sonewsy

That's the only bad thing about buying used cars. You don't know who the previous driver or driverS were like.

I know that i would NEVER want a car that had been driven by my wife of i, for example. i will be perfectly honest, i'm pretty aggressive and don't baby my cars. I put close to 40,000+ miles on them a year and dump them after 3 or 4 years depending on how bad of shape they're in.

Just last month i traded my other 03 rx300 in to the dealer for an LS430. That rx300 had almost 75,000 miles on it, and was on its way out with the transmission. But the exterior was VERY clean, i always keep the interiors clean, it had navigationl it was beautiful. I bet someone else owns it right now thinking they got a good deal.

Buying used is just a chance.

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yikes, mispoke! The G35 has a lovely exterior and crappy interior.

Lexus vs. Acura?  Lexus wins in my opinion.  Why?  Lexus has statistically proven to offer better quality, reliability, dealer treatment and strong resale value.  Furthermore, you feel the personal satisfaction of driving a respected luxury brand.  Dont get me wrong though, Acura is definitely a nice luxury car, however, I just dont think their quality is all there yet. 

Check out the Lexus Certified Program.  It has a lot of benefits to offer plus you can save much more $$; again that's just my personal taste.  The price will vary depending on what package/options are included.  What are you interested in?  Was it the Acura TL you were comparing the ES330 too?

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I looked at Acura, the G35 and the ES. The g35 has a BEAUTIFUL interior and crappy interior. Scrathed off the list.

The Acura, for me, had a ugly exterior.

The ES has a ugly exterior but LOVELY interior and isn't that what really matters?

Call me shallow, but I got the ES. Aside from a few inconsistent lurches traveling under 10 mph, it's just fine.

Good luck.

Are we talking the CEL (little light that looks like an engine) or are you talking about the maint. reminder light?

I would guess it is the maint reminder light telling you it is time to change your oil.

The reminder is probably set for the 7500 mile oil change interval.

Either way, like Alan said, take it to the dealer.  If it is the CEL, it is covered.

If it is the oil change, it is covered too (first change is free....at least it used to be).

steviej

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No, it was the mafunction indicator light and it went off yesterday so I canceled the appointment. Had oil changed at 5,000 miles.

Who has $1,000,000+ worth of cars? All of Lex's cars totalled dont equal anywhere close to $1,000,000.

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Oh i donno, i was just guesstimating how much the value of all his cars were.

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Yikes! Did you say you went to a good high school?

Dropping it off Monday, they can't get to it sooner. Guess I better not drive too much this weekend.

Hi all,

Maybe have to stop bragging about my ES 330 2005 car. Tonight the malfunction indicator light came on with only 7,300 miles.

Manual says to check gas and gas cap. All well there. Sigh, any thoughts?

I don't know what everyone's talking about. I just took my wife's 05 es330 out few minutes ago to see if i noticed anything; i didn't notice anything unusual. It rides very smooth and shifts as i think it should.

Is this a "problem" with the ES330, or just something unusual; like the rx330's strange upshifting.  Maybe it's just because i'm so used to the lexus transmission i can't tell.

I still think it's a great car. Maybe i'm wrong?

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Not at all. Not all cars have the problem. Mine doesn't. Or at least with 6,200 miles, not yet.

I've driven Lexuses with the problem and without.

Anybody know if there have been any complaints with the all new Avalon & it's 5 speed automatic? 

 

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Yup. Go to the Edmunds forums and hit on Avalon link.

His 01 Camry doesnt have an electronic throttle thats the difference.

Unfortunately its something you just have to get used to, in my experience you do get used to it and can drive around it. Do a search and read all the info we've got on the board about the subject.

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Not all the cars have the problem. My 2005 ES has 6,000 miles. The only hesitating /surge I have is when driving between 1-5 mph. Shouldn't be there, but not a major problem.

I've also owned a Camry. World of difference between the Lexus ES and the Camry.

I have 5,000 miles on my ES, had oil change yesterday. I wouldn't trade my car in. And I have no complaints.

Initially, a few times, car felt jerky when driving 1-5 mph. Not consistent and hasn't happened in a long time.

No other acceleration/hesitation problems. I am not in a lot of stop and go traffic for the record.

I am glad I got the 2005. Some people ay ALL es 330s have the hesitation problem. Not true.

I fully agree lol

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Burp! Excuse me, just drank a coke while wondering how to clean seatbelt. <_<

Hi all,

Didn't know a pen had exploded in my hand until I saw it after I got out of the car There are large ink spots on the wooden part of my wheel. (And, sigh, seat belt). How should I clean this off my 2005? I've yet to clean the wheel since I got car.

I am 20 years old and have a '97 ES300.  I love the car and my friends, family, and co-workers all think that it's a great car.  I don't get the head-turns (except from people thinking that I'm just driving my "parents' car") but I do get compliments on it from a wide range of age groups.  I bought this car for its reliability and for its style.  I love it.

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A lovely 43 year-old with a 2005 ES.

Instead Lexus ES330 owners can look forward to expensively replacing all the tires maybe every 10,000 miles (what else do they mean when they say "...life may be SUBSTANTIALLY less than 20,000 miles..."?!!! Any suggestions about what to do about this apparently insane situation?

