Hello!
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Joined: Mar 2004
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From: Indiana
Hello!
Hi guys! I'm Zach... I just bought a 1997 ES 300 and 12 hours later, I'm still grinning. This is my first car and I'm ecstatic. I drove -- don't laugh -- a purple 1998 Chrysler Town and Country LXi for two years and have been anxious to switch since day one.
The ES is silver and, interestingly, the previous owner painted the lower-body portion a matching silver, so it's all one unified look. It looks nice and definitely distinguishes it from the rest of the crowd. It has the gold badging, which looks a little tacky up close but decent from a distance. The interior is very good and the leather quite soft
I'm taking the car in to the local Lexus dealership to have it put up on a lift and a complete inspection/diagnostic test done, but I'm really only anticipating the O2 sensor being an issue; I searched and read extensively, but I'm still not sure if I can use a Camry part, or what a good price for it would be...
I'll take pictures tomorrow, but I just wanted to say hello. Looks like you guys have a great site here and I can't wait to participate.
The ES is silver and, interestingly, the previous owner painted the lower-body portion a matching silver, so it's all one unified look. It looks nice and definitely distinguishes it from the rest of the crowd. It has the gold badging, which looks a little tacky up close but decent from a distance. The interior is very good and the leather quite soft
I'm taking the car in to the local Lexus dealership to have it put up on a lift and a complete inspection/diagnostic test done, but I'm really only anticipating the O2 sensor being an issue; I searched and read extensively, but I'm still not sure if I can use a Camry part, or what a good price for it would be...
I'll take pictures tomorrow, but I just wanted to say hello. Looks like you guys have a great site here and I can't wait to participate.
Driver
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 115
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From: California
Re: Hello!
Originally posted by zach
Hi guys! I'm Zach... I just bought a 1997 ES 300 and 12 hours later, I'm still grinning. This is my first car and I'm ecstatic. I drove -- don't laugh -- a purple 1998 Chrysler Town and Country LXi for two years and have been anxious to switch since day one.
The ES is silver and, interestingly, the previous owner painted the lower-body portion a matching silver, so it's all one unified look. It looks nice and definitely distinguishes it from the rest of the crowd. It has the gold badging, which looks a little tacky up close but decent from a distance. The interior is very good and the leather quite soft
I'm taking the car in to the local Lexus dealership to have it put up on a lift and a complete inspection/diagnostic test done, but I'm really only anticipating the O2 sensor being an issue; I searched and read extensively, but I'm still not sure if I can use a Camry part, or what a good price for it would be...
I'll take pictures tomorrow, but I just wanted to say hello. Looks like you guys have a great site here and I can't wait to participate.
Hi guys! I'm Zach... I just bought a 1997 ES 300 and 12 hours later, I'm still grinning. This is my first car and I'm ecstatic. I drove -- don't laugh -- a purple 1998 Chrysler Town and Country LXi for two years and have been anxious to switch since day one.
The ES is silver and, interestingly, the previous owner painted the lower-body portion a matching silver, so it's all one unified look. It looks nice and definitely distinguishes it from the rest of the crowd. It has the gold badging, which looks a little tacky up close but decent from a distance. The interior is very good and the leather quite soft
I'm taking the car in to the local Lexus dealership to have it put up on a lift and a complete inspection/diagnostic test done, but I'm really only anticipating the O2 sensor being an issue; I searched and read extensively, but I'm still not sure if I can use a Camry part, or what a good price for it would be...
I'll take pictures tomorrow, but I just wanted to say hello. Looks like you guys have a great site here and I can't wait to participate.
Pole Position
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 3,379
Likes: 20
From: St. Thomas, Ontario
Welcome Zach! 
