I think that extended warranties - more properly called service contracts, since they are not truly extensions of the original factory warranties - are a bad idea. You're paying hundreds of dollars today for something that will have no value for you until the factory warranty runs out 4 years from now. If you're planning to keep your car beyond the expiration of the factory warranty, use those 4 years to build up your savings. Why let someone earn interest on your money?
Anyway, we have a '99 Lexus ES 300 that's been out of warranty for over 3 years - since January 2003. In that time, we've paid out a total of $500 to fix things that broke unexpectedly. These cars really do deserve their reputation for reliability.
On Friday, my wife put down a deposit on a Tungsten Pearl / light grey Ultra ES 350 at Rallye Lexus in Glen Cove (Long Island, NY). No word yet on a delivery date.
Good for her! Hope she doesn't have to wait long for the Tungsten Pearl. We have seen a Tungsten Pearl/light grey at the Lexus of Seattle; it is really very cool color combination.
We also appreciate the advice on the extended warranty.
Has anybody seen or got this option(Pre Collsion and Dynamic Radar)yet? I'm curious because that was the only thing lacking on my ES350 UL equipped car. My dealer, in the New York City area told me that this option is a special order, and they haven't received delivery on any cars with it, as of yet.
A Lexus Authorized Extended Warranty can be "shopped" just like the automobile itself. I purchased the Lexus warranty on a 2004 ES330 from Longo Lexus (they were not my dealership and the purchase was after the sale of the vehicle), after an exhaustive price search, for $100 over dealer cost. You can also coerce the finance guy/gal, at your dealership, to show you the dealer price for the Lexus warranty and get him/her to sell you the warranty for the same deal. There is a huge markup on the warranty, if you buy it at the Lexus MSRP.
The advantage to buying the warranty early is that the price later will be based upon the residual value of the vehicle at the purchase time (anytime prior to the original factory warranty expiration).
If you trade the vehicle before the expiration of the original factory warranty, the reverse is true. You will be refunded a pro-rated amount of the Lexus extended warranty based upon the residual value. 25,000 miles on the vehicle is equivalent to about 87% of the original dealer cost.
The advantage of the Lexus warranty, versus a third-party warranty, is, it is entered into the Lexus service program. When the service advisor looks up your car on the Lexus data system, it reflects the extended warranty. There is no hassling with deductibles or authorizations, it is just like an extended factory warranty.
As for getting the dealership to "throw in" the warranty to "sweeten" the deal: the dealer cost of the warranty is around $1,000 bucks for a 6-year-72,000-mile Lexus warranty. You're no longer dealing with the sales person and the finance person is not likely to "give" you anything below dealer cost.
Good advice, although you probably intended to direct your reply to shop4mywife - not to me.
Nonetheless, I just don't like service contracts - they really aren't warranties - because I view them as poor substitutes for money in the bank. If you're doing a good job of managing your finances - if you're maintaining a favorable savings-to-debt ratio - you don't need one. When a big repair bill comes along - as it will, at some point in your life - you'll have plenty of money in the bank to cover it. And if your household balance sheet isn't up to snuff - if you've got too much debt & too little savings - then you shouldn't be shopping for a new Lexus. You should stick with your current ride & concentrate on repairing your finances. Pay down your debt & build up your savings.
An old axiom of casualty insurance is that you should self-insure whenever possible. Don't pay others to assume a risk that you can handle on your own. I need insurance to protect me from a $200K house fire, but I don't need it to protect me from the occasional $2K car repair bill.
My ownership experience with Japanese cars goes back over 30 years, & I've never owned one for which a service contract would have returned its purchase price.
The moon shell mica had been my first choice...before I saw it!
Holy cow, if there's a more hideous color for a car (or pretty much anything else) I can't imagine what it would be. It's some surreal, horrific looking combination of pink and violet.
I think even Mary Kay cosmetics salesladies would be mortified to show up in a car that color.
Needless to say, as soon as I saw this nighmare I called up my salesman and told him that was totally off the table and that I'd accept any of four alternate colors (black, copper, smokey grey and ruby red). My first choice at that point was the ruby red and he was able to get me just what I wanted in the UL package.
