hey guys. im making this thread because i want to get some opinons on the ES before i buy. im looking at a 96 model es3 here in texas and just wanted to know what some pros and cons of the es3. what things needs to be changed out for newer parts. the car is a rental from a lexus private dealer. the car is in immaculate shape. no fading in the paint, good wood trim, drives like a dream basically! he's a good friend of mine; so hes throwing in some additional parts as well( tranny, new headlights in the box, and blacked out emblems ) im putting my sc3 under the knife for the winter so i need something that i can still profile in. maybe throw some sc430's on it with a slam or something. i wanna keep it clean; vip; and gangsta'!
so throw me some opinons on this potential addition to the lexus family of mine.

 

Same as any car.
In this case:
Check the transmission fluid
Check the oil
Check the coolant
Make sure the A/C
Check the back side of the engine for oil leaks (Rear valve cover gasket)
Check the wind noise on the frameless windows
Check the CV boots for splitting

Past that... Flush the transmission, coolant & brake fluid when you get it. I'd flush the oil out & move it to Mobil 1 5w-20 synthetic, or 5w-30 synthetic with a Denso filter from a Toyota dealer.
I would plan on changing the plugs & taking the upper itnake manifold off to clean the inside of the upper & lower manifolds, the IAC EGR & throttle body. For both routine maintenance (To garud against sticking) And getting alot of throttle responce & some power back. Seafoam the engine.

See what what time the timing belt was replaced. It should be replaced every 90,000 miles. Change the water pump every other belt change.


The only potential problem with it user-related. The car itself has no inherant problems.

 

nice. the guy kept it maintained and up on records. he kept the oil changed every 3000 miles, new radiator, hoses, tranny flush and filter, and a icee machine for the AC( that thing is cold! ). hes only charging me 5000 for it. i feel that its worth that...

 

kbb.com for pricing.
Change the oil every 5,000m. If you want to flush it, then put something like m1 synthetic in it & do an oil anylisis, you oughta be able to take that up to 10,000-12,000 miles without a bypass filter if you feel like it. You wouldn't find any single, or family of engines that is easier on oil than Toyota's v6's.
They are outstandingly low in wear.