SW03ES

It absolutely depends on the engine... BMWs for instance don't run well on regular, I was having that discussion just yesterday with a friend that drives BMWs.

Its absolutely california walnut, straight out of the brochure when we bought our 98 LS new. New the wood was pretty dark. The 99 is absolutely unchanged from the 98 except for daytime running lights. Over time the wood in that 98 lightened CONSIDERABLY to the point where it was actually very light when it was traded.

I wasn't talking to you Golfing about the banned thing, I was talking to Jaswood. That issue has been flushed out though...

Its a weird thing. The carpeting is parchment, but the mats are more the color of the upper dash on mine. However, I have also seen them with mats that match the carpeting. So you can get them either way. I too like the darker mats because they don't look as dingy over time. Yeah, its a very neat color. Has some brown, has some multi-colored flakes...even a little green. Its warmer than the dark grey which is why it works well with the parchment interior.

I'm just going to ask you flat out...did you used to post here as "wwest", a member we banned some years ago? You sound *exactly* like him. EDIT-Nevermind...answered my own question.

It would totally void the warranty, on top of being an entirely rude and irresponsible thing to do.

True that it might not hurt the vehicle....but when you purchase a premium vehicle I don't understand cheaping out and running regular gas and getting reduced performance. I'm not talking about a Lexus ES like mine, but the Lexus V8 or Jaguar V8, or a higher compression BMW...you bought these vehicles for their performance. I've used the analogy before, its like spending all the money on an HDTV, and then not paying for HD cable service. Makes no sense.

Need pictures!

The 2010 ES is pretty good in the snow too, better than my 03 was

I'd love to see pictures! From inside and out... I've always wanted to tint my windows but for some reason I've never gone through with it.

All of thats well and good... ...but the manufacturer of the vehicle recommends a pressure of 30PSi. So thats what I run. I've put over 200,000 miles on Lexus ES sedans, and over 200,000 miles on Lexus LS sedans and I can tell you with authority that the cars ride the best under the factory recommended PSI and increasing PSI rapidly diminishes ride comfort.

Totally ridiculous. I have driven FWD Lexus ES sedans in the snow for many years and hundreds of thousands of miles and they are perfectly safe.

It can happen if they've sat out in the sun a lot in harsh sun climates...like FL. My advice is to find a replacement wheel on eBay like this one: http://www.ebay.com/itm/LEXUS-LS430-WOOD-LEATHER-STEERING-WHEEL-2001-2002-2003-2004-2005-2006-/170734514799?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&fits=Make%3ALexus%7CModel%3ALS430&hash=item27c091f26f&vxp=mtr#ht_986wt_1165

Yeah were they new tires or did they come on the car? It does happen, its rare with a Michelin but it does happen. Its also possible it was curbed at some point or someone hit a big pothole and put it out of round. I wouldn't continue to run the Dunlop and Michelin on the same axle, that could lead to a traction or driving dynamic issue. You might be able to have the Michelin tire road force balanced...

We need pictures! I gassed up and washed the Jeep today, I'm thinking about trying E85 in it. Its E85 ready, and its $.50/gal cheaper than regular now. I have heard there is some fuel economy penalty, the question is if it would be a wash or not...

Its important to note that Lexus DOES NOT sell factory chrome wheels anymore. Any chromed Lexus OEM wheels are chromed aftermarket. Issue there is that the chrome does pit and peel over time if you are ever on salted roads. I've done a lot of research on this, and if I were to purchase chrome OEM rims, I would get Permachrome rims: www.permachrome.com They actually have the OEM rims as a feature on their site for $795: http://vuvhg.hsybf.servertrust.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=BC74224 Bear in mind though that these are a core return, so if you wanted to buy them and keep your rims, it'd be $1795.

I run mine at 30. You'll notice a HUGE difference in the ride between 34 and 30, its like driving two different cars. Drawback is higher pressure means better economy, and longer tire wear, but like you I bought the Lexus for the rode...so I run 30.

Yeah I personally would look to a 2010+ for the enhancements made in 2010, I think they really did a lot for a car that was sort of plain beforehand. Like Jim said, I would look to private party sales as well. Big benefit of CPO, if you are financing they have special new car rates as low as .9% or 1.9% for 60 months on CPO cars. A non-CPO car is going to cost you a lot more to finance, especially a private party car. Otherwise I agree the CPO program is really kind of superfluous.

Unless its a Platinum Edition the 98-00 all has the same interior wood.

Yeah I don't see how a double cab Tacoma Truck is more family friendly than the LS. Certainly far less comfortable to drive. The LS is one of the safest cars for rear facing child seats because of the amount of rear legroom. The Tacoma can't even cary your luggage on a trip without a bed cap. True, the LS is terrible in the snow (unless you put winter tires on it)...but you have the Subaru...

Thats a great score on the Jag! One of my favorite cars, I've often thought about picking one up as a fun car...

But we do see more first year reliability problems nowadays than we used to. Think about the issues with the 07 ES and LS, and the more significant issues with the 06 GS.

Because nobody would buy it. Airlines don't buy airplanes because they are stylish, people buy cars because they are. You have to constantly evolve the styling in order to compete with everybody else who constantly evolves their styling. I wouldn't be worried about reliability personally.

Not the way Toyota/Lexus vehicles are designed. Its all what you're used to, the Jeep does that and we shut it off because after driving Toyotas for so long it seemed weird...

If you scroll down there are pics of the actual car. The thread "ES shows up undisguised in China" There are no official pics or specs yet...