stuart8181

Too bad the ES isn't engineered as well as the Buicks

Plus Lexus glass is already water repellant in the windshield and front windows.

How is that done?

:( On 5/7/08 I put ethanol gas into my leased RX350 at a Mobile station. At $2.99 a gallon, it saved me $7.00 on a tank of gas, but an hour later the engine and VSC lights went on. I made sure the gas cap was on correctly.

The following day, I went to the dealership. To get the lights to turn off, they had to do all sorts of diagnostic work and finally drain all the gas out of the car. I don't think there was any damage to the car and it was running fine. But now, I owe the dealership $300 for their time and a tank of gas since "bad gas" is not under warranty.

It ended up being a very expensive little experiment! I don't know that ethanol is necessarily bad, I just know that it isn't compatible with the electronic instruments in my Lexus and I couldn't take any chances that using up the entire tank might have damaged the engine.

Has anyone else had this experience or have any advice regarding my $300 bill?

Doesn't sound right. Did you use E-85?

My Toyota dealer is half the price. Same parts. I checked the part numbers.

I had them added to my 08 "Dark Blue" and they are very subtle. They blend well, yet break up the "slab look" nicely. The only objection is the outrageous price of $450 my dealer charges - almost as ridiculous as the prices quoted for the XM tuner - but that's another story...

Makes the styling completely better. Slab sides are very old fashioned.

STU

Another useless item to go wrong.

The over heating problem was a stuck thermostat, and the knocking is not a pulley , but its a idler wheel. The part was $58 and labor is 210. this is just for the knocking part. the thermostat is its own price. is $268 a good price for that?

NO

There is a darned good reason that the Mercedes S550's styling is a significant departure from the styling of its siblings.

When Mercedes introduced the W220 S-class in 1999-2000, it was ridiculed by Mercedes owners and in the automotive press for looking way too much like the less expensive Mercedes models. In fact, there was quite a scramble amoung Mercedes enthusiasts to buy up the very last of the previous W140 "Panzerwagen" S-Class models -- especially the previous S500 and S600.

I walk past a Lexus ES350 in the company parking lot every day. The first time I saw an LS460, I thought it was an ES350. I've now seen quite a few LS460's and I am still having difficulty in telling an LS460 from an ES350 unless I look at the badge on the trunk lid. OK, my vision sucks but I'm not unconscious. LOL.

Personally, I don't think it is all that bad that it is difficult to tell the bottom of the line from the top of the line Lexus sedan. I kind of like the "stealth" aspect. However, generally, car manufacturers try pretty hard to make their most expensive models really stand out visually from their cheaper models.

Attached are photos of both the ES and new LS. Which is which again?

2 ugly buggers.

Is it true there is no trunk open warning light on my 2005 Lexus 330 es ?

STU

Cadillac Deville

oh you crack me up! :P

LOL, you caught it ;)

But remember, none of this matters because Buick makes the best car on the road :D

You are finally right. For the money there is no better car.

Then if I were you I'd buy the Camry and pocket the $10k

Don't get me wrong, I don't drive the Lexus to make people think anything about me or for people to "know how much money I have", I drive it because I like it and I like how it makes ME feel. The ES is a pretty commonplace car, especially here. Nobody gives my car a second thought in a parking lot or on the street. Its the same reason I buy expensive suits. Most people can't tell the difference as long as a suit is properly tailored, but I love the feel of a high quality Hickey Freeman, Burberry, or Zegna suit. It makes ME think more of MYSELF when I'm wearing it.

EDIT, I saw in your sig that you bought the tC!

Shallow ego...

$300?!? Who cares on a $40,000 car.

What happened to the $30,000 Lexus ES. Seemed like a fair price but 40K is way too much for what they offer.

its no breakthrough that some warranty costs are figured into MSRP, however i doubt the # is $5,000.

It's ;ogical that all warranty costs are figured in MSRP. What cost or percentage is not forthcoming from them. I would think with the ease of Lexus dealers to make you happy it is a very substantial sum you pay in advance.

I just leased a 350 in Nj and I am paying $505..36 months and has NAV, leather , premium package and everything except the Levinson system and XM.

Ok guys I need help....

I've owned 2 honds before; a 2003 and currently have a 05 accord coupe navi.

The first accord i Purchased at Invoice and after that i did a lot of research before I

bought the 05 and got it LESS than Invoice.

