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Lexus ES 300/ES 330
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Comments
I have noted that the engine RPM's seem rather high (2,600) for going about 60MPH. My Solara would turn about 2,300 RPM's at the same speed. Maybe it's because the car is so new with only 200 miles on it. Have any of you 2002 ES300 owners noticed this?
Also I inquired with the salesman about 'break-in' and he said to drive it like I normally do (rather sedate), but to avoid quick starts and abrupt braking. I have adhered to that although I have had the car up to about 70MPH for a brief period. In a successful attempt to move around a slower vehicle, I did press down on the accelerator, the transmission 'kicked down' (very smoothly) and moved out rather smartly easily passing the 'offending' vehicle. I do hope that maneuver didn't cause any harm.
Michael J. McCloskey -
If I used D, the RPM is around 2200 at 70 MPH, but the RPM can exceed 2600 if 4 was used.
I don't think you need to worry about damaging the transmission by accelerating the ES normally.
I will keep varying the speed, keep the speed lower than 70 MPH (using D), and do not brake abruptly unless it is really needed for the break-in period, normally it is the first 1K miles. I actually kept the same driving practices until my ES reached 3K miles.
Also, the Owners Manual states a 1,000 mile break-in period where you should stay below 55 MPH. I tried to minimize going over 55, but it is impossible to avoid exceeding 55 on Interstate 95 and I-64 in VA unless you want a tractor trailer going over 75 mph to run over you!
I doubt there was any harm done as I have only 200 miles on the car and have been driving in a very sedate manor.
The drive home (about 20 miles) was so tranquil and ultra-smooth - this car is going to spoil me!
Michael J.
2002 ES300 - Alabaster Metallic
Are there any info on the 2003 as to when, prices, colors, etc ?
Thank you for your comments
Paul
Been looking on the net whithout any success
Can you help ?
Thank you
Paul
After my first week of getting acquainted with my Alabaster Metallic ES300, I know I made an excellent choice in choosing this vehicle. I am averaging 26MPG - 90% highway with just over 400 miles on the car. I consider this to be great mileage since the car is still new. The Mark Levinson sound system is very impressive - crystal clear with sufficient bass to make listening to my CD-R's a brand new experience. Very quiet and smooth - I feel no need to hurry since the time I spend in this car is truly a pleasure.
Regarding the 2003 model - I suspect it will be a carryover with some color changes, probably the 'Starlight Pearl' being dropped.
Splashguards - these are not currently available and I don't see where they would attach to the lower fender area. My Solara had them and they worked great at keeping road grime and other debri from blemishing the lower panels just aft of the front & rear wheels.
M. J. McCloskey -
Further down the line they will have to increase the power of this vehicle, because lower priced cars like the Nissan Altima, Maxima, and soon the '03 Honda Accord will have V-6s with more power than this higher priced Lexus. The Altima has 240, the Max 255, and the '03 Accord, according to advance reports, will have 240. Toyota will also have to increase power in the V-6 Camry, which remains at about 192. ES300 and the Camry are already being called "underpowered." Of course, what those two cars lack in power they make up for in sophistication. Nevertheless, there's no substitute for power.
Memory seats - I set postion 1 at the dealership and while driving home yesterday pressed the #1 button and nothing happened. Must the car be stationary for the seat/mirrors to adjust? I know I can check the manual but maybe someone on this forum can comment.
Oil filters - are the Toyota filters equivilent to the Lexus filters for oil changes? Since they are the same basic engine design and the filter is in the same location as on my Solara, I would assume they would be interchangeable. My point is I reside about 80 miles from the Lexus dealer and only 19 miles from a Toyota dealer and can obtain those 'common' components if they will do the job. I plan on changing the oil at 3,000 miles with Mobil 1 to ensure a long life and good gas mileage.
One last thing - I have a little over 600 miles on the ODO and was at a stoplight and accelerated rather briskly (not full throttle) and the RPM's did not exceed 4K. I must say the car moved out rather smartly although not with the same urgency as my Solara did. I do hope I caused no harm by this action since the car is still so new.
Regards -
M. J. McCloskey
Maybe you will have better luck.
