tcbted

Wow, love the silver with the tan or saddle interior. Is your old ES330 still in the family, and if so, how has it aged over time? Congrats, the GS has a ton of "road presence" ... it looks like it owns the highway!

Just chiming in here ... 04 LS430, loaded with burned cd's. No issues so far, and I reload the discs about once per week. Of course, and ipod connection would eradicate this issu :D

I've owned an LS400 (2000), ES300 (2000), and an LS430 (2004). I loved all three cars. I can't say if my ES300 was just an embellished Camry, because I've never been in a Camry. What the car was, IMO, was a superb entry level luxury car. Dependability was top notch, as was the smoothness, quietness, and first rate build quality and materials. I preferred the LS sedans, mostly due to the longer wheelbase ride comfort, rwd, and extra level of solidity. The LS seem to have more proprietary technology on board ... looking around the interior, most of the pieces don't seem to be shared with a similar Toyota product offering, other than a few switchgear pieces. I've had two annoying failures on my LS430 which couldn't have happened on the simpler ES300. My folding power outside mirror went awry, swinging around even when turned off. The cost to fix was around $1k CDN with tax. Also, my headlight level sensor failed, causing a blinking AFS light. A module sitting on the control arm was replaced, at about $700 including tax. Once fixed, my turning headlight feature resumed ... one useless feature I could live without. Funny thing, I actually prefer the basic premium sound in the ES over the Levinson sound in my LS430. I just can't get the proper bass response or sound imaging out of the more complex Levinson system. The LS400 Nakamichi system was wonderful ... the one car I miss selling was that 2000 LS400. Should've kept it. If I put a lot of miles on my car, I would proudly purchase a newer ES. If I'm a low mileage driver, which I am, I would rather buy a slightly older LS and enjoy the extra level of luxury. But, some of those extra features are ridiculously expensive to repair should they break.

They flooded the market in Ontario a few months back. Tons of compaints, because we have a "no solicitation list" up here, yet this Nationwide company somehow broke through. Its a complete scam, ignore it.

Schnitz, that hardly looks like the same LS. Very nice. I remember when you picked up your car at John Harris auto sales. Any issues since you've owned it? As I recall, it was a lot of car for the money, and the dealership treated you well.

I'm sure the 02's would be nice cars, but the 2000 may surprise you if it has complete service records. I purchased my 2000 ES last June from Ken Shaw Lexus in Toronto with 85000 miles for $11k. It came with a complete service history from the dealership, including the t-belt service. I don't drive long distances anymore, but the car gets used everyday around our pothole strewn city, including a brutal,cold winter. I've put around 10k of stop and go driving, and the car is still as tight as day 1. My total service has involved 2 oil changes ... and I'm the type who looks for things to service out of boredom. This car has been more of a joy than my 2000 LS400, which I never thought was possible. Good luck, and purchase any ES300 with confidence, if it has excellent service history.

Sorry, I missed your post asking about Bullock City. I used them once ... Andy set me up for my t-belt,w.p, and fluid change. He was very thorough, knows our cars inside and out, and made some solid suggestions. He also test drove my car before and after the service .... something I've never seen before. If I need a major service, I wouldn't hesitate to drive down to Newmarket again ... unlike the dealership, you can talk to the guy who's turning the wrench on your car, check on the work in process, and inspect the used parts. Let me know how you make out.

I was in your situation in June. I needed to change to a commuter car, trying to see what my 2000 LS400 with 100,000klm was worth, just north of Toronto. I switched to an almost new Mazda3, traded even. It retailed for $14k. Traded even. I tried selling her myself, but they weren't lining up for a 9yr old car that most people needed to finance. Wholesale, the best I was offered was $11k ... premium fuel was over $1.40/litre in June, and big cars/SUV's weren't selling. Not much has changed since June ... gas has come down a bit, but large cars and SUV's are still a tough sell on dealer lots. Me, I wish I'd kept my LS400. Come August, I no longer required a commuter car. Damn, should've kept my Lexus ... tried to buy it back at a profit for the dealer, but no go ... the Mazda dealer owner has the LS400 plated in his own name, and keeps it in Toronto as his personal ride. I found a superbly maintained 2000 ES300 from a Lexus dealer, so all at least I'm back in the family, so to speak. This new car has never missed a dealer service stamp, and I can definitely use the FWD this winter. Last winter was absolutely brutal ... even with 4 Blizzak's and lots of added weight, I had a few white knuckle rides in deep snow with the LS400. So, my guess in the current Toronto market would be private party retail of around $14k, but you'd have to get lucky to find an educated buyer who appreciates the LS400's longevity and efficiency, who can hand over unencumbered cash ... banks don't like financing older cars Wholesale ... good luck .... maybe $11-$12k tops, and that's optimistic. The used market up here is definitely a buyer's market. A year ago, in a different economy, your car would've retailed for around $18k ... that's what I paid for mine. The rise of the CDN $ resulted in new car MSRP taking a dive, and that snowballed into declining used car values. Best of luck ... I really hope you can get more value for your car than I was able to achieve for mine.