Johnson Lexus in Raleigh, NC has the Moon Shell Mica and I have to agree with Psychdoc, it is hideous. I realize that color is a personal choice, but.. ugh!
Make absolutely sure that you (those in the market) see the exact color you're considering on a physical car before ordering. The internet and dealer paint chips are deceptive. You can sometimes see the exact paint on another model (ie. the IS350 sports the same golden almond metallic as the ES350). But do see it in person.
Absolutely stunning!!!! Thanks alot for posting the pictures. Now if a dealer could just find one for me!! My second choice is amber pearl but will hold out for the ruby. Let me know if you hear of a ruby/cashmere anywhere at all.
Thanks guys! Even our dealer referred to the M.S.M as a tough sell, go figure! lol I am so glad that my wife isn't pressing me too hard to take her somewhere to see it.
Hmmmmm. That's just great. That Ruby color looks so good, I may have to add it to the mix of colors I am choosing from....like I wasn't having trouble deciding on a color before, now you just made it more difficult for me. Nice car, nice color.
I know, I know....no one quote me from my previous post when I said red only belongs on a two door sports car.
I believe the copper color you are referring to is called Amber Pearl. The Golden Almond is more of a true light gold color. I finally saw the Amber Pearl in person the other day. Nice, rich looking color that I haven't seen on another car that I can think of. As I said it is now my second choice, but really, really want to hold out for the Ruby.
I took a ‘test’ drive last night to the top of 10,000 ft. mount Haleakala to see how the 350 did going up & down the hill compared to all my previous cars ( 3 Honda’s, a 87 SI & 97 & 06 Accord ex’s & a 03 Mazda 6.) Of course there was no comparison except for MPG. I started the trip w/ a full tank with 30 miles of mostly flat and for Maui, ‘highway’ before starting the ascent. I was at 27.9 at the base and was amazingly at 19.9 at the summit. The drive was a pleasure and the handling superior than any of the afore mentioned. I guess that the stability & traction controls make all the difference, as I was handling the hairpins with relative ease both up and down and the transmission didn’t seem to kick up to high to fast on the way down, saving the wear n tear on the brakes. By the end it was 4 hours of drive time, 140 miles and my final MPG was at 26.9, as the drive down never balances out what you needed to get up. And the biggest difference was I didn’t feel like I drove 4 hours and was relatively refreshed. (Added 2 pic’s of the car from the drive... http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery...46984&members=1
Does anyone have real pics of the charcoal grey color? My local dealer says it's the most popular and they go out as soon as they come in. The one time they had one on the lot it was very dirty and looked black. I'm concerned that I'll need to keep it washed all of the time in order to keep it looking nice. Any comments?
Very nice pics....of the car too. LOL I love Hawaii. Will be going there in a few months. I saw your previous pics of the car Cyclopsstan and then saw psychdoc's pics and that Ruby Red is really starting to grow on me. (White may still be in the running.....I am so finkle LOL...you should have seen when I dated LOL....nevermind)
That Amber Pearl is a nice color too, amf1932, but my current car is Desert Mist and I want something different.
Still would like to see Grey Granite and Blue Onyx. Anyone have pics? Still waiting for the dealers to get them in.
Nice pictures, and nice car. I like the ruby red - I'm considering that or the Smokey Granite.
Quick question though - is the last picture in your series the Moon Shell Mica? It the first picture that I have seen that shows the pink / purple color (I have not seen it in person yet).
Cablondeblue, are you by any chance driving a Nissan Maxima (Model year 2000-2003)? That sounds like the name of the gold Nissan Max. I'm driving a 2002 Nissan Max. Color is Majestic Blue. Great car! My lease will be up in several months and after having no interest in the previous model Lexus ES's, I can honestly say I'm liking the 2007 ES.
I will be cross-shopping the Lexus ES, the Acura TL and the 2007 Nissan Maxima. I also like the crystal white and the ruby red on the ES. I saw one on the road today with the chrome wheels. Nice. The only thing I think that needs to be made available is some sportier, maybe meatier, thicker tire/wheel combos? You know the ad that's shown to the right of these forums, the ad by Lexus of the Smoky granite version, the picture makes it look as though the wheels are larger. I think it looks good!
