Buddy's car died, looking for recommendations
Instructor
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 807
Likes: 36
From: Ca
Considering your friend is coming from a Civic, maybe a used CT200h will be a good fit. It doesn't sound like your friend particularly needs a Lexus though. Rav4 was a good suggestion. I would stay away from the 02-06 ES, they have a known transmission design defect. We have a 2006 ES 330 that has been extremely reliable since new in October 2005. The reason I don't recommend it is because the transmission has always been jerky and hesitates sometimes around 2nd or 3rd gear. I am just waiting for it to implode but the darn thing keeps on ticking. It hasn't gotten any worse over the last 14+ years but unless you were familiar with it since day one, it would worry you during a test drive. Let us know what your friend ultimately decides on. What's the friend using for temporary transportation?
Pole Position
Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 3,354
Likes: 555
From: fl
For under $10k, I'd go with the nicest Camry, Accord or Maxima I could find within my budget. All good cars, reliable, parts are widely available and they're not overly complex to work on so your options for mechanics is plentiful. It won't be the most luxurious car but it'll still be nice and you won't have some of the luxury price tags when something goes wrong.
Lead Lap
Joined: Mar 2015
Posts: 4,513
Likes: 345
From: In your head
For under $10k, I'd go with the nicest Camry, Accord or Maxima I could find within my budget. All good cars, reliable, parts are widely available and they're not overly complex to work on so your options for mechanics is plentiful. It won't be the most luxurious car but it'll still be nice and you won't have some of the luxury price tags when something goes wrong.
Never nissan lol.
Thread Starter
Lexus Champion
Joined: Oct 2019
Posts: 17,908
Likes: 1,702
From: Ohio
He ended up looking at 12 cars including the 02 mentioned above (ragged out completely with collision damage) and ended up with an 09 ES over a Camry since he drove my LS all day and also tried a GS, 2015 Avalon, and an IS but the Camry and accord were simply too cheap for his tastes since he sampled the whole spectrum. The Camry was a 12 and a joke compared to the rest of the line up
He really wanted an LS but there were none at dealers and no good private sale cars around at this time.
He really wanted an LS but there were none at dealers and no good private sale cars around at this time.
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