Lexus ES 350

me21379

With all the dealers wanting MSRP or even higher for their cars was wondering if anyone has any experience with the online companies or online leasing, cars.com, atoleasespecialist.com etc

Just can't bring myself to pay sticker.

psychdoc

...It's the "must have color."

I have mine (UL) coming in in about two weeks. Seeing all the action on this color I feel fortunate to be getting one. I had ordered the moon shell mica and wanted to vomit when I saw it "in the flesh."

What's the second most popular color after the ruby red? The dark grey or sand color?

The light silver is so played out. Looks nice but "ho hum" it's everywhere.

sam78041

Me and my wife bought the car yesterday. Premium Plus with navigation.

I can surely tell you that at this point in time it's relatively easy to get 1,500 off MSRP. Get your pricing off Lexus website, then do some research on invoce at kbb.com, samsclubauto.com etc.

If you are REALLY firm, researchful, don't mind getting your vehicle from a dealer who is not the closest to your home town, you can get a better deal. In my case, after getting a quote from my regional dealer (1,500 + "other value added options", i.e. gimmicks), I contacted other dealers in the state, stating I am buying the car this week and inquiring if they would be willing to offer me a better deal. One of them responded with a better quote (given over the phone after receiving my e-mail with car specs). After that I called my primary dealer and they had no choice but to match the price.

It got a bit ugly during the sale, since they asked me to show some proof of the afore-mentioned quote. I did have some e-mails of my prior correspondence with that dealer, but the quote was given over the phone. They were trying to tell me the quote I was given was on an 06 model and so on. They had to have a meeting with 5 managers or so discussing "my situatuion" - this is after me driving for 2 hours and sitting in the sales room. Anyway, they decided to go with the sale - whether to save their face, or to save me as a customer - I don't know.

From what I learned while waiting on the "managerial decision" is that all state Lexus GM's had a "meeting" during which they have all agreed not to offer any major discounts on ES for a few months. Isn't it called price-fixing? Isn't it against the law?

Regardless, after getting an aproval on the final price, the rest of the sale went extremely smooth and fine. Me and my wife had a very pleasant experience - after all it WAS a Lexus dealer.

I do not know, if my deal was a singular strike of luck, or if it's possible to get 2,500 off sticker in other places. I did spend a lot of time researching the price, options, dealerships, special buying programs etc. Heck, with all that knowledge at my fingertips, I should start selling Lexus'es myself

cleblanc

My dealer told me that the Ruby Red is a rare color and that I was lucky to get it with the options I wanted - Premium Plus w/navigation. He said he had a chart showing percentages of the different color combinations manufactured and that the red was the lowest.
I also agree about the silver. Although it looks nice, it is so common. I wanted any color except silver.

tdoh

Guess what, guy? I read the brochure--well technically, the online brochure at the Lexus website--and unless it's buried in there really good, I don't see anything at all that explicitly states that the ES350 standard sound system--or any sound system, for that matter--can play MP3 CDs. So...instead of telling me not to get my "knickers in a knot" (how long did it take for you to come up with such an immature comment like that?), why don't you show/tell me exactly where in the online brochure--or elsewhere on the Lexus website does it mention this...'cuz I don't see it. In any case, if indeed the brochure you read stated that it was MP3-CD capable...well it's apparently different from the online one I viewed today--again, assuming that I did not manage to overlook the part about the MP3 CD capability.

And...MP3-capable isn't necessarily the same as MP3 CD-capable, so you mentioning that the ML system is MP3-capable offers nothing to factually prove that the current (ML) system in the ES350 can read MP3 CDs.

bobbass

Just wondering if anybody thinks that the Panarama roof option will cause a higher solar interior heating effect.

I'm pretty sure that there are the typical sliding moonroof covers that are common in normal sunroofs. When they are closed, solar heating should be cut down.

But, on a "regular" sunroof, much of the steel roof is insulated and there is no direct sunlight coming past the roof. What happens to the solar heat that comes thru the glass roof and is trapped in the space between the glass and top of the covers?

