johngalt1998

I have a 2004 ES330 and I'm 31.

My annoyance is when my ES330 pee's on me.

When its wet and i open the door, a dribble of water always seems to fall on me or into the car. I think water pools in the jam and when you open the door it lets loose on you. ;)

Maybe its just me...

I don't think Lexus has the proper output on the stock head units to hardwire an ipod yet. I've seen the ipod FM Car charger/FM transmitter/base dock work well. My buddies BMW connector is in the glove comptartment.

Don't know about the XM stuff...

Not much i know of. l-tunedparts shows a TTE RX Sport Exhaust for $609, but i'd worry what a "unique motorsport sound" sounds like :D

I'd def get the filter mentioned above.

Steve, i appreciate your thoughfulness in your responses. Your explaination of what detailing means to you helps me understand your viewpoint and i really appreciate you taking the time to write it.

I could not agree with you more about "Brining Consumer Reports in here is like going to a golf forum and saying the pro golfers don't know as much about golf clubs as Consumer reports does." I come here to hear about what i need to learn, products the pros use (most of which i've never seen or heard of but work wonderfully), how to use them, etc.

I guess i'm just saying thanks, i've learned a lot and look forward to learning more.

Thanks for sharing. The ride and interior have always been my fav parts of a Lexus, but i'm really liking the "L-Finesse design philosophy". :)

Cool, thanks for your thoughts everyone. Still no word from the dealer, ha ha go figure.

A pm is coming your way edtaylor.

Thanks, thats what i was thinking. I mostly see OE wheels listed for 2003 and older ES300s. I'll let everyone know what the dealer says.

I have an 04 ES330 and i love it, but two things i really wish it had when i bought it were radio controls on the steering wheel and better looking wheels. Well i've learned to live w/out the radio controls but i really like the new wheels on the 05's (the 17s).

Anyone know where i could get them? I've got an email into my local Lexus dealership, but i've not heard back from them and have not had any luck on the net. It seems like i've googled every combonation of OEM, Lexus, ES330, 2005, wheels, etc, w/ no luck.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Nice review, thanks for sharing the info.

I have an 04 and i've really enjoyed it. I does everything i expected of it, if i wanted pep and road feel i would have gotten the IS. I'm not sure what to make of all the transmission talk, it took a little while (two weeks maybe) to get the hang of the pedals, but i can drive it really really smooth.

You are correct, the interior is the best part of the car by far. I hoping it last as long and as well as yours sounds like it has.

I do have to admit that i'm driving the ES until the new GS comes out. ;)

Just my two cents.

Someone else prob has some more / better info than me, but I think anything around 89-93% of msrp is ok.

Johngalt1998,

What other cars did you research?

Crystal

Crystal, i researched the Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, Infiniti G35, Acura TSX, and Acura TL.

I started off with the Camry and Accords, but i knew that i wanted something a little more lux. Both were fine cars, i just wanted a little more.

The TSX is new and is the Euro Accord, but i found it to be too small and underpowered. Lots of features inside though.

I just did not like the G35. I liked the way the car drove, etc, but i'm not the biggest fan of Nissian and i could not get past the interior.

The Acura TL was the ES main competition in my book. I came from owning an Acura and the new TL's are nice, but the two i looked at the back deck rattled on the test drive (on the test drive, geez), the tires seemed really loud, the ride was a little more 'sport' than i wanted, and i did not like that aluminum (sp?) or wood dash too much.

Hope that helps.

I've noticed that too. Seems like some water builds up right there on top of the door jam and when you open the door, bloooooooop, down comes some water right onto the seats. <_<

I just bought a 2004 ES330 and i'm very happy so far. I too researched a lot of different models and the ES transmission issue and i felt comfortable enough to spend my money on the Lexus.

I drove an 02 and 03 ES300 and i could get the transmission to be a little "confused" around 40mph, but overall the car(s) were smooth. I drove the 04 and from all my test driving and the miles i've logged on my car so far, it's been nothing but great.

Since i drove a few different cars (Lexus and others) I will say that every car was different as far as the exceleration / tranmissions go. I've had to get used to the new ES and can drive it very smooth. I'm not sure what to make of all the transmission fuss because if you floor it all the time, it does 'hesitate'. But, in my opinion, if you want a smooth car and don't want to race everywhere, the ES330 is perfect.

Like the advice mentioned before, take a drive and buy what you like. Like any other car, it take some getting used to, but i've been really impressed with the car overall.

I based my decision on the quality of car, smooth ride, quite, decent stereo and gas milage, lots of standard features, safety, niiiiice inside, etc, so it's been perfect for me so far.