SW03ES

You should take a look at a new car. Are the leather seats shiny? Absolutely not. Leather should be matte finished and soft to remain new looking ;)

I also have a few cassete tapes that I can't get in CD. Its nice to have the tape deck. Anyways who'se it hurting if its there even if you never use it?

I would not buy the car. Here's why, at some point down the line you're going to have to sell this car. You found this information about it being in LA during Katrina and so will whoever is looking at it then, and you're going to have the same problem this seller is having with you. Its stigmatized property. PLENTY of nice ES330s out there, I'd travel for one vs buying one that concerns me.

I've always really liked the LS in black, but for some reason the LS460 doesn't look great in black to me...

I would buy the warranty, but not now. You can buy the Lexus factory extended warranty all the way up until the original 4 year 50k warranty runs out, so take your time and shop around. You can and will find a better deal than that. I disagree that the things you are trying to protect are the engine and transmission. THOSE are the things I wouldn't worry about protecting. To me the bigger fear is an electronic failure, the nav screen for instance (Thats a quick $5k.). $2900 won't buy you many Lexus repairs. I bought the extended warranty on my ES and it paid for itself twofold, and its not nearly as complex as the LS460. And BTW, everything covered under the factory warranty is covered under the platinum extended warranty, including water pump or timing belt failures.

The TripleTreds are too coarse a tire for the LS IMHO...

But its not only good for the battery to start the car every week or so its also good for the belts to be run, the oil and fuel pumps to be used, the starter to snap corrosion off. I'd start it up and drive it around the block every week even if I had a battery tender.

Is it vinyl? I don't recall from the SC's I've been in. If it is vinyl then I'd use a MrClean Magic Eraser on it.

I think a trickle charger is the solution. The car really should be driven, at least around the block, once a week.

We get about 35MPG with our Prius in our combined driving, on the highway we get about 42. If you have a highway commute and you're getting 35 in a Yaris...or even a Corolla. With a 40 mile commute one way, thats 80 miles a day, or 400 miles a week. Thats 11 gallons of fuel in a Corolla or Yaris, 10 in a Prius. That one gallon a week, even at $10 a gallon is only a savings of $40 a month, the cost of the Prius vs the other car is going to equal a lot more than that in payment...

I agree the Yaris and Fit aren't comparable to the Prius sizewise. However, if one's goal is simply a commuter car with strong MPG...they fit the bill as well and for a lot less money. Both the Yaris and Fit are built well and are solid, and I find the driving positions in both more comfortable than in the Prius. if its just two people commuting who needs the extra space?

I had one with the heat and it got worn out (we've got pets haha) and we replaced it with a Bissel SpotBot which didn't work as well. We replaced the spotbot with another little green, this time without the heat (couldn't find one with heat, they're being discontinued for the SpotBot which is a shame because it sucks. I almost bought two little greens) and it works just as well. I just put hot water in the resevior.

HAHAHA!

The Prius is okay, we have one. The economy is good, but you actually probably can get fairly comparable economy out of something cheaper, like a Yaris or Honda Fit if commuting is what you're looking for. To me the negatives of the Prius are: 1. Its weird looking 2. Its really uncomfortable. The seats have very limited adjustments (front, back, and tilt, thats it) and the driving position is upright and weird. 3. Its expensive For just commuting I'd buy a Yaris or Fit and pocket the extra cash.

I doubt we'll see an entirely new model in between the IS and ES, that doesn't make any sense. What they SHOULD do is come out with a hybrid ES based on the Camry Hybrid. The R&D costs would be negligable, the car is similar in interior size to the Prius. I'd buy one...

ONR can handle a car being really dirty actually...but I'm always afraid of doing it without hosing down. What I do when I can't use the hose: 1. Take it to a coin-op spray wash first then go home and use ONR. 2. Spray it down well with ONR in a spray bottle first.

The OEM moldings are only for the doors, they don't have them for the bumpers, and they look different.

The little green is a great tool, I've got one.

Should be fine, just shake it well. You know, if you're thirsty, they DO make beverages that are non-alcoholic ;)

Holy ancient threads batman... Why would one of us lock this 4 year old thread?!

Thing is...around here the Toyota dealers not much less...

I don't believe those are the OEM moldings...

Do you mean the black box next to the mirror on the passenger side? Thats the sensor for the automatic wipers, not the GPS antenna. I believe the antenna is imbedded in the rear window.

I believe only 05+ parts will work if you have the tan interior...

He's dealt with. The spots are etched in bug hits. You may not be able to remove them completely, but a competent detailer can reduce them a lot and make the car look much better overall. The issue is bugs that have hit the hood and baked on before they were washed off.