Basically, I'm a student with a low budget. I have had 2 cars before a 01 acura integra and a 2000 saab 9-3 turbo . didn't like either and now I want a lexus.

I'm mainly looking at a 95 and up es300 or any ls400.
I know the ls400 costs alot more to maintain so im lookig at the es300 more.

#1 priority is reliability so which lexus is most reliable that I can buy for $3500 or less. It doesn't have to be an es300 or ls400 what are my other options?

Thanks!

 

Just a tip from somebody who spent $3200 on an LS400.

You get what you pay for.

My car could very easily be described as a beater.

 

Sc and gs good options too

 

I spent $1800 on my 1st gen LS last year. Been a great car and by now means a beater.

 

es300 hands down

 

Probably no lexus, but since i just sold my es300 for 3800 go for an es300

 

This is tough. You have to understand that any Lexus for $3500 is probably going to cost that much in repairs over the first 2-3 years you have it. Are you going to have a budget to keep up with such repairs? Even with Lexus' superb reliability, when we're talking about a nearly 20 year old luxury car, it's going to be a money pit. On the bright side, it isn't nearly as bad as keeping up with a German car which you'd need to mortgage your home to keep running.

11 years ago, I was young and also had that desire to own a great car like a Lexus on a lower budget. Bought a 10 year old SC400 for $8K. It cost $8K more in repairs over the next 5 years. I could have bought a brand new $16K car that would have made much more fiscal sense. I'm not necessarily sorry I bought the SC, I did love it, but you're going to pay for the privilege of the badge.

You have $3500 cash? Unless you don't mind the maintenance headaches of a 20 year old car, I'd personally set that money aside to put towards monthly payments on a new car. Even a lease if you drive less than 15K miles a year. A new car with no repair bills, much better gas mileage, and actually could be more luxurious with today's tech features for a low monthly payment. That's my advice.

 

OP what was wrong with the 01 Integra? I still have my 98 Integra and it's running strong. Had a few repairs but nothing major.

JPL offers sound advice but I think a few grand in repairs is an exaggeration. Parts are more expensive for cars now than they were before. 10-15 year old cars will definitely have wear and tear items that need to be replaced though. I wouldn't compare it to a monthly payment, I had a few issues with the Integra that cost me a few $100 to replace.

Try finding a car that has the least amount of owners. I was lucky enough to buy a 10-year old car from the original owner who documented all repairs/maintenance. Less owners means less stories from my experience when shopping for used cars. Just my opinion.

 

It all depends. There are many variables. Finding a car that happens to have many of the common repairs already done could be the key. Remember, many jobs can easily run $1,000 each. Many that are less, many that could be more. One could get lucky and find a beater that happens to run satisfactory for a few years with very little.

In the first year I had my SC, the timing belt snapped leaving me stranded. Never figured that the original owner hadn't changed it. $1,000 right there (including water pump). I was always surprised how much things ended up costing me. Relatively "small" issues cost me a fortune $500 here, $800 there.... Yup, part of it was expensive parts. Always the case with a luxury badge.

OP just needs to keep these possibilities in mind. Don't want to get into a money pit with no budget once the $3500 is gone.

 

^Agreed. The previous owner documented water pump and timing belt replacement so I figured it was a good buy, those are two major issues to watch out for, along with rotors/brakes/tires to be on the safe side.

 

For $3500, go with whichever Lexus drives the best and has service records. With that type of budget, you don't get to by picky with color and models. Go with the best from a mechanical standpoint.

 

Between ES and LS and you are a college student, the ES.....

 

What he said.

The LS is hard on my wallet, between maintenance, repairs, and especially GAS!!!

 

I would go with the ES300, SC300, or a first generation GS300.

$3,500 can get you a pretty clean first generation LS400 though. They're hard to find though. I've heard from a few friends that had ES300's that they had a lot of issues with them, which is surprising for a car based on the Camry.

 

Apparently the OP doesn't want to chime in?