dangtong

Hello all,
I'm relatively new here. I have been spending time here on CL in the last few months before I decided to get an 03 ES about 3 months ago. First, I'd like to say thanks to this great informative site and all of you that helped me on my decision.

Let rewind back a little bit, I was looking for a reliable family sedan that has acomfortable ride and a little roomy within the $20K-$25K to replace my aging 2000 Accord EX with 155K. After all the researches, I decided to look for an ES300 or ES330. I then, found a nice CPO 03 ES with only 26K mile and it was within my budget. I pulled the trigger.

It's a nice car with well built quality but I still not 100% sastisfy with it. My expectation may be too high or may be the ES300 is over hyped. The car is not very quiet as everybody here said it is. And I also think it is a little bouncy over bumps and not much better than my old Accord. It's sure quieter than my old Accord, but I remembered I was more impressed with the rental Camry I had last year in term of riding comfort and quietness. I checked the tire and its pressure, and everything was OK. I took it in the dealer to complain about the ride and asked them to check on the shocks. They test drove and said everything is up to the designed specs. Now, I'm doubting that the current tires I have on the car were the causes of my unpleasant ride. The 2 front tires seem to be newer and recently replaced by the dealer and the 2 rear seems to be the original tires. I'm thingking to replace these Bridge Potenza RE92 with 4 new and more quiet Mich tires. But before I do this I just want to ask for everyone opinions here. Will this help? I don't want to sail out $600-700 if that won't make any different.

When I took my car in for the oil change, the dealer found the battery went bad and replaced it. I then took it in another time to have the shocks checked, they found the bad wiper motor and it was replaced. All of these replacements were free of charge and covered under the warranty. But I am loosing my trust and confident of Lexus quality and reliability. I never had this type of experience on the Honda. I had owned the Honda since new and put 155K mile on it without any problem, oil, gas and wear and tear part replacements. I expected Lexus to be better and even more reliable. If things keep breaking on my ES at this rate, I'd probably dump the Lexus. Somebody please give me some reasons to stay with Lexus. I've joined the Lexus club because I own a Toyota truck. It's the best vehicle I have. I expected Lexus to be better. But so far, I've been very dissapointed.

Anyone care to share your thoughts? suggestions?

sonyman

I wouldn't expect much more in the way of part failures--at 26k miles, it sounds more like you just got unlucky. My family has a 2005 Camry XLE V6, which has a similar suspension to the ES, although I haven't ridden in one. Yes, it is a little bouncy, however that can be changed by changing the shocks/springs to aftermarket ones, or there may be a way to work with your factory setup. Also, what kind of noise is it that you're hearing? If it's wind noise, then perhaps a wind seal for one of your windows is not sealing as well as it could. If it's tire noise, perhaps those tires just aren't that quiet. I don't own an ES so I'm afraid I can't be of much help, but I hope that what I have mentioned is of some help.

Scott

dangtong

Thanks Scott for sharing your experience with your Camry.

Yes, I think I didn't have any luck with this vehicle. While the dealer replacing my wiper motor earlier this week, the tech dropped the motor on the windshield and cracked it. They had to replace it and I had to wait longer to get my car back.

LexFather

1. You always run the risk of more issues when u buy used
2. Lexus is not perfect and sadly, some cars just are not up to the usual Lexus near perfection level. Its just "odds". They build hundreds of thousands of near perfect cars and some will unfortunately not be as well built.

I can understand your concern, I would stay with the brand, as historically, and I mean the last 17 years, no other brand has come close to Lexus in quality, durability and reliablity.

venomous

I just picked up an 02 CPO ES300 with 46K on it, fully loaded. Not only is the tire noise unbearable at 40+ MPH, the dash and interior door panels squeak and creak over even small bumps. My dads 99 ES300 is WAY quieter than my car. Im taking it back to have it looked at and Ill post results.

By the way, my car came with Pirelli P6 "Fourseason" tires and the rubber seems really hard. What tires are you rolling on?

AHanson7

I don't see those problems as any reason to doubt Lexus' quality. The battery was most likely made by a third party supplier, and the wiper motor was probably just a fluke.

As a car increases in age and mileage, maintenance has everything to do with its future reliability. I'm not sure how you maintained your Accord, but it sounds from your testimony like you maintained very well. Even though your Lexus was CPO when you bought it, there is still no guarantee that the previous owner followed the maintenance schedule as laid out by his/her Lexus dealer and Lexus as a manufacturer. If he/she didn't follow the maintenance schedule, then your car will not be as reliable as a car that had been maintained. That is why maintenance and repair records are so important when buying a used car. I currently drive a 1996 ES300 with 156,000 miles, and every time my mechanic sees the car for a tire rotation or oil change, he is amazed at how clean the car is mechanically (not a single repair since the day I bought it). I only tell you that because the car came with EVERY single maintenance receipt from the day it was driven home. I bought my car with confidence (no warranty or guarantee of any kind) because I knew it had been maintained.

As for the uncomfortable ride, check to see what type of tires you have on the car. If they are performance tires, they're going to have stiff sidewalls that enhance the handling characteristics of your car, but at the expense of ride quality. All season tires, such as Goodyear's Assurance line, will provide a smoother, quieter ride than true performance tires, but at the expense of all out grip and composure in the handling. You should decide which of these is more important, and buy your tires based on that decision.

