JERS69

I have been looking for a used 2002-2003 Es300 and came across this Es330 2004 it does have high miles and I can get it for $18,000. It is Alabaster Metallic and looks super clean. It was a corporate lease return from Lexus. It even still smells new. What do y'all think?

amf1932

You should be able to find an '02-'03 Lexus ES with much lower mileage. A couple of months ago I traded in my '03 ES with 16K miles and all the options.
I wouldn't buy that car no matter how good it looked. Remember, "Beauty is only skin deep".
Too much mileage!!!

Tammy

Agreed.. Too many miles for the year.

Pass on it for one with 30K less at most.

JERS69

I had a 1999 GS300 that had 90,000 miles and loved it. It was immaculate. I now have a 2000 LX470 with 92,000 miles. It is primo as well.

I have looked at several 2002-2003 with less miles but they are $20,000+ cars. I have never really been scared away by high mileage because I only drive 12,000 miles per year and these cars are very reliable, solid, well built cars.

This 2004 must have only had 1 person in the car at all times, the interior looks seriously like 10,000 miles old, smells new no cracks. there is only one small scuff on the back of the car 1/2" long and 1 rock chip. All vin tags in place. Plus it is the 330 instead of the 300 and 1 year newer. They have a 2002 ES300 for the same price and 30,000 miles but it is hammered. I figure that in 2 years, it will have 99,000 miles and still purring along and I will only have lost a few grand on the car.

Any more opinions?

dshahs420

seems like you have made up your mind. I am with the others, too many miles.

lexusk8

For an '04 ES with 75000 miles, I would try to negotiate for a lower price, at least $1,000 to $2,000 lower than the asking price. You should also get it fully checked out by a certified Lexus technician and make sure everything is on the up and up, such as regular maintenance, oil changes, no accidents, clear title, etc.

It sounds like you have experience owning Lexus cars with high mileages and under excellent condition, so this '04 ES should be no different, maybe even more reliable. In April 2003, I got my '01 ES w/ 63000 miles at that time, so that's like more than 20K miles driven per year. It was originally a business fleet vehicle so the car was already well broken in. I did the 90K service a while back with all fluid changes, have kept up with oil changes with no signs of sludge problems whatsoever, and now it's sittin' pretty at 125,600 miles

Back to the '04 ES, only thing I would be concerned about is the jittery transmission behavior experienced in most '02-'05 ES's. There is a free fix for it taken care of by the dealership. More info found here. Good luck with your decision!

copy252

i say WAY to many miles man. i just bought a 2002 es300 with 56700 on it for 21,000 and i think its a little high on miles for 21,000! the guy gave me 8000 on a 98 acura 3.2tl with 74000 miles so i didnt ***** to much. my car is so well kept tho! purs like a kitten and only some minor dings and scuffs on the bumper. little bit of marks from wear on the front seats but ill get the leather that needs replacing replaced for under 500 and that includes the whole car! still smells like new leather which amazes me!

ff_

I disagree completely. I would look up the value at kbb.com, and negotiate off of that. What the seller lists the car at (especially if it's a dealership) isn't necessarily what the car is worth. In fact, it's most often not. Print out the value report from KBB, and bring that with you to the table as a starting point.

JERS69

So many opinions!

Like I said this car has absolutely no wear on the inside of the car, brand new tires, Lexus Financial corporate lease return. On the outside there is one small ding that can be fixed paintless and I found 4 touched up chips on the car. It was owned for 2 years 9 months. Obviously a commuter car with no kids in the car.

The dealer says that he is not negotiable on any car on the lot, they are marked what he will sell them for.

I ran Nada on the car
$21,240 trade in
$24700 retail

Edmunds-(This was at clean condition-this car is excelent condition all the way)
$19775 trade
$21,440 private party
$24785 retail

KBB

$16000 trade
$19325 pp
$22975 retail

I drove the car last jight, shifted fine, tight solid car no rattles. Only thing I found wrong was that the rear power window would not roll down. He is taking it to Lexus to fix it and they will be doing full inspection on the vehicle.

I dont believe that taking a copy of the blue book will do me any justice to what I would pay for this car.

lexusk8

Agreed. Everyone who deals in the car industry must know about the KBB, so from a customer perspective, it doesn't really help much if you bring print-outs of KBB on the car in question. Car dealerships always have a formula to jack the price above KBB, and the only way to get the car at the price you want is at the negotiation stage.

It's too bad to hear that the dealer is not negotiable on any cars on his lot, so it's up to you if you want to take the ES or leave it and move on. Realistically speaking, $18K for a 2-year old ES330 is a rare find these days. Tough call to make, I know. Chances are though, like Alan said, if you look around you'll find other '02-'04 ES's w/ lower miles at around the same price or a little higher, and kept in excellent condition. Like I said, it's your decision, not us

BTW, does this '04 ES have navigation and Mark Levinson sound system? Any other options?

JERS69

I look at it like the car has 75,000 miles now. It is clean as it could possibly be. If I drive it 12,000 miles/year for 6 years it will have under 150,000 miles and still have a value of about ($4-5k). I spent 13,000 for 6 years of use on the car =$2160 per year loss. Not too bad for a vehicle.

I know that ultimately, it is my decision but it is interesting to hear the opinion of others. Thanks for the responses.