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Lexus ES 300/ES 330
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Comments
http://www.jmlexus.com/nc_browse_es.asp?page=3&order=InvMSRP
Question: Can you control the stereo with the the steering wheel controls or not? Thanks.
By the way, did you know JM Lexus is the largest volume Lexus dealer in the country? It's true.
Based off the comparsion review in Motor Trend the Mark Levinson Stereo isn't equal to the installation in the LS430. I guess you lose quality in a "cheaper" car. The ML system sounds real clean.
Agree on the wood should have been on window switchplates. No place to put your cell phone. Hate the foot parking brake. They should allow owner to key a password for the Navigation System, since you place personal information of friends and family.
Looks great in black. My wife wants a spoiler. I guess I have to start looking.
Good luck guys,
I've also been driving my new black ES for two weeks.
Caves writes:
>>We have had our 2002 ES 300 for two weeks now. Love the interior, learning to love the exterior, it looks a lot better with the GS 300 chrome wheels we had installed. The tires only have a treadwear rating of 200. Wish Lexus would have used better tires.>>
I too love the interior. Seats are very comfortable, and environment is quiet. Even with 5 adults on board, it is very comfortable. Definitely love the exterior. I'm still getting a lot of looks from drivers of much more expensive machinery.
Tires seem to grip very well; their durability remains to be seen. Wish I'd known about the GS chromies; I'd have gotten them. Chromies look great on a black car. The stock alloys are growing on me.
I'll be interested to see what kind of a spoiler/wing they devise for it. Maybe it will increase my operating ceiling. ;-) But you know, I'm on a cloud anyway when I'm driving it!
>>No place to put your cell phone. Hate the foot parking brake.>>
I agree there is no convenient place to put your phone, but there is an aux. plug in the lower compartment of the front armrest, to keep it charged. I'm stowing the phone in one of the cupholder slots. I'm not used to a footbrake either, but I'll get used to it with no problem.
The car seems to hesitate as it decides on a gear when you are going slow and transition to acceleration. The shifts are butter-smooth in the usual mode, but I find myself finessing the go-pedal slightly when I've slowed down to maybe 10-20 mph, and then accelerate. Power comes on very smoothly.
I'm totally in love with the HID headlights; they are a MUST. The "auto" mode turns them on and off when needed, and leaves them on for a minute after you exit the vehicle.
Driving this car is like flying an F-117 stealth fighter. Maybe it's just because it's black with tinted windows... I'm pushing the handling envelope slowly but surely, and it's taken every maneuver with aplomb.
I'm going to put a coat of Zymol wax on it this weekend, to give it the wet look. Then my baby will be wet and wild!
Cordially,
RNBESQUIRE
How much does it cost to have GS300 chrome wheels put onto the ES?
They will see improvement in the Lexus, but it may or may not be worth the price difference to them.
When you sell the Lexus, you will get "some" of the extra money you spent back in resale, so it really won't cost the entire difference the MSRP shows (unless you can get the Camry near invoice and have to pay near full MSRP sticker for the Lexus).
Some of the benefits are subjective like the prestige of driving a Lexus vs a Toyota and that is worth whatever you feel like it is worth.
The styling is "different." Some will prefer the wild and daring ES300 styling and some will prefer the more conservative Camry styling. The interior is higher quality in the ES300 and there are some options available only on the Lexus. If you don't happen to want any of the exclusive ES300 options that are not available on the Camry, then getting the Lexus is harder to justify.
You can expect better and more expensive service for Lexus dealers, but there won't be as many dealers to choose from so it might be inconvenient to drive to the Lexus dealer for a routine oil changes or warranty repairs.
Dsemmen--I think the saying "you get what you pay for" holds true here
Lexus has a superior warranty. superior service and offers the niceties like rainsensing wipers, sunshades, mark levinson, superior wood and chrome trim, sunshade, AVS, etc--also once the bargaining begins, you will be a able to get a fully loaded ES for much less-there is more margin on the lexus so you have more room to negotiate
Lenscap wrote a noice post while back highlighting the exclusive features
ES is far quieter too and you get more ponies even if 20 or so than the camry
No one turns around to look at a camry--they surely will at the Lexus
My feeling is --it is worth every penny and a great bargain than other competitors
The styling is very subjective. Some people are appalled at what Lexus did with the exterior of the new model. A lot of people may need to wait for it to "grow on them."
The only bad thing about the Camry styling is that it looks too much like an Avalon.
The Lexus warranty is longer and better, but you can buy a Toyota extended warranty for the Camry that will be longer than the Lexus warranty if are planning to keep the car long enough for the longer warranty to be an issue.
You can get better service with the Lexus, but if the nearest Lexus dealer is 20 miles or more away and a Toyota dealer is 5 miles away, then it is more of a hassle than it's worth.
The interior is nicer in the Lexus and the engine had a little more power and that is where you can see some of the money went.
He will need need to drive the cars back to back to decide.
I am sure almost anyone would prefer driving the Lexus (unless they cannot stand the new exterior styling), but they might not like it so much more to pay the price premium.