Now Am looking to steup up for a 2007 Lexus ES-350.

The one I am looking at has the Premium Package with Navigation and a MSRP of $40,999.

The dealer Nalley Lexus in GA are giving $2000 off MSRP @ $38,999.

I dont want to Lease term to be 36 months Not to exceed 48.

If anyone had purcahed or is purchasing a 07 Es-350, please do post your price and experience etc...

Damn that's one hell of a deal congrat's.

Why a 36 month lease when you are paying for a 48 month warranty in advance?

if u honestly think BMW sets aside 5K for failures and towing charges then u should get a reality check.

I don't think they set anything aside. I think that the ? amount is figured in the msrp. I read somwhere that the average Mercedes warranty cost is figured at over $10,000. Sounds high to me but who knows. How much gross profit do you think they make on each car?

Theres also differences in the bushings and the sound deadening etc that contribute a great deal to the smooth quiet ride. I assure you replacing the struts with the Lexus struts will not make a Camry ride like an ES.

Remember, if you have enough money you could make a Yugo ride like a Lexus...

Have you driven a Buick Lucerne. Much better than any Lexus in steering, handling and general appearance..

Pickup between 50 and 70 is terrible on the 6 cylynder Lexi.

in South Bay Area (CA) as I wrote already that 10k service cost $400+ for ES330

as result I did it myself.

So, it's about your time. And yes, trusted mech. can save you a lot and even can do better / faster then Lexus service will - IMHO, but you will not get free coffe and cookies :whistles:

Try the local Toyota dealer. Same parts and service for a lot less money.

I recently was in the market for a 05 gs430. After calling 12 Lexus dealerships to no avail, i found one a state away. I'll cut right to the chase. Everything about this deal seemed too good to be true. The dealer informed me the car only has 500 MILES ON IT. Next he told me that it was fully loaded with NAV and Mark Lev. I was pretty excited at this point then he said it : The car is NOT used its a 2005 "leftover", He claimed the car got "lost in the shuffle" that it was just sitting at the dealerships other lot and they didnt even know they had it! So i drive to the dealership and haggle about price $41,000 bottom line. Since its considered a new car i get the 4year warrenty. Is this deal too good? Should i think that theres something wrong with this car or do they just want to get rid of it?

Its from a lexus dealership and also has a clean carfax.

Test drive went normal and car lookes great.

Please let me know what you think

2 year old car is worth a lot less new or not. Ask how much you'd get as a trade in.

I take very little stock in C/D reviews in general. I think it's all a definition of what the owner wants out of his luxury car. It's funny, you build a $50 sporty sedan, and they bark that it's too buzzy, or too harsh. Then you build a ultra luxury sedan, and they bark it's too soft, to wallowish.

I think the beauty is within the eye of the beholder. And I can promise you, that most beholders will find the beauty of their Lexus sitting in their own garage, not sitting in the mechanic's garage.

nc211, I couldn't agree with you more, perfectly stated. ;)

Having both a Jaguar and a Lexus I can state that there is no contest. The Jag is far superior in all aspects of driving. Gimmicks and toys are Toyota's gig.

Another benefit is super low emissions. The RX400h has a 9.5 EPA pollution rating with 10.0 being the best. The MDX is a 6 or a 7 depending upon the model. Other comparisons: A 2007 Corolla is a 7, and a Mini Cooper is a 2. So the Lexus hybrids are significantly cleaner than even most small cars. In fact, looking at the EPA site for small cars, nothing rates better than a 9.5, so the 400h is rated as clean as the Prius, the Honda Insight, and the natural gas version of the Civic.

You can find the EPA ratings at http://www.epa.gov/greenvehicle/select.htm

Here's my take on the RX400h. I am driving a 4300 pound AWD SUV that has the power and acceleration of a V-8. I have almost every convenience and gadget that can be put into a vehicle (I don't care about Sirius radio and the Ipod connection, however). I'm getting 27 - 28 MPG. I'm driving the quietest vehicle I have ever been in. I love the electronic continuous variable transmission. I am producing significantly less pollution than most small compacts. To my way of thinking, the RX400h has it all. We test drove the 400h, then test drove the 350. After driving the 350, we immediately negotiated for the 400h. The drive is just so much better, to me, I had to have it.