It's still early spring and most owners have only had their new ES's a short time, but any thoughts on this?

lahamjat

Hi tdoh, I too was wondering about the MP3 playback because if it does not have it, I most likely will have to purchase the ipod. There is a website http://www.marklevinsonlexus.com/overview.asp?model=es that talks about the capabilities of the ML system for Lexus. I do not know whether it will answer your question because I am not to knowledgeable when it comes this this stuff. Under the ES350 "Specification" it states:
Media Compatibility — CD, CD-R, DTS 5.1 CD,
DVD Video, and DVD Audio Discs

Format Compatibility — 2-Channel Stereo
(analog and PCM), 2-channel Surround Sound,
Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS 5.1, MP3, WMA, and an
auxiliary input for mobile audio products.
Now you can plug your iPod® or other device
directly into the ES audio system.

Hope this helps

alp8

to me, that looks like the CD player can play MP3 AND that you can plug an MP3 into it.

dotbowels

http://www.leftlanenews.com/2006/02/08/2007-lexus-es-350-unveiled-in-chicago/

Mind-Expanding Audio Systems: An enhanced standard premium audio system brings an in-dash, six-disc CD-changer, MP3 player, iPod connectivity and an additional speaker to the 2007 ES. The system also includes an Automatic Sound Levelizer (ASL) to maintain consistent sound levels at varying vehicle speeds.

cyclopsstan

I just put an MP3 disc in w/ the reg. cd's I had in there & had no problem going from 1 kind of disc to the other in shuffle mode. Now we have to stop @ Radio Shack and get a cord to connect our MP3 player and we'll be set for tunes.

robynl

Has anybody seen the blue onyx color yet?

dotbowels

I'd love to see a few window stickers if they could be uploaded to the photo page Thanks Dorothy

psychdoc

...Can anyone describe how this feature works?

Is the air simply blown up through the seats or is it cooled first?

alp8

There are so many ways to go with this one, but I'm not gonna touch it!!

:-)

carrelman2

You would think that the person responsable for designating the premium packages avaiable would label each package A,B,or C etc. or 1,2,or3 etc. so that you could refer to each package accordingly.

richard43

anyone know the price of
the side body molding?

thanks

jimbres

Sorry, old boy. Heartfelt apologies for that "knickers" remark. It's just that your original post was so, well, pouty in tone that I simply couldn't help myself. (You were spanking Lexus for omitting a feature when you clearly didn't know if said feature really was missing from the car. You must admit that it was a bit odd.) I promise to show more self-restraint in my future posts. At least I'll try.

But don't take my word for it. Visit a Lexus store & see for yourself. The CD changer can play MP3-encoded disks. Incidentally, my response to your 1st post was based on the print brochure. I've found that online brochures are merely a subset of the print version more often than not.

jeffw330

Air is blown through the seat and it has a cooling effect like a fan.

maxidrive

Including the back of the seat?

bigo08

When the MKZ arrives later this year.. i belive it can give the ES350 a run for its money. the both have a 3.5 liter V6 with about the same output.. and the MKZ will be available with AWD..something lexus does not offer in the ES, when it comes to options they both offer the sameones.. but lexus does have more a few neater tricks in ES than Lincoln has in MKZ... wat do u think???

bobbyshred

I was told by the dealer that if the AC is on it will blow cooled air from the vent that goes to the rear into the seats and thus they are truly cooled seats, not just ventilated seats. That would lead me to believe that if the AC was off the air would simply be ambient temp.
The bottoms and backs are cooled I felt them they are pretty neat, I'm always hot in leather seats.

The Lexus ES 350 plays MP3 CD's as does the Camry even with the basic systems.

I'm still considering this car as it seems to be the best I can find. I guess I'll just have to get used to the cramped feeling on my right leg.

Anyone buy the Aquamarine Blue yet?

dvt56

I have been getting touted to Invisishield by Scotchguard, for my new 350. Years ago, they looked awful after awhile. Does anyone have any experience with this process? I know the dealer sends this work 'out' and who knows as to the quality of the install. Also, the front end kit can be bought over the web for -$300, and of course, the dealer just about doubles that. Any comments would be appreciated.
Thanks

svw

I'm considering the 3M Invisishield also....doing research now. Saw it on a white Lexus SUV and it was hardly noticable until the owner made me look very closely. Here are a few resources:

http://www.invisiblemask.com/overview.html

http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/Scotchgard-PPF/Home/

http://www.autocareforum.com/paintprotectionfilm.html

cleblanc

My dealer offered me something called Simoniz System 5 as a paint protection process. Is anyone familiar with this? Is it worth it? The other services are offered were a Tire & Wheel Guarantee and a Door Ding Protection. I didn't take these and am now second guessing myself. This is my first Lexus and the thought of it getting scratched up which is probably inevitable is making me crazy.

psychdoc

My strong advice on this is "steer clear."

