SW03ES

You absolutely can get 40MPG in a Civic. You can in a lot of small economy cars. The Corolla too. We have a Prius too, and your assessment of the mileage is correct. The mileage is great, but if you are only concerned about absolute lowest operating cost, your money is better spent on a Civic or Corolla, Yaris, Fit, etc.

I apologize in advance...this is gonna be long... Just to preface this...this is what I do for a living. Even with an adjustable mortgage, they can't just adjust it whenever they want. There are specific times and for specific amounts depending on the loan. There are also lifetime caps, limits to how much they can be increased in any given year. Its not like a credit card. Your loan documents agree to a certain margin, or cushion above a specific interest rate indicator (usually LIBOR but it can be any rate index) where the rate can be. So for the sake of argument if your margin is 1% and the LIBOR is at 3% when the loan adjusts then your rate is 4%. If another year goes by and the LIBOR is 6% your loan is 4.5%. Why? Because there is a maximum cap of 1.5% that the loan can increase in a given year. Lets say the LIBOR goes up to 15%. Whats your loan? 9% because thats the lifetime cap, the most it can ever be. Now, all the numbers are just fake made up for illustration, but the point is they can't make your rate whatever they want. And the lender CAN NOT call your loan due whenever they want. You have to be in default. Doesn't matter what your loan does or doesn't say, trust me I've read dozens of sets of loan documents and read the federal law. Even though they can do that should you be in default they won't. I can't prove they won't, I can just offer you my experience having dealt with over a dozen situations in the past couple years where homeowners are in default and lenders could call the loans due. They won't do that because they know they won't collect, they negotiate short sales and foreclose instead. Here is the definition of the acceleration clause as pertains to mortgage loans: "A clause commonly included in mortgages and bonds that gives the holder the right to demand the entire outstanding balance be paid in the event of default. Without this clause, the mortgagee may have to file separate foreclosure suits as each installment of the mortgage debt falls due and is in default. The most common reasons for accelerating a loan are if the borrower defaults on the loan or transfers title to another individual without informing the lender." Source: http://www.docloan.com/loans/loan_terms/acceleration-clause Again, this is what I do for a living and I am correct. If you think your loan documents say that you're missing something else buried within the documents. They can do it in the event of default. I'm not a lawyer either, but I deal with contracts of sale every day and this is not true. You are correct that oral contracts can be enforceable, but the law addresses contracts of a certain caliber and says that they must be in writing to be enforceable, this is called the statute of frauds. If I say I'll pay you $100 to paint my fence, you paint it, and I don't pay you I'm in breach of contract. However the uniform commercial code states that any contract for the purchase of a good or service over $500 in value must be in writing to be enforceable. This varies from state to state, but every state has a level at which a contract must be in writing, and its below $1,000 in every state. Thus, any contract for the sale of a car MUST be in writing to be enforceable, and any terms not laid out in that contractual document are NOT a part of the contract. Believe me, I've been in many situations with people buying and selling $700,000 homes where the buyer says the seller said he was going to leave the couch, or the patio furniture, or whathaveyou. The question always is "Great, where in the contract does it say the seller agreed to leave those items?" If it doesn't, the buyer is out of luck. This is the same situation. This is incorrect. The contract of sale AND the lease or loan documents ABSOLUTELY says EXACTLY what you are buying because it includes the vehicle's VIN. The VIN identifies a specific vehicle, and thus includes whatever is contained on that specific vehicle. Find me a contract of sale or loan or lease document that says in writing that the owner is due any kind of service from the dealership. You won't find one because the dealership is not a party to the contract as I said before. No, they have the responsibility to deliver you X car for Y consideration. Once they have done that the transaction is over and that dealer no longer has any responsibility under the contract of sale and niether do you. After that the contract is satisfied. Again, incorrect. The financial institution that has financed the vehicle has NO responsibility for any repairs or warranties. Will your mortgage lender fix your leaky pipe? No. Your credit union will tell you to go away. LEXUS is a party to the written warranty agreement and they must make repairs for covered items, but a specific Lexus dealer can refuse to even service your vehicle. The dealer isn't even a party to the warranty agreement. The dealer can do warranty work and charge Lexus...if they want... but they don't have to. They have the right to refuse service to anyone, as any private business does. Just because you agreed to something and didn't put it in writing and it worked out okay for you doesn't mean you don't have to get things you agree to in writing for them to be enforceable. So, my suggestion to everyone is if the dealer says you'll get tinted glass and chrome wheels...get it in writing...or its not enforceable. Anyways vehicle equipment is a different matter, you can always refuse to take delivery of the car if the chrome wheels and window tinting aren't installed. In this situation we are months past the time that the sales contract was satisfied, and this person has no grounds at all to force the dealer to make good on something they offered when he bought the car that they no longer offer. I think I have clearly shown I have more than a passing knowledge on the subjects we're discussing. I really don't care if you continue to believe as you wish or not. For everyone out there who might be looking at this thread for guidance...We're right and he's wrong.

