SpeedRacer959

amf1932, Great stats. Have you ever seen how they have to drive those cars to get that kind of acceleration out of them....especially manuals. They will do whatever it takes to squeez out more time, including burning the clutch...most people would NEVER drive there car like they do. It's possible that if a lexus got the jump on a manual transmission boxster and the guy isn't a professional driver (which most people aren't), he would be more in the 7 or 8 second 0-60, which would make for a much more competitive race... B) Plus....to top it off, we aren't going 0 to 60, I believe the person said we were only going 200 feet which would put it more in the rhelm of 0 - 30 MPH race. I dont' know the stats, but my lexus goes like hell from 0-30 and I know the boxster doesn't. I beat one in my 1997 Toyota tacoma V6 from 0-30. I've driven the boxster and boxster S, it could happen if the guy isn't absolutely ready. They just don't have low-end torque. You have to drive the crap out of it to get those acceleration numbers you displayed. This means that Boxster must not have brought the RPMs up to the much needed 5000 to 7000 for a good launch. Just my 2 cents... Lexus rocks, Porsche blows....plus even if you win in a Boxster, there's no back seat to haul around the fans. :P

I personally like the price of the older design better. :D If I could afford a new one I would own a new one. The look like they rock.

That's awesome. He's probably on the Porsche board right now complaining that he got beat down by a Lexus Executive Sedan (aka ES) :D The funny part is, I've driven the boxster and boxster S before, and you have to really drive them hard to get power out. W/ our Lexus, just put the pedal down and it's got a very drivable power curve w/ respects to hp and torque. The boxster has to have the revs up before it really comes alive. LONG LIVE LEXUS!

I also bought a 97es300 w/ a cracked steering wheel. I went to www.car-part.com and found a steering wheel from an 1998 lexus w/ only 30k miles. It's like new for only $75 shipped. It took me 10 minutes to swap them out. Before you buy, ask the condition of the steering wheel, you don't want to buy another that looks like yours...all cracked and stuff. Also, make sure it's the same color. Good luck, Jimi

Blake, Try that link I sent you for car-part.com I found seats on there for $200 each out of 1996 Lexus es300's. Here's some examples: 1996 Seat, Front Lexus ES300 -#32,LH,Lea,w/o Ht,Tan,pN114638*OSS 0305S $200.17 LKQ - Triplett ASAP USA-OH(Akron) E-mail 1-800-822-5555 1996 Seat, Front Lexus ES300 LH,w/o heat- Lea,Tan,pN113126*COF YF3619 $200.17 LKQ - Triplett ASAP USA-OH(Akron) E-mail 1-800-822-5555 1996 Seat, Front Lexus ES300 tan leather bucket 4dr power RT381 $200 Cunningham Brothers Auto Parts - PRP USA-VA(Rustburg) Quote 1-800-828-0707 Insurance-Quote 1996 Seat, Front Lexus ES300 - GRAY LEATHER POWER 220083 $200 Taylor Motor Company USA-VA(Cumberland) E-mail 1-800-503-9888 1996 Seat, Front Lexus ES300 - TAN LEATHER U ID477 $200 Action Auto Wreckers USA-CA(San-Jose) E-mail 1-800-606-9732 1996 Seat, Front Lexus ES300 4DR,TAN,BUC,LEA,RF,P WR AC3171 $200 Fagan Auto Parts USA-AL(Piedmont) E-mail 1-800-331-5282 1996 Seat, Front Lexus ES300 4DR,TAN,BUC,LEA,RF,P WR BE3824 $200 Fagan Auto Parts USA-AL(Piedmont) E-mail 1-800-331-5282 Just start calling around and ask them the condition and how much it will be to ship to you. Then you can get both seats for $400 (+ shipping should be around $60 total) All you'll have to do then is bolt them in. Just make sure they tell you that they are in superb condition. Ask how many miles the car has that they are coming off of etc. You'll want seats out of a car w/ less than 50k miles or so to get some like new ones. Good Luck, Jimi

