SW03ES

Yes, I saw it at the DC auto show yesterday. It's basically just the ES with the wheels from the 10-11 UL model and a special saddle leather interior. Nothing incredible.

I got to see and sit in the new 3 series at the car show today, its actually much more impressive in person. The car really has a lot more presence than the previous 3, looks bigger, and at first I mistook it for a 5 series. They had two models, the "Modern" trim with the goofy Volvoesque color keyed wheel and gauge faces and really terrible "handscraped" type fake wood trim. Awful. But, they had a 335i with the luxury package that was *very* attractive, nice wood trim, better interior than the outgoing car, and much bigger feeling...

Hey all, Well I went to the DC auto show today and got the chance to sit in two new GS350s. One with the "F Sport" package, one with the luxury package...both stickering about $60k. They also had a GS450h but we couldn't sit in it. As many of you know, I haven't been a huge fan of the new GS from the pictures we've seen. But... The car is *much* more attractive in person. The proportions are much better, and oddly enough the rear which was my least favorite angle in the pictures is one of my favorites in person. The car looks very aggressive, especially in the front. I would definitely say next to the 5 series, E class, A6, and M37 the GS is the "sportiest" looking. I wouldn't say its my favorite looking, I think the 5 series and E class are handsomer personally, but its definitely a good looking car. The interior, which I also was not a huge fan of in the pictures is really well done. Excellent materials, very comfortable seats, great switchgear...and that big 12.5" screen is incredible. Interestingly, we thought the interior felt a lot like the 5 in the pictures but in reality it doesn't really feel similar to the 5 at all. No question in my mind the new GS has the best interior in its class. My buddy who was with me is a BMW owner and he agreed the interior was superior to the 5 series, E class, and A6. I can't wait to drive it...and apparently they are going to pay me $75 to do that so I'll set that up as soon as I can.

I've never seen an oncoming car where I felt dazzled or distracted by the foglights...

I don't see how its a feature that could cause any long term longevity issues...its just a temperature readout. My old Explorer has 220k miles on it and has that same warning feature...outside temp still works fine. Lots of other stuff doesn't...but that does... Its a nice feature I think, just a subtle warning that temps outside have dipped to where there might be ice on the roads. Especially when you're traveling temps can change quickly and without the driver noticing,

Yeah the advertising fee and delivery fee aren't a part of the lease, those are fees built into the purchase of the vehicle. The destination charge from Lexus is built into the MSRP. Some dealers charge an additional delivery and advertising fee, these aren't "required" fees. The acquisition fee is $700 or so if I remember correctly...LFS' fees are mandatory. Its all relative, theres only so much profit in a car and you just have to look at the overall bottom line to decide if a deal is right for you or not.

HHAHAHA! You ain't right Rob lol

And what are those policies?

Actually I've had several cars that do that, including the ol Prius.

Its always kind of surreal to see your old car up for sale at the dealer... I see they got the playground in across from you! No more pile of dirt!

Yeah I think nominating Newt Gingrich would be about the biggest gift the GOP could give the Democrats...

You have to bear in mind though that you live in CA. In general you can get better deals on all cars out there because of the dealer competition. I can tell you here that is certainly not the case, you can get a better deal on a Lexus than on a BMW. That makes my point though. When I spend $60k-80K on a car...hell even $40k....I want what I want. I don't want some color or options I don't want. Thats what makes BMWs so frustrating to shop for, the infinite options and the impossibility of finding what you want on the dealer's lot makes you have to order...which makes you have to pay close to sticker. With Lexus...each model only comes 2-3 ways... I've always wanted a BMW, but when you sit down and compare them side to side...the price difference is just absurd...

The bumper covers are painted like the rest of the car, so they are polished and waxed like the rest of the paint. If the rubbing compound did no good they may need to be repainted

Can't be done unfortunately...

I agree with you about Audi, but that is changing with the newer models...

God...BMWs just get more and more expensive. Just a base "luxury" line 335i is $47k...before ANY options. Thats more than a loaded ES350 or IS350. A similarly equipped 335i to a loaded IS350 is $10,000 more. $6k more than a similarly equipped Mercedes C350. Thats just absurd. I mean, the 3 series is the benchmark, don't get me wrong...but I'm not going to buy a tiny little 3 series when I can buy a GS, Infiniti M, or an E class for the same money. Seriously, a fairly loaded E350 is $4,000 more than this 335i. Crazy. And then you have the "modern" line which gets you weird light colored steering wheel, dash top & gauge faces that look like they came from Volvo's style book.

Yeah Lexus is in the process of going all synthetic. One the new cars the interval is now 10k miles, my guess is its all the Lexus dealer will stock going forward which is why they used it for your oil change. They won't change the maintenance schedules on the older cars. $5 more for full synthetic is a deal...

Yeah the dealer had been telling people the ES had direct injection and that it was the cause of the noise, but then we were told it wasn't direct injection after all. Not an uncommon problem, one you'll just have to live with...

Seeing that the year is 1991, I'm sure she means LS400...

Enjoy your R&R!

First of all welcome to the site! Unfortunately warranties have to end sometime. The standard warranty is 4 years from the in service date, or 50,000 miles, whichever occurs first. Since its out of warranty, they won't automatically cover the part (nor should they). Thats not a common concern, which will make it harder to get them to do anything. Press them though, speak to the service manager, and contact Lexus directly. They may help you out some...

When buying from eBay just look at the seller's reputation. If its high, and they specifically state they are OEM and not OER, then you're likely safe buying from them. Welcome to the site!

HAHAHA!

You only have to do it one time to wind up dead or kill someone else. Can you see into the future? Can you see the car that merges into the roadway ahead of you? Do you know for a fact a deer isn't going to jump out in front of you at any moment? You read them. Your good contributions don't excuse you from getting called out for bragging about dumb behavior, sorry. Look at what happens whenever someone posts stuff like this...they get the same response. Doing neat upgrades to your vehicle and sharing them here is appreciated...but it doesn't make you super-human. If we didn't like you, we wouldn't care.

Mine either LOL I mean convert the MP3 files you have to a format that iTunes will accept...