Curious P

Hey Erich, You feel like selling one of those doo-hickeys? If so, send me a PM. I think I may try one out on an older Benz that I have (it's just starting to rust).

Hey, Does anyone have any experience with one of these devices? I believe the device gets connected somewhere under the hood and provides a negative charge to the car thus preventing the oxidation process from occurring. Sounds reasonable, but I'm wondering if it justifies the price. Toyota charges $750 CDN and provides a lifetime warranty, alternatively, I can pick up the device from the local auto store and install it myself for $230 CDN. Any thoughts?

I really don't know much about either vehicle, but I just recently picked up a LS 430 and I found the search function on these forums to be really quite useful. There are quite a number of LS 400 owners on this forum and I'm sure that you could probably figure out all the different likely problem with this car by reading through old posts. As for the air suspension, I recall reading that it tends to go at around the 150K mile mark and that there is a (relatively) cheap fix ($1k vs. $3k). Good luck with whichever car you choose!

Hey Pursuit, My '02 is also an Ultra. Definitely the best ride I've ever felt. I took the highway into the office this morning (usually I take public transport - I can't stand sitting in traffic), and the difference in driving experience between my old car and the the LS is simply remarkable! The LS tamed so many of the potholes and cracks, I didn't even recognize that I was driving on one of the most dreaded highways in Canada! I do however, like a few things about my old car over the LS: 1) The lights on the LS stay on to long after locking the car (about 15-20 seconds). Anyone know how to change the timer? 2) I don't like how the clock turns off as soon as you turn off the ignition. I prefer to turn off the car, grab my bag, and then check the time before I head out, but I guess I'll need to change my routine! (Hard for a guy my age!) 3) The trunk lid doesn't open automatically when you unlock it. Other than these small thins, I'm defintiely happy with my purchase. Enjoy your *new* LS!

Thanks - so far I'm loving the car! The Avalon is definitely a nice car, but for whatever reason, I just don't really like the styling. It's a personal choice, most people don't like the styling of the 01-03 LS430 but I do. The important thing is to be happy with whichever car you choose - it's hard to go wrong!

Hey guys, Thanks for all the advice. I decided to take ES350 and the LS430 for back to back test drives. Both cars are amazing, and I wouldn't have been disappointed with either, but when push came to shove, I simply preferred the LS430. The car handles beautifuly, has an amazing interior that IMHO looks much better than the ES350 even though it's a few years older, is quieter, and, I believe, should age more gracefully. It's a used car (with 20K miles) but I went through the history and it's been well maintained (all service was done at the dealership). I threw on a new pair of tires for the peace of mind (went with a set of Goodyear TripleTreads). Any recommendations on anything else I should do in the near future? The oil was changed about 500 miles ago. Thanks again for all the help!

Hey there guys (and girls!), I'm trying to decide between buying a new 2007 ES 350 or an older model (2002 or 2003) LS 430. I was originally going to go in and order myself a new ES, but after reading aobut the LS here (I went through every LS 430 post over the last 2 years! Great info!) I'm now also seriously considering it. Pros/Cons for each: 2007 ES 350 PRO: New car = new car warranty, built to my specifications (colour & options), new car smell CON: There seems to be a problem with the tranny in the new ES's, not as smooth or refined and with fewer options, $$$ (would cost about $6K more) 02-03 LS 430 PRO: Very smooth refined, quality build, great reliability history, $$$ (save $6K) CON: Not the exact colour combo I'm looking for, not a huge fan of the body styling, concerned about how it has been maintained and future repair bills. I generally keep my cars for 5+ years (my last car, an STS, I kept for 10 yr and 150K miles!) and I want a car that I can depend on. What would you choose? Oh, and if you pick the LS, would you go for a 92 with 20K miles for $29 K or a 93 with 52K miles for $27K? Thanks for all the help - this forum is a great asset!

So, let me ask all of you this: Is the transmission problem intractable? Should I even bother getting a new ES 350 if I know there's a fairly good chance that I will have transmission problems with it? When I buy a car, I like to keep it a long time (5+ years). Is the ES 350 a lame duck?

Hello, I'm considering purchasing an ES 350, but before I head out to the dealer I was wondering if anyone can tell me what the dealer invoice is in Canada? I'm looking at either the standard version, or package A (the one without NAV). As for dealer options, I'm leaning towards the rear spoiler, body coloured mouldings, and the clear bra. Anything anyone else would strongly recommend?