In the brochure and advertised pictures, the glass of the ES seems to be heavily tinted--Does tinted glas come standard--I mean really dark glass--If so great--If not, what is te best way to tint them with approx. cost
The glass is lightly tinted, and according to Lexus, blocks out almost 100% of UV rays. Outside looking in, it does darken the interior a decent amount. It's not dark glass though. The brochures and advertised pictures just make it look really dark because it gives a nicer effect (reflection, etc.).
If you want a really dark tint, you should scope out your area for auto shops that specialize in tinting car windows, then get quotes from these places. What you don't want to do is try to do it yourself with off-the-shelf tint film. I wouldn't do it with any car, let alone a Lexus. If you've seen a car with messed up tint, you'll know what I mean. If you manage to get the film onto the window properly, after some time, it'll start warping anyways.
Another huge difference favoring the Lexus is the dealership, the buying, owning and servicing experience. The difference between the dealers was night and day. I felt like cattle in the cramped, ugly, noisy Toyota dealer. Salespeople were pushy and unfriendly. They didn't have a brochure or couldn't find one. Salesperson knew next to nothing about the car. The Lexus dealership was like heaven. Open, airy, beautiful, quiet, relaxed. The salesperson was friendly, not pushy, and very knowledgeable about the product. He sat us down to discuss colors and options. Gave us a nice brochure. Quick tour of the dealership. He didn't appear to mind that I wasn't quite done looking at other cars.
I can only imagine what it is like getting your Camry serviced versus the ES300. Nice loaner car versus hitchhiking?
The Lexus dealers have fancier buildings and usually better salespeople. Not always. The Lexus salesperson I saw was arrogant trying to sell a 2001 ES300 that I did not even like that much, so I did not even bother negotiating the price and just walked out. The Toyota dealerships I saw did not have cramped, dirty, showrooms or waiting rooms and were not particularly ugly.
For people who do not want to research the cars ahead of time to find out about the options and colors before setting foot in the dealership, Lexus will usually have more knowledgeable salespeople.
It just isn't worth $6000 extra to most people to look at marble floors in a Lexus lobby.
Hitchhiking? Most car dealers have courtesy shuttles that will take you to work or home.
Loaner cars at the Lexus are "subject to availability" not guaranteed.
Anyway, rental cars are available either at the Toyota dealership or from a local agency (like Enterprise) that can pick you up at the dealer if you don't want to ride in the the shuttles. I been to a car dealer that had an Enterprise rental office right on the dealership grounds. $6000 pays for a lot of car rentals. Your could rent a limo each time and still come out ahead.
Thanks.
i am surprised you have the ML stereo--don't think tey are producing it in isolation-comes only bundled with nav for now--did you custom order it?
My 2002 ES has Toyo Proxes with a treadwear rating of 200.
I did consider the Toyota Camry, we had a 1999 Toyota Solara which has a interior very similar in style to the 2002 ES 300. The interior of the Lexus was more inviting than the Toyota.
I love good sound and the Mark Levinston stereo imaging was superior to the JBL system in the Toyota. The Toyota and Lexus dealers are just across the street from each other. The Lexus dealers provide more flexible service. M-F 24 hrs a day service and normal Sat and Sun. service, free car loaners, on-site maintenance at my job or home for no extra charge. If I decide to wait while my car is being serviced, they have computers available with internet access or a massage chair for a nap. My Lexus dealer really treats you well.
I got nothing at the Toyota dealer and still charged high prices.
Likes: Quiet cruiser and great ride (standard suspension). Handles well, the chassis feels solid without float. If it had better tires or wider tires it would perform even better. Averaged 26 mpg at a average speed of 62 mph.
Dislikes: Accessing the dead foot pedal, my leg would contact the parking brake pedal.
I would not order the wood steering wheel again. Hard on the hands since nothing is padded. If you hands get sweaty the moving back from wood to leather creates slippery feeling when going through curves.
Navigation system is useless sometimes. The normal route from SF to LA is to take Interstate 5. The Nav. System avoided the interstates or highways no matter in Quick or Short or Alternative. We decided to follow the Nav. System instructions exactly. It normally takes 7 hrs, it took 9.5 hours. I experienced more of California than I ever knew. In LA area it would crisscross a freeway 4-5 times in a 10 mile area by following city streets. Whoever program this system does not like freeways.
Word of advice: Get to the city first then activate your destination. Then it works great.
The ML audio system is good for FM, very good on CDs, but AM radio, talk radio the speakers and interior panels would buzz. Turning the bass control down would help but something is wrong when they designed the system. Go to FM or CD it sounds clean.
Suggestions for 2003 ES 300:
The Optitron instrument panel lights are great, (white light), but the lights in the center console are that green-yellow, looks old fashioned. Use white light for the center console controls. My 2000 Mitsubishi Galant has white lights throughout the interior looks consistent.
A place for parking lot tickets or cards. Kept looking for places to place cards or pens
Cover the instrument gauge area completely with wood instead of partially.
