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Lexus ES 300/ES 330
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Comments
Yes, we would all love more power, but, if, like me. you buy a car to own for 10+ years, you might value gas economy over more power.
If Lexus ups the power on the ES300 at the expense of lower gas efficiency, then I am only too pleased to have purchased my vehicle at this time.
He bought his car in March. In June it had 3400 miles on it.
He may or may not still be serious, but to tell the truth, if I had not already purchased my vehicle, I would have been interested even though he lives in New Jersey (I believe) and I live in California.
It now has 5431 miles and I've been flooring it every opportunity I get to "teach" it that I want to drive aggressively. Don't think it's learning though. I have noticed lately that in some corners, the hesitation sometimes do not appear. The faster the turn, the lesser it stutters.
As far as selling it, my Mom likes the car and she'll take the car off my hands. She'll continue the payments starting October. As to what I'll be replacing it with, I am deciding on a Pilot, a Camry, or an Accord. Or maybe a BMW 325 xi - the car I wanted to get in the first place. But after learning that luxury does not necessarily mean trouble-free, I may decide against the bimmer. Pilot is the most likely candidate. Looks like I'll be going Honda again.
As far as rare ES300 colors go, I rarely see an ES300 of any color.
The only color I have not yet seen is a Starlight Pearl. For some reason that color is not available in Southern California. I am not sure why as it seems like a very nice, light color.
Carlos
And it's pretty sad if a transmission with "intelligence" takes hundreds of miles to get to a level acceptable to a driver...a level readily available in Lexus cars before the "intelligent" transmission even came out.
The only thing that should be changed with an intelligent transmission is the shift points. While I haven't experienced any issues with the transmission myself, I feel for those who get this kind of BS feedback to their complaints.
I am convinced that it is only the degree to which it imnpacts individual owners that explains differences. The range extends from those who do not even sense the issue at all (lenscap, kreativ, tiger8, aceking200) to drivers like slaing and myself who feel it, and find is slightly bothersome, to folks like rtorreca and texas83, who experience one second delays or more and who want to sell their vehicles. The "learning" has nothing to do with it, as I proved to myself on my various test drives.
Supposedly, they have a team from Japan here looking to see if the transmission needs a fix. And apparently, a fix has already been released for the '02 Camry's transmission.
if so, what will this mean about not only the ES, but the Avalon and Camry as well?
39,315 (MSRP)
34,719 (Invoice)
35,919.00 (Negotiated Price)
195.00 (Document Fee)
2155.14 (Taxes)
38,269.14 (Total out the door)
The price is $1200 over invoice. I asked for $1000 over invoice but $1200 was the best they could do.
I've accumulated 1,000 miles on my 2K2 ES300 in 3 weeks of ownership and have some observations I'd like to share.
Mileage: I fueled up today and it took 11 gal. with 318 miles on the trip - that works out to 28.9 MPG. Quite good in my book for a 3,400lb luxo-cruiser! The Avg Mpg displays 26.5 but I haven't cleared it since getting the car so I was surprised when I used my calc fuel/miles.
Power: I find the car has sufficient power considering the ES300's luxury pedigree. More would be nice, but if I wanted a road-burner I would have gotten an Infiniti G35. I knew beforehand the car was quoted by various publications as being underpowered, but my desires were to have a smooth, serene driving experience and the ES300 delivers! Plus it has the most exquisite interior in it's class. No amount of power will make up for a pedestrian interior.
Interior trim alignment: Have any of you noticed how the upper door trim does not align with the dash trim on both sides? It appears about 1/4" lower on the door as it wraps into the dash. If I can figure how to post a pic for visual reference I will do so.
Transmission: I've noticed a bit of sluggishness on ocassion but this may be to my sedate driving manner. After I get more miles on the car I will 'put the vinegar' to it and see what happens.
Cheers -
M. J. McCloskey
I am in Southern California and have a baby on the way. We have a new Suburban, so space isn't a problem. I want a car with a nice ride, and luxury.
What will be new in 2003?
They are saying the best price is $35,532 loaded, with Navi, and Mark. What is your thoughts. This has been over e-mail.
Michael
Please everyone, if you have a transmission problem, "squawk" it on planet feedback. After all, wouldn't it be great if Lexus would fix the problem? Think how much better it would be for rtorreca, texas83 and now kymmy123 if they did not need to sell their cars at a loss!!! And how much better would it be for the rest of us to feel that Lexus has nearly achieved their passionate pursuit for perfection!!
The Sept. issue of Motor Trend announces that the ES300 will become the ES330 in '03, probably with the '04 model. I would guess that the Camry will then be given the same engine treatment as the current ES300, and offer 220hp, nearly matching the power of the new Accord.
I don't know how Lexus can pass that off as a characteristic of the transmission, and that it's working within normal operating parameters.
By the way, I know of someone who deemed their '02 ES unsafe due to what I mentioned above, and got their dealer to buy back the car for the full price paid. Far better than selling at a significant loss, that's for sure.
