Nabeel

For what it's worth, I've driven many '92-'96 ES300s and saw no difference whatsoever in power throughout the years. I remember getting '94-'96 dealer loaner cars when our '93 was in for service, and they drove the exact same. When push comes to shove, the later models are maybe very marginally quicker, if at all. Car and Driver got the exact same 0-60 and 1/4 mile numbers from a '92 and a '94. Oh, and I would LOVE to get my hands on a manual ES300. There was a nice black/black '93 on ebay several months ago, but I couldn't buy it because it would have required me to sell my Audi first, in order to get the money. Ah well. Oh, and here's another manual transmission pic. Kinda weird to see 3 pedals down there in an ES300 B)

ya well NOT in my eyes. tom crean sucks.... -Nabeel (U of KY student still sore about his school getting its azz kicked by Marquette in the NCAA tourney) :P

I'm betting Lexus will follow their already-established pattern for the ES series. So mechanical changes for '04 and cosmetic changes for '05. You heard it here FIRST :P

Lexus reccomended 32 psi all around for the '92-'96 ES300.

Michael Jordan's dad was behind the wheel of an SC400 when he was killed. I also remember seeing a few Lexuses on MTV's Cribs show. I can't remember who they belonged to though.

Err....the hp only went up by only 3 (185 vs. 188). Torque went up 8 (195 vs 203). Engine block was now aluminum instead of iron, and the compression ratio was bumped up from 9.5:1 to 10.5:1. A lot of the major internals were changed, but driving a '93 and '94 back to back, you will feel virtually no difference whatsoever. Tranny was indeed a slightly revised version of the previous '92-'93 version. Here is a rundown of changes between '93 and '94, in addition to the mechanical differences above: - passenger side airbag added - interior gets an outside temp button - remote entry gets a 'beep' tone when locking/unlocking, volume adjustment is inside. (the earler models did not beep) - cfc-free air conditioning system - Lexus Portable Plus cellular phone becomes optional - No more manual transmission Changes between the '94 and '95 models were cosmetic: - rectangular fogs instead of the round yellow projectors - revised tail lights - smoked headlight housings with faint horizontal lines across the lens So yeah, there is a synopsis of changes withing the gen-1 ES300 production cycle. Its interesting to note that during the gen-2 cycle, Lexus followed a similar pattern. The car debuted in '97, received mechanical changes 2 years afterward in '99 (VVT-i engine, new tranny, etc.), and cosmetic changes the next year, in '00. It will be interesting to see if the gen-3 follows suit. The 3.3 liter engine will debut next year, but cosmetic changes are unknown so far....

Oh, and all ES are great cars, BUT....... My fav has to be the old-school (and rare!) '92-'93 models with the manual transmission. Once I came across what has to be the rarest type of ES300 out there. It was about 3-4 years ago. Black/Black '93 ES300 5-speed. Cloth interior. no sunroof, no cd changer, no heated seats, no nothing. Just basic ES300 without any extraneous shet. I dunno why, but I gravitated toward that car on the dealer's lot for a good half-hour. Maybe the purity of the thing, the simplicity. Ok, I better get to bed because i am tired and I feel i'm not making any sense now. what was the original question? yeah, 'what is my favorite year es300?' Yes, i like the '92-'93 manual. What's that, gen 0.5? LOL :P And off to bed i go.........

gen 2 vs. gen 2.5 Red/white tail lights versus red/amber turn signals/white. Revised front grille. More agressive front bumper. Optional 16-inch wheels that look frikin great. Like the style on the gen-1, but larger with sharper edges. Cars with the xenon headlamps have clear multireflecor-type lenses. Subtle, but noticable when you look at a xenon and non-xenon car back to back. Interior had a little more wood trim, around the radio and a/c controls.

Yes it is definately possible because I've seen people do this. I don't know how they did it, but I'm pretty sure that the yellow piece is only a lens, and the actual light behind there is white.

OC gaskets, motor mounts, cv boots, burnt out needles in the instrument cluster, I'm sure I'm forgetting some common ones....

Go Speedracer go!

3 whole mpg is one helluva increase in milage from just a filter. I put a K & N into one of my cars and did not notice any substantial mpg differences, and only slight performance gain. I would say that K & N are most definately worth it though, just for the fact that they are reuseable. Some engines must benefit a lot more mpg-wise than others. I'm curious if there is anything unique about the design of the '02+ cars that make them better suited to K&N than most others. Is the stock filter really that restrictive? Thanks for the heads-up steviej.

Welcome!

