SW03ES

bran, Actually connely leather had been used on the LS400 until they switched to Regency leather for the whole line. Never heard of regency leather, but it sure seems nice LOL. I do agree, the Connoly hides are awesome. As for the euro leather holding up better, I agree thats true but I feel its definately a tradeoff in softness. With some care the Japanese leather will last a long time too, but you can just ignore the euro hides and they'll be fine. As for the semi-analine, its only availiable on the LS with the CL or UL packages. The leather on the SC is the same regency leather found in the others.

Its all in the battery. I had this happen to my mother's New Beetle, had a serviceable battery. We were really surprised, as the VW dealer never bothered to service it. Replaced it with a maintenance free battery, no more problems.

See, i think the car looks much clunkier in black because its so stark. I like it in dark, but not stark like that. As for sales being up because "people have heard its not as expensive as they thought", no, not really lol. Anyone who shops in this class knows the ES300 is an entry level car. Its people who don't that think its more expensive than it is. Its cross shopped with the C Class, I Infiniti, 3 series and low 5 series BMWs, Acura TL etc. The reason sales are up over the previous ones is simple, it fulfills the needs and wants of the buyer better. It wooes more buyers away from the BMW and Mercedes offerings. It offers affordability while offering the best interior in its class, and the best ride. One thing that really attracted me to it is the fact that it doesn't look like an economy car. Look at the C Class Benz, 3 Series BMW, and the I35 Infiniti. They look short, and overly tall, like an economy car. The ES looks large and better proportioned. So does the Acura TL. If you read all the reviews for the car vs the reviews for the old ones, its the first time any of the automotive press has even remotely liked the ES300. Its just simply a better fit for the buyers than the old ones. Best thing is, its more expensive too. In fact, its almost the most expensive in its class, being $10,000 more than the Acura TL. And its STILL the best seller. Thats really saying something. I'm an automotive analyst as a hobby, and as a living. Trust me, people don't get confused about the pricing of cars thinking they're too expensive to buy. Car companies dont allow that on entry models like the ES. As for the frameless windows, those are something that the focus groups said they wanted gone. The new ES is 100% a product of focus groups of consumers and previous ES owners.

Free coffee and doughnuts nothin, you paid for it LOL.

The cars are generally very solid and reliable. Shouldnt be any difference in 60k and 80k. actually you'll find they handle mileage better than just about any other car out there. My dad's is a 98 with 140k, and still no problems.

Yeah the embedded antennas are nowhere near as powerful as the mast ones. Lexus is going to abandon them for low profile high powered units like on the LS430.

Porsche blows? Come on! They're some of the most hevily engineered and most refined sports cars out there. I'm not saying the Boxster necc., but to say all of Porsche blows is total automotive blasphemy. To even compare Lexus and Porsche is rediculous as they dont make the same types of vehicles. Thats like saying BMW rules, Kia sucks! Its a rediculous statement that has no meaning whatsoever. As I said, one of the only ways you could beat a Boxster in an ES is if the guy couldn't drive it, for example, his shift times were off or he was caught off guard. Not saying anything bad about the ES, but its just not a fast car, and definately not as fast as a Porsche. Oy vey

I definately think they've moved it closer to the LS is isolation and heft.

No way, warranty doesn't cover struts or shocks ;) Hope they dont go, ever.

Could be a belt. The part #s are different, but they have, or in the very least can get the parts. If you want the oil filters and stuff at a good price, you can just get them from www.lexus-parts.com

Here's the FAQ about the antenna: "the antenna if broken can be removed by holding the fm button on the radio down and turning the key to on, you will also have to remove the nut at the base of the ant by unscrewing it. it will pop the ant right out,just get a new one form lexus it is about $30 for just the mast, let the teeth on the plastic teeth face to the back of the car and insert once the key is turned off it will retract the new one in the amp is under the passanger seat"

Yeah here ya go, I searched for "antenna" http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...ighlite=antenna There's the link, there are some discussions about the issue. Also, if you check the ES300 FAQ the instructions for replacing the antenna are in there. Good luck!

Well, a lot of times what happens to those antennas is as follows: 1: They get slightly bent. Once they're slightly bent, then they'll never work correctly again and the mast will have to be replaced. Not really a big deal and you can easily do it yourself. 2. They get corroded, and so clogged with junk that they no longer work. For some reason the Toyota antennas are more prone to this than others. I have a 97 Explorer Limited with a power antenna, and it still works perfect. I see all kinda of Toyotas and Lexus' though with stuck antennas. What you should try first is getting some WD-40, removing the dust cap on the antenna base (should screw or pop off) and spray the WD40 down into the antenna mast real good, then see what happens. If it stays stuck, you'll just have to replace it. Like I said though, not really a big deal. You sure you couldn't find anything in the search, lemme see if I can.

Also try places that sell fishing boats and stuff, anywhere that sells boats should have it. Kayaks, canoes, etc etc.

Oh yeah, opinions are like *BLEEP*s, everyone has one, and they all smell ;) As for the new E Class, like you I'm kinda on the fence about it. I mean, from the front end the car looks great, but the rear end misses the mark, and the interior seems more sporty than luxurious. Even in the basic E320 trim it seems this way to me as well. Lexus is going to do something like this to the GS too, we'll wait and see how that turns out.

Yeah its so cool until it breaks down LOL. Then it costs $2000 a strut. Actually its Lexus' own fault that it didnt sell, I would have gotten it if it were availiable anywhere but CA. They never shipped any, how could they expect it to sell well?

Slow with style, definately like that LOL. ES actually stands for "Executive Sedan" think of it this way, why would Toyota put the word economy near any Lexus? ;) It breaks down like this: LS- Luxury Sedan GS- Grand Sport ES- Executive Sedan IS- International Sedan LX, GX, and RX dont stand for anything, but are meant to "impart emotions of luxury" Thats straight from the Lexus site, even the "impart emotions of luxury" bit :D

I can't speak for sk, but I think you definately took what I was saying the wrong way. I didnt mean that he shouldn't post what he'd posted, if that was what I meant the thread would have been closed or deleted. I was just telling him that if he wanted to get some already posted opinions on the subject, then he should do a search because there is information out there. Hell, I posted in the new poll too! If you guys took this the wrong way then I definately apologize. Its easy to misunderstand things on the net ;) If a misunderstanding such as this ever comes up again, then please definately let one of us mods know about it so we can clear it up. We're trying to make sure that the moderators and the members here don't have an adversarial relationship, like they do other places. I think we all need to hug ;) I do have to mention one point. When searching for information on something pertaining to the ES (this doesn't count, but I mean real information like recalls and stuff) you should do a search before you post. There's already a lot of good info out there. if you still have questions, then post that keeps the flow of information smooth so that none of it gets lost in the shuffle.

In NC I garantee there's a boat store somewhere LOL, if you live within 200 miles of the coast.

A lot of dealerships dont want to do the service on the Lexuses, so they come up with BS reasoning.

I serviced my Lexus at Toyota last week. It all depends on the dealership.

Eh, I prefer the Japanese leather. Its much softer generally.

The silverized and Silvervision bulbs do blink amber. The lamp doesnt have to be amber, it just has to blink amber. Chill's blue ones are definately illegal though ;) Generally though, I dont think anyone would be dumb enough to think that one white light blinking is the reverse lights. I see cars with the white turnsignals all the time around here, it never occured to me that it might be the reverse lights.

Nada problemo ;)

Your car is weird though LOL. Generally, the most topped ES you can find is $39,671. $39021 now that the VSC is unavailable. I've heard that it may top 43ish.