debtfree1

Hello folks. Getting ready to order my first Lexus product. I am leaning towards the base model as of now. Luxury model is nice but i can do without the extra stuff. The base model i drove seemed very nice. Pictures and comments from base model es 350 owners are welcome!

LexBob2

I always buy my cars from dealer inventory vs. ordering and by doing this have purchased cars with options/packages that I wasn't necessarily interested in. With some of these items I've been pleasantly surprised at how much enjoyment and practicality they provide. Things like heated steering wheel, HUD, upgraded headlights, navigation etc. Many of them have gone from nice to have items to must haves. It seems like with this thread and the other one that you are giving the idea of a base model a lot of thought which is a good idea. IMO, it would be a shame to order a new car and them have some regrets on a few items. Good luck with you final decision.

bc6152

You make a very good point Lexbob. I remember the early days when we didn't have two nickels to rub together but needed a reliable car. We passed on options like power windows vs. roll-up. Air conditioning vs. no air... Things that today one wouldn't even think about. Unfortunately 2-3 months after buying the car you regret not spending the extra for the niceties you really wanted. Point is, get what you want and spend a little extra for the goodies that really matter. I can almost guarantee that you won't be sorry and regret it... And above all, remember that life is short. Here today and gone tomorrow... Your kids will show you how to spend the money...

lesz

It should be noted that, because all of a manufacturer's incentives are not available on special order vehicles, a significantly higher level of discounting from MSRP should be available when you buy a car from a dealer's inventory compared to when you special order a vehicle. Thus, when you buy from a dealer's inventory, even though you may end up buying options that you might not feel that you "really need", the purchase price of that car can still often be lower than that of a car that you special ordered without those options.

Dave Mac

I believe Lesz is correct, you may get options on an inventory car that would cost you on a special order. I've always special ordered my cars and saved $1,000 to $2,000 by not getting port-installed-options etc. and have always been assured that I would have the same price and incentives on the special order as and inventory car but do I really know that? And echoing what someone else said I have never regretted getting an option but have had regrets over passing on one to save a few dollars. Many options do really well at resale or trade time.

Dave Mac

debtfree1

Ok. Lots to consider. Luxury package seems to fit my wants pretty well. Not a fan of the rear sunshade. I doubt it will ever get used. Anybody know if its possible to order a luxury package without a rear sunshade?

mtsmts

I am the owner of 2013 Lexus ES350 blk/blk base model and I am still very happy with my purchase. My '13 nuluxe interior looks brand spanking new compared to my wife's '15 RX with leather (lots of creases & sagging). Also, base model doesn't have the annoying safety sensors that constantly beeps when you drive in or back out of garage. Base model comes with fully wrapped steering wheel which makes the car feel sportier. As for Navigation system, google map phone app is way more accurate and up-to-date. Most importantly, I saved several thousands by choosing the base model and I still get the same V6 engine and Lexus quality & dependability.

Dave Mac

I have never succeeded in getting a luxury package ES without the sun shade and I have pretty much never used it. I have heard of the sun shades causing rattles but have never experience any rattles from the sun shade or anything else in a Lexus. The Premium Package (which comes at a $500 discount right now) does not require the sun shade. Most certainly, do not omit the blind-spot / cross traffic alert and parking assist. I've only had my nuluxe interior for a short time but it looks to be more durable than my previous leather packages. I do miss the bi-led headlights that I have had in the past though as well as the power opening trunk. My car, like most of the inventory cars has the pano roof and even though I may never open it (noise) it does look good when closed and gets more attention than anything else on the car.

Dave Mac

Mike728

Take a drive in the Dallas Ft. Worth area and then share your opinions of Google Maps. I just spent a week there on business and had to use it. It is not as up-to-date as I once thought. On several occasions it wanted me to merge right at a fork, when it was obvious I needed to go left. Also, when going back to the airport it had me get off the highway and go a mile out of my way to get back on. Needless to say, I lost all respect for using Google Maps to navigate efficiently, or even safely.

bc6152

Google maps is building a reputation for inaccurate directions. Sometimes tragically. There are numerous stories about people getting lost for days after using Google.
Here's one story... http://www.news.com.au/technology/on...7bd857ca12c722

lesz

According to the "build" tool on the Lexus website, the Luxury package requires the rear sunshade, but, as I said in a previous post, even if you could special order a Luxury package ES without the sunshade, because of the lower level of discounting available on special orders, you would likely have to pay more for a special order Luxury package ES without the sunshade than what you would pay for a Luxury package ES with the sunshade bought from a dealer's inventory.

Plus, while the data on the navigation system's SD card may not be up to date, if you search for destinations using the (free) Enform app's Destination Search app, you will be using a data base that is, in fact, regularly updated.

nuraman00

Do you mean using the in-car POI search, or is there a phone app for Enform Destination Search?

I thought POIs were only updated if the map was updated.

For example, with my 2013 ES, I noticed it didn't have several new POIs that were established after 2012. I thought I needed to update the maps, to get the updated POIs.

lesz

No. I'm talking about using the Lexus Enform app. You need to first download the Enform App on your phone. Then, when you are using it to find a destination, you use the car's menu to navigate to "apps" and open the "Destination Search" app. Then, you can use voice commands to find destinations via the Enform app on your phone. When you do this, you are not using the data base on the SD card in the car at all. Instead, you are using the app's data base, which is both more complete and more up-to-date than the data base on the SD card. Also, voice commands work better for the Destination Search app than they do use they do with using the in-car system.

thekopp

I wonder how often they update their database?? I know that one of the stores that opened up 6 months ago near me still doesn't show up on their app search.

debtfree1