In terms of the aluminum trim, why don't you see if you can find it at any other dealer on the Internet? Taking a trip to pick up what you want may be better than waiting for who knows how long to get it. I have the aluminum trim on a 2006 model and I like it much better than the wood trim also.

Only major con to me is that the 400h is not for use off road, if that is important to you.

Good luck on your decision. If you have any specific questions, I'll try to answer them.

Unfortunately the pollution cost in manufacturing the batteries offsets any gain from the car. Also getting rid of the spent batteries is a major problem.

Besides the exact color match, I find that the paint that was layed down on the new parts was as good as the factory paint job! :)

Watch out for stone chips. The Lexus paint is not very durable.

You think a leak is unnaceptable? Boy do I have some new car problem stories for you...

These things just happen. The dealer is more than willing to do right by him for it, I see no issue.

If you "expect" $3,000 in free goodies because your new car had a leak that was repaired under warranty you're going to be seriously dissapointed by nearly every car company and car dealership on earth.

Well you may have misinterpreted me; most likely my fault for bad wording. It's just you find yourself really mad when you have to repeatedly go back the the dealership. Usually I do not get 7 year warranties or chrome wheels in these types of experiences. However in this kinda situation, some people do expect something, but if they dont get it they just move on. New car problem stories are always fun... Took my year old bmw x3 to vegas, fuel pump malfunctioned, and the car stalled when i was in the fast lane. towed it into vegas. left the car there for repairs drove a rental back and then got the car back about 4 days after.

Believe me you paid dearly for these items in advance. I'll bet at least $5000 was included in the msrp to take care of things like this.

I just leased a 350 in Nj and I am paying $505..36 months and has NAV, leather , premium package and everything except the Levinson system and XM.

Ok guys I need help....

I've owned 2 honds before; a 2003 and currently have a 05 accord coupe navi.

The first accord i Purchased at Invoice and after that i did a lot of research before I

bought the 05 and got it LESS than Invoice.

Now Am looking to steup up for a 2007 Lexus ES-350.

The one I am looking at has the Premium Package with Navigation and a MSRP of $40,999.

The dealer Nalley Lexus in GA are giving $2000 off MSRP @ $38,999.

I dont want to Lease term to be 36 months Not to exceed 48.

If anyone had purcahed or is purchasing a 07 Es-350, please do post your price and experience etc...

Why would you lease for less than the warranty period? You are paying big bucks in advance for that warranty.

Who decided the public wants slab side cars? They are ugly and serve no useful purpose except to be cheaper for the manufacturers to produce.

The body shops will get a bonanza repairing all the dings and dents due soon. I noticed the majors have included side mouldings as an extra now for several hundred dollars. What a scam....

Also who needs huge sized wheels? They are making the cars look like the old wagons that went thru Kansas in 1866.

I traded my 2000 LS 400 for the new LS 460 and have had it for 11 days and ~350 miles. From the first I enjoyed major improvements in handling and acceleration, especially rolling acceleration. Also, the comfort of both front and rear seats is greatly improved. And, the Mark Levinson sound system with the hard disk, the navigation system, the back up camera and the park assist sonar plus a few other gee gaws are worthy additions. In this latter camp, I particularly enjoy the keyless start feature and the automatic electronic parking brake/hold feature -- what a truly great idea this brake is! The styling is attractive to me and has drawn several positive comments. I do not find the 8 speed transmission to be either a significant plus, or minus, to this point -- it is like other Lexus trannies -- smooth and seamless. Overall, the LS 460 is not quite so smooth riding as the LS 400 and I believe may not be quite as quiet, altho differences, if any, are very slight.

I cannot adequately compare the LS460 with the LS 430 as I have only ridden in the LS 430 and never driven

it. However, the LS 460 rear seat is definitley more comfortable and roomy for passengers.

To this point, I am pleased with what I see as generally significant improvements and enhancements when compared to the LS 400 I have driven for 7 years. We also have an SC 430 which we love.

I agree that the room in the rear two seats is nothing short of amazing. Adults can ride in the back and not feel the least bit cramped. The 460 keyless ignitition is a first for me and it is still taking some getting used to. I still reach for a key everythime I approach the vehicle btu realise I do not need one.

The power, after getting out of the LX470, is like a slingshot and will make this car fun for years to come.

Trunk too small now...