SW03ES

I didn't even know there were threads from 2002 LOL I definately like the 02-04 design, its unique looking and far more upscale inside and out than previous generation ES' (my opinion). There was a 2000-2001 parked next to mine at a restaurant tonight when we walked out to the car, and I definately think mine is much classier and more interesting looking.

Oh yeah, the waiting list for a Prius is up to 2 yrs long in some places.

No, the hesitation is not a computer problem and it cannot be reset ;)

LuxuryDrifter- I think you need to visit our detailing forums for some inspiraton ;)

I'd also not be too thrilled about a company that misspells "Insurance" in their web address.

That was a concern of mine about the 05 also. My dad's LS430 has the 17s (standard n 04) and it rides every bit as good as his 98 with 16s rode, so with suspension changes I suppose its possible to compensate for 17s. As for the tires, they do wear fast but in my experience so do the 16inch tires.

The 05 has several cosmetic changes inside and out, thats about it. Like JR I'd be skeptical as to whether or not the hesitation will be gone, as I've said many times its more likely that has to do with the electronic throttle, which is unchanged. I'd agree to it, its not going to be any worse.

Congrats on getting all of that taken care of. Valet key's not that big a deal, if you want one you can get it delivered cut and programmed from www.lexus-parts.com for $50. As for the quality of CPO cars I can definately attest to it being dependent on the dealer. Before I got my ES I was looking for a CPO 2000 LS400, we have 6 major dealerships within 40 miles here in DC. I looked at CPO cars at 4 of them. The best one went so far as to repaint the front bumper of EVERY CPO car to remove rock chips and such, replace the steering wheel in EVERY CPO car to impart a factory fresh appearance, replace the windshields on 40-50% of them, thoroughly detail them and replace the tires. They looked brand new, seriously. Other dealers do nothing, and allow body damage to go unrepaired. It really depends on the dealer.

Blake- So its bubbly and ovoid you like huh ? ;)

The FX and G series Infiniti have had very good resale value.

The S430 has more run than a Porsche 911? Huh

Its lug nut studs are identical to the Land Cruiser, as is most of it ;)

We looked at the Mazda 3 for my Fiance too. MOST dealerships have a Prius tester and if you stop by during the day sometime you should be able to take it for a spin. Some dealers also allow you to make appointments to drive it.

I don't know, I don't have any personal experience with Lextech but from what I know the business is run by a respected member (moderator?) from CL. I find it hard to believe that they would all of a sudden try and screw someone over after having so many satisfied customers. It just doesn't add up. Everyone's always quick to blame the company in question in a situation like this, but as someone who owns his own business I can honestly tell you that sometimes customers are just plain unreasonable.

Because they're not drive height its overall height. The RX doesn't have much more ground clearance than an ES. The seating position in the Prius is very upright and higher around the dashboard than in the RX. No doubt the RX has a higher seating position than the Prius, but its not THAT much higher. The RX has much more expendable headroom as the distance between the floor and the roof is greater, but the seating position isn't as much. I have a Prius and I always drive an RX330 as a loaner when my car is in for service. My ES is way low to ground in comparison to either the Prius or the RX. I'm not saying the Prius is an option if you need an SUV, but I'm saying it might be worth looking at if all you do is commute in the city and you want a high seating position but not neccisarily most of the space. You should drive a Prius though if only to experience the Hybrid drivetrain which takes some getting used to. The engine in the Prius isn't especially smooth so I can feel when it kicks off at a stoplight and I still feel like the car has stalled or something. The Lexus' engine will be smoother so maybe the tranition will be less obtrusive.

Have you driven a Prius? The Prius sits up very tall, almost as high as the RX.

v_c's right, there's just no way. Right now a hybrid car will NOT save you money on gas, at least not to the point where thats a reason enough to buy one. The Prius sells for several reasons, one of them a invented belief that it saves on gas, but for the most part because its a "toy". Driving a Prius is not like driving a car, everything is electronic, readouts of exactly what the hybrid system is doing, etc. Prius owners have contests on who gets the best mileage (their form of a drag race?) its a game. Thats why I think Lexus is right on the money with this type of marketing. They can deliver the customer a higher performing vehicle that spares them their mileage woes, and TO BOOT they get to feel good about themselves, join the hyrbid fun gang and get to compare their gas mileage (the system computes mileage per 5 minutes). Lexus is re-inventing what high performance is here. Maybe if you drove downtown every day of your life in city traffic, but if you do there's no reason to drive something like an RX anyways. Most of these 400h's will see suburban duty, just like the 330. Suburban duty is where the hybrid system is its least fuel efficient.