It's unfortunate that you're dissatisfied with your Lexus, but I hope this post helps....sorry about the length.

Trexus

Stay with Lexus. As you mentioned a few items broke down and Lexus replaced them under warranty so no harm no foul. As long as you maintain your Lexus you'll be fine and you can expect many miles with you car. Drive safe and happy driving.

I have a 1996 ES 300 with over 258K miles and it runs great. I do all my oil changes. I've had the dealer replaced the timing belt at 90K and 180K miles. Recently took it to the dealer to have both motor mounts replaced and the original engine runs real smooth. I know I can go another 258K miles. That's my testamony...

EerFoolWVU

wonder what the odds are of this post being from a Lexus competitor trying to put shame on the Lexus name.....I hear they do it


My dad had the same car and experienced none of which you are experiencing

copy252

seeing im driving an acura tl and have none of those factors messing with me, i was thinking of just staying away from the 2002 lexus es300 i was gonna get in about a week or two. BUT now that i say that.... im gonna still go for it! i cant wait to post pics!!!

Pchaser

iTrader: (1)

I know exactly what u are saying about going from Honda/Acura to FWD Lexus. I have had Honda's & Acura's all my life & my first time driving an ES I hated it. I felt the car didnt handle as well also pick up wasnt as good.
hondas are lower to the ground & give you a stiffer ride & I was used to that feeling & I thought why would anyone pay a few more thousand for an ES?

Well to make a long story short my wife begged for this 97 ES so I got it because I know Toyota/Lexus are very reliable also.
I drive her car maybe 2-3 times a week & I realize why it cost a few more thousand.
the money went into the features, styling & detail of the car, when i get behind the wheel of any Lexus you know you are sitting in a luxury automobile. the ES has the torque ....but it doesnt have that torque feeling that hondas have when u accelerate but i have outgrown that.
hondas have a stiffer suspension so it took some time for me to get used to riding in a car that was "bouncy" as u said. Its not bad at all, just takes a little gettin used to. If all manufactures built their cars to have the same feel when driving that would suck

I have learned to appreciate they ES its a great car.
I think u just got a bad break on ur ES with all the problems u had, that is not typical of Lexus.

MoreMGD32

iTrader: (1)

As i sympathize for all everyones defects, flaws, and complaints. I still must point out that the es300 is meant to be and "lower-end" and more affordable luxury car. yes, it is a little bouncy when going over rather large bumps and in the turns(in my experience speed bumps) but this car is not meant to be a sports car. It is a big body sedan and has lots of body roll there for not as performance oriented in the twisties. If your interested in a luxury car that handles well then the GS, IS, and SC models are some of the classes you should be looking into. Or get some rims or lowering springs, there is plenty of options out there!

on the other hand, normal day use. the only complaint i have today other than the lack of hard pulling power(hello camry engine, need i say more) is the creaking of the door panels. my door panels do creak every once in a while when there is major chasis flex (pulling up steep driveways, etc.) All in all i think this is a great vehicle for the money, i think lexus is most definately the best bang for the buck.......look at mercedes and jaguar, you will never get the ammentities out of these vehicle you get in a lexus with out spending 2/3 more money. ex: woodgrain steering wheel, dvd, woodgrain dash, and many more other options.

Stay with lexus unless you have enough money that it doesnt really matter then do what you please but if your like most of us then you know where im comming from

dangtong

I've been busy and didn't have time to check this forum in the past few weeks. Wow. lot of replies. Thanks all.

Just want to give my updates. My up and down feeling with Lexus is still there. But it's getting better and I "tend" to get used to what I have.

I did a few things to this ES. I got 4 Michelin Pilot Exaltos replaced those loudsy Bridge Potenza. Any different? you may ask. Yes. Well, its definitely quieter than the the old Bridge tires, but the handling is still the same. The riding comfort is not what I expected and not what everyone is raving about Lexus. But it's been few months driving it and I'm getting used to it now. The other thing that I did to it is having the windows tinted. The car looks really sharp with the darker windows.

Talking about other issue. I have another story for you. I've been dealing with 2 dealerships. Very positive experience with 1 (where I bought my car). But they're a little far from where I live/work. The other one is near my work place, they're loudsy. Had an issue with the service. They broke my windshield while replacing the defective wiper motor. They replaced the windshield, not with Lexus one but with the a third party one. I complained, they ignore. It's been dragged for weeks until we came to agreement.

After all the incidents I had. I'm feeling that I'm just not lucky with this vehicle. And things like this happens in life. I've decided to keep this car since it is not a bad one that giving me troubles. But it's not what I've expected and not what I hear from other Lexus owners. But Lexus will not be on top of my list on my next vehicle purchase.

dangtong

I have to admit that I did not check maintenance record on this car before the purchase. I though it would not be neccessary since it is CPO and under Lexus warranty. I shoulda check for records to see how it was maintenanced. Something that I learned.

dangtong

That's it ! I'm Korean and I'm KIA CEO's son. I'm promoting KIA and ruin Lexus reputation here. ....JOKING.

As I said in my other post, I'm just unlucky with this vehicle. I still own a 97 Toyota T100 with 150K mile and I'm considering it's not even half of its life. My wife is driving a Sienna. You're talking to a your cousin in the Lexus/Toyota family here.