Aftermarket stuff like this is heavily pushed by dealers and with good reason (from their perspective). The mark-up is huge. For every dollar spent you'll be lucky to see $0.50 back. They sell it based on the fear principle and they are selling you the idea that you will be safe with their "protection."

Do yourself a favor and bank the money. With a 5% rate of return you'll be in a lot better shape to take care of any door dings and have lots of money left over to run your car through the car wash for the next four years.

Simply put, these offers are all huge rip-offs!

bobbyshred

"The seats are not connected to the AC ducts in anyway. The vented feature is only a fan- not AC. "

I was told that they are actively cooled by my dealer and that he was 100% sure about that.

They felt more than ventilated to me, they actually felt cold.

I could be wrong about this, I'm just going by what I was told by my dealer.

svw

It seems that many folks are interested in photos of the various colors. Here are a few sites I bookmarked and referred to while evaluating my purchase.

----> Really nice red, close up -

http://lexus-lansing.ebizautos.com/detail.aspx?iid=883442&anchor=/2007/Lexus/200- 7-Lexus-ES-350

---->Various colors, angles, etc -

http://www.forbesautos.com/gallery/2007/lexus/es_350/?slide=10&play=t

http://www.worldcarfans.com/news.cfm/newsid/2060209.011/country/jcf/Lexus/2007-l- exus-es-350-sedan-unveiled

http://www.babez.de/lexus/es350.php
http://www.netcarshow.com/lexus/2007-es_350/
http://www.familycar.com/RoadTests/LexusES350/

bobbyshred

No offense whatsoever but I think most of us have seen all those factory photos.

I'm more interested in photos taken by real people, especially the Aquamarine Blue.

vluu

If you go to the www.toyota.com and look at the Avalon. There is a video showing this heating/ cooling feature in the Limited model.

vluu

Here's the link:

http://www.toyota.com/vehicles/2006/avalon/key_features/heated_seats.html

I think the way it works.... the fan built into each seat will pull in air... so if the A/C is on.. then it will pull in the cooler air. The video doesn't say it has A/C ducts connected to the fan. Neverles... it's still a cool option to have.

zekeman1

I have an 05 Avalon LTD with the ventilated seats...they're NOT ventilated with air from the A/C...it's just fan ventilated but it feels cool. Frankly, I don't believe it's in the seatback either; the only real noticeable thing about them is the heated feature. It's nice to have but I don't believe they're worth jumping up & down about.

I just ordered the 07 ES350 and there are many of the Avalon LTD features on the car, but not all of the Avalon features which are standard on the LTD. You get more bang for the buck with the Avalon with the little gadgets, so keep that in mind if you're contemplating choosing between the two!
zekeman1

zekeman1

I have the 3M material on my 05 Avalon LTD; the paint is Blizzard Pearl (white). It covers the entire front end and up onto the hood with each of the side mirrors. I had it professionally installed for $275...I believe it's worth the $. It's practically invisible and bugs come off like they were on teflon; no chips whatsoever but of course if a rock were to hit it it might pierce the coating if it were large/sharp enough.
zekeman1

tds1

Finally went for a test drive today. I was very impressed. A huge driving improvement over the ES330. Again, I don't know why seating for me is not an issue in this car despite my having a problem in the GS (I am 6'1"). Was even more surprised when I went inside and the salesman asked if I would purchase if he took $1500 off. Considering I am in Minneapolis with only 1 (I think) Lexus dealership that seems quite good. Didn't seem as willing to deal on a special order, but as I wasn't ready to buy today, I didn't press the issue. Yet...

tony39

Wife and I test drove an ES 350 UL w/ML and an Acura RL yesterday. The Lexus salesman was much more professional and knowledgeable about the car than the Acura salesman. The Lexus salesman spent 1.5 hrs with us and knew we were not going to buy a car that day. The Acura salesman didn't seem all that interested in us since we were not buying right away. We liked everything about the Lexus except the colors. Wife and I thought they were boring. The Acura was more fun to drive and the navigation system blew away that of the Lexus. The problem with the Acura's nav though is that we could not see the screen very well with our sunglasses on. We both had to keep lifting up our sunglasses to see the screen. We have decided to buy the Lexus in the near future, now wife just needs to decide on color. We live in the DFW metroplex.

psychdoc

I find the interior of the ES350 to be far more spacious than the GS. The GS has no headroom and feels cramped.