Looking forward to seeing some of those pics Not 100% sure about the O2 sensor. Might want to make a couple of calls....one to the lexus dealer & one to your local Toyota dealer. It is possible however that they are the same part....but always good to double check & don't forget to write down the part numbers. Try www.boschusa.com as they are the original inventors of the O2 sensor, they give the part numbers so cross reference the two for starters as well. Good Luck
Looking forward to seeing some of those pics Not 100% sure about the O2 sensor. Might want to make a couple of calls....one to the lexus dealer & one to your local Toyota dealer. It is possible however that they are the same part....but always good to double check & don't forget to write down the part numbers. Try www.boschusa.com as they are the original inventors of the O2 sensor, they give the part numbers so cross reference the two for starters as well. Good Luck
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Joined: Mar 2004
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From: Indiana
*sorry for the dark pictures; combination of bad camera and wintry central Indiana weather. plus, i haven't had the car washed yet.*
I always thought gold badges were tacky, but I'm acquiring a taste for it. I wish I could see how it'd look with silver, though. The paint job is brand new, according to the dealer. The car was originally oyster pearl, but is now titanium silver. For the most part, it's a good paint job, but there's a bit of overspray in the engine compartment and a small, nearly unnoticeable, bit on the bottom of the driver and passenger doors.
Closer look of the grill. Should I get a front plate to cover up those holes? I've always liked those European style plates... Also, how are these headlights? http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...tem=2467575822 -- is that just a scam? I think they look kind of cool, but I'm a car newbie and I don't want to get taken.
I like this picture... but here the gold badge definitely doesn't look as good as a silver one would, I think.
I always thought gold badges were tacky, but I'm acquiring a taste for it. I wish I could see how it'd look with silver, though. The paint job is brand new, according to the dealer. The car was originally oyster pearl, but is now titanium silver. For the most part, it's a good paint job, but there's a bit of overspray in the engine compartment and a small, nearly unnoticeable, bit on the bottom of the driver and passenger doors.
Closer look of the grill. Should I get a front plate to cover up those holes? I've always liked those European style plates... Also, how are these headlights? http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...tem=2467575822 -- is that just a scam? I think they look kind of cool, but I'm a car newbie and I don't want to get taken.
I like this picture... but here the gold badge definitely doesn't look as good as a silver one would, I think.
Last edited by zach; Mar 17, 2004 at 03:28 PM.
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Joined: Mar 2004
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From: Indiana
Side-Rear view of the car... I haven't gotten a plate yet. Here you can, unfortunately, see the black scrape on the left rear bumper and the ***** of plastic missing from the left rear taillight. Minor things, but they do irk me.
Opposite side view. Again, little scrape on the right rear bumper but it's minor. This picture makes me want to get one of the IS300 antennas... I think it'd look cool, if it was subtle.
Full right side view. You can see the tinting here... I got it done today, so there are still some bubbles, but overall I'm quite pleased. There's warping in the image near the rear of the vehicle; that's not a dent or huge hole in the side of the car
Another angle view...
Backseat view. Bad picture, my apologies. I didn't really want to spend a lot of money on genuine Lexus floormats, so I got the 'supreme' car mats from Autozone for $34.99. They're much darker than the carpet, but they match the interior trim a little, and are very cushy. I took of my shoes and it feels great to leave my feet on them.
Opposite side view. Again, little scrape on the right rear bumper but it's minor. This picture makes me want to get one of the IS300 antennas... I think it'd look cool, if it was subtle.
Full right side view. You can see the tinting here... I got it done today, so there are still some bubbles, but overall I'm quite pleased. There's warping in the image near the rear of the vehicle; that's not a dent or huge hole in the side of the car
Another angle view...
Backseat view. Bad picture, my apologies. I didn't really want to spend a lot of money on genuine Lexus floormats, so I got the 'supreme' car mats from Autozone for $34.99. They're much darker than the carpet, but they match the interior trim a little, and are very cushy. I took of my shoes and it feels great to leave my feet on them.
Last edited by zach; Mar 17, 2004 at 03:30 PM.
Thread Starter
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Joined: Mar 2004
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From: Indiana
Driver side view... little light is the open door light. You can see the scotch tape over the window controls; I didn't trust myself to remember not to roll them down.
Another front view.
Another side view... definitely see the Camry influence here. However, it also looks a bit like an older A4, imho.
My favorite picture of them all! Now it kinda looks like an older A8
Parked next to mum's 2001 Volvo S80 T6... fast, but heavy, car.
