branshew

I heard about the Honda tranny issue. I thought it was more limited to their cars, but I'll keep an eye out for any reviews on that. The only complaint that I have heard about the Toyota Sienna is that there was a problem with excesive brake squealing on the 99-04 models that could not be remedied by Toyota. The new 05-06 Sienna LTD is extremely nice, but I think it's a little more than I want to spend right now. I'll still look for one with all the bells and whistles though.

We recently found out that my wife is pregnant w/ our 2nd child. She currently has a VW Passat Wagon, but now she thinks that she wants a minivan. The Passat is sporty enough, fun to drive, and sips gas. It has minimal cargo area, but certainly enough for us now. It's been a good car in terms of functionality, but not in terms of reliablity. I grew up in the first generation of Minivan Kids in the 80's and I learned to drive on my Mom's 10 year old Dodge Caravan. I always hated the minivan for what it was - a lame, grocery getting mom-mobile. But I will say that minivans have come a long way over the years. My wife has made some convincing arguments and I'm starting to cave (I actually went to Edmunds and started doing research). Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna would be my two choices, but I find myself leaning to the Honda. I'm thinking 2002-2003 MY and I like the Odyssey styling better in those years, but I'm not ready to write off Toyota yet as I have been driving them for the last 10 years. Any thoughts, experiances, etc?

I picked up an aftermarket Toyota Camry model at Pep Boys for my ES (mast only) for under $20. I would imagine the LS antenna is the same.

Did anyone ever find out what color the car is? I need a passenger side mirror if it's the right color.

I agree somwhat, but mostly only in the side profile. From most other angles there is a definite difference in the overall look. I think the LS is actually what the 7 series should have been. The rear end on the 7 is horrid. It looks like the trunk lid was an afterthought stolen from Pontiac. I also think that the new LS will probably prove to be a much more reliable car than the 7 has.

Definitely an amateur job. Pros would have taken the things that bring real money like airbags, all lights, stereo, steering wheel, other electronics.

I've had several Benzes in the past. The 190 2.6 Sportline is a GREAT car. Although many criticized MB's entry into the small car market - they did it right. The only better version of the 190 is the 2.3-16 Valve or 2.5-16 Valve and those are relatively rare on the used market. So are sportline editions. I still see plenty of older 190 (and other MB models) on the road so you shouldn't have to worry about keeping it running, but - like all things mechanical - you have to put the maintenance into it to keep it running right. Here's what I would do - You already have a larger RWD car in the Lexus so I would consider putting the sportline on the market. If there are any outstanding mechanical issues on the Sportline then fix them, but leave it in the factory setup as most people will want it that way. Your 190 will command a premium with any MB enthusiast based on the fact that it is a Sportline. Any tuners would want to make their own upgrades and you would lose money on the upgrades anyway when you sell the car. Forget FWD what you should get is AWD. It's better in the snow and all around. You should be able to find a nice Audi A4 (wagon if you need the space) w/ quattro to drive in the winter. I realize the A4 isn't a MB, but it is a good sporty small car and you have the Lexus to replace the benz for comfort driving. Besides - if you get the 1.8t engine there are tons of HP upgrades and mods for that car to take you close to 275 - 300 HP onthe stock block setup.

The Rims are OEM Lexus Chrome. They're 13+ years old now and the Chrome was flaking way before I got the car due to neglect of maintenance on the rims. I suspect that they were driven in the winters in the northeast. I don't have low profile tires. I have the original OEM tire and rim size setup from Lexus.

I've never heard of this happening before... I had some upgrades done to the car recently - new brake pads, pad wear sensors all around and new Brembo rotors in the rear. I also had 2 new tires put on the rear. About 2 days after getting the tires put on, the rear passenger lost most of its pressure (down to 10 PSI). I checked for a puncture and didn't find one. I thought possibly it was not seated on the rim properly (or wasn't making good contact since the chrome on my rims is completely trashed and flaking off). I put air back in it and it stayed full until Tuesday of this week. I was on my way to go to work in the morning and noticed the tire was flat (down to 10 PSI again). I put more air in it and drove back to my mechanic to get him to take a look. He did the soapwater spray test around the rim/tire seal and on the valve stem and there was no leaking anywhere. He took the tire off to check for a puncture and perform a spray test on the inside. The tire was seated properly, no punctures were present, but lo and behold there is a crack in the rim. The crack is on the inside of the rim right at the 90 degree bend where the lip rolls under. The crack is too small to see w/ the eye, but you can see the air bubbling out under soapy water. The wheel is perfectly true, has never hit a curb or anything since I've had it. There is no dent, ding, etc anywhere near the crack. This problem wasn't present until I put the new tires on (actually a couple of days after) - any chance it happened at the shop in the process of mounting and balancing the new tires or is it something that would just "develop"? I had a new set of rims on order (an X-mas present to myself) and they'll be here on Tuesday so I have to cruise around on the spare for a few more days. - Brandon

I'm sure it will work for them. As MT indicated inthe article, the 300C has been embraced as a "poor man's Bentley" and I am sure that the 300C clientelle would just migrate over to the Imperial. Personally I am not a fan of the 300C (although I do like the charger), but the Imperial looks much more refined in those pictures. I guess the pairing w/ MB has done something positive for Chrysler - too bad you can't say the same for Benz.

