phins

I am looking for a CPO 1998 ES300 with about 40-50k miles. I went and test drove one yesterday with 40K miles and noticed a rattle over bumps on the right side of the car and some wind noise around 50 mph from the top of the driver's window. I couldn't pinpoint the rattle, so I was wondering if maybe there is something that generally affects these cars in this way...if so, is there a DIY quick-fix? I figured you all would be the right people to ask.
Is there anything else I should be on the look out for when I am shopping for this car? I assume reliability in general should be a non-issue seeing how it is a Lexus.

Thank you in advance for any input.

XenonES3

Welcome phins,

You should have no regrets with the purchase of a 98 ES300.

To address you questions:

Rattle- There are a number of possiblities here. Before even wasting time speculating, have the car inspected by a Lexus dealer. They can find the source of problem quickly and efficiently.

Wind noise- This is a common problem among vehicles with frameless windows. One solution I found is simply tinting. The tint helps to reduce the gap between the glass and the gasket.

Someone else...damn...I forgot who... ...emailed me suggesting using scotch tape to fill the gap for non-tinted windows. This is a temporary fix.


....if anyone else can develop a solution to eliminate wind noise, please post, it would be of benefit to all...