$11K is a really good deal for a '97 ES300. Congrats on the purchase! In regard to the question in your initial post about the sound system- the '97 ES300 had no real 'premium' system. It is written on the head unit, but all '97 cars came with the same system. It was developed and made with Pioneer components. Starting in '98, a Nakamichi system was made available, with a slightly higher power output (230 watts vs. 195) and clearer sound. The base system is still very good though. Audio has always been a Lexus strong point, compared to other cars.

Those painted headlight housings look really good!

Probably getting frustrated over some silly girl. What a loser!! :P Nice to see you here!

For a living, that is. I'll start off. College student (U of Kentucky), majoring in political science.

Yup, I can't see why they would not fit. Maybe one of the resident technicians here (paging skperformance!) could help you out more.

Hmmm....I'm pretty sure there were more than 250, but maybe not by much. I remember when the ES300 made its debut in 1992, the people at Lexus predicted that 98 percent of the cars would be sold with an automatic. I believe they sold about 30,000 cars that first year, here in the USA. That means they projected about 600 would be a manual. However, it is my understanding that Lexus dropped the manual option after 1993 because of lack of sales. if that is true, then perhaps the number of cars sold was even less than the ~600/year they expected. Another thing, nearly all the manuals I see are '92 models. I really don't see that many '93s. Either way, it is quite a rare car, and this example looks to be particularly nice. Alas, unless i can miraculously sell my car within 4 days, it isn't going to be mine! :P

There's a very good condition '92 ES300 (7/92 build date) manual on ebay right now, about a 3.5 hour drive away from where I live. Black/Black, looks to be in great condition from the pics. Leather, moonroof, cd canger, etc. 99K miles. Unfortunately for me, buying it is not a possibility unless I sell my current car, which will be hard to do, since there is only 4-5 days until the auction ends. Anyway, since there cars are hard to come by, I just thought I'd let you all know, in case anyone is looking for a manual ES300. The car

I prefer the 5-spoke LS400 rims ovre the LS430 ones. they give a nice subtle aggressive look.

Someone slap me if I sound silly, but I think you may like the Coach/Platinum edition wheels off a '99-'01 ES300. Or will they not fit? Of the wheels posted, I also kinda like the machined finish of the LS400 wheels. It gives the car a somewhat ritzy look without being overly flashy like chrome. My local Lexus dealer sells various styles of aftermarket rims with Lexus emblems in the center. They had a 5-spoke style which looked similar to a Mercedes AMG rim, and it looked very sharp on an ES300. Can't remember the name at all though, and its been awhile since I saw it.

Nice Benz! She looks clean. I test-drove a few 300Es before, I like them a lot. In terms of your Mercedes vs. an ES300, here are a few observations: - Rear wheel drive (MB) versus front wheel drive (Lexus). This could benefit you if the climate in your area includes lots of snow and ice. FWD = better traction. However, RWD will provide better handling balance in normal situations. - In terms of power, both should be similar. The Mercedes makes 177hp, I believe, versus the 185-188 of the first-generation ES300. The ES300 might be slightly faster, but the difference will be negligible. - The Benz has better handling. The ES300 suspension tends to exhibit a bit more body roll and float, plus the understeer that goes along with FWD. - The Lexus has a more plush ride. If you live in an area where the pavement is not too good, the Lexus has the clear edge in this regard. - The Lexus will be less expensive to maintain. Although I have no personal experiece with Mercedes, I do have experience with old BMWs and Porsches. I assume Mercedes repair/maintanance costs will be in the same ballpark. - Both will be reliable. I realize that the Lexus is rated higher by JD Power and Consumer Reports in terms of reliability, but the Benz is definately a reliable, dependable car, as evidenced by the tons of old Benzes still running on the roads today. I feel that in the late 90's Mercedes took their eye off quality and durability and focused on more superficial attributes like styling and comfort. The 300E is one of the old school Mercedes cars and I have much respect for it. - The Mercedes feels more solid and substantial on the road. It has heavier steering and a very nice made-out-of-solid-steel feeling to it. The Lexus feels lighter and more nimble in comparison. My dad, who is a German car devotee, thought the Lexus felt 'toylike' after driving BMWs for a long time. You might want to keep that in mind.... - The Lexus is more up-to-date in terms of convenience features. It has remote locking for the doors, unlike the 300E, and the climate control system works much better. The audio system is also a lot better than the Mercedes system. Well, that was my best shot at an objective analysis between the two cars. Hope this helps, Good Luck and welcome to this board. :)

I would do the same thing others have mentioned- drive the hell outta the car, but also drive it in the same manner you normally do. Driving a car hard will sometimes reveal things/problems which you may not notice during normal driving. And of course, normal driving will give you a feel of how the car will perform during ummmm.....normal condiions. :P

That thing looks like it would scare young children :P But pretty awesome nonetheless...