I had a black 2006 ES 330 and I washed it ALL the time. I bought the smoky granite ES 350 on May 31st. Amazingly enough, I have only washed it once since I bought it on May 31st and that was 2 days after I got it because I had to drive 200 miles to get it home. I was just commenting today to my daughter on how good it looks. I haven't taken any pictures, but I know there are some all over the web. Go to this website: http://www.clublexus.com/forums/showthread.php?t=214896
I must add that I saw the blue onyx at the dealership and wished I had seen it before I pulled the trigger on the gray one. I'm not much into gray interiors.
I'm surprised Lexus didn't carry over the Glacier Frost Mica over to the ES. I've seen that color on the GS and the IS. It's an intriguing color where you see the bluish tint to the common white color, whereas, the crystal white has the pearl tint in it. So far I like the crystal white, ruby red and the amber color.
No actually, I am driving a 2003 Acura TL. Desert Mist is basically a tan or a golden taupe color. It is really nice but I want something different. I am waiting for the dealerships to get some more colors...Ruby, Blue Onyx and Smokey Granite.
For those of you who saw the Blue Onyx, is it a dark navy blue or a dark royal blue? Can you only tell it is blue when the sun hits it or does it appear black most of the time?
The dealer was showing me last year's color of blue and trying to convince me that is the same color. I didn't believe him because it had a totally different name.
I may be blonde, but, by all means, I am not stupid. Already they are trying to play games with me. They don't know what they are in for. LOL
My wife and I bought the Lexus ES350 Ultraluxury Package from Lexus Santa Monica in the very low 40s. Had a bad experience with Lexus of Cerritos.
We were recommended by a friend from Audi, to check out the inventory at Lexus of Cerritos before making a purchse (found out later that he meant to send us to Longo Lexus).
Lexus of Cerritos is like a House of Cards when it come to making a deal. They will do anything to keep you there while they frantically try to find the car at another dealership. The sales people at Lexus of Cerritos conspired to lure me away from making my purchase with Lexus Santa Monica by making false promises on an ES350 that they didn’t have and didn’t even know if they could get.
This is what gives some dealerships a bad name. Too bad for Lexus in this case. Not true with Lexus Santa Monica though. Class all the way. The Lexus Engineers put all the power, comfort and durability into the Lexus ES350 that we needed. Its worth every penny.
I saw the blue onxy in the bright sunlight, and it looked very dark, almost black. I liked it because it did look like black, but different.
The salesman said that the gray was the color they couldn't keep around more than a day, and they haven't gotten very many blue onyx colors. That was as of the end of May.
I will keep Lexus of Santa Monica in mind as a second choice. I want to be loyal to my community and give Lexus of Valencia the first opportunity. Besides, I already spend time test driving there and want to give that person whom already invested time in me the opportunity first. (It is called loyality which took on a different meaning for me when I got into commission only sales.)
Even though there was that confusion on which was the actually blue color of the 2007 Lexus ES, I am willing to sit down at the negotiation table and see what he can do for me.
I am a little disappointed, if what you say is true, about the Blue Onyx being so dark it looks black. (Hence the name "Blue Onyx") I was hoping for a richer royal blue color. Of course, I will have to see it in person. There's always Aquamarine. LOL
I am I driving you guys crazy yet on my color flip-flopping? LOL (I am trying to build the suspense.)
Thank God there are no more colors to choose from. :surprise:
The blue onyx is definitely more navy than royal blue. More blue in the sun and less blue other times. You really need to see it in person to judge for yourself. I saw again at my dealership in Lexington, KY and thought it was nice but I would rather it be more royal blue and have more sparkle to it.
At the top and bottom of this page in the "search this discussion" box, type XM ANTENNA....you will get numerous postings relating to placement of the antenna. Personally, I didn't want anything on the trunk lid cluttering up the lines of the car and had my dealer put it inside the back window just beside the 3rd light. And yes, it still gets an excellent signal and no, window tint (if you have it or want it) will not negatively affect the signal either. It's practically invisible since the antenna is so small.
