blake918

Comb my hair?? Gosh, I can't think of the last time I've done that! J/K, I'll only comb my hair if it's sticking up or something like that just so I don't look too much like a clown! Since my school is private, we all wear the same uniform(down to the loafers and socks) day in and day out--no need to dress up! Believe it or not there are some perks with no girls at school: like the appearance things you mentioned, they don't matter because who are you trying to look good for?? Other guys? Nope! Also, no girls makes for a much easier day simply because you aren't worring about them or what you're doing in front of them etc. And probably best of all we can just be guys! I agree; it would be nice to show off the LS! We don't really have to worry about offending any girls, disguting them, etc(you'd be suprised where class discussions go with 20 guys in the room!). Probably the most fascinating thing is how my female teachers will agree with us on how much trouble girls are! lol There are some downsides too, but it's really not as bad as you are imagining. My high school experience has been quite the opposite of your's and Steve's. I started at my school in 8th grade(that's just what we do here for some reason! I haven't gone to school with girls since 7th grade! Wow!), and I've enjoyed all 4 years with the exception of my senior year which is supposed to be the best! Frankly, this year ranks quite low on the scale; my junior year was definantly the best. I suppose I dislike this year so much because I'm just burnt out and going to school for 8 and a half hours doesn't help any. I just can't leave quick enough at the end of the day; I've never been this way in 4 years! I'm looking foward to the college days where I won't go anymore than 4 hours a day. Steve, you and many others all agree when yall say how did I ever go to school for 8 hours a day? Steve, I'm sure I'll get to learn more than I want to about advertising because I'm going to be a business major! What business did you start in college(If you don't mind sharing)?

You're absolutely right, Denny. My dad and I changed the rear brakes(just pads) on the ES. It was incredibly easy. It took us less than a half hour to do both rear brakes.

You got me!!!! ;) Then, I thought no way since we were just talking about highschool a few posts up. Nice work. :)

Try the place I used-AA Auto. They can ship anywhere, and I even convinced him to throw it in for free! :D Make sure to get it for free because the LS's seats weigh a ton!!! Swaping seats is child's play; she's held in with 4 bolts and a connector for the power and memory. Thanks for the compliments! :D

Good, we both feel better! :D :D I lol'ed when I read that the first time! Some of the plugs were in standing water-literally. Some fool filled the engine with water while cleaning it. i don't know who would do something like that??? The car leaks or consumes no oil at all even with the Mobile1 full synthetic blend I have. The powertrain will definantly outlast the body!

That's why my parents send me to an all boys, private, high school! Plus with LA being last or second to last in education, our public schools are awful and quite unsafe(school shootings, fighting). Although my school is single sexed...ughh, I am getting a good education, and I should with their tuition prices(my parents will actually save money with me going to college next year!). lol The subliminal stimuli sounds very interesting. I guess the Lincoln commercial was a bad ex. because I love Lincolns. I'd drive a TC especially the 03+(the best driving position I've ever experienced), LS(probably the best suspension tuning for under $35k, and it simply looks stunning!), Nav, etc. any day! I suppose the GM commercials with the "it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing" song would fit the discussion better since I hate GM vehicles, but I love that commercial! The song certainly does grab my attetnion and make me want to watch it. What's the deal with all the jazz tunes?(probably a lot of experiments to see how people react to specific genres.) Even better is the guy's voice on the Lexus commercials. It's very cool, kinda majestic to me for some reason. I do enjoy watching the commercials with the hot women on them, but 95% of those products I'd never buy even with the pretty ladies!

Senior privliges my friend! B) The other boys at my school atleast get out at the end of May; why do you go until June 19?? Stray away; it's quite fun! :D

Steve, the paint situation? Well, it's not really working at the moment. I think I've done more school work this past month than I've done all year(teachers are cramming), so I have extremely limited amounts of time. This summer that will be my big project hopefully I'll have a PC by then. BTW, I stole the parts for only $525. :D Agent 99, those plugs scared me when I saw them...you're so kind though! :) Those are the old ones. I have new ND Irridium plugs in now($95...ouch!). I havent done any fluids other than the oil. I hope to get to that really soon. The first thing I thought about when I posted this was that your stomach hurt when you saw the first pics of my car. lol I hope you are feeling better now! I certainly do! UCF3, you'll love AA AUto. Be sure to ask for Mike. He was even very nice to a pesky kid with 1000000 questions such as myself. Thanks guys

