melhadri

I have a black/ivory 98' ES300. It drives like a beauty, feels like a new car and looks great but personally if I could start over I would purchase an 00' or 01' with HID's, Navigation and black/black. The only significant differences between the 98' and 01' is the rear tailights and front bumper. If thats not a big deal for you then shoot for the 98'. My car gets great city/highway mileage. I believe navigation was also offered as an option on the 97'-98' models.

Visit your local auto shop and purchase a bottle of SEAFOAM ($5)...great product...just pop it into the gas tank.

I am a proud owner of a 98' ES300 and am very impressed with the GS series. In the near future I will upgrade to a 01'-03' GS430. The exterior and interior are a great fit for me personally. (single, 6'0, speed fetish) The LS is also a beauty and believe me you shouldn't have any trouble selling her if it really came down to it.

Lexus build quality. Friend of mine has a 98'. She has owned the car for appr. 4 yrs. and hasn't experienced any issues. The SC is a very sharp looking car and is considered to be one of the high-end models Lexus manufactures. Definitely consider. Run a CarFax and if it has a clean record take it to a trusted mechanic for thorough inspection.

I almost purchased a 99' ES300 advertised 50k miles but after a CARFAX, discovered the vehicle had approxiametly 150k miles. $25 CARFAX report was well worth the bucks. There is a federal law allowing "victimed" consumers the opp. to sue for odometer tampering....

Amazingly refined! I am excited to see this beast on the streets. Also excited about what the interior will look/feel like???

Very sharp.... How often do people complement you on your ride?

Free??? Have you confirmed this with the dealer or Lexus corporate?

I paid a total of $325 at a Toyota dealership for the part and labor. $184 seems a little steep, I believe the part was $150 and the rest was labor. Shop around at your local Toyota and Lexus dealers. I suspect the failure in my EGR was caused by excessive carbon build-up. There may be other causal factors but from what I have read carbon is a common suspect.

My car used to stall after driving highway RPM's and coming to a stop light. Turned out to be a malfuction in the EGR. Had that bad boy replaced for $325....no problems now. You may want to keep a log of certain information: 1. Where it occurs? 2. How long have you been driving? 3. Weather conditions? 4. Mileage between each instance? 5. Unusual smells? 6. Type of gas used? 7. Gas level when it occurs? 8. Very specific details of any recent work prior to the intro. of the incident? .....etc.

New LS reminds me a little of an Acura. Must be the new headlight designs. Personally, I think the 05 LS is very sharp and clean. It will be a matter of time until I can adapt to the new body designs.

I have an extra radio sitting in my closet at home. I bought an after-market system and will most likely not need the unit. Please email me at melhadri@gmail.com if interested. Thanks.

I have been using Seafoam for the past year, every 3-5k miles, and it has worked wonders. Simply pour it in the gas tank. It has improved the performance of my ride and especially boosted acceleration. Not sure about the transmission products your inquiring about.

Depends on your style and taste. Both models are for the most part equally reliable. I personally would go with a 2000 GS400 (300hp, HID, Yellow fogs, Nav...). Maintaneance costs for the LS is higher and obviously the purchase price will be also but the car is just a peice of beauty. Its a step higher than the GS and competes in a totally different market. I feel the GS is funner to drive but it does lack space which is not a major factor for me. Test drive both models to gain more insight.

Lexus corporate verified that the 98-2003 black ES300's do not have clearcoat. This is the same case for the IS's and RX's; interestingly the LS and GS models have had clearcoat since 99'. Not sure about the other models.

I am considering a GS430 as my next ride but need to make a color choice. I like black onyx however, the black paint on my ES has been extremely difficult to maintain. Curious to know if anyone has the blue onyx and if so, how is the quality? Does it have clearcoat?

Take a look at the timing belt box for a sticker indicating the mileage at which it was replaced. My understanding is that if there isn't a sticker then the dealer didn't replace the timing belt and water pump...

The dealer usually places a service sticker on the outside of the timing belt box. I just had my timing belt replaced at 90k. Definitely have this done if it hasn't been taken care of.

Can the Blizzak's be worn all year-around or is it strickly for winter use?

I had one of my friends install my fog bulbs for my 98 ES300. From my observations, he unscrewed the black plastic cover below the car, pulled out the bulb (this took about 10 long minutes to figure out) and then replaced the bulb with the new one. I purchased a set of H3 55W Narva Gold bulbs from www.danielsternlighting.com. The bulbs look great however they are not as yellow as the Lexus fog bulbs with the yellow housing.

Here u go: http://www.edmunds.com/used/1995/lexus/gs3...denav..6.Lexus*

Does the blue Lexus paint have clearcoat?

Has anyone tried it with a 01-03 GS430?

This will provide you with the details of your 60k mile service: http://www.edmunds.com/maintenance/Mainten...ng.feature..4.*

I agree, LED's will be the thing of the future (cars, traffic lights...etc.), primarily b/c it last longer compared to regular halogens and saves a lot more energy. The Crystal Clear look is definitely the right fit. :D