Tango19

I live in Boston, but I'm not a native. Anytime I need the navigation to get me somewhere, I also desperately need it to get out of there. Obviously, once I'm on familiar ground I shut it off. I didn't think I would care about the parking assist, but now I wouldn't buy another car without it. The bumpers on the ES are big and beautiful. Parking in town has always taken its toll on previous car bumpers. My ES is still pristine front and rear. I can trust the alarm to let me know how close I'm getting to brick walls, fences, and other cars, which is important because I find it very difficult to gauge distances with the tiny rear window and slopping front hood. The rear camera helps alot, but the wide angle can be deceiving particularly when back in at an angle. The parking assist offers a nice confirmation.

I picked up my new 08 about 3 months ago. I did a test drive and inspected the car for any shipping damage. Turns out the car was perfect. I'm sure yours will be too. The new car feeling lasts a long time with a Lexus. You're in for a very good time. Enjoy!

Please point to any proof that any Lexus transmission ever caused any "sudden acceleration" that ever put any customer's life on the line. Then please show how this happens with the transmission "on every car," therefore facilitating the clever floor mat cover-up. This type of action by an automobile manufacturer would be a stupid and possibly catastrophic liability if proven by even one customer. I can understand frustrations that can come from feeling that an isolated dealer has not taken care of problems properly. But don't you think it's a huge leap to accuse Lexus and their dealers of felony criminal actions (potential willful manslaughter) over what you consider poor customer care?

My 08 ES/UL has been flawless, but I've only had it a few months. The latest JD Powers report says that the ES has the best reliability of the Lexus fleet. Consumer Reports recent buying guide give the LS and ES the highest marks for reliability, but only rate the GS reliability as "average." It's a personal decision on the end of year lower prices on a Lexus. I've found that the savings aren't much better than just negotiating a really good deal on the new model a couple of months after they come out. And even if one gets a slightly better price on last year's model, you also take a hit on resale since it's considered a year older than a new one.

I was about ready to buy a non-UL ES (it did have NAV) but then I test drove a UL. Count me as one who thinks the difference is huge. I found the upgraded leather to be much softer and and it has a much higher-quality feel and look. In fact, for me, I find the entire UL upgrade to be a bargain if one is already looking at a NAV equipped ES.

I waited too. My 08 UL ES is the most flawless car I have ever owned. It's my first Lexus, but it won't be the last! :)

I have a perfect transmission too. I suppose if you come to a forum where people come to ask about problems, you end up reading about problems. I have an 08 ES. I think they added lighting to the cabin after the 07 model year. I really like the interior lighting as it can be used while driving at night without interior "glare" like my old car's cabin lighting had. I also love the way it fades up at night as soon as I touch the engine stop button. I have nothing bad to say about the nav system. I put addresses in my preset buttons and select them at will while driving. My voice commands work well, and I can call up POI's easily. Of course, I don't use my car in my job. But with all due respect, the last thing I want to worry about is my wife driving home from work on the highway while a real estate agent, speeding along in oncoming traffic, is busy typing addresses into their dash board. I have had one rattle develop, but I know where it is. It's caused by the little square insert directly under the seat belt anchor on the side pillar. If you touch the insert, it moves in and out freely. I slipped a tiny sliver of felt in the seam (doesn't show) and it stopped the slight rattle and buzz I had when I cranked my ML audio system. I'll have the dealer look at it, as I'm sure most all ES' must have the same issue.

Turn off surround sound. At least on mine surround was enabled by default. I had the same complaint about mushy bass. In surround mode bass is flitered from the regular speakers and only the very low sub-bass is sent to the subwoofer. Bass guitar and other "musical" bass instruments get lost. Turning off surround for music listening makes all the difference.

This came up in another forum. I would not accept anything but the OEM Lexus windshield. It was designed by Yamaha to decrease cabin noise and is part of the overall acoustic design of the ES. From Autofieldguide.com... "The windshield has a layer of low-durometer plastic film between the two sheets of glass to absorb road noise, engine noise, and midrange frequencies (2-5 kHz)." I would doubt that aftermarket glass companies use the Yamaha design. Since there is probably no way to know, I would want to protect my investment (and cabin serenity) by making sure the windshield says "Lexus" in the corner.

I almost bought one with premium package and nav, but then I drove a UL equipped model. I rationalized that the few extra bucks per month would be worth it and I was right. The extra luxury options really tip the scales for the ES making it a true luxury car. Since I bought mine a month ago I've been looking to see how many other UL ES' are on the streets in Boston, and I've only seen 2. The UL package definitely solidifies the difference between a Camry XLE and an ES.

Thanks. So you can only follow the recorded route visually on the map as opposed to actually have the nav system give route guidance as you drive?

Once you record a route, and keep the route displayed on the map, can you do anything else with it? Can you save it as a destination, or if you want to re-trace the route do you just have to follow the map manually? Thanks.

I was also impressed by the ad for the still unreleased, 2009 Lincoln MKS. It has some really cool features. I'm gonna look at it when it hits the market. :) http://www.lincoln.com/reachhigher/?intcmp...Higher_20080604 I don't think Ford could have made it look any more like a cross between an ES350 and an Infinity M series. :-) I don't know why they are sticking with the keypad entry. Typing in a code every time you get in the car would be a real inconvenience, and would be a safety issue when your car is parked in a dark, questionable parking lot. The Lexus fob seems like the best solution so far for keyless entry.

Just curious if you actually own an 08 ES350? Your response sounds credible yet every fact begins with, "apparently..." "according to..."I assume..." which does nothing but fuel undocumented rumours. And using "numerous complaints on the internet" as documentation is less than helpful to those really looking to buy this car. Anyone is entiltled to post opinions, but it would be more useful if the posts iincluded first-hand information. I own a 2008 ES350. If there is any kind of flaw with the transmission, then it's a great flaw that I hope Lexus keeps intact! :-)

You guessed it, no problems whatsoever with my 08, just purchased 4-weeks ago. By the time I bought mine I had test driven 4 ES350s (2008). I didn't experience any transmission flares or any other issues, so I bought mine and indeed the transmission is excellent. I can't verify this with any other factual documentation, but I know for fact that at least 5 2008 ES350s have no transmission problems because I drove them (and continue to drive one) myself. I highly recommend that you take a few trips to some of your local Lexus dealers and drive a variety of 2008 ES350s yourself. I find the posts on these forums to be highly suspect. If I only read these posts, and never actually tried the car out myself, I would believe that new Es350s were all on the verge of falling apart. It's hard to believe that I am driving (and loving) the only perfect ES to come off the line. I know for a fact that new car sales are down and that sales managers expect idle sales people to put in a few hours a week posting horror stories about competing brands. I've even seen a dealer's one-sheet on how to make phony posts sound authentic. (I know, you can't trust my post either.) :-) Do your homework, check the cars out yourself and take these personal reviews with a gigantic grain of salt!