Denny, I'm...my eyes rather are enjoying the new upholstered parts! Let me know if you want me to post those pics for you. ;) UCF3, I'd love to share the name: AA Auto Parts, phone- 1 800 336-2231, website: www.aaforeign.com I found it best just to call and talk to them. Ask to talk to Mike; he sent me pics of the seat for me and was most helpful, and I took his word that the wheel and console were pristine. As it turns out, his word was good! :D If they don't have what you want, go on car-parts.com...they'll find someone that does have the specific part you want. 93, I used Simple Green and a scrub brush. Take it from me, be extremely careful with the hose becaue it will cost you a lot of $ if you are careless like me! I had to redo the ignition system after I doused my engine compartment. Thanks for the kind words guys. :)

It's hardly an arguement! It's just a friendly debate. :D Plus, we alrady answered his question, so we can have a little fun now. ;) I know we must see where the money is going, but you said that just because something is more expensive, it doesn't gaurantee anything extra whatsoever while I'm saying that the higher price will usually gaurantee something extra whether it comes inside the box or not. I definantly don't let other's dictate what I should like; I think it's flat out rude! I'm pretty immune to peer pressure. I think I'm one of the few that would pay extra money for an OEM product rather than a more stylish aftermarket piece; trust me I know it's not "cool," but I like it, and I especially love beige cars and strongly dislike black...don't stone me!! It's no doubt that s*x does sell(to some atleast); I suppose that's why it's everywhere. However, I can't say that the sexy women on deodorant and other bath product commercials make me want to run out and buy the good like old spice, axe, etc. I will say that the cool, Jazzy music on Lincoln commercials makes me want to march out and buy one though! Craftsman are great tools. Plus, when you break it, you give a new one..free! I never realized how many of us are in high school. Only 9 more days for me though. muhahaha :D Just throw in a period, comma, or semi colon here and there, and you'll be ok! lol

I'm extremely pleased considering the old console and seat!....

Luckily, I found some nice used interior parts from a junk yard in Arkansas. I bought the driver's seat, steering wheel, and console for $525 shipped. :D I'd classify all 3 pieces in very good to excellent condition. Well here are some pics that I had on my camera(not just interior...my engine when I first bought the car, new shift indicator plate, steering wheel swap in progress, nasty looking spark plugs too! and my ES)....

Ahh the contrary...the beauty of a debate! ;) I would say that I had a pretty good counter point for atleast half of them though. :D I see what you're saying, and I agree with you to a certain extent...my thoughts are that MOST of the time you do indeed get what you pay for. Can you define "better" for me? I know that the ES is better than the V6 Camry, but wouldn't you agree that you do get something extra-we'll call it the "Lexus Experience" to sum up all of the extras-for the extra money you pay for the car? Top on that list is 100% more prestige than the Camry. right? While I agree with you that MB's are typically no good, can't you say that you do get something extra for the extra money you fork up? Prestige comes to the very front of my mind while quality is rearmost! So, does Prestige fall under your definition of better? Maybe not, but you do get something for the extra money you pay for the car/food/etc which is my point. :D

Yep, that's after the detail. No buffer. Fortunately, you can only tell that the paint is that horrific right up close-I'd say only within 2 feet of the car. I think I'm going to have to break down and get the PC real soon! I can sleep only because I know that the car has lived on the highway for more than 200k miles. Lousey paint is a small price for an outstanding automobile like this one. Good paint-bad paint I still love her to death, and she's the best car I've ever driven(maybe my friends '99 Vette was kinda close, but man was that thing the biggest rattle trap ever)! :D

WOW, I completely forgot about this Steve! :( Here ya go: That what you are looking for? After thinking about the paint day and night for a while, I really think the car will need to be repainted. Those white spots seem to be where the paint has chipped off and is dried out and started to peel. I despise black(not even because it shows dirt but because every freakin scratch on the car shows up as if it were painted in yellow). I want beige again!!!!!!!!