Side view mirrors won't angle down on reverse if side view mirror switch is in neutral location...
This is very common. I have owned and driven several cars that have similar feature. On some cars only the passenger side mirror tilts. Seems to vary per mfg.
Voice recognition is very hit and miss and mostly miss...
Agree that VR is sometimes rather fussy. I have just about given up on using VR for entering addresses. Not only do I have difficulty getting it to recognize the name, but it is cumbersome to enter the information. Same with the dial by number function on the phone.
But what a lovely car all around......I'm having XM put in on Thursday. Does anyone know where they are likely to install the antennae?
Agree with previous poster. Have the antenna put inside on the rear deck. I had XM installed several weeks ago with this configuration and have had no problems with reception.
I'm wondering too on how to turn off the repetitive voice command feature. I thought you could do it through the Nav set-up menu but I still get the "double duty" prompting. Any ideas anyone?
Has anyone noticed the missing rubber seals at base connection to door for outside rearview mirrors. This looks as though it could be a problem with dirt and moisture. My ES350 has up to a one eighth inch gap. I talked to my dealer and was told they would investigate and get back with me.
I went by the dealership on the way home from work and they had an Aquamarine that someone had ordered. Wow! This is the color that I was hoping the Blue Onyx would have been instead of Navy Black. I always thought the Aquamarine was more of a green color. At least that is what the website shows. It is not, it is more of the Royal Blue color I was looking for. Now I have something to be excited about.
My camera phone takes crappy, fuzzy pictures, but hopefully you can get an idea of the color from these:
No access to address input in Nav system while the car is in motion (sigh.....Honda Navi was better at this....)
You can hack this. If it's the same Nav as the RX350, this is what I do to enable all the functions while the car is in motion: Menu button Voice Upper left corner (speaker icon) Lower left corner (blank) Upper left corner (speaker icon) Lower left corder (blank)
A new set of menu will appear. Tap and hold on the override option until you hear a beep. Press back back (upper right corner) and you're all set!
Got this from the club lexus forum. They have hacks for other Nav versions too. Also, they warn against selecting other options other than the 'override' option coz some will hose your nav or worse...
Thanks for your insights.....after picking up my white ES350 I took it home and pulled out the owners manual to take a quick look. After skimming through it I put it back in my glove box. I problaby over looked it, but the comment you made about the side mirrors not tilting down unless you have the switch out of the neutral position I don't remember seeing in the book. Anywoo, thanks allot for your info, I tried taking the switch out of neutral and low and behold when I put the car in reverse the mirrors tilted down...... Sharing of info like that is what makes this forum outstanding!!!!!!!!! Thanks again!
I have had my ES-350 for about a month. At low speed the transmission seems to slip on acceleration and seems to hang in gear when slowing down. Anyone else had this experience?
Comments
Anyway, we have a '99 Lexus ES 300 that's been out of warranty for over 3 years - since January 2003. In that time, we've paid out a total of $500 to fix things that broke unexpectedly. These cars really do deserve their reputation for reliability.
That's where I bought mine.
Good people and very professional service.
You and she will love it.
We also appreciate the advice on the extended warranty.
Alan
The advantage to buying the warranty early is that the price later will be based upon the residual value of the vehicle at the purchase time (anytime prior to the original factory warranty expiration).
If you trade the vehicle before the expiration of the original factory warranty, the reverse is true. You will be refunded a pro-rated amount of the Lexus extended warranty based upon the residual value. 25,000 miles on the vehicle is equivalent to about 87% of the original dealer cost.
The advantage of the Lexus warranty, versus a third-party warranty, is, it is entered into the Lexus service program. When the service advisor looks up your car on the Lexus data system, it reflects the extended warranty. There is no hassling with deductibles or authorizations, it is just like an extended factory warranty.
As for getting the dealership to "throw in" the warranty to "sweeten" the deal: the dealer cost of the warranty is around $1,000 bucks for a 6-year-72,000-mile Lexus warranty. You're no longer dealing with the sales person and the finance person is not likely to "give" you anything below dealer cost.