I noticed a while ago there're a few postings taking about what kind of gasoline should be used for ES300. I remember someone mentioned that dealer recommended mind-grade (89 octane I assume).
Here is a piece I copied from today's "www.msn.com" an article called "20 ways you waste money on your car"
Premium gas instead of regular. Buy the cheapest gasoline that doesn’t make your car engine knock. All octane does is prevent knock; a grade higher than the maker of your car recommends is not a “treat.”
ES 300 spec says to use "regular unlead" which I believe is just "regular" (87 Octane).
Here is the question: does mid-grade gas offer us any REAL advantage at all over regular gas? Not perceived advantage, real advantage. I don't beleive premium gas (91 or 93 octane) buys us anything based on all the info I can gather.
Comments?
Would it be possible to claim my car under the lemon law? I really do not feel safe putting my baby daughter in this thing.
I'm not going to give this to my mother anymore either (as I previously mentioned). If anything happens to her while driving this car, I won't be able to live with myself.
Though thanks to knock sensors, you can safely run regular or mid-grade fuel. You may feel a performance or fuel economy degradation though.
Thanks,
Shakeel
I find it odd that nearly 60,000 2K2 ES300's have been sold/leased and the transmission issue is not more prevalent. I guess we will see if the 2003 models contain any update/fix that can be applied to those who are encountering problems with their 2002's.
Regards -
M. J. McCloskey
[As an aside, this is a handy way to program your radio to good stations when you travel to a new city. When you get home just RDS search again and you get all your home RDS stations back]
AF stands for alternative frequency function. When listening to an RDS station, a new station providing good reception is automatically selected if the current reception worsens.
I know your next question. How did I find this out. AF is NOT explained in the 2002 Lexus Navigation System Owners Manual in section V (five) where you would expect to get all the info about your audio system.
It is covered in your regular owner's manual in section 2-2, audio system (type page 199. Just luck that I found this although I do write programs and read and write documentation for a living. Obviously it was an editorial omission leaving it out of the NAV manual.
The feature itself is pretty esoteric and was undoubtedly invented and written by a programmer in love with his code and WAY TOO MUCH time on his hands.
Have I done things like this in applications I've written? Of course!
tk
Click on "Disappointing"
Set on the sport mode the car feels much sportier. Unfortunately this option is in low supply, but it can be had (mine has it).
Lenscap...I will keep your suggestion in mind...thanks...but nothing will help body roll better than larger anti roll bars for cornering, IMO
There is a switch on the center console that has four settings. 1=cushy, 2=standard ES 300 suspension, 3=a little sport, 4=sport. Switching between the different modes you can really feel a difference. I drive about 50% of the time in #4, and the car feels real tight. The other 50% of the time I'm in #3. Body roll in cornering is greatly reduced. It's hard to describe, but even driving straight the car feels more like a driver's car (if you can say that about an ES).
While I would be happy with a non-AVS car, it would not be as firm, or handle as well, as I would like.
We all know the ES 300 is not meant to ride or handle like a BMW. But this option really lets me change the personality of the car whenever I want. Plus it allows me to have the firmer feel I like.
Hope this helps.
More specifically...."Texaco's" brand of 93 Octane.
Here in GA we have gas stations called "Quick Trips". As alot of people know, GA is ranked the cheapest when it comes to gas prices. QT's are even lower than the National Brands and they are guaranteed, but my ES acts as if it is "stoned" on cheap gas. (Non-Brand Name....and anything less than 93 octane.)
I personally can tell a severe difference in the performance and gas usage of the car. This is from a guy that will hit 100mph atleast once a day on GA's highway's.
All in all, I think my ES is just a little "uppity". :
Tony!
If some one want see pics, please get to this site :
www.geocities.com/tle1042002/accidentpage.html
Ps: This Lexus ES 300-1997 bought w/14000 miles on 1-12-2000 as preowned from Hennessy Lexus in Atlanta, GA,and serviced by same dealer.
My view is that the vast majority of owners do not feel a transmission problem at all. I believe that if you are going to feel it, you can recreate it on a test drive. There will be no surprises with the transmission if you test a vehicle before you buy one.
To me the problem is most pronounced and repeatable in the following driving scenario:
1) Cruise at 40 mph.
2) Draw back on the accelerator slightly for about 1 second.
3) Then apply the acceleration as though you want to quickly pass someone.
In all cars I have driven (4 so far), there is a noticable delay when trying to accelerate after pulling off the accelerator.
I challenge all of those who say they don't feel the problem to try this test.
I will periodically test drive new ES300s to see if I continue to get the same response in all the cars.
Someone else described it as the feeling of the transmission hesitating between 2 gears...not quite knowing which one to select.
Do you also get a shuddering sensation when you reapply the gas?
I posted a msg awhile back regarding the misalignment of the door trim as it blends into the dash panel. I have attached an image for visual reference.
Have any of 2K2 ES300 owners noticed a similar situation? The right door trim has the same issue, but is more evident.
M. J. McCloskey