Hi guys,
I bought a 2000 ES300 over the week-end to replace my 2000 Porsche 911 Cabrio. Family circumstance made my Volvo station wagon go away, leaving me with the Porsche which--while it has two backseats for my two small kids--was proving too impractical and expensive to keep. My goal was to find a practical family car with some "worth having" factor and creature comforts. I initially decided to buy a new 4-door GTI Volkswagen with the DSG transmission, but the local dealers were upsetting me with the usual shenannigans (sp?). A local Buick dealer had the ES300 on his lot as a trade-in and since I knew the finance manager from our church, I felt comfortable buying it instead of the GTI. At less than half the price the savings were substantial as well. The car is champagne colored with the beige interior. Has 16 inch wheels, upgraded stereo and moonroof. 60k on the odometer and in very nice general condition. Bought it with an extended 4 year/48k mile warranty that my friend set me up with. Probably worth its price for piece of mind.
As to my questions...there is one thing I really do not like about the car and that is the 16 inch wheel. Why Lexus seems to have a hard time making a decent looking wheel is somewhat beyond me :) Looking at the car's lines, I feel that a more closed wheel like the AMG style Mercedes wheel would really complement the car. Has anyone tried to fit those to the ES? Is there some wheel in that style that anyone has fitted? Personally, I think the rotors and the size of the rims at less than 18 inches are too small for really open spoke. Just my opinion of course! Any ideas here are most welcome.
Second thing is the trunk. Has anyone modified the spring to make the trunk open all the way when it is unlocked with the remote? That would be useful to me as I usually have my hand full of kids and groceries as I walk up to the car.
Third...a closing thought: this is a really nice car to drive and a great environment to be in. Coming out of the Porsche--the newer ones are really pretty sumptuous inside--I dreaded the next car, but the Lexus is actually as nice in a more...Zen?...way. Anyway, glad to be part of the club! Thanks for any thoughts.
GP