lexusbenny

hey guys, for a while now ive been trying to get a lexus es 300, i now have a little money saved up and saw a car i would be interested in. its a 99 lexus es300 looks cosmetically to be in great shape and the interior is in great shape. the owners says mechanically there are no problems only thing that scares me is that it has 180,xxx miles. ive heard its not alot for a lexus but im still a little worried about that. he is looking for 2500 obo i was thinking maybe offer 2000 after i test drive it was just wondering does that sound like a deal : 1999 lexus es300 180k miles looks and runs good. any thing i should look into before purchasing the car. thanx this will be my first lexus and i dont know too much about them. thanx for the help.

Mythotical

Have your mechanic check it out and make sure he/she takes at least the left (front) valve cover off to check for sludge. Sludge is a very common reason to sell a great looking ES300 for a low bluebook price.

lexusbenny

ok thanks ill def. check for that, im bringin a friend whos a mechanic so he'll be able to help. if no sludge and everything checks out fine is that a good deal

Mythotical

If all checks out then that is a great deal.... Happy motoring! Enjoy the ride and keep the rubber side down.

lexusbenny

Ok so I went with my mechanic to see the car, he says motor n transmission are in excellent condition n we work the seller down to 2250. My mechanic is telling me that I should definitely buy it at that price. Only thing is I found out it isn't a 99 its a 97, no leather seats or moonroof which I had no idea that es300 could come like that. Overall car looks beautiful, drives good but kind of bummed about it being a 97 no having no leather or moon roof. Sound like a deal for 2250?

rlx101

i am yet to meet a woman car mechanic...

lexusbenny

Lol I actually know of one but mechanical is a guy. Every heard of a lexus es300 no moonroof and cloth seats

Mythotical

Must have been a factory order. Did your mechanic remove the valve cover?

And yes I once worked in a shop with a Woman mechanic. Altho she was an annoying bible thumper who found Jesus in rehab she was a good mechanic.

lexusbenny

yes, my mechanic thoroughly checked it out. he was telling me its a no brainer, and as long as i do what i need to do as far as maintenance that it should run another 100k miles. only problem was struts need to be replace, not so bad right now but there getting there, and hes advising me to change the timing belt/water pump. even tho the owner said they did it about a year and a half because you never know owner could just be telling us since theres no paper work on that

Mythotical

I agree. You never know if the timing belt was really done or not. I have a 98 ES that I just got and I am basically restoring it. I got it for $1500 and after I had overhauled and put a used engine in it it is now mechanically sound however it needs a little TLC on the inside I have already had offers around $5000 for it even tho it is not for sale. I may sell it after a year or so and move up to an LS400 but I have not made a decision yet. The car you have in mind is a great deal since you will not need to replace the engine. I am still only into mine about $2000 in total but that is only because to me, my labor is free. And I can get my parts at cost from NAPA. If the average Joe were to have a need to put an engine in he would be spending around $4500 in total even if he got the car for $1500. So yes you have one sweet deal on the table there and I would even jump on it.

lexusbenny

yea im meeting with the guy at 9 am tmm done deal, n i will def listen to you n my mechanic about the timing belt, im trying to keep this car for a good 3 years so ima do what ever it needs