Lexusfreak

Long term bud, reliability on Audi's that are no longer under factory warranty would make me very nervous to say the least. A lot of 'gremlins' in those cars I'm afraid. I stayed clear of an Audi with quataro AWD because of that & parts costs are very expensive too.

That's affordable. ;)

We all defect at one point or another. honestly, after driving the wifes Matrix XR in the snow, i think a Subaru might be on my next list of cars. I have a feeling I will be a Subi owner for a long time by the looks of things, especially for our areas of the world Josh. ;)

Might want to consider Amsoil ASL 5W 30 synthetic.......when using their oil filters you can go 1 year or 25k miles between oil changes......however I am not comfortable going that long on my vehicles so I do it every 6 months so only 2 oil changes per year regardless of mileage. ;) For more info.....click the link below. I will be using it on my new 06 Subaru Forester XT Turbo as well. ;) http://www.amsoil.com/storefront/asl.aspx

Josh, Her insurance should look after things.......make sure you get 2, perhaps 3 estimates & insist (I can't stress that enough) on OE Toyota replacement parts & paint......I think they will have to replace the doors by the looks of the pics. Ask around or go see a few body shops (including Totota body shops). Make sure a rental is included as you will be without the car for some time by the looks of things. Make sure you find out about the floor pan area too.

Agreed gents! :whistles:

I feel your pain my friend :( I hope your wife's friend Niki is going to be ok........the car can be fixed & is secondary when people have been hurt. Insurance will handle things......keep us posted. :(

We have returned from our holiday & had a fantastic time in D.C. & Gettysburg.....will post pics soon everyone. B) The wife & I had a really nice time meeting SW & his significant other.....very glad we were able to meet up Steve! B) Our treat if you guys decide to visit Toronto down the road. B) I wish we took more pics (but will post the one we were able to get). Thanks again for the hotel location too bud. Agreed that the Tire talk was a 'draw' with our ladies being the referees & all lol. ;)

Thanks Steve........looking forward to it. Somehow 2 Foresters seemed more practical than 2 ES 300's. B) Talk with the rest of you in a couple weeks! :)

sorry dude....all fixed. bring it baby!!!!! we got some awesome beaches and trails to take that Subi 4wheelin'.........ok all-wheelin'. steviej Awesome......added to the 'to do' list....perhaps in 2007.....although there might be a 'mini Bren' or 'mini Karen' by then lol......we'll just get em a Red Sox cap while were there lol. :) ;)

Lol. :whistles: 'en' dude.....not 'an' ;) B) That mean were not welcome in Scituate? lol j/k

Thanks SK, I like Subifreak better ;) I have found the T.O. Subi boards......not a member, but am a member of the Subaruforester.org site. :)

I think we will check out those restaurants 91L....thanks! B)

Well ladies & gents, I am offically no longer a Lexus owner After alot of research (which isn't a strong enough word to be honest for those that know me well lol :whistles: ), consideration, number crunching & everything else in between I have traded in my 2001 Lexus ES 300 for a 2006 Subaru Forester XT - Turbo. :D In a nutshell, this machine is scary fast & imo, one of the ultimate 'sleeper' vehicles currently available on the market......at least in Canada....at any price. B) I have not been able to wipe the smile off my face for the last 2 days. I plan on posting pics soon, but it might have to wait until I return from my trip to Washington D.C. later this month......I'd also like to have the car tinted before I do. B) Many of you know that we purchased a 2003 Forester XS for my wife late last year & (my wife & I now both commute a fair distance - over 33 miles one way now that my work re-located at the beginning of this year north of Toronto in a snow belt area) after a full winter, the capabilities of the Forester with it's full time AWD system is simply out of this world! Lexus has decent electronic aids that are helpful, but they are still no match (even with the Goodyear Triple Treads which my wife's Forester also has) for AWD which was one of the deciding factors in my switch. That & the fact that recently I have been experencing some problems with my ES that would have cost me a good chunk of $$$ to fix now that the Lexus extended warranty has expired (go figure!) & the TB & WP replacement was fast approching now that I have clocked over the 70k mile mark among others but I can see I am already writting a novel here lol. I got top dollar for the car on trade in the end....which took a while (I wasen't about to let the dealer 'steal' that car from me no matter what) & saved over $12k Canadian on the FXT from new (the Forester I purchased was a Subaru Canada executive driven demo with 8,000 miles on her......original with all service history), not to mention the tax savings of the trade difference which is 15% here in Ontario! Plus I got a fantastic financing rate too boot & in the colour I wanted as well (Crystal Grey Metallic). I have nothing negative to say about my ES (or Lexus as a brand). The car ran pretty much flawlessly during the time I have owned it. It was just a decision I made (along with my wife of course). Would I buy another Lexus? Yup, depending on what they offer 5 - 7 years down the road. I did seriously consider another Lexus (specifically a 2004 or 2005 ES 330)....but my heart really wanted was a 2006 GS 300 AWD whcih was simply never going to happen. I was not a huge fan of the new ES 350.....mainly because of the interior styling & I wanted AWD this time around. I had the 2005 Subaru Outback XT Turbo or H6 VDC on my short list, but it was out of my budget & considering the current fuel prices showing no signs of getting lower anytime soon (the OB weighs over 3600 lbs as well), we felt the Forester was the smarter move. B) I wasen't ready to go for a Hybrid just yet either. I'm not writing this thread to say Goodbye just so you know......I have made many good friends since I've joind LOC (and CL) & plan to stick around a long time....Which might be a good or bad thing depending on one's point of view lol :whistles: Many members have helped me out immensely during my time here (especially steviej, among others) & to all of them, I am greatful & can't thank you enough! :) To be honest, I want to be here long enough to get Monarch to finally switch to synthetic oil & have SW finally put Goodyear Triple Treads on his ES ......j/k guy's. ;) I guess perhaps a name change is in order now huh? If any of the moderators have a chance, I beleive Subifreak is available. :) Much appreciated!

Well Nissan / Infiniti has finally got themselves together as far as their interiror is concerned. Hate to say it, but quite a few of their models they simply didn't have the right to call Infiniti a 'lunury brand' 5+ years ago. ;)

I'd still win but that test won't be possible I'm afraid.... :whistles: ;)

I'm sure meeting you will be right up there bud. ;) lol, well bring the Lexus........there in lies the problem..... :whistles:

yes, and both of you can go around finding that cat! LMAO! No other way I'd rather spend my vacation! That's awesome Steve! B) I will go over these places with my wife before we leave. Really looking forward to the trip. :)

swing by Watertown NY if you are driving and say hi for a min, it is on your way by road. :) you can see the house and have dinner maybe. I appreciate the invite Josh....thanks! ;) I will see what I can do. :)

The kitty will return (she probably went exploring & mousing), she know where she lives (been around Cat's my entire life......& my Sister runs a non profit charity with 60+ cats at her place.....just ask steviej lol). The only worry I about is the cars......

How big is the tank? Just wondering. B)

I'd stay clear of Lucas personally.......they are not highly rated on my other sites at all.....some have complained of foaming issues too. The most popular are Amsoil, M1 & Motul for synthetics........although these were not very easily available in my area (& when I could find them, they wanted astronomical prices for them). I ended up with Castrol Syntec 75W 90 gear oil & not one complaint & the price was right for a quality product which I would use again. B)

Appreciated, thanks SK! :)

Awesome pics 98es! :D Much appreciated. B) My wife & I are pretty excited about the trip......got a suprise for you guy's too........but can't tell anyone until Thursday lol. :whistles:

I concur.....I noticed the same thing. B)