rankone

Hey Everyone!

I am contemplating buying a 1999 Lexus ES300 with 85,000 odd miles on it for $9000. I have heard nothing but good things about the 97-2001 ES300 models & I have driven a friend's 97 ES300 which drove really well too. I have a couple of questions, how much should I be looking to pay/bargain for a 12 year old car. Would it be a good buy, I mean I know the engine's last forever but are parts easy to find since the car has been discontinued. Are there any known problems that I should be aware of in that model. Another thing I was wondering about, does anyone have any preferences with the other models as opposed to the 1999 ES300, such as the 97/98/2000/2001 ? Or how different is a 1999 Lexus ES300 from a 2000/2001 Toyota Camry XLE. I am in the Florida area, so any recommendations as to where I can find better deals on ES300s or good maintenance shops would be highly appreciated.

Everything about the Lexus ES300 is drawing me towards it especially the reliability aspect, I just want to be aware of the shortcomings, if any, of the ES300. I know these are a lot of questions but if you guys can shed light on some of them I would be grateful. I think I am more nervous about this purchase than I should be

I look forward to your responses.
Thanks

brooklynES

Generally speaking $9000 is a bit much for a 12 year old car even if it the miles are at 85k.

I have seen 97-99 es300 go for 3-5k and in the 100-150k mileage range. The 2000-01 models will cost a little bit more because of its updated tail lights. As far as differences the most notable is the taillights and a slight HP upgrade. I'm not sure on how much but other members will chime in on that point. If you look hard enough on Craigslist some deals will pop up.

Now problems, the strut mounts will go bad and you will hear clunking sounds. This is a cheap fix as it will cost you about $200 for parts and labors. Besides that I have not really encounter any major issues about owning this car for 3+ years. I just do my regular schedule maintenance such as oil changes, tires, brakes.

Megafast13

That price is too high regardless of how many miles it has. You can get an 06 es for about 15k. And an 02 for about 12k.

Other than that though they are amazing cars.

xXTimmayXx

I bought my 01 ES300 (with 67k miles on it) for 6k. . .thanks to a bunch of haggling and about a weeks worth of patience dealing with the dealership. I'm a guy that reviews everything before I buy, and my ES was no exception. I spent almost 2 weeks just researching any potential problems with an ES300, and the only thing I found that some owners have problems with is the idle control sensor or something like that. I've had my ES for about a month now, and I love it. It rides smooth, gear changes are smooth, and the car can be fast if you decide to put your foot down.

I honestly don't think you can go wrong in buying it. I wouldn't pay nearly that much for it, but if you can haggle I would talk him/her down quite a bit.

Hope this helps you

rankone

Thank you guys for all your responses. Honestly your responses have put me at ease, & has established the fact that I am on the right track with the ES300 & that it is indeed a reliable car. I get everyone's point on the asking price being too high & I will definitely negotiate it down. Preferably I would like to buy a 2000/2001 ES 300 but I just cannot find them listed anywhere under 100K miles in the Florida area.

I'll try and bargain my way through this & let you guys know how it works out. I am set on buying an ES300. I'll keep you guys posted.

Thanks for the estimate on the repair costs, it gives me a better picture now.

xXTimmayXx

Whereabouts in florida are you? I mean, Georgia isn't too far off

rankone

I am in Orlando, yeah it's about 7 hours away. Are there better ES300 deals over there? It is an option although, it would be hard to take the car over there to a mechanic and get their 2 cents in order to inspect it. But I might have to look into that. Thanks for the suggestion

xXTimmayXx

send me the VIN # of the Lexus you're looking at and I'll look up a carfax. . .I bought 5 reports a week ago and I only used like 2 of them so I'll hook you up.

rankone

That's Awesome! The ES300 I was looking at in Florida, I got the carfax of it, but yeah I'll look around for cars in the GA & keep you posted. Thanks a lot, that's awesome.

xXTimmayXx

no problem man just make sure to hit me up before my 3 month subscription runs out. . .

rankone

Is there a place that you suggest where I look, like local classifieds or craigslist? any websites?

xXTimmayXx

Hope this helps http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/search...ype=mileageASC

This was a search I did on http://autotrader.com. . .I did the search using Orange Park as the reference point, but I'm sure you can find something closer to you.

OceanView

Great cars.
100K miles is just broken in!

Steelfan

I have a 2000 ES300 with a little over 80k on it. I run Mobil One synthetic in it.

I had to replace the 02 sensors on the manifolds a couple months ago. The one in front is easy, the one in back was galded and I had to tear up the threads to get it out. Access is a little difficult.

Some of these cars, and mine is one of them, have problems with the rear main seal leaking oil. I am just dealing with it for now by putting cardboard on the garage floor. The leak is slow enough that I don't even need to add oil b/w 5k oil changes but it leaks right onto the exhaust and you can smell the oil burning. Take the car you are interested in for a 10 mile or so test drive and work it over so it gets up to temp. Look for a drip near the oil pan and/or smell for burning oil.

Some engines from this year (and Camry's, I believe) had oil sludge issues, esp. if you used extended oil change intervals (called out in owner's manual) and esp. if you used dino. oil. Look under the oil fill cap to make sure things look clean in there.

I am also currently throwing a P0446 code but that can just be the gas cap or the charcoal canister or the valve. Still need to look into that one.

Otherwise, the car rides nice and diy maintenance (brakes, oil changes) is pretty easy.

LexLuger31

Just got my 99 ES300 with 130k on the clock and I can say this car is one of the smoothest rides Ive ever had. If they are asking 9k for it I would say (unless you have no other choice i.e bad credit) you should pay no more than 6k out the door, and even then some would say its a bit high.