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It all started on a warm August day in Dallas, TX. My friend Tristan and I were extremely bored, so we decided to hop on Craigslist to see what was on there. We had both tossed around the idea of purchasing some old clunker, getting it to run again, then possibly reselling it.
So, off to Craigslist we went. Boy, did it deliver; there before our eyes was a listing for a 1995 Lexus ES300, for the low price of $200. It was your stereotypical Craigslist ad; minimal information, pictures that looked like they had been taken with none other than the finest potato, and at angles that led you to believe that what you were looking at might've been a vehicle of some sort.
So with that in mind, Tristan decided to text the number in the ad to see if the car was still available. Alas, it was!
Off we went to an older part of Rowlett, TX. We arrived at the door and were greeted by an older lady, who kindly allowed us to enter her home. As she led us off the garage, we introduced ourselves to one another. We opened the door to the garage to find a very sad and dilapidated ES300. The car had been neglected, to put it nicely. We take a walk around the car to find two extremely flat tires and find the car does not have a battery. My main concern was the oil - so I popped the hood, checked the dipstick and found the oil to be, well, the color of oil.
After taking a few laps around the car, we discussed why it was up for sale. As it turns out, the vehicle was part of an estate sale and was her daughter's car, who recently passed away. The car had been sitting since 2010, and it showed.
After pushing it out it's resting spot for the last 6 years, we drove off to the nearest Wal-Mart, purchased and battery and grabbed some cash. We knew we had to buy it. We came back, put the battery in the car and tried cranking. It sounded healthy, but would not fire. Did I mention that the car has 256k miles on the odometer?
After a brief exchange of words, $180 was given to the older lady and the ES300 was ours! Now for the fun part - getting it home.
We came back later that evening with a tow vehicle, a uhaul dolly, and a tow rope. We were determined to get this car across town, one way or another.
First and foremost, we needed to swap the good tires to the back, and the flat tires to the front.
Next, getting the car from the driveway to the street and getting it loaded. I don't have any pictures of this, but boy was it a process. We used the tow rope and pulled the car down to the street, miraculously lined it up with the dolly, jacked up the front of the ES300, and slowly backed up the dolly underneath the car. Alas, it was on and off we went!
After a few minutes on the road, we discovered a coin-operated car wash and decided to clean the car and see exactly what we were working with.
Around 11:45PM, we returned to Tristan's apartment, where we planned to keep and secretly work on the car.
And there you have it! The acquisition of the $180 1995 Lexus ES300.
That very next day, Tristan and I hopped on RockAuto.com and ordered the obvious parts. It needed a side mirror, a few miscellaneous bulbs, and a fuel pump.
The part arrived a few days later and off to work we went. We started off by purchasing two used tires for very cheap off of Harry Hines in Dallas (if you're not familiar with HH, it's not the nicest area...at all.) Next, the backseat came up to change the fuel pump. I popped the cover and discovered a very rusty fuel tank, complete with very stale gasoline. I grabbed my siphon and attempted to remove as much as I could.
I threw in the new fuel pump and attempted to start the car. No dice.
Over the next few days, I researched what the problem could be. I also decided that a headlight restoration and exterior polish was in order.
It was starting to look like a Dark Emerald Pearl ES300 again!
After many attempts at trying to start the car, it just wouldn't go. We checked all relays, fuses, checked for power at the fuel pump, but no cigar.
An executive decision was made to have the car towed to Tristan's work, Park Place Lexus in Plano, TX. Here, we would have access to all kinds of tools, resources, and human power.
We flat-towed the ES300 to a local supermarket parking lot, where the tow truck would have easier access.
While at Park Place Lexus, the car received a lot of love.
Over the next week or so, it had a new fuel filter, hood struts (most importantly), a new gas tank, oil and filter change, as well as fresh spark plugs.
So if the transmission slips, are you going to fix it or part it out???? I assume since you bought it for $180, you can make back what money you have spent getting it running if you do part it out. You guys live way more dangerously than I do, also I'm wondering why you even bothered polishing the paint when its obvious the clear coat has failed and is flaking off.
So if the transmission slips, are you going to fix it or part it out???? I assume since you bought it for $180, you can make back what money you have spent getting it running if you do part it out. You guys live way more dangerously than I do, also I'm wondering why you even bothered polishing the paint when its obvious the clear coat has failed and is flaking off.
We'll have to wait and see. If the transmission is done for, a replacement wouldn't be overly expensive. I wanted to polish the paint just to see how much better I could make it look. Why not, it cost nothing but a few cold beers!
Originally Posted by WILLYumD
¿Dream Speed Garage?
Nice resurrection log! But yeah, keep that paint waxed because the clear coat is dunzo.
I enjoyed reading your story. Look forward to updates.
In fact I'm looking for my next sub $1000 beater to fix up myself.
I bought my Accord for almost that and now drive it daily. I've fixed every tiny issue on it except a minor oil leak. The car runs perfect now.
That engine actually sounds incredibly healthy, good luck with it, for $180 you can't go wrong
Originally Posted by speedkar9
I enjoyed reading your story. Look forward to updates.
In fact I'm looking for my next sub $1000 beater to fix up myself.
I bought my Accord for almost that and now drive it daily. I've fixed every tiny issue on it except a minor oil leak. The car runs perfect now.
Appreciate it fellas and agreed! Will be making more progress this morning. Expect updates this afternoon!
09-15-16, 09:51 PM
The old, cold, forgotten '95 ES300