Just want to put out a word of warning from my own experience...be extremely careful with the water under the hood. I gave my LS's V8 what I thought was a gentle rinse off, but I start her up and she barely runs. As it it turned out the entire right hand bank was full of water, and half of the left bank(I think just cyl.'s 6 & 8) was full too! Anyways almost $300 in parts down the road, the car was back to running fine. Needless to say my engine looks a lot better! Dotcomer, do you have any pics of your nav setup? It'd be great if you'd share, please!! ;) I'd like to see what the aftermarket's got for the folks that don't want one of those flip out deals for $2+k. Nice work with the engine. Silver, what tire foam do you use?

I can agree to that to a certain extent...my dad has taught me that MB's(and pretty much all other European makes) are junk ever since I was 5. With the paper. I'll admit that I'd probably go for the HP paper because I wouldn't take the time to compare the lables. I'd just automatically assume that the HP is better because of the price. 1. Agreed. However, I'd like to add that on the MB you're not paying for top reliability; you're paying for the hood orniment and the recognition that goes with it. And with this name recognition comes added Piece of Mind(for most things! MB excluded)!!! 2. Ok...name recognition always cost more; see #1 lol 3. I don't agree; while it might all come from the same refineries, they all mix different additives in: some better, some worse (techron, etc.) 4. I was actually thinking about that 1 as I typed that statement! Believe it or not you do get some nice things with the extra prices at Lexus: mainly a Lexus loaner car that is less than 1 year old and more important their accountability-they'll most likely still be in business tomorrow(sorry Lex3486!). If I wern't a broke teen, my car would go to the dealership for service. However, if you don't feel the need to sit in a leather chair while waiting for your car to be serviced then washed, you can always go to an independant guy for a lot less money. Along with the gas, I think we can mark this one under the "piece of mind" category. I think the only ind. mechanic I'd trust is JPI! 5. That comparison is way to obsured. I'm skeptical that both you and your fiance have done the exact same activities(better oppertunities for tears, wear, etc.) while wearing designer clothes and WalMart clothes. Also, your clothes were dry cleaned, and she machine washed hers. The chemicals your dry clearner uses might not mix well with the clothing fabrics and what not. It's a lot of BS, but all I'm saying is that your comparison is not on level playing ground. My parents are into all of the expensive clothes(suits, sweaters, shoes etc.) too. They are just different from the $35 Old Navy get-up I've got on as we speak. The fabrics are softer; the colors are brighter; they fit you like they were taylored just for you; they are obviously higher quality pieces. 6.It's(fruit, veggies, other cans) just like meat. It all comes from the same place, but some cuts are better than others. In the abense of meat, we can say quality. The store branded cans probably have more brusied and lower quality items per x amount of cans. I'm not much of a cereal person, so I can't argue if the stuff w/o a box taste just as good the stuff with the pretty box. 7. I dunno...kinda agree. Computer manufactures all use the similar componet companies like Intel, ATI, AMD, and so on. I think the failure is a random thing...maybe not random, but inevitable is a better word. The manuf's probably know that x amount of them will fail just out of man. defects, and whose to know if Sony or Dell will get that lousey video card?? I've got a $3500 Apple computer in my room that fried it's video card in the first year I had it which costed another $300. It's the same video card in the dinky HP that I'm talking to you on right now that's 4 years old and going fine. I suppose I'm getting at electronic failure is not price bracket specific, so my super high tech Apple computer has just as good of a chance of failing as the $400 Dell you see on TV. 8. Noo way. My dad just switched to Nextel in an attempt to lower his $500 cell phone bill. What a mistake! The Nextel is garbage eventhough he did save like $200 a month. Needless to say he's coughing up the extra $ for Cingular's better service. 9. Timex's are indestructable and cheap, but I did have a Fossil($100) watch that was the biggest POS ever-the hands would move freely after I had it for several months. I replaced it with a Seiko that was 2x the cost, and just like your's the thing is awesome. 10. Agreed! I know what you're saying about the Am Express card. My dad used to have one for his company expenses; very few places would accept it. I dunno why anyone wouldn't want a free Master card or Visa? Great point about simply being aware of what you're getting for your money and where it's going. :D

I know I am! :D I spend the extra $5 for brighter and thicker laser printer paper just because I like the look and feel of it even if they do come from the same mill. I can't think of very many things where you don't get what you pay for. Your ES will gladly run on 87; Alan has done this since '94 on his first ES and on his 03-like your car, and he's never had a problem. I know my LS would probably run fine on 87, but I pay the extra $.20 at the pump for my own comfort. After reading your post above about marketing, I can't help but wonder are you a "sucker" too?....... From the quote above, it sounds like you are one of those... So...you run Premium just because your car is expensive? Hmmmm <_<