True enough. But, the GM of Ken Shaw has promised me a new ES350 loaner, so I'd take my wife and do some shopping, etc. He just now sent me an email, promising to "hide" the 2000 LS400 when it arrives, until I can drive down and view it. Funny thing about Sunrise ... I purchased a used Accord EX-L from them 3 years ago ... turns out it was in an accident, and I had to involve OMVIC to arbitrate a settlement. We don't like each other too much ... but, yes, I do have an excellent independant mechanic in Orillia.

Thanks, I'll call on you if I need the contact info. I found Bullock City in Markham for Lexus quality technicians at affordable prices. They did my t-belt on my LS400 for a very reasonable price. I don't put many miles on my cars ... perhaps 5000klm per year. So, for the occasional oil change, I may use KenShaw Lexus. It would be nice to keep the service stamps going, seeing as how the car hasn't missed a service date at that dealer since it was put on the road.

Greetings. My pride and joy over the past year has been my green 2000 LS400. A career change meant commuting, so I jumped the gun and traded for a 2004 Mazda3 in May. I hated the 3 ... just too small and tinny. Its good at what it does, but I no longer need to worry about long commutes. I tried to buy back my Lexus, but the Mazda dealer principal has plated it and refuses to sell it back ... can't say I blame him, nice car. So, I looked for a well maintained ES300. A Toronto Lexus dealer had a beauty. It was a 2000 with about 80k on it. The original owner has bought 4 Lexus cars from this dealer. She's now into her 70's, and twice a year, she took the car into Ken Shaw Lexus and told them to perform any maintenance. I was given a thick folder of all the service work ... it didn't matter if it was out of warranty, she gave the dealer total freedom to replace anything. Everything from a new Lexus battery, w-pmp, t-belt, wiper blades, Lexus rotors and pads, Michelins, suspension components, AC servicing .... you name it, they fixed it. The result was this car drives like new ... no squeaks, perfect smooth ride and alignment, its an absolute pleasure to drive. The GM of the dealership tells me he's bringing back on trade a low mileage 2000 black LS400 in October ... I may be tempted, but right now, I'm loving the refinement of this car. I'll definitely tint it, then take it from there. Enjoying the ES forum for a change ... I can only hope this car treats me as well as my late LS.

I am so jealous. I recently took a job which required commuting, and I regretfully sold my dark green 2000 LS400 and bought a 2004 Mazda3. Hated the Mazda. I searched, and came up with an immaculate, dealer maintained 2000 ES300. I think its the same colour as your LS400 ... it sure looks better on the LS, I must say. My Lexus dealer is taking in a 2000 black LS400 in October ... we may swap the ES back into the LS400. Both cars are great, but I just feel that you can load up more miles on the LS. Congrats on your car ... I've never seen the beige/gold in person, but it suits the LS.

Mike, I was in the same boat as you are, this time last year. My 2000 LS400 had about 59k on her, and had been on the road for about 8 yrs. I decided to err on the side of caution, and did the belt due to age rather than mileage. The old belt looked perfect, but the water pump showed a tiny amount of past seepage. All in all, I paid a retired Lexus tech $600 for the t-belt and pump, using OEM parts. The peace of mind is well worth the dollars spent on an interference engine.

Pretty much the same. I just drove to Toronto and back ... 300klm, including some city stop and go traffic. My info center reads 8.8L/100 klm, which works out to 32mpg, based on the slightly larger imperial gallon. Speed was 75mph, tire pressure at 36lbs cold, 91 octane gas.

