Lamprey

Greetings,

Well we have decided to finally put our 1994 ES300 with 158K on it to bed and buy a replacement. Would appreciate any opinions you all have on the choice between the two cars below. I trust folks' advice here.

Either:

2006 ES330 with 32K
or
2007 ES350 with 65K

Both CPO, both around $21K, same colors in and out. Both very nice cars.

The 350 is a nicer car, more powerful, better styling and one year younger but with "high" miles (is that considered high mileage?)
The 330 is also a very nice car, not as "cool" but has half the miles of the other...however it's one year older.

Is a three year old Lexus with 65K miles (we would be covered until 100K under CPO warranty) just too many miles in too few years...would you go with the lower mile car even though it's a year older and your second choice of model?

Thanks, any opinions appreciated.

--mrb

zhivuyatut

Looks like you are driving ~10k miles a year, at that rate "high miles" on ES350 would not matter much to you five years down the road.
'350 is nicer car all around: more standard equipment, bigger engine, six speed tranny, better styling. I was choosing between 2006 LS430 and 2007 ES350, and don't regret that chose ES (albeit with lower mileage).
CPO surely would give you some peace of mind. Just keep in mind that some 2007 ES350s are known to have "first-model-year" problems. They are all discussed ad nauseum here. Make sure to test drive your '350 very carefully, and check the manufacture date on the door sill. If it's a 2007 made in 2006 - I would think twice.

Lamprey

Hmmm, this is news to me. If you have a link to a thread that best discusses it that would be great. I will research this and take her for an extensive test drive. I do NOT want a rattle. >

overclock

I bought a 2007 ES 350 CPO in November 2009. Here's my experience.

This car is notorious for dash rattles. There is a TSB for it. I had it done to mine and when they put the car back together the tech didn't connect the antenna back to the radio.

Be sure the oil line has been fixed. If not see if you can get them to put the metal line in.

My car has a driver's side window problem. It makes a sound right at the end of going down or going up that just doesn't sound natural. None of the other windows make that noise so why does the driver's? Supposedly it can't be fixed. Bad, bad thing for a CPO vehicle to make funny noises. It functions, but gives me concerns.

There were some other things on my car that made me wish I had either not bought it or used them as negotiating points. My car had a dent in the trunk, scratch on the steering wheel leather, knick out of the console leather, scratch on the rear window. Most of these items were fixed AFTER I bought the car.

One way to find things is to detail the car before you buy it. Vacuum it out and look for little knicks and scratches. Wash the windows by hand. Sit in the driver's seat and look around. I was too much in awe when I sat in mine. Heck, I still am. I love driving my car. But sit in the driver's seat and check out the steering wheel, leather, wood accents, etc.

Prices have come down considerably since nobody is buying Toyotas anymore. I paid way too much in comparison to current prices. If foresight was only 20/20.

Check out the used market. One of the reasons that prices have come down so much is due to all of the 2007s coming off lease. The market is flooded with off lease ES 350s. There's even used cars with less than 40,000 miles for cheaper than a CPO car with NAV, rear camera, parking assist.

The ES 350 has bluetooth. I don't love Lexus' implementation necessarily but it is handy. I don't know when it was added but bluetooth streaming audio is awesome if your phone supports it. The 2007 model doesn't have it. Maybe the 2009 but definitely 2010. But those cars are way out of my price range.

Good luck finding a car. You came here first which was a good move. Take your time and enjoy.

MadMax96

Ah crap - dash rattles on the ES350s too? I keep reading about how the '06 and up GS300/350 has this problem too. C'mon Lexus, this is pathetic!

I'm looking at a 07/08 ES or a 07 GS350 to buy in the next few months but I really don't want to deal with problems like this when my '99 LS (163k miles) is so rock solid!

I guess they don't build 'em like they used to.

I don't mind the ES330 from 06 - it has a lot of nice features, but for me I don't think I can go from a V8 to a V6 with only like 220hp. Other than the lack of power, I hear it's a very well put together vehicle when compared to the newer generation Lexus models.

LexBob2

FWIW I had an early build (4/06) ES350 with no rattles. In fact, in nearly 4 years of ownership no warranty or TSIB work. They're not all that way but there are some good ones out there. Good luck with your search.

JRey350hou

had 330 for 6 yrs no problems at all....but the hp was less than desirable along with the body change ( more masculine look--hehe ) and far more hp it was an easy decision when I recently purchased new 2010 of course now have Navigation--lexus Enform...too many other features to list but main component that I notice ea day is vast superior difference in horsepower compared to my ES330. Again as stated many many times in these threads the only hesitancy in 07 would be the early manuf 350 models had some consistent issues but were corrected in short timeframe as far as assembly dates.

Lamprey

Just checked with dealer and this 07 ES has a build date of 5/06. From what I've read, that's right at the beginning - I was hoping it would be later - or am I wrong and it's later in the timeline for 07 models - forgive my ignorance. Still gonna drive it tomorrow and see what's what.

If I am understanding this correctly in most cases the flare wasn't something that prevented normal operation of the car, but was noticeable (to some) and annoying...but that's it? Or am I seeing what I want to see 'cause I really like this model over the 330?

As for the rattles, totally unacceptable. That's like the ONE cricket at night that is louder than the millions of other ones...no sleep.

LexBob2

Yes, a 5/06 build date is an early model. I believe 4/06 was the first/earliest date. The ES350 went on sale in late-April early May of '06.

Lamprey

I have three choices of the '07 350s with build dates of:

5/06
6/06
2/07

all with similar miles, etc...at two different dealerships of course.

beagle77

Get the 350 its a much better car in my opinion and the milage is not really relevant except for things like brakes and tires. I had the dash rattle fixed and have never had a problem. I would get it from a dealership you feel comfortable with and has a nice service area with well trained/equipped technicians. I brought from the third dealer I visited because I had a low opinion of the first two places.

GoodRevs

I would go with the 06 ES. People say miles don't matter at this year, at this point, at this age blah blah blah. But you're talking nearly half the mileage of the 07 here, that's considerable IMO. I also personally like the styling more on the 4th gen ES than the 5th, especially the 05/06's with their projector headlights and rims. The 4th gen is a very cushy, soft car with exceptional reliability as well. We have over 110k on ours and it's still going very strong, I suspect you'd have the same experience. Plus, you'll have the 330 which is an improvement over the 300. And of course take into account the options that each has (does the 330 have nav?).

zhivuyatut

The problem threads are scattered around, use the search.
Some of the biggies are 3/4 shift RPM flare, window/mirror wind noise, cold engine "dieseling", creaks and rattles. Faulty VVT-i oil hose, and gas pedal trimming/ ECU reflash are taken care by recalls.
I bought my ES used from AAA Autosource, it's June 07 build, and it has none of the above. As I said, look carefully. I did not, but was lucky, and the car is still under warranty.
IMO, ES330 is too much of a "Camry". ES350 is when they brought "L-finesse" design to the ES series, and made much of the options from previous generation LS available or standard. I love the Smartkey, swiveling HID headlights, MP3 stereo and Bluetooth.

garsarno

I would go with the '07 as the styling of the '06 is more dated / less appeal. Buy / deal on the extended Lexus warranty if it is available at that mileage figure. Maybe offer to pay the asking price if the dealer throws in the Lexus Platinum Warranty so that the car is covered to 100,000 miles and to 2012 / 2013.

CJS57

Keep looking and get a later built 07 or even 08. Dig a litter deeper if you have too.