redkingjoe

thank you to all of you, i have just received some quotation:

a) 2001 ES300 $15,000 (45,000KM with the car)

b) 2005 ES330 $48,500(with moonroof-luxurious package)

c) 2005 ES330 $42,000( the basic- with most of good things)

d) 2000 LS400 $28,000( with everything, VCD), 45000KM with the car, good maintainence, no accident)



(Hong Kong has a very heavy duty on cars

Lexusfreak

If that's the case red, then I'd go for the 2005 ES Let us know what you decide.

lexusk8

If I had a choice, I would pick the pre-owned '01 ES. It's better money in the long run, and you got pretty low mileage to begin with (45000 km is about 28000 miles). The quotes for the '05 ES are ridiculously high, even without most of the available options. The '00 LS price seems about right, but when talking about fuel economy, the ES easily beats out the LS

redkingjoe

thank you so much for your kind help and input on this.

the high-price car's price in HK is almost always a double of the US. the new '05LS430 is close to US$100,000(full option with full warranty) and '05ES330 is US$48,500 (full option and full warranty). '02ES300 or '03ES300 are around US$25,600(grey goods with 3 months warranty) both with 15,000KM.

thank you

Matters

Dude you don't know what expensive duty is until you shop in Australia: an LS430 is $170,000 AUD which is like about $130,000 USD. Although I'm not gonna complain because Singapore has got it even worse.

Used cars in Hong Kong are damn cheap as well!

Anyway back to the question at hand. I have driven both 1999 LS400 and a 2005 ES300 (no 330s in AU for some reason). I would prefer the new ES personally. I think the LS4 is looking a little old now both inside and out (nice but still an older model).

The ES has a more contemporary shape both on the outside and the inside. Furthermore the new ES has the cool ventilated seats, LS430 type leather and the rear sunshade. The new ES drives just as smoothly as the old LS and is almost as quiet. It is brand new with a warranty to boot.

The LS is a great car but I think the ES is the way to go personally.

redkingjoe

Dear all/bubs/dude,

thank you to all of you who have given me so much information. finally i've tested drive 2000LS400(with 37,000km) and 2002ES300(with only 17,000km). both are almost same price.

both the driving, riding(sitting at back) experiences of the 2000LS are much better. My quite old 1997 LS400 are also better than the 2002ES: LS got less engine noise, less wind noise, more stable, run smoother, more roomy overall.

so we bought the 2000LS400 with US$28,600. With that price, we were given 4 new Michelin tires, a complete Lexus Factory car tune and a complete "high class" internal and external car wash. The car has very good maintainence records from Lexus with one single prior owner only.

Thank you so much for your support


best regards

Lexusfreak

That's awesome red!! Best of luck!

redkingjoe

thank you for your support on this tough decision...i'm very happy with the side by side comparison...ES300/330 is an excellent benchmark....actually not many vehicles in the market can surpass ES's performance with price...there are a lot of goodies with the 2005ES....still feeling very tough even after making the decision and getting the LS on hand....


thank you thank you

Kansas

I think you made a good choice in buying the 2000 LS400 instead of a new ES330.

The local Lexus dealer provided me with a loaner ES330 last summer while our 2000 LS400 was in for one of its two last warranty repairs just before the 4 year basic warranty expired. While the ES330's interior seemed exceptionally nice and well finished, it handled, sounded and rode very much like the Toyota Camry my wife drives.

I thought the ES330 was "busy and noisy" compared to our 2000 LS400. I was shocked . I expected a far better experience in the ES330. I kept looking for things (like electric headrest adjustments) that the ES330 did not have - or at least the one I was provided did not have - or maybe I could not find the adjustment switch. Turning the ES330 in at the end of the day and driving away in my LS was a great relief. I think I have been completely spoiled by 15 years in LS cars.

When I mentioned my disappointment in the ES to the dealer rep, he smiled and said something like the way to make an LS owner really appreciate their cars is to give them a loaner ES.

Don't get me wrong. The ES330 is a great car for what it is.

redkingjoe

dear Kansas,
thank you so much for your kind support in this. even my 1997LS is better than the ES, let alone the 2000LS. i have read a lot of your excellent posts from other threads...i felt so great to get a post from you...thank you

nevertheless, ES has a lot of goodies such as low ongoing cost...i just prefer the LS feel

(btw, i love kansas, i lived there for 18 months studying in K-state, the ppl and enviroment are so great)

ssultan

Redkingjoe, CONGRATS on the purchase. Both the ES and the LS are gorgeous machines and I was drooling at both your options. You would never have regretted going with either one, it all comes down to preference and what aspects of the two machines were more important to you. Had the choice been up to me, I too would have gone with the LS...not for any major reason but just the fact that I already have 2 ES's in the family and have been drooling over an LS for some time now

Kansas

Redkingjoe,

Thank you for the response. I too spent at lot of time in Manhattan, Kansas many years ago.

Some information about equipment available on the 2000 LS400 in Asian markets is shown in the two volume repair manual set for my U.S. specification 2000 LS400. Nice features such as rear adjustable seats and rear audio and climate control were never made available on U.S. models. Even rear seat heaters were never available on any U.S. specification LS400.

Does your 2000 LS400 have any of these features or is it similar to the ones sold in the U.S. Of course, I assume that your car is right hand drive since you are in Hong Kong.

LexFather

Congrats!!

redkingjoe

thank you again for the support.
1 they took the car to do a "Lexus factory tune-up" before delievering. unlike the US, when we buy Lexus in HK, most of the options are included, so i really didn't care and didn't know what's in it. when buying, the most importance thing is condition of the car and past service history there will be only very slight variation between diff LS each year.

2 i'm quite sure that most of the "rear thingies" are included because LS is mainly a "richman" or "boss" car that lot of ppl will employ driver for it. thus, "utilities" at rear seats are almost always more importance than the front seats. in US, most LSs are driven by owners.

will give u an update when we get the car.