2. For safety reasons, you can't adjust the seat position through the memory seat function when the car is in motion. Imagine being over 6' tall, pushing the wrong memory button, and getting scrunched into the seating position of someone 5'2"...all while driving on the highway.
3. The oil filters for Toyota and Lexus are exactly the same. Supra, Camry, IS, ES, GS, LS...their oil filters are all interchangeable.
Here are the Toyota oil filter part #s:
08922-02011: Domestic-made by Purolator. Spec'd for 6-cylinder engines. Cheapest of the bunch in both quality and price. A lot of times on sale for $3-4 at Toyota dealers.
90915-20003: Japanese-made by Denso. Also spec'd for 6-cylinder engines. Being that your ES is made in Japan, this is what your car came with.
90915-20004: Japanese-made by Denso. Spec'd for 8-cylinder engines, but the only difference is that it's a little taller for more filtering capacity. Being that it fits perfectly in 6 cylinder applications, this is the filter of choice for those who really love their Toyotas. Shouldn't pay more than $7-8 for this filter at a Toyota dealer.
My local Lexus dealers charges a ridiculous $14 for all 3 of these filters. These parts can be ordered online as well, in case you want to stock up and your local Toyota dealer's pricing is high.
4. Don't worry about it...you didn't even go over 4K RPM.
Other than this problem, I am still in love with this car after 16k miles.
I understand why the memory function is employed only when in Park. I tried it and the seat/mirrors started their 'belly dance' routine which would have distracted me if I had been underway. Oh, the trials and tribulations of having all these gizmos!
Loving every minute I'm at the wheel of my 'dream car' -
M. J. McCloskey
It is time for a new car and I like the look of the new es300, what is a fully loaded with Navi and Mark going for these days?
Michael
Perhaps that is what your problem is. As for getting the CD out ...tweezers and lots of patience worked for me.
Jaguar=Ford
'nuff said.
http://home.carolina.rr.com/jonkennedy/lexus1.htm
See my messages on this board - #2716 for the very minor issues I've had with my ES300, and #2698 for my shopping/decision making process in getting the X-Type over the BMW 325xi last year.
For more on X-type issues, in addition to the board here, see http://www.jagtalk.com and http://forums1.roadfly.org/jaguar/forums/xtype/
Go for the ES300 and you won't be disappointed, if it's anything like mine and my dealership! You'll also note that the ES300 has more luxury touches that the X-Type lacks, like memory seats, an in-dash 6 CD changer (it's in the trunk for the X-Type), two cup holders up front, etc. All that, better reliability, and it costs less, too!
The only things I miss about the X-Type are the audio controls on the steering wheel and the back-up warning sensors.
I've got a quote of $32,598 for a new ES300 with
following option:
- Premium Package (PM)
- Wood and Leather Steering Wheel (WU)
- Vehicle Skid Control (RF)
- Heated Front Seats (HH)
- All-season Tires (FT, no charge on this)
- High Intensity Headlamps (HL)
- Cargo Net, Wheel Locks, and Trunk Mat.
Guys, what do you think of this price? Please let
me know. I sense that i can knock down a few
hundred bucks more.
As for with Nav and Mark, the quote is $37,883.
Again, one should be able to slash a few hundred
bucks more of this quote.
Comment welcome! 'cause I need to make a decision
before the end of this month. Otherwise price will
be a little higher.
Thanks.
-mz
combination I just listed in previous message.
I beleive $31,957 is the exactly invoice price
for this combo.
Question: how much a dealer will make out of
selling a Lexus ES300 @ an invoice price? $1k?
Thanx.
-mz
For your reference, the MSRP for my ES is $39,963.
This makes me wonder what's happening with the ES. I don't think it customary for a nrewly redesigned car to be selling below invoice in its first year.
Following is the invoive price:
Base price=27935; PM=1688; WU=264; RF=520; HH=352; FT=0; HL=512; Dest_Charge=575.
This addes up to $31,846. I could not find invoice price for Cargo Net, Wheel Locks, or Trunk Mat). The MSRP for these 3 small items are (28+41+64)=133. If I assume invoice of $111 out of MSRP $133, I came up with exact $31,957.
So Lexus dealer is not selling below invoice price but @ invoice price. BTW I am in MA.
