Hello Lexus people! I'm looking for a new reliable car and I've seen a ton of good things about the Lexus ES350. I found a well priced, used 2014 model near me and went to test drive it just yesterday. The car felt great and it was pretty clean as far as I could tell. The problem is, when accelerating from a stop (and only from a stop, hitting the gas on the highway didn't cause this), the car would "Hitch" somewhat, and vibrate a bit. This happened even in sport mode, though it was a bit less profound there.

I alerted the dealer and they said they would have a look and get back to me, but I also wanted to conduct my own research on the matter. Unfortunately google has turned up poor (no) results pertaining to my issue so I came here to ask if this was a problem other people had, if it was common, rare, expensive, and generally what it could be. The car has 122000 miles on it and is in pretty good physical condition otherwise, though the coolant level was a bit low.

Let me know what you guys think! I can send the listing for the car too if you need to take a look.
Thanks!

 

My advice is keep looking, ES350 sells in large numbers you'll have no trouble finding one without any issues if you're patient.

 

That's a fair point I suppose haha. There are quite a few on sale near me but they're quite a bit more expensive. How reasonable is it to talk them down? KBB says fair value is around 13k ish depending on miles.

 

Haggling with a dealer is a special kind of torture. Paying more for a trouble free car is better value than paying less and spending repair money on it. Whatever you buy take it to an independent mechanic first before inking the sale even if it's a dealer car. Don't be fooled by any extended warranty or promises you'll most likely get the runaround if you ever need work done.

 

The U660e transmission in these is really well regarded and this does not sound normal. BUT:

- Toyota WS transmission fluid (made by Mobil) is known to “shear” and thin. IT made need service, especially if it was driven a lot in mountains or hills, that and towing or high horsepower is what wears it out prematurely.
- but you can’t evaluate whether it’s that or a real issue internally, without doing a fluid change or working on it, examining engine/trans mounts, etc.

That makes it a tough call and you likely want to be conservative here as trans issues can be expensive as few people (and I mean professional mechanics) really understand them well and are able to work on them. Also, coolant being a little low is not a huge red flag; it expands and contracts in operation and some can blow out, or seep a little at joints. BUT: the fact it was never addressed, and the selling dealer didn’t bother to check, are “yellow” flags as it indicates a lack of care and concern, both by the prior owner and the selling dealer. Not a “red” flag as in walk away, but it’s a caution sign that has to be figured out. If you’re not a “car guy” who can work through these issues, or have a reliable person to turn to for that, caution is the word.

 

Too many miles. I would continue my search. I found a nice 2013 with 70K on the clock.

 

My wife found a 55k mile '14 ES350 with detailed service records for $14k about a year and a half ago; it belonged to an elderly retired judge (friend of a friend), so it was probably never abused.

It was definitely a good deal, because it had gotten new Michelins and oil change just that week. Sometimes you just luck into a good deal (contrary to my luck...I pay more and receive less value in my past deals, hahaha).

 

Thanks for the replies guys! I have a very well regarded Japanese only shop near me that does pre-inspections, once I hear back from the dealer about what they find out, I'll probably see if I can take it in beforehand. I appreciate it

 

That also could be a driveshaft and/or motor mount/trans mount problem with 122K on it.

 

I'd try to find another with less mileage as Brucelee suggested. There are many around.

 

I bought a 2014 ES/UL back in 2014. It was the biggest selling ES back then. Sales have declined since as folks turn to SUVs (for some reason...I prefer sedans). So, yes, there are lots of them. I have not had any issues that you mention. I've not had any "unknown/unexpected" issues, so I've been very happy. The car has 175K miles and still purrs and looks great.

 

Look at the 300h as well. Smooth as silk. You won’t miss the v6 on a car like the ES.

 

You can look up the dealer service history of any Lexus at the Lexus Drivers Site after creating a free account. When it works that is.
​​​​​​https://www.lexus.com/My-Lexus?sd_xd...s%7CT3%7Cfalse

​​​​​​To see the service history at Lexus Drivers do the following:
On the page that lists the car whose VIN you entered there will be a line that states
Vehicle Health Report
Learn More - click this box
Then on the next page it will state
My Service
On the right side it will state Service History
View History - click this box to see the service history
The it will slowly take you to a page you need to scroll down to see the service history
Each entry will be a line, click on the + at the side to see more about each entry

 

I would second this. Currently have 300h and V6 Camry in the fleet - I greatly prefer the hybrid powertrain.