I have pretty much the same car ... a 2000 LS with 62k on her. It came with Michelin HydroEdge tires, which have a "V" in the tread. I agree that the road noise is a little higher than I thought it would be. I figure that the total absence of wind noise/engine noise makes me more aware of a little tire noise. Plus, I'm guessing my tires are a louder design. I simply turn up the Nakamichi and enjoy the serene environment of an 8 yr old car. Its still the nicest cruiser I've ever owned.

For liability reasons, no reputable tire dealer up here will put snows on just two wheels. Modern stability/traction/abs systems work best with matching treads. Snows on just two wheels on fwd vehicles is insane ... completely changes the handling characteristics of a car.

That's just stupid. 99% of the time any car with winter tires will fare much, much better than a car with winter tires. You would have practically NO traction at all with summer tires and an LS400 compared to a FWD or AWD car with winter tires. I completely agree. My LS400 has the same snows I used last year on my fwd STS. They are Goodyear Ultragrips, with very few miles on them. The STS was unstoppable in deep snow, even on inclines. We received well over 1ft of snow on Sunday, and all secondary roads had piles of snow and slush built up. I had to back up numerous times, where the LS400 couldn't commit traction through the rear tires, even with 160lbs in the trunk. The wheels broke loose on the slightest of hills, and snow mode/vsc made no difference at all. I plowed, fishtailed, held my breath and made it home. Parked the beast, and went back out in my wife's SUV, which sliced through the piles of snow with precision and never broke traction. I've never felt this vulnerable in any fwd car. Next winter, I'm throwing the Ultragrip's in the garbage and investing in something better. The Goodyears do not clear packing snow from the tread very well, thus creating 4 slicks on a rwd platform. I've owned 46 cars and lived in snow country all my life. I know how to drive safely in the snow, but the LS is one helluva challenge in poor conditions.

Jiffy, I have the same tires on my 2000 LS400 with stability control. They are high speed, directional snows. Mine came off an OPP pursuit car ... I bought them slightly used at $200 for all 4 tires. I've driven them for 2 seasons on my STS, with great results. They still have lots of tread depth, but so far I'm not impressed. Our roads are very bad right now in Orillia ... muddy, slick slop, lots of hills. I'm hoping when they clean up the roads a bit, the car will stick a bit better. I would rate the rwd/ultragrip setup as average right now .... hoping it improves.

I used to have a similar issue with a brand new, 1985 Honda Prelude. The seals were all good, but it turned out to be a slightly misaligned driver's door. Mine sounded like someone blowing into the top of a coke bottle, but extremely loud. Good luck, and if its not weather stripping, have them check out the door alignment.

Honestly, I'd be more bothered by worn leather on the shifter (LS400), and covering up a bad steering wheel with the ugly cover (ES300). Those gaps look presentable to me on older vehicles.

Perhaps customizing one of the settings under "Light Control" in the attached document might help. Thanks for the link, but to perform that function involves handing over cash to the dealer. My old Lincoln's and Cadillacs had the variable delay way back in the 80's ... Lexus should've had it standard by 2000?

There's not much I'd change on my 2000, but here it goes. Steering wheel stereo controls. 2 position heated seat controls (they aren't hot enough). More wood trim, like on the side of the doors. Larger cupholders that extend further out from the armrest. A trip computer that includes metric to imperial or US conversion. Nicer styled OEM rims. Variable delay on auto headlights. That's about it. The car is still pretty new to me, and impresses me more each and every day.

My 2000 LS400 hits an absolute worse of about 16mpg in pure city driving, including lots of idling time. Pure hwy runs at 75mph yield me about 31mpg. My mostly city mix is always high teens.

Blake, she had the GLE model. I helped a coworker buy a 98 GLE 4 years ago. All he has done in 4 years have been front rotors, pads, and a knock sensor. If you put regular gas in to the 190hp version of the 3.0l, it will eat up the knock sensor over time. Very reliable cars. If I couldn't afford a Lexus, I would buy a Maxima (pre 99) in a hearbeat. The 99 was a test mule for the new engine electronics introduced on the restyled 2000 Maxima. The 99 and newer models had more issues with 02 sensors and coil packs. Great cars to drive fast, but the refinement is average in terms of noise and smoothness. Still, a far better used car buy than overpriced Accords and Camrys, IMO.

That must be one helluva rare car for Brandon, Manitoba. Enjoy that fine car, and post pics when you can.