SW03ES

Well, what is "thinking like a guy" what exactly does that mean? You say that "the truth is raw to their ears" again, what are you talking about as "the truth"? Basically what you need to understand if you're going to voice an opinion is, yes, have your opinion, but you have to understand that what is true for you, may not in fact be "the truth" and it may not be the truth for the guy sitting next to ya on the train. Yeah, we live in America. However part of living in America is having compassion for that which you don't understand. I agree that in order to be an active part in a debate you have to be open to the opposing viewpoint being the truth. Thats what got me somewhat irritated in our debate Todd because I didnt think that you were allowing for the possibility that you were wrong. As for Rush Magazine's article, thats all well and good as long as you realize that its just the same, its just someone else's opinion, its not a truth, and it has no evidence supporting it. Its just typed in a magazine and sold all over the world. Its highly visible opinion ;) What would be interesting is a real double blind scientific study to see if women or men have better reaction time, instincts, accident avoidance skills, attention etc. As far as I know (of course my knowledge of new research is rusty) there isn't a study out there that looks specifically at driving. There are many studies on the types of skills that are important to driving, but none specifically about driving. Wow this thread has been all over the place huh?

Plenty of life still in it!

I'm not so sure about the new 0-60 projections to be honest. They projected the current one at 7.8, and in reality its more like 8.0 or even higher. I doubt the new engine will bring it down any more than half a second.

Stock isn't practical. But an aftermarket system is just as practical as installing a new stereo.

Most places will cut you a deal for the whole car.

Rush Magazine proved nothing about anything LOL. Dont make me break out my Psychology of s*x and Gender textbooks ;) No, in actuality 85% of what Rush magazine said in that article was untrue. Men are not more mechanically inclined than women. They deal with aggression in a more forward way that doesn't effect their performance of other tasks (like men, men let aggression build up until it releases at anything and everything, women don't as much across the board, its called "gunnysacking"). Then there's the whole thing about women not liking motorsports, when 55% of Nascar fans are women. The article is basically total crap ;)

Leather isn't leather, there's lots of different kinds ;) But to your question, the leather smell comes from vapor that sort of evaporates from the surface of the chair. Its sort of like new car smell. It will go away in time. The cheaper the leather, the faster it will go away.

No, there've never been any studies published by Sunoco about the benefits of their 94 octane gasoline over traditional premium (91 or 93). I've spoken with several mechanics, and they say its just a waste of money.

A much more thorough description from bart.

Yep, go ahead and clay. No reason to dry because you'll be wetting and soaping the panels again. As for the bumper, its worth a shot for sure, might not get them all out but it'll make it look better. Pretty much the only thing you MIGHT be able to find in a store is the clay, and whatever wash you want to use. The rest you'll have to order online. Most of the stuff you buy in the store isn't the greatest... This is good stuff that doesn't really cost any more, and gets great results.

Naa, alternators aren't consistent. They kinda flunk around like that then just die. Maybe try fixing the O ring and see if the problem goes away...unfortunately I havent the slightest clue how to do that lol.

94?!?!?!?! Might have well just stuffed the extra money in the gas tank, it'd do about the same good ;)

The 5 series rides really good when its shod with the standard 16 inch tires. Its a different type of ride though.

I'm confused. The ES we're talking about is the 02/03 version, I have one, as do several other forum members. Its been out for almost 2 years. The statistics I've been talking about are the sales figures from last year compared to the old model. Just trying to clarify.

Precisely ;) I actually really like the new 4 Runner LOL. It sells better than the old one too ;) You also have to keep in mind that more goes into redesigning and ultimately purchasing a car than just the styling. Comfort, room, utility, design, ergonomics. Take the 4 Runner (please!, another joke Chris lol) its MUCH larger and more useful than the old one which was actually pretty tiny. It has a lot more power, and a much better powertrain/drivetrain. Makes it an option to people who it wasn't an option to before. Styling is always a matter of opinion. Same can be said of the ES, its larger, rides better, is quieter, has more of a "big car" feel, closer to the LS. Has added features like the navigation system the old one didn't have. Lots of problems inhertant to the old one have been resolved. Lots of reasons to buy the car other than style. I didnt like the style so much before, but after owning it its grown on me. I think what you're seeing is the change in the era of these cars. Piggy said she doesn't like any new cars at all. Think about look, every era of cars has a "look". 80s cars, 90s cars. You look at a square Dodge sedan and you know its from the 80s. You look at one of the Lexuses like the first gen LS or second gen ES and you know "90s" What you're seeing is "00s". Look at all the new cars people have been having trouble with, the new BMW look, the new Lexus look, all the new cars from Chrysler. Its the end of an era we're all used to and the beginning of another. As Americans we dont like change... I'm all down for it though, I thought the 90s were boring. Bring on the different. I love them all, the SC430, the ES, the new 745Li, all cars that aren't "cookie cutter" like everything else.

No problem, thats what the club is for!

Some trucks do have struts. A shock or strut is full of a lubricating fluid. When the piston moves up and down as it compresses and expands, that fluid lubricates the piston to keep the shock moving smoothly. This can leak, and if a car sits for a long period of time, the piston doesn't get lubricated, causing it to corrode and it effects the way the shock or strut operates. They're also gas pressurized, so they're filled with gas, thats what compresses when you hit a bump. The gas can leak which obviously leads to lack of compression, changed ride height, changes in ride and handling. This happens slowly as the car is driven, so slowly in fact most drivers don't even notice a change until they have them replaced. Then its like "Woah, those shocks sucked!" Most luxury/expensive cars have struts.

The point of my quoting the stats is to show that for the most part, buyers are satisfied with the new design. My goal was never to tell anyone that their opinion doesn't mean anything, just to show that the car is doing very well in its market. 55,000 people liked the new ES enough to pay $35-40,000 for one in 2002. If you're not one of those people, thats fine. They're out there though.

In theory, you can run regular gas, But you just bought a new $65,000 car, you've been running premium since 1992, might as well keep on. To me the small added cost is well worth giving the car what it "requires"

There were just some minor emissions tweaks in 97, the 97s are more environmentally friendly. I would assume all the parts are still interhcangable.

I also drove both. The 3 was way too small and sporty for me. The 5 was nice, still too sporty and too expensive. Niether appealed to me at all. I can give them the nod for being fantastic sports sedans, but I wouldn't want one.

Naa, they're very mistaken LOL. Get at least 3 estimates from good body shops, I'm sure they'll tell ya straight.

No problem, welcome to the club!

All that is is an excuse to have Lexus find things wrong. Have the AAA center do it, or better yet a good independent mechanic.

Struts hold better load, ride better, last longer.