wasjr

I have been a lurker here for the past few months. It was time to replace my wife’s car. She has been a Volvo driver since 1990 and keeps a car 6+ years. A buddy has a 2011 ES that we really liked. During the summer I started looking for a used 2010 ES. Then I started reading about the 2013 and the changes & improvements. In late summer I started following this forum and appreciate all the valuable information here. Looked at several vehicles and ultimately narrowed choices down to 2013 ES vs a 2013 Infiniti M (my wife’s brother works for Nissan and with employee discounts she could have received a great deal on an M). While I believe the M is more car and more fun (for me) to drive, the ES better suits us and is the more practical (more back seat legroom, regular gas, etc). We were in no hurry to buy as there are no issues with the Volvo so I started looking around at pricing. I am an **** financial guy and have no hesitancy to buy out of market and did this with my 2011 Acura MDX Advance. In fact, I doubted that I could buy locally (both the Lexus and Acura dealers have excellent service departments but are very proud of their vehicles). However I went to the local dealer in November, told them my situation and pricing parameters, and that if they ever wanted to sell a car we were ready buyers. The salesman was very polite and tactfully told me to not hold my breath. Last Friday the salesman called saying they needed to sell 20+ cars by 12/31 and would deal with me. I have been torn between the 350 & 300h, with my hesitancy being the reliability of the hybrid system and cost of replacement batteries. My wife and I looked and drove both, and after researching the hybrid system & the 8 yr/100k mi warranty on it, we ended up with the hybrid. The price difference ended up being $2,100 over a comparably equipped 350 (actually even less if you factor in that the rear spoiler is standard on the 300h).

My wife is now the proud owner of a ES300h, Satin Cashmere w/ Parchment, Luxury Pkg, Navigation, Blind Spot Monitor, Park Assist, Wood steering wheel & shifter, HID headlamps, Rain sensing wipers, Body side moldings, Power rear sunshade, Bumper applique, Trunk mat, & Cargo net.

Thanks again for the help and info. I will continue to follow the forum, and hopefully can add to it.

rlloyd

Hello. My current car is a 2001 BMW 325xit with 238k miles on it. It's starting to need more repair than its worth and I'm tired of buying premium gas. I test drove a Prius a couple weeks ago and it was better than I expected but not quite nice enough after my BMW. I test drove the 300h and was impressed with that.
This week I bought one with the dec to remember push. Got way more for my car than expected and a great price on the car. I am now waiting for delivery. Deep sea mica with parchment and nav.
Looking forward to 40mpg and regular gas.

Thanks for all the info on here!

carlover11

Just got the ES350 Starlight Black about 2 months ago. So far its fairly maintenance free compared to my BMW and Mercedes Benz.

Just joined the forum, will explore further. I'm sure there are lots of great info here

Fictive23

Hello,

I got my first Lexus the day after Christmas

Model ES350 with Luxury Package
Obsidian (Black) and Black Perforated Leather Expresso Birds Eye Maple
17-in split 10-spoke alloy wheels with High Gloss Finish
Rain Sensor Intermittent Wiper w/ Windshield De-Icer
Blind Spot Monitor
Intuitive Parking Assist
Power rear sunshade
High-Intensity Discharge (HID) headlamps
Wood and leather-trimmed shift **** and heated steering wheel
Alloy Wheel Locks
Cargo Net & Carpet Trunk Mat

Zinda

iTrader: (1)

Just bought an ES...Going to be sad as hell leaving my IS350.

jollick

Here is my story:

Asked Dealer to try and find a ES300h UL fully loaded August 18, 2012 - none found after weeks of searching.
Custom Ordered September 22, 2012
Left Japan December 12, 2012
At Jacksonville, FL Port December 28, 2012
Arrived at my dealer on January 7, 2013
Picked it up Tuesday January 8, 2013

Starfire Pearl w/Parchment Interior
ES300h UL with every tech option
It is a beauty, now to put some miles on it.

KennyLexus

Again, congrats!!! Jollick. I hope it's everything you wanted and worth the wait.

jollick

So far I am very happy with the car, especially the technology (safety items). There is just one thing that bugs me. Can someone check the top inside of the trunk and see if it has a covering? I looked at it and all you see is the metal body and cross springs and the bottom of the rear speaker. Unless mine is just missing a cover, I assume they left off all they could to save weight and money.

NCHybrid

Just picked up my ES 300h two days ago.

Silver Lining Metallic
Black interior with Luxury package
Nav system
Blind Spot Monitor
HID
Power Rear Sunshade *
Intuitive Parking Assist
Rain Sensing Wipers
Leather Trimmed Shift **** and Heated Steering*

*Really didn't care about these but no apparent way to avoid them unless I wanted to wait...and wait...and wait.

jollick

Congratulations NCHybrid. Enjoy it. Can you look in the trunk and tell me if there is a liner covering the area under the rear window?

Gunners4lf

Loving my Lexus ES 300h

Just picked it up at the end of December.

Fire Agate w/ Parchment Interior, Luxury package.

Looking to get 19' wheels by the end of the month.

Appreciate the insight you all bring.

NCHybrid

No liner in mine either. Eveything else has the liner so I would imagine that this area is protected from both wind and road noise. Guess that rules out throwing the kids in the trunk as you would still be able to hear them. I haven't driven my car hard or fast yet but it has been really quiet!

Baguioboy

My first posting.. I exchanged my Starfire Pearl 2012 ct200h, F Sport, last Oct when the ES300h became available in Las Vegas. I loved my ct200h it was just that, I felt kind of cramped in it. My Starfire Pearl es300h has black parchment interior with Luxury pkg. One thing I miss from my ct200h is the subwoofer sound that my es300h does not have. Also, my vehicle is not HID equipped. What's up with that? Been traversing the I-15 LA-LV run several times highly contributing to my almost 10,000 m odometer. Wish the steering feel is a tad heavier to complement its sporty suspension. I like the windshield wiper trickery. Anyone, would the warranty be compromised if I convert headlights into HID?

rickeveru

Hi,

I am picking up my ES350 next week. It's going to be black exterior and interior. My previous car was an IS250 with the same colour scheme which I liked very much. Will be doing the window tinting so that should make the car sportier (so I feel less bad giving up my IS lol). The base model has everything I care for, except a good sound system!! Went crazy trying to find the specs of the base audio system with no luck. I am thinking of at least adding a subwoofer; otherwise, it would be a to replace all the speakers with an amp for $1000. We'll see...

rickeveru

Just a little update. Picked up the car, drives very nice. Sound system is solid but not fantastic. I would say that adding a subwoofer would be nice, but if there is no wiring already leading to the back, will not go through with adding wiring and all...for now. Found out that the system is a Pioneer. ..that's good. Had tinting done yesterday, so for now am happy with the car.