Nonetheless, I just don't like service contracts - they really aren't warranties - because I view them as poor substitutes for money in the bank. If you're doing a good job of managing your finances - if you're maintaining a favorable savings-to-debt ratio - you don't need one. When a big repair bill comes along - as it will, at some point in your life - you'll have plenty of money in the bank to cover it. And if your household balance sheet isn't up to snuff - if you've got too much debt & too little savings - then you shouldn't be shopping for a new Lexus. You should stick with your current ride & concentrate on repairing your finances. Pay down your debt & build up your savings.
An old axiom of casualty insurance is that you should self-insure whenever possible. Don't pay others to assume a risk that you can handle on your own. I need insurance to protect me from a $200K house fire, but I don't need it to protect me from the occasional $2K car repair bill.
My ownership experience with Japanese cars goes back over 30 years, & I've never owned one for which a service contract would have returned its purchase price.
Some quick pics of my new ES.
http://www.carspace.com/psychdoc
Holy cow, if there's a more hideous color for a car (or pretty much anything else) I can't imagine what it would be. It's some surreal, horrific looking combination of pink and violet.
I think even Mary Kay cosmetics salesladies would be mortified to show up in a car that color.
Needless to say, as soon as I saw this nighmare I called up my salesman and told him that was totally off the table and that I'd accept any of four alternate colors (black, copper, smokey grey and ruby red). My first choice at that point was the ruby red and he was able to get me just what I wanted in the UL package.
I'm very happy with both the car and the color.
Make absolutely sure that you (those in the market) see the exact color you're considering on a physical car before ordering. The internet and dealer paint chips are deceptive. You can sometimes see the exact paint on another model (ie. the IS350 sports the same golden almond metallic as the ES350). But do see it in person.
My second choice is amber pearl but will hold out for the ruby. Let me know if you hear of a ruby/cashmere anywhere at all.
I know, I know....no one quote me from my previous post when I said red only belongs on a two door sports car.
I have to admit, I was partial to the ruby red all along and in real life it's just stunning. Just the right midway point between red and maroon.
Not at all flashy and very sparkly with all the metallic flakes in the paint.
Those UL rims are really cool.
I was surprised that the swiveling headlights really do what they're supposed to.
And you can really see them turn at night.
Very cool!
That Amber Pearl is a nice color too, amf1932, but my current car is Desert Mist and I want something different.
Still would like to see Grey Granite and Blue Onyx. Anyone have pics? Still waiting for the dealers to get them in.
Maui Lexus has the color that my wife wanted.
Quick question though - is the last picture in your series the Moon Shell Mica? It the first picture that I have seen that shows the pink / purple color (I have not seen it in person yet).
Thanks.
a Nissan Maxima (Model year 2000-2003)?
That sounds like the name of the gold Nissan
Max. I'm driving a 2002 Nissan Max. Color
is Majestic Blue. Great car! My lease will
be up in several months and after having no
interest in the previous model Lexus ES's,
I can honestly say I'm liking the 2007 ES.
I will be cross-shopping the Lexus ES, the
Acura TL and the 2007 Nissan Maxima. I also
like the crystal white and the ruby red on
the ES. I saw one on the road today with
the chrome wheels. Nice. The only thing I
think that needs to be made available is
some sportier, maybe meatier, thicker
tire/wheel combos? You know the ad that's
shown to the right of these forums, the ad
by Lexus of the Smoky granite version, the
picture makes it look as though the wheels
are larger. I think it looks good!
I must add that I saw the blue onyx at the dealership and wished I had seen it before I pulled the trigger on the gray one. I'm not much into gray interiors.
Glacier Frost Mica over to the ES. I've seen
that color on the GS and the IS. It's an
intriguing color where you see the bluish tint
to the common white color, whereas, the
crystal white has the pearl tint in it.
So far I like the crystal white, ruby red and
the amber color.
For those of you who saw the Blue Onyx, is it a dark navy blue or a dark royal blue? Can you only tell it is blue when the sun hits it or does it appear black most of the time?
The dealer was showing me last year's color of blue and trying to convince me that is the same color. I didn't believe him because it had a totally different name.