-mz
Looks like you are getting a great end-of-model-year deal. I'd jump on it! Just make sure they don't try to jack the price with a bunch of add-ons at closing and you're good-to-go!
I am in greater Boston area. Bought a Toyota Camry from IRA Toyota back in 1999. The quote is from them as well this time. There're totally 3 Lexus dealers in greater Boston area. The other two quote me MSRP price when I called in. Ask dumb questions like "have you droven one before?", "how much do you know about this car", "do you really know what you want?".
Come on, give me an honest price and I'll write you a check in 3 days. It's pretty simple, cut and dry. Don't want to waste time with those other guys.
I do find it interesting how salesman will try to take advantage of unknowing customers. I played dumb at one dealership and the guy reeled off a series of lies and tried to sell the car at MSRP as well.
As far as how it relates to the ES, the '02 ES was what you said it is ever since it was released. The TL-S has 260hp, the I35 has 255. And both are less expensive than the ES. Yet the ES trounced both of them in sales. The ES has far more luxury than either of these sportier competitors. Granted, a redesigned model will have more interest than aging designs. But why have one awesome year when you can split it into two? The ES330 should also be quite a hit when it's released.
Anyways, I find it funny that people still say things like "will soon become obvious" when it's been obvious since the car's specs were released.
By "it will soon become obvious," I meant that it often takes time for info of any kind to trickle down and become well known and understood.
The same reasoning goes for cars like the all-new, redesigned 2003 Mercedes CLK and E320. Both cars will keep their 221 HP engines. And both are slower than the 2002 versions since they are heavier. As a matter of fact, they're just about as quick as the ES 300 with a 0-60 time around eight seconds. And these cars cost well over $50,000.
If you can, check out the latest issue of Car magazine (a publication in Europe). They test the all-new CLK against the BMW 330Ci, Volvo and Renault. The Mercedes is one of the slowest of the group, yet they place it in first. They say that everything combined makes it the best car, even if it is not the fastest. That's exactly how I feel about the ES 300.
Lexus should not increase HP just because the Accord now has 140. The Altima has had that much for a year and it hasn't hurt Lexus sales. Similarly, Mercedes and BMW will not be rushing to increase their HP either beacuse of what the Accord has.
Lexus knows what's its doing. Right now the ES 300 is hot and the extra HP won't do much for sales. But as interest decreases over the next year or two, as happens with cars, you'll see the ES 330 or ES 350 come out.
I bought my car for the exterior look, beuatiful interior, hushed ride and superior dealer service. In my mind, no car in the $35,000 range comes close.
I made a mistake. The car does NOT have Vehicle Skid Control (RF) and the price is $31,957. RF is
$520 in terms of Invoice goes which means this price is about $520 over invoice price.
Bought a black/ivory one today @ this price, though I *might* be able to knock down another couple of hundred bucks, who knows? Just thought those sales people need to make a living as well... Favorite ext. color actually is blue, they don't have that, have to settle with a black. Comparing specs on paper, Camry and ES300 is about the same size, somehow i feel ES300 is smaller than Camry when i am in it and also don't feel 02 ES300 is bigger than previous generation. Maybe I did not feel it right or deceived by its ext. contour.
So they'll top sales this year based on the redesign, the luxury edge, etc. etc. etc. Then they'll up the power a couple years from now, give things a marketing spin with the name change to ES330, and sell even more cars based on a "brand new" ES.
Congrats on your purchase! Let us know how you like it after some time behind the wheel.
If its possible, this is what I would *like* to see.
For the 2004 redesigns due out in early Spring 03, the Lexus RX will get the 3.3L. At the same time, the GS300 will hopefully move to a more powerful version (or new design) of its straight six, allowing the ES to gain more power (I'm sure Toyota is scared of cannibalization).
In the fall of 2003, for the 2004 MY, the ES can go to the 3.3L V6, while the Camry will finally get VVTi for the 3.0 V6, and be retuned to make the 220hp of the Highlander/current RX (same retuning for the Avalon). In fall of 2004, for the 2005 MY, the Avalon (for its redesign) and Highlander (for its 4th model year freshening) go to the 3.3L V6.
**This just represents my ideas, and in no way do I claim it to be economically efficient, or productively viable- just changes I would like to see happen****
What does anyone think?
~alpha