Jchop2112

Happened upon a beautiful 2001 ES300 in immaculate condition with 30K miles on it. We've never owned a Lexus before and have been in the early stages of looking for a good, solid preowned vehicle. I've been scouring the internet looking for any reason we should NOT purchasing this vehicle but I can't find a reason. I'm a little nervous buying an almost 14 year old car since we've always bought new Hondas. Decided that going to a Lexus forum and asking the experts wouldn't hurt.

We plan on driving the vehicle and having it evaluated by a shop before purchase. At the risk of sounding completely ignorant - are there any particular idiosyncrasies about this year/model vehicle we should be on alert for?

Asking price is $7800 and negotiable.

Thanks in advance for any recommendations.

lostape45

With only 30k miles and being 14 years old, you will need a lot to be replaced. A new timing belt is a must because it is either 6 years or 90k miles. I'm worried about the rubber parts on the suspension, engine, etc. I think after having the car sit for such a long time, the rubber will not be in good condition. You will have to test drive the car and see how it rides, see how the suspension sounds/feels. With 30k miles, you will not need to worry about any problems aside from issues due to the car sitting. A car is much better off being driven many miles then sitting and not running or running for short trips.

brucelee1

iTrader: (2)

Just take it to Lexus for a PPI. If they say, yes, buy it. $6000 is more the correct price.

Good luck.

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Jchop2112

Thanks so much for the replies and suggestions. Will definitely take it to a dealer or a reputable service provider for an eval before a deal is made. Thanks again!

Oro

One idiosyncrasy on that my is sludge - look under the oil cap to spot it. Short trips, sitting and long oci's can sludge the engine. It can be rectified so is not a deal-killer, but should negotiate a substantial discount (also for TB service if not performed as has been mentioned).

Other than that, assuming everything is serviced and perfect on the car, Edmonds says a good private party price is $5,200; $6,500 being dealer retail. I would not pay more than that for it.

PFB

I agree that he should look for signs of sludge, unfortunately looking under the cap will not reveal anything, as there is a baffle in the way.

The only sure way to look for sludge is to remove the front valve cover. Any sludge will become evident.

It's an easy 30 minute job, and may not even require changing the gasket. Although its a good idea to change it.

Worth doing it before making a final decision on purchasing the car.

Oro

Oh yes, that's right. I forgot about the baffle on the cover on that engine. I haven't worked on the ES in a few months and my other vehicles don't have that. Annoying that you can't visualize any of the valve train because of it.