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The ES330 brochure says (capitals my emphasis) : "Tires fitted with 17 inch wheels are expected to experience greater tire wear than conventional tires. Tire life MAY be substantially less than 20,000 miles, DEPENDING ON DRIVING CONDITIONS.

Solutions are simple:

1. Rotate your tires every 5000 miles. Since you are a conservative driver, you may

get 30,000 miles of life or more if you keep up with the rotations.

2. When tire replacement is necessary, simply buy a long wearing all season tire in the

215/55VR17 tire size and you may get around 50,000 miles of tire life if you keep up with the 5000 mile rotations.

Ultimate solution: Get 16" wheels on ebay and then sell your 17" on ebay

The Lexus salesmen lied to you if he really said all ES330's come to the USA with 17" wheels. Lots come here with 16's. Always remember a Lexus dealer is run by Americans, not the Japanese and there's nothing corporate Lexus can do to change our American automotive industry culture which has always included a number of liers, cheaters and manipulators.

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For what it's worth, since you just purchased the car, see if your dealer will swap out your tires for the Michelins. My dealer did it for me after three weeks at no charge. Just stamped "Goodwill" on my paperwork. :D

I picked up my new 2005 ES330 Lexus at the dealer yesterday.  Drove it home 100 miles.  No problems except controls are hard to learn. 

Now that the die is cast, I decided to weed out my voluminous file of literature, Consumer Reports, etc.  Discovered to my amazement the following incredible small print in the back of a huge glossy official Lexus ES330 brochure I had gotten weeks ago from another dealer but hadn't studied carefully:

"Disclaimers

1. Tires fitted with 17-in wheels are expected to experience greater tire wear than conventional tires.  Tire life may be substantially less than 20,000 miles, depending on driving conditions."

Now, I hadn't wanted the fancy 17-in wheel option in the first place but took it only because the salesman said every car shipped to the US came in that way and that if I wanted the standard 16-in wheels I would have to wait four to six months for a car to be specially built and shipped from Japan. 

The above disclaimer seems to mean that, in addition to practially ramming an unwanted option down its customers' throats, Lexus puts them into a situation where tires won't last usual maybe 60,000 or 70,000 miles (my experience--I'm a cautious driver).  Instead Lexus ES330 owners can look forward to expensively replacing all the tires maybe every 10,000 miles (what else do they mean when they say "...life may be SUBSTANTIALLY less than 20,000 miles..."?!!!

Any suggestions about what to do about this apparently insane situation?

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When I bought my 2005 in December every new ES model in the showroom had a sticker on the window saying the tires could last less than 20,000 miles.

Surprised, I asked about it and the info was confirmed. So I knew going into it what the deal was. I don't know why your dealer didn't alert you.

Those are some sharp looking tires.  B)  Great pics...especially the last two.  I have 225/60/16's w/ H speed ratings. I have had them aired up to 44psi for the past year, and I have not complaints at all as far as the ride is concerned, etc. Good luck with your new tires!

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Hi guys,

Now I'm confused. My car came with the summer Toyos. Inside the door it reads tires should be 30. I now have the Michelins. They should be 30 as well, right? Or higher?

Thanks, ordering today. :P

None of the 5 dealers here sell them...

Its best to just order it online. Probably be cheaper anyways.

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Hi all,

I just called my dealer, I was advised NOT to get the auto pen, that they quit selling them because people had too many problems using them.

They sell touch up paint for $5. Used to sell the auto pen for $10.

I'm about to order from autovisuals, but will wait after some feedback from folks who have used both the pen and regular touch up paint. Please advise. :(

The person claiming a fully loaded 2005 for $28,000 temporarily lapsed into creative fiction. B)

Heard some good prices from that dealership, got one myself, but it wasn't that low.

Yep, its whoever becomes a reseller. Lexus themselves don't make a pen.

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Thanks all! And yes, I feel foolish about the rust comment.

Warm it up for 10-30 seconds, longer if I pull up to mailbox and check mail. Then I drive it under 40 mph for five minutes until I hit 95 S.

You CAN use touch up paint (I'd use a touchup pen) and since its low on the car it MIGHT not look too noticable...

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Thanks much! Now I can sleep. One last question, promise! Can I get the pen and paint from dealer or should I order off internet? Will I have rust issues down the road? I guess that's two questions.

Hi all,

I hate to say my three month old ES now has fresh scratches on the driver's side bumper, actually a dime sized area at the bottom edge of the bumper. And bad scratches on the molding on the driver's door. The scrapes/scatches are right down to the metal (or whatever the black underskin is). :cries:

Can I repair with touch up paint? Or am I in for a whopper of a bill? The scratches are 2 inches in length at the most. Extremely thin.

The other, like I said, is dime sized. There are no dents.

Please advise.

Yeah the new doors still pee, even though they're no longer fully frameless. I think this is a common problem on anything that doesn't have limousine doors.

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cupholders and too quiet turning signals. and still think exterior is blah.

Tis pretty. Looks maroonish.