Again...I'd stay away from Lexus dealers...find a good independent shop. Them not calling you back is a symptom of the issue I mentioned, they don't need your continued and referral business thus they won't be motivated to go the extra mile.

The only way the car has air suspension is if it is the Ultra Luxury package, most noticable by the rear seat audio & climate controls. Only the UL LS430 has the air suspension. There is also a button above the shifter knob on the console. No, but most do. Look for the little black lock buttons on the door handles. If it has nav it has the smart key. I love the nav, one thing to bear in mind is Lexus vehicles (as do most other vehicles) don't allow you to enter destinations when driving, only when stopped. There is a workaround for this for this that is well documented in here. Only that the '06s would be newer and lower mileage. They are the identical car, I would look based on miles and look at both 05's and '06s. Oil changes are every 5k, larger services at 15k and 30k, 45k and 60k. Big service at 90k which includes timing belt replacement, save your pennies for that one. Service is expensive at the Lexus dealer, don't expect to get out of there for less than $150. Independent mechanics are cheaper.

Actually the law specifically says they must honor the warranty even if you do DIY maintenance. You just have to keep your reciepts for when you purchased the parts, and keep a log of exactly what you did and when.

Right, its a symptom of the economy. They want to make sure theres going to be enough profit in it because they just don't know where they're finally going to have to sell it, none of the valuation guides are really a valid measure in this economy. People are just not buying cars. If they let you get out of the dealership without selling you that car and making the deal work Josh, then it wasn't doable on their end. Oh yeah, the new Civic is a really nice little car. I have a buddy that has a 2006. If I were going to buy an economy car, that would probably be the one. That or the Mazda 3. What I said about the dealer not selling it has nothing to do with the Civic, its just not a car a Lexus dealer would keep on their lot. Really the only cars Lexus dealers want on their lots are late model Lexus vehicles that they can sell as CPO. Even my Lexus I bet a dealer wouldn't give me anything worthwhile for, it has too many miles to be CPO.

Thats a financing deal though, not a lease. Lease payments will be lower. As for the trade, i wouldn't trade a Civic in to a Lexus dealer, they won't sell it on their lot, they're going to sell it at auction so they're not apt to offer you a whole lot for it. Even so...with the cars I've traded in I've found KBB to be high. I'd have walked on that too...doesn't sound like a stellar deal.

Actually I'd stay away from places like Jiffy Lube. Find a good local independent shop.

Do a search, I'd pass. I don't have any direct experience with their service department, but every time I've gone into their sales department I've been run off by how skeezey their salespeople are. At the car show in DC Pohanka sponsored the Lexus booth, it was the only booth at the whole show where salespeople hounded us and one kid actually sat in cars with us trying to get our information while we were looking at the display. Zero class. In VA I reccomend Lindsay Lexus of Alexandria.

I saw a new RX350 on the road today. Not bad, I like the styling.

It depends on so many different variables, your credit score (BIG one, especially now), lease term, number of miles. What you really need to do is use the calculator to let you know if you are in the ballpark, and then apply for a lease at the dealer and see what they say. Before you do that, do a LOT of research into how leasing works. Its simple, but they make it complicated. You need to know the terminology, how to compare leases, how to calculate what kind of interest they are charging etc. Also, always negotiate the price of the car first, then talk about lease terms. If you are looking for the cheapest payment You want to negotiate the lowest captialized cost (purchase price), a low money factor (lease-lingo for interest rate, it will be a decimal, multiply it by 2400 to get the interest rate), a high residual (what the car is worth when the lease is over), and you want to make as big a capitalized cost reduction (down payment) as you can. I personally never reccomend anyone put anything down on a lease. Lexus also lets you make multiple security deposits too to buy down the money factor and reduce the payments, and you get the money back at the end of the lease. I bet you could get into a base IS250 with 10k miles a year, 48-60 month lease for $400 a month. Loaded IS250 with 15k miles a year and a 36 month lease (better terms) is going to be $600+ However, if you don't have 700+ credit, I would be prepared to be turned down flat for a lease right now.