Another front view.
Another side view... definitely see the Camry influence here. However, it also looks a bit like an older A4, imho.
My favorite picture of them all! Now it kinda looks like an older A8
Parked next to mum's 2001 Volvo S80 T6... fast, but heavy, car.
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Lead Lap
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 450
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From: International
I know I have an older model, but this is what it looks like with silver badges..I am thinking of changing to Black Pearl.... I also wasnt a big fan of gold on silver either...Welcome to the club.. Not alot of us with silver rides...
Chris
Chris
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Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 7,379
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From: Florida
Very nice pics of your ride Zach. I love your insightful descriptions upon each of the photos, that's a trait of a car enthusiast for sure Reminds me of myself when I joined this great forum 2 yrs ago.
The monotone silver is an attractive touch on the ES. I can see the difference between that color and Oyster Pearl; this one appears a bit lighter, and matches well with the stock rims and the interior color. As far as contrast goes, the body color also goes well with the tailights and the tint (congrats on your first mod BTW)
The front bumper holes seem to be an issue for those who don't require a front plate in the state they live in. One cheap alternative is to buy a set of bumper hole plugs from any auto parts store, and touch-up paint to cover up the plugs. The main concern here is how the plugs would look "raised" along the bumper surface, and you'd want to level them out somehow. In that case, see if you can find a reputable body shop for further suggestions.
To be honest, I think the gold badges look OK on your car, considering the new body color and all. Of course, silver or black pearl badging would look downright exceptional. You can find new or used Lexus emblems time to time in the "Classifieds" sub-forum from the main CL forum, or from Ebay
Oh speaking of Ebay, you mentioned about comments on those 6000K lights sold on Ebay. To me, they're like cockroaches in a run-down apartment: running all over the place, never going anywhere, and pretty much becoming a nuisance
Almost all of these aftermarket lights are made by no-name or questionable companies, and I'd rather set my heart on something else like from Philips, Sylvania, etc. These are just my feelings about those aftermarket lights from Ebay.
Anyway, glad to see you snapping photos of your ES and posting them up right away
Keep up the good work, and let us know of the outcome from the diagnostic check-up.
Reminds me of myself when I joined this great forum 2 yrs ago.The monotone silver is an attractive touch on the ES. I can see the difference between that color and Oyster Pearl; this one appears a bit lighter, and matches well with the stock rims and the interior color. As far as contrast goes, the body color also goes well with the tailights and the tint (congrats on your first mod BTW)
The front bumper holes seem to be an issue for those who don't require a front plate in the state they live in. One cheap alternative is to buy a set of bumper hole plugs from any auto parts store, and touch-up paint to cover up the plugs. The main concern here is how the plugs would look "raised" along the bumper surface, and you'd want to level them out somehow. In that case, see if you can find a reputable body shop for further suggestions.
To be honest, I think the gold badges look OK on your car, considering the new body color and all. Of course, silver or black pearl badging would look downright exceptional. You can find new or used Lexus emblems time to time in the "Classifieds" sub-forum from the main CL forum, or from Ebay
Oh speaking of Ebay, you mentioned about comments on those 6000K lights sold on Ebay. To me, they're like cockroaches in a run-down apartment: running all over the place, never going anywhere, and pretty much becoming a nuisance
Almost all of these aftermarket lights are made by no-name or questionable companies, and I'd rather set my heart on something else like from Philips, Sylvania, etc. These are just my feelings about those aftermarket lights from Ebay.Anyway, glad to see you snapping photos of your ES and posting them up right away
Keep up the good work, and let us know of the outcome from the diagnostic check-up.
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Joined: Dec 2001
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From: Guam
Originally posted by lexusk8
Of course, silver or black pearl badging would look downright exceptional. You can find new or used Lexus emblems time to time in the "Classifieds" sub-forum from the main CL forum, or from Ebay
Of course, silver or black pearl badging would look downright exceptional. You can find new or used Lexus emblems time to time in the "Classifieds" sub-forum from the main CL forum, or from Ebay
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...hreadid=107499