I don't see anything busy about the new STS at all... The real jury will need time to convene. You're right, the new styling of the STS may not fair well, but only time will tell. The CTS looks dated already, but its much more drastic than the STS or the XLR. Lexus acheives its ability to keep the cars looking new and fresh because they have been careful with the design progressions of the cars. They're now taking more chances, so that may change for them as well. Caddy does a good job of keeping its cars fresh too though, 92-97 Sevilles still look good, even after all those years on the road.

I know what you mean about the Washington area and the new anti-cell phone laws. Downtown in DC its now illegal and Montgomery County, MD where I live is trying to get a similar law passed. In all reality its stupid as all of the research has shown that handsfree kits or not makes no difference, but whatcha gonna do. Anyways you're in luck because installers in Washington aren't as afraid of these Lexus vehicles as in some other parts of the country. In fact if you have the parts I can give you the contact info for the guy that installed my Sirius satellite radio. He did great work and knew the dash of the ES inside and out. The ES is pre-wired for a cell phone but the best location is most definately off to the side of the dash with a pro-fit mount. External antennas really aren't neccisary. I've been majorly considering this myself although right now I don't talk on the phone a lot in the car (I use an earpeice downtown but they're a PITA) I'm looking at getting into some real estate so I may be moreso in the future.

I heard one comment on another board that someone felt the same hesitation we've been dealing with all along.

Congrats! As for the free maintenances ACTUALLY several luxury carmakers (BMW, Audi, Cadillac, Lincoln) offer ALL maintenances within the warranty period free ;)

Its mechanical. For some reason the LS is very sensitive to this. What happens is the wheel is torqued when the car is shut off and the wheel is locked under load. To keep it from happening again simply make sure the wheel is loose and straight before you shut the car off.

It really depends on the tires. Some SUV tires have really long life, far longer than those of us used to passenger car tires are used to. I have Michelin LTX M?S on my Explorer, first set went 100k and they had life left in them...

90LS- There have definately been steps backwards not in quality but in the "over engineering" of these cars. Ask 1990 (jim) about it sometime his feelings about taking the dash of his 90 LS and then his 00 LS apart and the build quality differences. The cars are still put together great, best in the business but Lexus seems to feel they can take some more chances with the build of these cars. The GS had a lot of integrity issues (rattles) when it first came out. I've noticed on my car that there have been some rattles the dealer has had to sort out and my dad has had similar issues with his 04 LS430, his 98 LS400 never had a rattle in 150,000 miles of ownership. Nothing like a BMW or Benz, but they're definately a little more lax. As for styling I agree with vbdenny. I think this may be the positive side of Lexus getting "less careful". The ES (my generation) is a great looking sedan I think, one of the best on the road. Its different and pushes some envelopes. Some think its ugly, but before Lexus styling never made anyone care enough to make their mind up either way. I always heard people say "Its handsome" about Lexus, but nobody ever calls my car handsome. They either think its "beautiful" or "ugly". Thats good news for Lexus, the new SC is the same way. As for the LS430, I think the 2001-2003 LS430 was a huge step backwards for Lexus in styling from the 98-00 LS400 (which has a timelessly elegant design) In 04 they tweaked it in all the right areas and made a HUGE improvement but its still basically too tall, with too high a rear deck and big slabbed sides. The new GS looks great, so hopefully Lexus will get their styling growing pains behind them.

I smell a troll. I've never experienced a thread where someone who is going to buy a vehicle continues to undermine it and pick arguments with owners that like their vehicles. Something's rotten in denmark. Thread closed. I'm actually going to place the poster on posting probation. If he's not a troll and really wants to continue posting here, he can contact me and let me know that he can be more polite and respectful to the site's members.