Maineguy

My wife and I have finally agreed that we want an ES300 instead of an Accord or Camry. We have decided to buy a 2002 or 2003, but we are not sure if the 4 speed transmission in the 2002 is as good on gas and performance as the 5 speed in the 2003. Hope that some experienced ES300 owners can help us with which year to buy.

hypervish

2002 ES300 has the 5 speed transmission.

VicSWFL

Greetings Maineguy,

I've owned my gently used 2003 Lexus ES300 with 91K miles for only one month. The 5 speed transmission on my car is very smooth. I think that, by definition, the ratios between the gears are going to be closer on the 5 speed than the 4 speed which should translate into more efficient operation. I spent 6 months looking for my car and the aggravation was well worth it. Take your time. I bought Carfax reports five in packages of 5 for $49.95 and checked on 8 cars before finding this one. On Carfax site, I believe, is a generic used car check list which I found very helpful as seeing, what I hope is my dream car, can cause me to miss details if I wasn't organized. I also used oil test papers and was able to learn a lot about the condition of the engine from the oil.

One more detail. If the car hasn't had the 90,000mile / 6year timing belt and water pump change, figure on doing that. I had a pre-purchase inspection done and it disclosed that the valve covers were leaking, a $300+ service. I was able to get the seller to agree on a lower price based on the need for those services.

Good luck in your search,

Vic
Fort Myers, Florida

VicSWFL

Maineguy:

Attached is the checklist I mentioned in my prior post and a buying guide for used cars that has an interesting suggestion that you evaluate the seller as well as the car.

Good luck,

Vic
Fort Myers, Florida

speedkar9

On the contrary, I don't like the way the transmission in my ES shifts. It seems to rev up without picking up (flare), and lags big time in stop and go traffic. Having more gear shifts to get to normal city driving speeds (50kph / 30MPH) makes the car much more sluggish overall as it is always trying to shift into the higher gears to maintain low RPM.

The shifts in my Toyota Solara (which is the same power train as the older Lexus ES) were much more crisp and make the car feel much snappier.

Make sure you test drive your ES300 in stop and go traffic before buying. The ES330 from 2004-2006 is a more powerful engine worth considering as well.

Oro

The 2002 definitely has the Aisin U151E 5 speed. There is incorrect information about this in Wikipedia on this so perhaps that was your source and why you were misinformed.

The 2002 (and maybe 2003) are known to have a hard downshift 2->L on decelerartion so don't be alarmed if you encounter it. Checking engine mounts (front and top strut) and fresh synthetic fluid can clear it up to where it is pretty minor.

Wow, I would not describe ours that way. I find it smooth and no flare, and it is getting up there in miles (~235k). What lag I do perceive I find attributable to the DBW throttle and not the transmission. Maybe you have sheared or too-thin fluid in it?

My mom's chevy has a very similar Aisin transmission in it (one of the few GMs w/an Aisin transmission). Granted the PCU dictates many parameters of shifts, but as to TC performance and valve body regulated aspects, it feels the same and smooth.

The U660 that followed the U151E 5 speed was known for some serious flare issues in the first year or so.

rlx101

2002 and 2003 are identical.

Buy the newest car you can buy with the best maintenance/service history. If it turns out to be a 2002 then buy 2002, if it is a 2003 then buy 2003.

At 14years old its all about how it has been maintained.

Also, buy the seller, not the car.

Maineguy

Thanks, everyone for the great information!

ES300NZ

I have a 1999, es300 with a 4 speed. The engine is very well maintained and the car operates perfectly. That said, I'm not a huge fan of the four speed gearbox, it's high final drive and limited number of gears means the engine is asked to 'load up' for a long period of time before it changes up.

if that makes any sense.

I've always assumed the five speed would behave better or differently.

brucelee1

iTrader: (2)

On balance, the 2003 would be the choice, assuming all things are equal. They had one extra year to sort out first year problems.