I may be blonde, but, by all means, I am not stupid. Already they are trying to play games with me. They don't know what they are in for. LOL
We were recommended by a friend from Audi, to check out the inventory at Lexus of Cerritos before making a purchse (found out later that he meant to send us to Longo Lexus).
Lexus of Cerritos is like a House of Cards when it come to making a deal. They will do anything to keep you there while they frantically try to find the car at another dealership. The sales people at Lexus of Cerritos conspired to lure me away from making my purchase with Lexus Santa Monica by making false promises on an ES350 that they didn’t have and didn’t even know if they could get.
This is what gives some dealerships a bad name. Too bad for Lexus in this case. Not true with Lexus Santa Monica though. Class all the way. The Lexus Engineers put all the power, comfort and durability into the Lexus ES350 that we needed. Its worth every penny.
The salesman said that the gray was the color they couldn't keep around more than a day, and they haven't gotten very many blue onyx colors. That was as of the end of May.
Even though there was that confusion on which was the actually blue color of the 2007 Lexus ES, I am willing to sit down at the negotiation table and see what he can do for me.
I am a little disappointed, if what you say is true, about the Blue Onyx being so dark it looks black. (Hence the name "Blue Onyx") I was hoping for a richer royal blue color. Of course, I will have to see it in person. There's always Aquamarine. LOL
I am I driving you guys crazy yet on my color flip-flopping? LOL (I am trying to build the suspense.)
Thank God there are no more colors to choose from. :surprise:
I can't wait because I think the ES350 will simply annhialate anything in its class or even close.
I think it competes on an equal footing with cars costing $10-15k more like the BMW530i, the M-B E350, the Infinity M35 and the Audi A6.
If price was not a factor I'd still take the ES over any one of the above cars.
With price as a factor, forget about it!
No access to address input in Nav system while the car is in motion (sigh.....Honda Navi was better at this....)
Voice recognition is very hit and miss and mostly miss...
Side view mirrors won't angle down on reverse if side view mirror switch is in neutral location...
But what a lovely car all around......I'm having XM put in on Thursday. Does anyone know where they are likely to install the antennae?
Thanks.
This is very common. I have owned and driven several cars that have similar feature. On some cars only the passenger side mirror tilts. Seems to vary per mfg.
Voice recognition is very hit and miss and mostly miss...
Agree that VR is sometimes rather fussy. I have just about given up on using VR for entering addresses. Not only do I have difficulty getting it to recognize the name, but it is cumbersome to enter the information. Same with the dial by number function on the phone.
But what a lovely car all around......I'm having XM put in on Thursday. Does anyone know where they are likely to install the antennae?
Agree with previous poster. Have the antenna put inside on the rear deck. I had XM installed several weeks ago with this configuration and have had no problems with reception.
for outside rearview mirrors. This looks as though it could be a problem with dirt and
moisture. My ES350 has up to a one eighth inch gap. I talked to my dealer and was told
they would investigate and get back with me.
My camera phone takes crappy, fuzzy pictures, but hopefully you can get an idea of the color from these:
http://www.carspace.com/cablondeblue/?50@@.59a5d311
In the third picture, the new owner didn't look too happy that I was taking pictures of HIS new car. LOL
You can hack this. If it's the same Nav as the RX350, this is what I do to enable all the functions while the car is in motion:
Menu button
Voice
Upper left corner (speaker icon)
Lower left corner (blank)
Upper left corner (speaker icon)
Lower left corder (blank)
A new set of menu will appear. Tap and hold on the override option until you hear a beep. Press back back (upper right corner) and you're all set!
Got this from the club lexus forum. They have hacks for other Nav versions too. Also, they warn against selecting other options other than the 'override' option coz some will hose your nav or worse...
Thanks for your insights.....after picking up my white ES350 I took it home and pulled out the owners manual to take a quick look. After skimming through it I put it back in my glove box. I problaby over looked it, but the comment you made about the side mirrors not tilting down unless you have the switch out of the neutral position I don't remember seeing in the book. Anywoo, thanks allot for your info, I tried taking the switch out of neutral and low and behold when I put the car in reverse the mirrors tilted down......
Sharing of info like that is what makes this forum outstanding!!!!!!!!! Thanks again!