So, I'm graduating soon and am heading to California for co-op (Cupertino, Northern California). I was there for my previous co-op term and realized how much a car is required there.

I've decided to go with a used Lexus ES300, mainly because they're known to be very reliable, very comfortable and I won't get myself in "trouble" with one (so my mom approves too).

I think it's a great car, my uncle has one in Canada so I already know that this is the car that I want.

Anyway, before I start looking at the cars, could someone suggest or point me to a website where I can get some tips about what to look for when finding a good used ES300 in the 1998-2001 range?

Thanks in advance,

 

I really don't know exactly what kind of answer you're looking for but I'll tell you my recent story about finding a 1999 ES300.

I bought it almost two months ago now. I used autotrader.com and found the color I wanted (Antique Sage Pearl) and it was only 50 miles away. The car I got had a recall on the engine (because of the famous "sludge buildup" issue and it has a 2001 engine in it which has about 68,000 miles on it (odometer reads 116k). It recently had some kind of check engine problem, P0171 bank 1 saying my o2 sensor was shot. I bought some electrical contact cleaner and cleaned out my MAF sensor and that did the trick- acceleration, braking and gas mileage are back to normal (what a difference 5 dollars can make!)

I would look for something 1999 and up because 1999 they added a few minor details and most of it is the same for 00-01. I got a great deal and it is in great shape and well taken care of. So I am very pleased so far with it just take your time when looking. And if you have any questions just ask on here, it is great help...

 

Great, so I might want to avoid the 98's..

Okay, price wise, would you say a $12000-13000 for a 2000 model with 90K miles is good? I'm checking Craigslist for the Bay Area.

Options-wise, I found that almost all of these cars are loaded with the biggest noticeable difference being the wood trim on the steering wheel.

 

I think the Platinum Series is the best model.

 

aren't 98's and 99's the same model?
I thought they added electrical suspension and clear taillights starting 00..?

 

Yea I think they gave it that final facelift in 2000. Look for one without the sludge in the engine though.

 

The 1999 model is the first year with the VVT-i engine. The 98 model is identical to the 97, but looks-wise, is identical to the 99 (except of course for the VVT-i and engine specs). The electronic suspension, also known as the Adaptive Variable Suspension, was added as a hard-to-find option to the 1997 model. The clear tails, as you alluded to, is standard starting with the 2000 model.

 

The price range you mentioned sounds about right for the number of miles driven in a 2000 model. The wood steering wheel is an option for the 2000, but standard for the 2001. Platinum Series is found only in the 2000 model, and looks nice with the black pearl badgings, unique wheels, and different colored wood trim. Other than that, don't expect to pay additional money for a Platinum Edition ES as their difference are pretty much cosmetic. If you are looking for an ES with at least 90K miles, make sure that all the maintenance has been kept up to date, preferably the big 90K service where the timing belt/water pump is replaced, as well as all of the fluids. This would save you a lot of money and time down the road. Finally, to quickly check for signs of engine sludge in an ES, you can open the hood and remove the oil filler cap. If there are hard and noticeable black deposits in the engine under the cap, you may consider having the engine checked out for sludge issues.

 

How do you know if you have engine sludge? If I had it would the Lexus dealer tell me or do i have to ask them to specifically look for it. I have 98 ES300 with 80 000 miles on it. The car has been always Lexus dealer serviced since i bought it used. I had them do a full car inspection including transmission flush, brake flush, etc. Does that include checking for engine sludge? I use mobile premium gas.

I hope i dont have engine sludge because my 99 Ml320 did, and they has to replace the whole engine. Ml320 was horrible always having problems unlike Toyota Lexus cars.

thanks

 

Thanks for the advice guys. I picked up a used 2000 ES300 Platinum Edition earlier today with 80K on it for 12500USD. I'm loving it so far, it has a platinum/darkgrey exterior with a black interior.

Question: Do you guys run your cars on premium gas? I've been pumping premium into it so far, just in case -- and I intend to use Synthetic oil.

 

Congrats on the purchase- same color as mine- really good choice. I filled it once with regular but after that have been using premium and won't go back to regular. The manual says that you can use regular but it recommends premium so that's what I use. Plus, I heard that premium lasts longer than regular gas anyway (more mileage). I use synthetic oil as well...

 

I do. Mobile Octane 93. I used regular to save money once and I ended up having trouble starting the car maybe once every two weeks. When I would turn the key sometimes I would hear this grinding noise like starting a car that is already running this happened before but now more often. Or the engine would crank and crank and the RPM meter would bounce up and down really low below the 1 mark. That only happened once, the griding noise was more common.

After returning to premium the continuous cranking stopped. But sometimes its still makes this loud grinding noise. Like the sound that it makes when you try to start a car that has been already started but less often now. After a second try it almost always starts. Does anyone know what that could be? Is it because I put regular into it when all its life it has been premium? I dumped 1/3 a tank of regular in to my 05 Mercedes by accident and nothing seemed to happen. The check engine light turned on when the tank was almost empty, but turned off later when I refilled the tank back with premium. So I don't really think it could have been the gas that did it b/c if it did not damage a unreliable German car engine which is always at the dealer being repaired for warranty work from dead power windows to a crazy car alarm. I really doubt it could damage a Toyota/ Lexus engine. So does anyone know what causes this grinding noise in my Lexus.

 

I haven't had any problems with my car so far. I've noticed some higher-pitched engine noise (which might be normal) that seems to be affected by the revs, or it might mean I need a new timing belt.

I noticed a light while driving the car late last night on the dash, apparently one of my rear tail lights is dead. Do I need to buy the bulbs at a Dealership or could I go to any auto parts store (pep boys, etc.) and get the bulbs?

I read the guide, and replacing them doesn't seem too hard.