Don't let the mileage weigh too much on whether or not the car is in good shape or not. My 95 LS has 225k on the clock, and she goes like a bat out of hell in any situation!!! Tell us some more about the possible LS. Year? Maint. history? etc. I'm the same age as you, and I love the silky ride(and extra space) of my LS. It's really not floaty at all. They will lean, but it's a very controlled lean. I've taken a lot of sharp turns and other manuvers in the LS at very quick speeds, and it always fells secure and confident. This isn't like your grandparents Lincoln TC! It never puts me to sleep; I guess because I'm in constant awe that a car can be this nice. :D

Thanks for taking my opposition so well. :) What can I say, I like cars in boring, 100% factory condition!...to each his own, right? I should have been a more clear with my words. By "Fast and Furious" I never intended to convey that they looked cheap or ricey-they don't. I meant they are extremely sporty and race car looking. Maybe even too much sport...hehe! B) I'm sure your goals for better handling and what not will be met quite well!

Yeah, there was something definantly wrong with that LS because when you floor it, it should pin you back into the seat. The LS's speed is most definantly in a different leauge than the ES's...I drive both regularly, so I know! The downshift should be smooth and quick followed by the controlled roar of the 4.0 V8. B) Sounds like this LS might have some issues going by how you said it drives, so keep on looking. I looked at 6 different LS's before I found the right one for me. I'm with you here...the ES is definantly a sports car when compared to the LS! :D

I just got a Road & Track special edition about the 300C in the mail, and after reading it, I found out that the car only gets 25mpg while burning only on 4cyl! :o An LS can do better than that burning all 8 of her cylinders! I agree, though, it is a stunning car, but you could get an awful nice cpo LS430-which is a sure bet- for $40k(sure they start at $25k, but I'd never consider a V6 on a 2 ton beast like this!)! I'm thinking about the mechanical problems the car will have after some miles roll on which is scary. This car reminds me of the t-Bird or SSR-they all look very good(to some. hmm...SSR), but would you pay $40k for one of them(grant it the 300 is much more practical!)? Lexus cars have me spoiled! Comfort, extreme quality, excellent reliability, etc. Nothing but a Lexus will do for me anymore. :D

I'll stray from the crowd here. Personally, I'm not a fan of aftermarket goodies on our ultra conservative LS's. I think those rims are way to "Fast & Furious" Honda Civic for me; not suprisingly, I like the OEM rims the best on any car because I think that any aftermarket choice is just a general rim-not one that was made specifically for the LS. Weird?...I know, but it's just my expressing my love of 100% OEM cars! Nonetheless, I'm glad they make you happy which is most important! ;) So, enjoy them a ton! :D BTW, that's a gorgeous car and color!

Pachocco, It's kinda weird, my car was the exact opposite when I did the wires. My mileage stayed the same, but the performance was much more responsive. 1UZFE, I've never spun a tire, ever! I suppose if I really wanted to I could-like reving it in neutral and then drop it in D, but flooring it at a red light has never gotten me a tire chirp or anything. I think those that have had it happen was some kind of freak thing(the LS has power, but not tire melting power!)...some old gentleman in a Lincoln TownCar(I'd say the TC is a similar weight to the LS, but I know that the TC has only 220-230hp, right?) chirped his tires to get in front of me at a red light today. It was a rather interesting experience to hear this from a TC which further leads me to believe that LS tire chirps are odd ball occurances. Better yet, those that have chirped the tires should share their experiences! 1UZFE, what are you trying to accomplish with your car? better mpg? performance?

Very, very well put Steve! :D I just went through this same senario when some people had a sh_t fit about how I was trying to and did better the fuel economy of my car-95 LS. The sticker on my car shows $57k, so what should gas be to me? Right. Wrong!!! I paid nowhere near $57k for the car, and even if I could, I'd still care about the fuel economy. Back to the origional question, Paul, I only run Premium. Is it a waste? Possibly!, but there must be a good reason why Lexus stamped it on the gauges. But, most importantly, like a few others,it gives me piece of mind. :D Good luck with the puchase and take some pics for us. ;)