Blake, My thinking is that when you add the extra weight from the gas, your car must work slightly harder to pull it around. While doing this, it may burn the fuel more inefficently and cause one of the O2 sensors to trip. Since the check engine lights usually have to do w/ emmissions, I would check all of the basics first if you haven't done so...like spark plugs, plug wires, and air filter just to make sure your car is running at tip-top shape. Then if it still happens, you may have a faulty O2 sensor. <_< or something else like the catelytic converter is going out. (That'll probably cost more than my rear struts.) good luck! :) -Jimi

I recently replaced my steering wheel and have the old one if you are interested in it? It's off a 1997 ES300. However, I would recommend doing what I did and buy one from a junkyard. I ran a search and found steering wheels for your lexus (up to 1996 will fit perfect w/ your airbag I believe) and found s.wheels for only $50 from a junkyard. You can talk to them and ask them the condition before you buy. I bought mine off a 1998 Lexus w/ 29k miles and it's perfectly "new looking" for $75 shipped. I had the same problems...it was dried and cracked. go to www.car-part.com and start looking. Good luck.

Well I just called the lexus dealer. The struts for the adjustable suspension are $398 each. That's pricey. Dealer price pirates . I'm wondering if I can just unplug the button that adjusts the shocks and just install normal ones that cost $79 each online. Any thoughts? Seems like it would work. Or should I just call it quits and sell the car to a salvage yard.

Oh great. I have that fancy feature that adjusts it from sport to comfort mode. :( I'm dreading how much that will affect the cost. Anyone w/ experience on this? Costs? stupid struts :chairshot:

Is that something that you can do yourself? Or is that a take-it-in sort of thing? I did a search on the LOC for R&I of rear struts and didn't come up w/ anything. Help would be MUCH appreciated!

I would like to know what you find out. When I go over bumps I hear a rattle in the back. I've suspect that it might be the rear struts. It sounds like metal to metal hitting. Definatly a clunk of some sort. Is struts going bad a common thing on a 1997 lexus w/ 120k?

Wow, they are already sold. I knew they were a good deal! They were only on there for less than a day! ah well, hopefully someone from LOC got them.

Well the price is. I've been watching them for awhile and $700 for chrome 17" genuine rims w/ tires is a great deal. They are selling for $1450 for tires/wheels just like it. Maybe not once in a lifetime, but I've been looking for a month now, and it's the best I've seen. -Jimi

This is the best deal I've seen yet! I would buy them right now, but I'm not ready to buy yet. So instead, I felt that I would share this opportunity to anyone looking for 17" IS300 wheels (chrome) that will fit on the ES300. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAP...item=2425046667 This package is worth over $1000 and it has a buy-it-now for only $700. I can't believe they are that cheap! :o Good luck guys. -Jim

Not as long as Bush is president anyway... <_< Oh, the taillights, if they are the culprit, could leak to almost anywhere. I had taillights in a toyota corolla once leak and it filled up the rear passenger foot area. It accumulates, and when you drive, it could all drain to the lowest spot depending on how your trunk is shaped and where the leak is. And a solution to the trunk issue is use your reliable wireless trunk release. :D Or, just wait and get someone to let you out. Might want to hold their car keys or something just to make sure.

It's tough to say where the leak is coming from without seeing it, but your best bet is to lay inside the trunk with a flashlight when it's closed and have someone run water on the outside. I would pay special attention to around the taillights, as those tend to be a common leak point on older cars. If it is the taillights, then you can remove them, clean out all the dirt from the seals and apply a sealant of some sort before reinstalling them. good luck. B)

Hey Lex3486, Try this link ES wheels $650 for a nice set of new style ES wheels. Keep in mind though, they are an inch bigger than yours. They're 16" wheels, so you'll have to buy new tires too. This is it, but he says it comes with Lexus wheel center caps. Good luck. I'm trying to find nice rims for mine too. B) Take your time. -Speed

steviej, I just checked, it says 44 PSI max on the side. Thanks for the advice. I'm sure the gas mileage savings wouldn't add up to compare to a massive blow-out at 75 and totalling the ES....scary. I'm sure they're over-engineered though. Isn't that what firestone said to ford? :D

Those IS300 wheels definately look great on the ES300. If you don't use the offset will it rub? Or is the offset just to make it look better?