I have the same issue on my '93. I recently had new rotors put on the rear and my mechanic was able to take a good look at it. Even though it is showing no signs of leaking, he thinks that the strut has probably compressed over the years (suspension is original to the car). I plan of getting the rear suspension done late Jan/Feb so I'll let you know what happens.

What color is the exterior?? I have a cracked passenges side mirror frame and I would like to replace it if the color is a match.

Happened to my Dad's LS430 key. He had Lexus order another one at no cost to him. Just complain enough and they'll probably take care of you.

My regular mechanic was able to install a new door handle on my ES (although it was ordered to match color).

Ask for some references & check them. Also spell out the detils of what will and won't work in a contract. You may not be able to control all of your iPod features through the nav screen.

I don't mind the Burgundy color so much, but $40K is ridiculous. Sly Stallone's white Mercedes S400 from the early 90's came up about 6 months go and it went for @ $10-$12K.

What happened that you need a new engine and steering? Do tell the whole story. well this was my moms car it has 180 k on it and hs been abused from 3 diffrent drivers this car is not going to be a daily driver powersteering leaks and engine has a lot of leaks cars just been sitting in the yard hate to waste it TIme to cut your losses. You could have another one in better shape for the cost of an engine replacement. part out that one and add the part $$ to the amount you were going to pay for an engine and you'll be looking at something better.

That's probably part of oyur problem. You must use like for like AFAIK when replacing sensors. 2 wire should be replaced by 2 wire.

You can just replace the Mast of the antenna and not the whole unit. I think that there is a turorial on lexls.com . Check all of your fuses for the internal lighting. If they are OK then start replaceing bulbs. Sometimes the contacts on the door sensors wear out and your dome light will not turn on when a door is opened. You'll probably have to take the CD player apart. it can be done, but must be done carefully. You should do it when you have the trunk lining apart for the antenna mast. I don't think that the head unit can be modified for another input. Send your entire instrument cluster to Jim Walker. Don't even try it yourself unless you are extremely competent with circuit boards and small soldering applications. Not all LS MY '93 came w/ keyless, but most did. Look to see if you have a switch to turn the remote off and on. It would be located to the bottom left of the wheel above the gas & trunk release panel. If you have this then you will need a new transponder key and a new transponder chip for the car @ $300 - or you could just get an aftermarket keyless put in. I prefer the original as I don't want a key fob (OEM transmiter is on the key). If no switch is present then factory keyless was not installed. Cell phone antenna should be stuck on the glass using double sided tape. I think it uses a magnet to pass between the glass. Get a metal blade scraper and slowly & carefully start scraping onthe outside window. Use some "Goo Off" or WD 40 to help w/ the adhesive - just be careful not to get it on the paint. Most Lexus wheels have the same bolt pattern. On the '93 you have to use 16" and above as 15" rims won't clear the brakes. Most ES, GS, and SC rims will fit (as will RX rims). Check the offset though.

You bought it????........ or your dad bought it??? Sorry, but I don't have much respect for kids whose parents buy them $90K toys (or the parents that buy them for that matter). That's part of the reason there is no work ethic in the USA anymore.

Mine is a standard gas strut not the air suspension.

I have noticed recently that the driver's side of my car appears to be sitting a little lower than the passenger side. This is only in the rear of the car. The strut isn't showing any signs of leaking. Could it just be compressed? I am guessing that the suspension is original to the car. I don't notice any degredation in ride quality.

I'll agree on the Chrysler & Ford part, but BMW has always been known for their solid inline 6 cyl engines - like Mercedes and their V8s. I would take a BMW 6 or Mercedes 8 engine any day. Unfortunately the rest of the crap you have to buy to get the engine doesn't work worth a damn anymore. The 2.0T VW/Audi engine was the next generation of the 1.8T. The 1.8T made Wards Top Ten engines list several years in a row. It was removed when it started to show signs of a sludge development problem. My wife's Passat has the 1.8T and so far it has been a great engine. We just use synthetic, a larger filter and never go past the 3K interval.

PS Fluid on Gen I is Dexron (normally used in transmissions). Don't know about Gen 2.

Agree 100%. If it wasn't a Lex it probably would have fallen apart years ago! I have no problems with my 13 year old LS in terms of that happening. Maybe a 2nd gen thing? NC211 - GM owned part of Subaru - hence the Saabaru model. They recently sold their share to Toyota.