It also looks like a hatchback. UGH!!!

"L-finesse" or not, the GS is a total styling disaster. Add to that that it was introduced with incredibly underpowered engines and you really have a marketing nightmare.

I don't know what the good folks over at Lexus were thinking, but pretty much everything about the GS has been a mistake. I'll bet they're heavily discounting them to get them out the door.

And that little flip down panel for secondary controls??!! How gimicky and ridiculous is that?

The ES is a winner in pretty much every respect. Power, styling, interior (I would have liked a little bit more wood, particularly on the area above the glove box), cutting edge features, amazing mpg (21/30...comapred this to the M-B E350 which only gets 19/27), state of the art NAV system, backup camera, bluetooth, etc. etc. all for about $10-14k less than the M-B E350 and $6-10k less than the dreadful GS.

The ES is the deal of the century!

bobbyshred

My dealer told me the system is different from the Avalon which are simply ventilated.
I called him yesterday and he insists that the Lexus seats are actively cooled and not just ventilated.

Maybe he's full of it but he tells me he learned this in the education class for the Lexus.

The Lexus ES spec sheet calls them ventilated and does not mention cooled.

I'm tending to believe thay are simply ventilated.

psychdoc

Yeah, I suspect that if they were, in fact, "cooled" there would be very little ambiguity on this subject. I don't think you'd see the word "ventilated" in any of their literature.

At this point I'd be pretty sure they were simply "ventilated."

donegal

When you use the "Build Your Lexus" option, some of the items in different option packages are shown in gray print rather than black print. Is the gray print an indication that the item is not available at this time?

mr68

I live in the dfw area also.
to all on this forum it's been nice reading your opinions .
yesterday bought my 2007 350 es ultra xm tint pinstripe,levinson etc.I got white/cashmere.
hopefully will be here this week.
very nice salesperson is providing me loan car until it gets here.
I have not meet her only e-mail and a few phone calls!

I sold my other car last week(2002 mr2 spyder...will miss my 35mpg baby!)

finally got to see a red which is the only other color that i
thought I might buy. the black was very nice but I would not get out there and clean it.
I liked the ruby red on the gs300. but did not like the sporty ride of the gs. just got through 4 years of that kind of heaven.
any way very excited to started enjoying my new ride..xm and mark levinson!!

wallybird

Test drove the new ES yesterday. Overall, the car seemed great, but I wondered if my experience might be unique to this one particular vehicle or has anyone else noted an almost total lack of "feedback" while steering? It made me a little nervous to go around curves - I couldn't really tell which way the car seemed to be pointed. A lot of steering correction seemed necessary. I've driven a variety of imports for the past 25 years, but this seemed wierd.

cc3088

mr68...When you get your car, please post pictures of your new ES with tint. Do you know what percent you are getting? I, too, have a white ES350 and am considering a tint job. Probably 35% as that is the legal limit here.

Anxious to see yours. Enjoy!

fuente858

It,s the same one that's on the GS. It's just a small one. Almost the width of the trunk and about 2" in width.

fuente858

If you want an acura go get it. If you really did, I thing you already would have and not just be talking about it.

fuente858

30% of idiots! What are the other 70%? They have to be iditos too according to you.

fuente858

Dont think they will allow more than $3500 on the card. Lexus name is on the card but a bank is the issuer. They are the ones that set the limet. Finansing interest is 9% intrest on credit cards is much higher.

fuente858

I do belive the wait is from 3 to 4 months.

fuente858

I have my ES350 with UL pack and the rear view monitor is included.

fuente858

Yes

fuente858

No. MP3s with ipod in center counsel box connection.

tony39

mr68,
I would like to know which dealership in the DFW area you are using. Could you tell me what you paid for your car? You are getting the same exact options that I am looking for, including color.
Thanks,
tony39