Lexus876

Well actually 18. It really isn't that bad considering he could have plowed into my car at 40 mph, which would have totaled it probably. I am getting a new Lexus probably in a year to reward myself for dealing with school. Now the decision is Lexus GS450h or RX hybrid :) Leaning towards the GS450h because it looks awesome! I'm saving my dream car (BMW M5) for when I get a real job.

I made sure about that involving the paint match, besides the body shop is rated the best for color matching(I did my research online and from what the dealership said). They said my car's paint looks awesome even after 10 years :) And umm as to why I can't repair my front bumper right now, I also bought a laptop recently (Asus Lamborghini VX3-A1 in yellow with a real Lamborghini emblem meant for a car on the front of the laptop) before all this mess happened. Ok I finally got my car back! It looks awesome :) The paint match is awesome, not noticable at all really. Now on to getting the front bumper fixed! Of course driving it today made me realize how powerful and fast my car is thanks to driving a sluggish F250 Superdiesel for a week and a half.

Well 16 when I bought my 1997 ES300. Of course I still like it when people see the car, then me and they are like Whoah! Now that I am 18, I realize I will have an even harder time of parting with my ES300 since it is so awesome ! But I am planning to get a new Lexus once I graduate from college!!!

I made sure about that involving the paint match, besides the body shop is rated the best for color matching(I did my research online and from what the dealership said). They said my car's paint looks awesome even after 10 years :) And umm as to why I can't repair my front bumper right now, I also bought a laptop recently (Asus Lamborghini VX3-A1 in yellow with a real Lamborghini emblem meant for a car on the front of the laptop) before all this mess happened.

Ok came back from the body shop, where my car is now. Out of the three I went to, I chose the one recommended by the dealer because of paint match and repair quality. The repair estimate from this shop was $3,273.63. Turns out the metal on the bottom of the trunk was bent as a result of the collision, as well as well as a few other things, slight dent on the trunk lid near the emblem, frame rail also damaged upon further inspection. And something about the rear body panel, which I didn't understand. Estimate of repair length :1.5-2 weeks. Supposedly the best body shop for a Lexus, so we'll see. Sad thing is rental car company won't rent the car out to me because of my age 18...... I understand, but hey having to drive a Ford F-250 V8 Superdiesel isn't that bad. That's my dad's car , he took the rental car since we reached an agreement with them that way. Imagine the looks on the road when they see a young person driving such a big car ;)

Here's the story : So I had just merged on the interstate into slow moving traffic, and then the car infront of me suddenly stops due to traffic infront of him. I managed to brake in time, but the guy behind me didn't and hit my car. The damage doesn't look bad, but upon closer inspection it really is apparently from what my dad said. All this only a few days after I partially knocked off my front bumper :( Why me? Well insurance people said they would only replace the rear end since that was the only part damaged by the accident, and the other part (front bumper) was my own fault. Getting a quote from the body shop tomorrow, so will update as to the cost. Here are some pics of the damage. The car that hit me was a Ford Van, the kind that transports supplies (work van). Of course he got the ticket for not paying attention, and surprise he was on his cellphone when it happened! In picture 25, forgot to remove the carpet cover, the bottom of the trunk near the bumper is bent, thats why the carpet is pushed back. Dunno if you can see it but the trunk lining is pushed away from the bumper in picture 31! Some sort of safety bar is bent? This picture is where the trunk lining that meets the top of the bumper is pushed away from the bumper a little bit.

Thank you , thank you, thank you! Well I will do that after I get my car back from the repair shop. Someone rear ended me today, and the insurance company is only paying for the rear end. Sucks how bad things always happen after my birthday :(

Well I found out today that the undercoverings also need to be replaced, because the screws that held them in there, ripped through the plastic :( Body shop quoted me $865 (US). I figured I can do the repairs myself, but just need the bumper painted and the undercoverings to do so. All I am concerned about is that the paint color matches my car. Can't seem to find the undercoverings anywhere on an auto parts website. Does anyone know where I can find some undercoverings?? Bumper wasn't mangeld, just knocked off partially. Guess I should have taken pics before my dad and I fixed it temporarily( as in put some plastic ties in places to hold it in there, which works amazingly well). Thanks for all the help!

Part of the fun of owning the 400h is being able to see via the NAV screen what the battery status is and what the driveline is doing visually. You lose this by not having the NAV display plus the other visual's that I wouldn't want to give up like the speed dial for the phone, etc... I don't know if the ML is worth it in this vehicle, but if I had to do it again, I'd take the time to find one with it and listen to it. One of the shortcoming's in the 400h is the base radio isn't very good IMHO... Sorry it took me so long to reply. I decided to wait to get one, mainly because the college kids where I live are very lousy drivers and I'd feel alot safer not having to drive it around campus for obvious reasons. And as to the job, just incase you are wondering how a college student can afford a car like this, I fix and install computers/ computer systems. Thanks for all of the help, I will definitely get a nav system now. Only complaint is that the smokey granite mica color doesn't allow an ivory leather interior :(

So I made the horrible mistake of forgetting about a particular blindspot while backing out of my driveway and knocked my front bumper partially off of the car. By partially I mean the left side (driver's) was detached but the right side (front passenger's) was still attached. The lights on the bottom were not disconnected from the car and still work fine. The only thing I need to replace is the front bumper. How much will it cost to replace the front bumper approximately, does anyone know (including painting it and labor)? Would it be cheaper to buy the parts myself and let them fix it or what? I can fix it myself it's just the paint job I am concerned about. Any help is greatly appreciated, thank you.

Well we changed the timing belt on my '97 ES300 not too long ago, but we(my father and I) did it ourselves. Only cost us about $125 for all the parts and the labor was free! Of course it took us 2 days but its well worth saving all that money.

I would have to agree as well. I'd find another one too personally. I live in Louisiana and I bought my car from a Baton Rouge dealer, and it had been in Baton Rouge all of its life. On the carfax it showed up as an area where Katrina hit, even though all we had was heavy rain and wind and far away from all the real damage. That is what it will say for most cars in this area, even though most of them were never in the actual danger area. Check the flooded vehicle database, and please just take it to a mechanic and get it inspected. it really is a good deal, don't pass it up!

I am considering buying a RX400h because of a new job that I got :) I was just curious about it and had some questions. The driving conditions where I am from ( Baton Rouge, Louisiana ) are fairly ok but I would say 65% of the time I drive in the city. Is the 400h specifically built for stop-and-go traffic and will it achieve better gas mileage in these conditions? I really want a Lexus again because it is the first car I ever had and because of the customer service. And I have to ask is the navigation add-on worth the extra money if I have an iPhone that I could use instead??

Is it possible to put 2000-2001 headlgihts for a Lexus ES300 in a 1997 Lexus ES300? I mean they look the same to me. But is that possible to do? Also, I have a few chips in the paint, and the touch up paint isn't doing any good, how much would a touchup paint job cost for the front bumper and parts of the hood? Thanks bye!

I have a 1997 Lexus ES300 and there is something weird going on with my radio. When I turn my car on, there a black blob on the LCD panel of my radio. The radio still works perfectly fine, but it's annoying to not see what station I am on or what track I am listening to when I am playing a CD. It stays there all day, and I was just curious if anyone knew what is happening, and how I can fix it. Any help is appreciated, thanks, bye!