it with e-bay first. I didn't realize they had an arbitration system. Thanks again for the suggestions and I'll keep you posted on my progress. dockerguy