I believe that if your fuel injector is clean already, then it doesn't matter what brand fuel you put in. The higher octane of 93 will make your engine run cooler, be more efficient, and get better gas mileage. I use 93 octane when I take my car for business trips and I got 460 miles to one tank before. I was very surprised because after I filled up, it only took in 17 gallons. I was getting 27 mpg w/ 93 octane (and 50 psi in the tires) which makes a huge difference. You might want to make sure you have your tires pumped up to proper PSI. I believe Lexus suggests 32 for a nice ride, but I like to run near 40 at all times, and 50 for long trips. Also, if your car is getting poor mileage, you may need new plugs, wires, air filter, and/or get the fuel system professionally cleaned (usually runs about $80 to have your fuel system professionally cleaned) good luck B)

Requesting help!! I'm going to buy new wheels for my es soon, but I want to go bigger. You know...bigger is better theory. I know the IS300 17" wheels will fit on there, but how do you find out how big of wheels will fit w/out rubbing. I heard someone had 18's on there car. Also, how wide can you go??? Right now I'm leaning towards putting on IS300 chrome 17's on there. Post Pics of your wheels too...It may help me decide. cheers!

Hey, I have many years experience painting cars like the lexus, mercedes, and other luxury cars. A key thing to know is that aftermarket paint (ie. paint from a body shop) is almost never as nice or as strong as the stock paint. It's nearly impossible to match the paint texture, metallics, and color. If the scratch isn't really bad, then I would highly recommend keeping the repair small with a nice touch up job. You can take it to a scratch and dent repair place and they can probably fix it for under $200 total, and you won't be able to see it. They use many different techniques such as filling the crack with touch up color, then wet sanding the scratch flat w/ 2000 grit sand paper, then polishing it w/ a high speed polisher. This is something you can do yourself as well. Another technique is they may airbrush the scratch then polish it flat, but both look nearly perfect when finished. Your car is so new that I would highly recommend just keeping the repair small. Your paint is made to last 20+ years w/out really needing repainting. If you opt to repaint the door, you run the risk of the paint flaking away at the edges, chiping, and/or not matching properly. Just my 2 cents...good luck and sorry to hear it happened to you. ;)

I guess GS Rims are 1/2" wider than IS rims. I found a set on ebay that ends in 5 days. Comes with tires too, just have to bolt them on. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAP...item=2422849411 Have fun! -Jimi

I've been laughing at everyone's experience "racing" their ES's. I thought I was the only one. My wife thinks it's stupid, but hey...sometimes you just have to know. I did have a really embarrassing experience once though. I was at a 3 lane wide stoplight that turns to two lanes shortly after the light. So if you loose, you not only loose, but you have to pull in behind the winner...very embarrasing. So anyway, I pulled up next to a mid-80's Oldsmobile something or other, white, rusty crappy car with some old guy in it. I took one glance and figured I didn't even need to try to race. So the light turns green, he peels out so I'm like "ohhh, he want's to race huh" Then I step on the gas, traction control kicks in and restricts the motor, then it finally kicks in and revs up to like 4500 and shifts pathetically...drats, I had overdrive on too. He was a car length ahead which made it very convenient to pull in behind him. :P Then to add insult to injury, the owner of this $800 beauty gives a hand gesture as if to say "you ain't nothing." So, I'm gun shy now...everytime I think there's a remote possibility I'll need power right away, I take traction controll off and make sure O/D is off. Also, move the suspension into "sport" mode just for good measure. :D Happy racing.

The white GS looks good. I would definately update the rims to chrome. If they are the same 17" rims as IS300 (which I think they are), then you can find them on ebay for around $600-$800.