SW03ES

The CL and UL models mess with the residual values. They actually have LOWER resale than the standard cars because of all their technology. Technology is appealing when new, not so appealing 5 years later when its outdated and useless. Navigation also lowers resale. Most leasing companies use totally different residual percentages when calculating leases on UL and CL cars. Anyways it'd be better to compare the LS430 with the new Modern Luxury package than the CL car as its more similar to the LS400 lines in cost (the LS400 at its very most expensive was only $62,000 new). It includes nav, heated seats, smart entry, 18 inch wheels etc. Its also best to compare retail to retail, MSRP to MSRP. So, 2005 LS430 with ML package, MSRP $62,734. 2004 LS430 with ML package: Retail $57,700 2003 LS430 with premium pkg (no ML pkg 01-03): Retail $50,435 2002 LS430 with PP: Retail $44,765 2001 LS430 with PP: Retail $40,135 2000 LS400 with nav: Retail $27,765 1999 LS400 with nav: Retail $24,500 1998 LS400 with nav: Retail $20,385 Now bear in mind these are retail prices. Like the MSRP, this is what the dealer will list at, not neccisarily what you'll pay. These are all also based on mileage of 15,000 per year which is the national average. So as you can see you're pretty much on the money, the depreciation curve is pretty flat. There are steeper jumps between design changes (2004 to 2003, 2001 to 2000).

WAAAY too high. You can get an 01 LS430 with reasonable mileage for that. KBB private party value with good condition (which seems fairly accurate around here) has it at $20,755

Wow! Thats terrible. How does the rest of the wheel look?

That may be a braking issue. How many miles are on the car now?

What thread was this? No threads have been removed to the best of my knowledge...

Huh?

Rechromes won't hold up as well as factory wheels, you want to look for OEM Lexus chromes. The dealers here don't stay away from chrome because of the winter (our winters aren't that bad, its 65 degrees today!), they sell mostly painted wheels because thats all they have, Lexus only ships cars with chromes to warm climates. Be aware with chromes automatic carwashes (which should be kept to a minimum anyways) must be avoided as the wheel brushes will ruin them, and they have to be cleaned very carefully. On the right color (dark) chromes can look great though...

Its just an inherant difference, the 02+ models are heavier, ride smoother and are quieter. They also have a lower coeficcient of drag which helps to make them quieter. As an aside though your 01 has better handling...

But sealants (for the most part) lack the warm look, ease of use, and blemish hiding characteristics of waxes. Like anything else its always a tradeoff. There are sealants that more closely resemble waxes (Poorboys EX, Four Star UPP, Blackfire) but they often lack the durability. The really durable sealants (Klasse, Zaino) have a somewhat cold reflectivity that lacks depth on darker colors.

Those are all good points, BUT when you buy a car you are commiting assets to an object that is guaranteed to loose 50% or more of its value in the time you own it. Many financial analysts will tell you to buy things that will increase in value (real estate for instance) and lease things that will depreciate (like cars). I do agree, we need more info about the two leases, they could be very different. For instance I know BMW's standard lease is 10k miles per year while Lexus' is 12k, that makes a difference too. Compare them on LeaseCompare where you can control the variables.

I went to our car show and the Hybrids were DEFINATELY getting a lot of attention...

My ES gets COVERED in road debris. The fact that the panels aren't curved inward just means the dirt goes all over the entire panel instead of being kept to the bottom. I can definately see the desire for mud guards.

Leasing isn't a ripoff, its just misunderstood. I've also never read Consumer Reports say leasing was a ripoff, I've heard them say leasing is best only for people who KNOW they are going to be out of the car after the lease is up. Leasing then buying makes no sense. Anyways check out www.leasecompare.com , Lexus Financial doesn't have a very good lease but these guys do. Make sure you negotiate with the dealer as to the price of the car and not the lease payment.

They have to be SAFETY inspected but not emissions tested. In MD we don't have safety inspections, just emissions testing ;) Around here the HOVs aren't a joke, driving HOV here can be the difference between a 2 hour and a 45 minute ride. A joke if you can't drive in the HOV lane, but a pretty good deal if you can ;)

I would contact the local health commission. What she's doing, especially if she's harboring wild animals in her home is at the very least a zoning violation and at the worst, illegal.

The oven cleaner on the Delorean is definately one to remember LOL

First of all welcome to the club! Second of all, NEVER let the dealership's detailer touch your Lexus, especially a black one. Don't even let them wash it. Dealerships generally do terrible detailing jobs. In order to remove the scratches the paint is going to have to be compounded and/or polished by machine. You can do that yourself by purchasing a Porter Cable polisher and with the knowhow on this site or you can pay a professional to do it. Lexus black is very easy to polish because its so soft, but it scratches easily too as you learned.

Yeah this has been done to death and almost ALWAYS sparks a hideous discussion that winds up getting deleted, making enemies, or worse getting members banned. There is probably 20-30 pages of posts on this topic already, best to search to get the info you're looking for. Thread closed

Having seen the new GS in person I could buy that thats an early drawing of what will eventually become the new LS, it fits in the design scheme. That said, its just a preliminary sketch, don't jump to conclusions before you see the real thing or at least a better drawing. Everyone was concerned about the new GS, and I think it looks fantastic in person.

Welcome to the LOC! As far as I know there aren't any custom mudguards availiable for the ES, no idea why but there don't seem to be any.

Always sad to see them go, the relationship between driver and car is a lot stronger than most people imagine.

EVERY product mentioned in this thread? WOW...

Went to the Washington Auto Show today! Saw the new GS in person, it was very nice. As I expected it looked much better in person, has a strong family resemblence to the other Lexus vehicles and doesn't look at all "Nissan-esque". I would definately buy one. My one concern was the drivers footwell. We couldn't sit in it but the drivers footwell looked very narrow, much narrower than the current car, the ES, or the LS. And there was an odd hump in the side of it that actually had the floormat pop up in the air to go around it. I don't know how acceptable legroom will be...

The master average income for the entire country is something around high 30s. 60k at 28 years old is unquestionably an income to be proud of. Six figure incomes are pretty rare, more rare than most of us who make them/are around people who make them are led to believe based on their experiences. Only about 1% of the country makes 200k or more, something like 15% make over 100k. I spent the day at the Washington Auto Show and sat in several Benzes, notably an S500 and an S55. The S55 was BEAUTIFUL, drop dead beautiful but it should be for $115,000. The S500 though, plain jane next to cars like the LS430 and the 745 which IMHO have MUCH more class, especially in the interior department. The interior of the S class was spartain with no wood wheel or shift knob and relatively plain plastics. Not a car I'd want to own.

That is the reason why the Hyundai was smooth though, it has no electronic throttle. Thats why the Accord had the lag too... Its not just the direction Lexus has taken, its the direction everyone is taking. The only reason that Hyundai doesn't have an e-throttle is that they're too expensive. Why the industry has embraced this technology despite its performance drawbacks I don't know, but it probably has something to do with emissions.