clovis

Thanks for all the input. I like the GS's but they are not plentiful in this area. In the last two months I have had only one come up on AutoTrader within 100 miles of me and it belonged to a kid that didn't seem to know much about the car. She likes the Camry, her sister's family has three Camry's, and an Acura. Well, she actually like the Acura also. That is what I actually started out looking for but after driving a couple I cooled my heels. I like the styling of the '97 up Camry, which seems to be the same styling on the ES even for years prior to '97. Most of the ES's are priced almost the same as the Camry's. The Accord runs about a grand higher for a similar year and mileage, which means you would pay more for a '97 Accord than a '97 ES. I work for a Japanese automotive company, and we supply electrical components (wire harness, fuse boxes, navi systems) to both Honda and Toyota. We also supply parts for Lexus primiarily the RX-330 (navi systems), so I am pretty familiar with the platforms. I prefer Toyota products over Honda. I have a '95 T100 extended cab 4x4 and if she ever lays down I'll go get a Tundra (we make all the harness for them too). I am a second generation gear head though. My other two cars are Mustangs. I have '93 hatch (last year for the fox), and my wife drives a '96 GT convertible. Great, cheap and extremely fun little cars. I tried to put my mom in a Mustang, but with two grandchildren, and another on way, courteous of my wife and in December (our first) the room is a little on the short side. So yes I will be looking for a four door soon. I have decided to sell my Mustang now, and we will sell my wifes next spring. So what kind of price should the 225k mile LS go for? He is the type that gave it the the Lexus dealer anytime it had a hickup, so he says, but actually I beleive him. What should I look to pay for a '93-'97 ES? I have found '93's for under $5k and '97 for a little over $6k. I may concentrate on the ES for now. Thanks again for all the help.

I am looking to replace my mom's '91 Accord. It only has 180k on it, but someone decided they needed her lane more than she did, so it has some damage now. The insurance paid her $2,500 to fix it, so I told her instead of sinking $2,500 into it, we would sell it and take all the funds and go shopping. I have been looking at putting her in a Lexus. I have been looking at ES300 and LS400's. I like the front wheel drive of the ES for when she gets winter weather which is far and few between in Kentucky. Plus I am assuming the gas mileage is a little better with the V-6 vs. LS's V-8. My budget is $7k. I have found a very well cared for '91 LS400, but is does have 225k on it. For me I would not bat an eye at 225k, but for her I want to ensure she does not have any problems, because one there isn't a Lexus dealer for over 100 miles and second I don't want to shell out the big bucks for repairs. I live about an hour from her, so I would have to pay for repairs, I do work on my own. Part of me feels like she will be just as safe and have just as much reliability in a 225k LS400 as she would a 130k Camry. The prices of the Camry's and Accord's have me looking at Lexus and Acura, I mean $7k for a 100k mile '97 Camry come on. I consider myself a good shopper. It usually takes me a couple of months to buy a car, I look alot and take cash. I can probably buy the car for $4,800. Are the ES's as reliable as the LS's. I did a search and it seems that expecting over 300k from the LS is not far fetched, which for her would equate to five or six years of driving, which means I would get my money out of it. I use a grand a year as a guideline. Any help from the been there done that is much appreciated.