Absolutely they will. Dealers make more money servicing cars than selling cars. They want your service business. I also disagree. Nowhere in the lease paperwork does it say the dealer will do anything to service the car. The lease is between the lessee and LEXUS/TOYOTA FINANCIAL SERVICES, a bank. LFS/TFS doesn't service vehicles and the dealership is not a party to the contract. "But he said..." is meaningless. Once you sign on the dotted line and drive off in the vehicle, the dealer owes you nothing and you owe them nothing. They are a RETAIL STORE, and you purchased something from them. Any financing agreement you made with a third party has nothing to do with them. This is also not completely true. First of all, if you have a fixed rate loan your lender can never increase the rate, nor can any other lender they may sell the loan to for servicing. That is your rate, and it is not like a credit card where they can play with the rate whenever they want. Its true the lender can call the loan due, its called the acceleration clause. However, you have to be in default of the loan agreement before they can do that. So for instance, if you stop making payments...they can accelerate the loan. If you move out and have someone else start making the payments and you don't tell them...they can accelerate the loan. If you add someone to the title without telling them, they can accelerate the loan. If you sell the house, they can accelerate the loan, etc. Lenders don't accelerate loans unless you sell the house, they foreclose on you instead if you are in default. However, that has nothing to do with his situation...

Very cool!

They remedied the sludge issue in 02, I've never heard of a sludge issue on a 02+

This is why I always use OEM windshields...

Good bodyshops can match paint perfectly nowadays. I've had the bumper repainted on my metallic burgundy ES and its impossible to tell. What you need to do is get referrals for bodyshops, I'd pass on the dealer's shop. You need a shop that is successful because they do great work, not because a dealer feeds them all the business they need. Look for computerized paint matching. You actually would not want panels off another car. Even when new the paints are slightly different shades from car to car. a Good body shop will use their paint matching system to tint the paint to it matches the particular paint on your car.

Its really industry standard practice, only a handful of automakers hav nav systems without a lockout. Lexus will never do away with the lockout, so I wouldn't waste your energy or our server space by whining. Simply buy a prestgious society override if it really bothers you that much and be done with it.

Absolutely untrue, it is illegal for a manufacturer to require the dealer to do scheduled maintenance.

Which is......? Cost, they're much cheaper than their Japanese competition I agree the Venza isn't segment busting, but I did like the vehicle overall.

Even the LS is pretty low-tech, even now. Back before 2001 the LS was very low tech.

I get 17-19 around town, 26 on the highway at best in the ES. He has always gotten 18-20 around town and gets up close to 30 on trips in the LS, both of them. We have very similar driving styles.

I would not put different size tires on the front than the back. You run the risk of changing the handling dynamics of the car. The tires are the only place your car contacts the road, don't skimp on safety with tires.

$119 an hour I think...

Its MUCH better than iDrive. Easily the best mouse system I've used. The new iDrive is actually much better than it used to be too. I liked the exterior styling of the new RX personally. Lexus and Toyota vehicles always look better in person. No pricing on the Prius yet. They have a fully loaded platinum edition that has LED headlights like the LS600hL, I bet that model is $35k. We paid $26,500 for ours in 2004 fully loaded, and they are almost $29k fully loaded now (they added a package above ours with leather and a touring package). Sounds like a lot on the surface, but these midmarket cars are eating up into near-luxury territory fast. You know what a loaded Rav4 costs now? $33k Loaded Nissan Maxima? $38.5k Fully loaded Highlander Hybrid Limited? $48k Just compared to the Rav4 I thought the Venza was well priced, the Rav is ugly, cheap feeling inside and the Venza isn't, and its still AWD and has enough ground clearance as long as you aren't offroading it'll do country roads and snow just fine. This is another reason I think Hyundais are so attractive...

The new Lexus system is MUCH better than the iDrive. In fact the new BMW iDrive is much better than the old iDrive too. You won't miss the touch screen.