OttoX

Hi folks,

I need a replacement for my old Pontiac GP which is about to die. I will be soon in law school and it impacts my budget pretty hard.
I have spotted a 2005 Lexus ES 330 with 176,250 miles on it. The car is priced a little bit under $6000. I have never owned a Lexus but, I know they have a very good reputation. However I wonder if it can be considered as a good deal.Is it a reliable car?

I checked the service history on Lexus driver. Besides new brakes, the brake lights and a fuse link blown in the fuse box that have been replaced I didn't notice anything wrong. The oil has been changed regularly but I can't find anything related to a new timing belt which is king of odd.
Is there anything else I should know, pay attention to? I am open to any kind of feed back.


I am also looking at a 2000 GS 400 with 187,904 miles and a 2003 GS 300 with 183,454 miles in the same price range. Since they are RWD, and I live in Kansas City, I am less interested because of the snow and the storms we get here.


Thank you for your help.

Corkman

Welcome to CL. I have a 05 ES330 and love it. The lack of info about the timing belt/water pump is something that should be addressed. Let us know which one you decide on.

Chocolate

Too many miles IMO. I can't believe they are asking almost 6,000 for an 05 with 176k.

OttoX

Thanks!

The price on the KBB goes from 5,910 to 7,539.
The advertised price on the website is 5,900 but on the photos I can see they were originally asking 7,950 for it. Probably to make you feel like you are already getting a big discount. Anyway, I fell like they just based their price on the KBB without thinking too much about it. So I fully agree with you, I think it's too much, especially if I have to change the timing belt/water pump.

Also, I am a little scared about the maintenance cost of the car. I know it's possible to get the maintenance done by Toyota, besides that is there anything else I should know?

Chocolate

You will get a better price on a used ~05 car from private party, no dealer markup.

It is a very reliable car; maintenance items are same as on any other car, so TB/Water Pump, Oil, PS Fluid, Coolant, Transmission Fluid and keep spare fuses on hand.

My advice is to also pay a bit more and get something with fewer miles, it costs more but saves you in maintenance costs as well.

RXGS

iTrader: (2)

While I agree with chocolate, condition for me is more important than miles as I've seen some with less than 100k that are completely hammered, and some with 220k that looked incredible. Also good luck in law school, I start in August as well.