A little more engine power. Felt a little weak on the inclines.
Just my thoughts.
They are one of the largest Lexus dealers in Northern California.
I guess I'm lucky,
Place ex tenders in the sun visors. The sun visors do not have ex tenders on them to block sun light for driver or passenger side windows.
In the pursuit of perfection
Maybe you need to check your NAV settings. In the Navigation in my Acura 3.2TL, there are options like "Minimize Freeways", "Minimize Tollroads" etc. Maybe your NAV is set on "Minimize Freeways" ?!!! It could be worth checking it out. Your "problem" could have a "solution" as simple as that !!
Later...AH
I also agree with you about the wood steering wheel. It doesn't look good while it's practical harmful. It seems to me Lexus like that though, because so many new Lexus come with that.
I am surprised about your gas mileage. For our 98 ES300, we could usually get 27-28mpg for a long freeway drive and we were driving much faster than your 62mph. If we were doing 62mpg, we might have got 29-30mpg. Note that 98 ES was rated as 19/26mpg while 2002 ES was rated as 21/29mpg.
I was looking at a '99 ES300 for my wife with 16k miles in Oyster color. It looks virtually new outside and inside. They had it listed at $26.9k and the salesman offered $25.8k + TTL. This is less than the Edmunds TMV (I think about $27k). I know there is a lot of concern about the accuracy of the TMV, especially with a new model out now. The salesman mentioned also that there's a special finance rate of 4.9% for up to 66 months just for certified ES300s and RX300s.
I have looked at other dealers on the internet in surrounding cities - and they typically had listed prices $1k more than this dealer's list.
Any suggestions on the pricing of this car would be appreciated. It really is quite a beaty, but there may be dozens more ES300s coming off lease now with the new model out.
Thanks
Acura TL-S, last night we drove to our local Lexus dealer and drove the new ES. WOW! We decided to trade our TL for the ES. Don't get me wrong the TL is a great car, but Acura has room for improvement with the TL. Our car is 8months old and has suffered from several annoying returns to our dealer. Our RL has been flawless and we think the RL, though 7years in current form competes well with the new ES.
Can't wait til Saturday to pick up the new car!
Now, however, that look is simply out of date. Mercedes no longer uses that look and Lexus is clearly moving away from it as well. The monotone look is certainly not retro as most cars never had the lower cladding to begin with.
Also, not all Lexus models had the two-tone look. The original SC300/400 and GS300 (except white) never did.
My 1995 ES300 is black with a gray lower body. I liked it in 1995, but now it just makes my car look really dated.
As we all know, looks are very subjective.
and we are paying $35,250.00, not a bad deal in our eyes.
What did you like so much about the ES vs. the Acura?
Also my car has arrived from japan--expected to arrive here at dealership next Friday--so I can hardly wait--will let you all know when I get it
On a different note, I looked at the new es 300 a few weeks ago, and did not care for the design of the front end. I was passing a dealership today and went in and looked at the car again. I have totally changed my opinion on the design, and think the design of the front end is ahead of its time. I felt the same way about the front end of the Mercedes e class with the round headlights. I didn't like it at first, but now think its one of the best looking cars around.
I have now decided I'm going to try and lease a new es 3000. Do you think I could get a lease for around $500 a month on a 5 year lease, with no cap reduction?
We have returned to our Acura dealer with the TL for the following...the pearl paint on the front/rear bumpers in so miss-/-matched to the rest of the car, particularly highlighted when the car is less and 100% clean...also, with fall season in full bloom in upstate NY our fan for the climate control has been clogged 2times and will sound like a jetplane when turned on, ACURA states this is a "normal trait" to the TL's climate system and will probably clog again...the front seats make tons of strange noises...the sunroof when fully opened vibrates...ABS brake sensor replaced...and seals around the front windshield coming off.
None of these small inconveniences have left us stranded, but we CERTAINLY have come to expect more from Acura, we have owned several since 1986.
One other small complaint I have is the TL's Xenon headlights. Comparing them to our RL they are note the same. The RL's appear to us to be brighter, and remain "bluish" during the entire time they are on, the TL's are blue for 30 seconds and then appear almost halogen from inside the car, also the RL's xenons seem to pick up sign reflectors better than the TL's. I know this may seem trivial to some, but to us they are not the same type bulbs, and have become spoiled by the RL's xenon headlights. Anyone have any feedback on the 02 ES xenon bulbs?
par with the 02 ES. This says alot for the RL, which is 7 years into its current form. I look forward to my drive to work everyday with the RL. It is comfortable, solid, reliable, and yes, fun to drive, and with a killer stereo. Our new 02 ES has the ML sound system, but I think the BOSE system in the RL competes well.
Neither the RL or 02 ES will win many drag races, but clearly, these cars are meant to be lux crusiers, not sports sedans. I believe with our 00 RL and 02 ES we have the best 2 entry-level lux sedans available, and if Acura introduces another rebate, ($5000.00 when we purchased our 00) on the 02, I will be the first
in line at Northeast Acura to purchase another. I quess you can tell I love the RL.