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Suspension will be shot at 150k. I'd replace the shocks and struts and steering rack, then you will have a tight like new feeling to the ride. Upgrade the brakes with something that stops better than factory such as the "power stops" and you can use rims and tires from a ES350 model for more modern look and better traction.
There might be some other cosmetics you need to replace but the engine will be fine for 300-400k with regular oil changes. There is someone that got 1 Million miles out of it without a rebuild, but that is not likely. 200k is not a large number for these engines....
wow!! A million miles!! I’d wished to get half of that would be awesome!!
I’m starting with getting the oil leak fixed and a wheel alignment since the person I bought it from says he drove it for 2 years and wore out the tires by not getting it fixed. He put new tires on it (plus new battery, new alternator and new radiator) after it sat in his friend’s lot for 5 months before he decided to sell it. The oil in it looked good and clear like it was just changed. I topped it off and got a good puddle underneath in just a few hours.
The seats are roached and the previous owner smoked in the car too. Some smaller bodywork needs to be done (front fender and side in front of the door hinge on driver’s side). I ordered replacement cup holders. When these tires go, I’d consider the upgrade you mentioned. Same with brakes. It’ll be one thing at a time over years since this is a daily driver. If I get another daily driver in another 3 years I can alternate working on the cars and driving them.
I found front seats out of 2007-2014 ES350 ( same mounting points and connectors ) for $250 each, they are much more supportive and look more solid and higher quality.
The rear seat out of the same is $400-$450, they look almost brand new. I found a company that has a carpet replacement for $150 and factory floor mats for $149. So your interior can look brand new for around $1000..
On the aging car the tie rod ends, ball joints, suspension and steering rack will nag you, it literally feels brand new when you replace all this gear, plus you can upgrade your spring and shocks to better than factory.
03 ES300 here. 280K miles on engine and trans. Just put some OE 130K mile struts on mine only because mine were leaking and all aftermarket brands are horrible for these cars, but they still felt fine. It rides like new still. Replaced cats, control arms, axles, evap canister, rear struts at 270K miles. Trans and engine are in great condition and still run like new. No joke. I change my oil every 3000 and always have. This car has been in my family since it was brand new, so it’s been well taken care of and garaged it’s whole life. The difference that makes is insane
I decided to keep it, so i put some new lenses on the headlights and did some cosmetic things to make it more appealing to me. Also replaced the lower leather seats up front and installed a stock nav unit. She’s in great shape for the mileage.
My 2010 es350 has 333,700 miles on it and the engine still does not use oil between 10k oil changes with all that wear. The oil stays clean and i use liqui-moly synthetic. The trans blew at 270k. I have been replacing worn our cv joints and control arm bushings and had the ac compressor go bad and have done many brake jobs. Get his, i bout the car with 157k miles and have not changed the spark plugs because i do not want to pull the intake manifold and disturb anything. The plugs have at least 200k miles on them and the engine runs like new. I drive the car hard and it is by far the best car i ever owned in 50 years driving mostly chevys. It is not high performance but handles well and is fast enough, very comfortable and reliable. It's a shame us auto manufacturers produce a good product like this instead of the japs because management is only interested in selling you the replacement parts by their planned obsolescence of making the parts so they wear out fast. My car still looks great and at 68 i plan to keep it running because cheap aftermarket replacement parts make it cheap to maintain if you can do the work yourself. My rack is leaking and i will buy one on ebay for $118 free shipping. I need both cv joints once again and can pick up a pair only $140 and both front lower control arms for $70. Oem parts might last longer but at this point it doesn't make sense to spend thousands on a 14 year old car with so many miles. If you find an es 350 that was maintained with low mileage on it, i wouldn't hesitate in buying it. Your only real concern should be the transmission which will only last 250k and it cost me $5,300. This trans should last me the rest of my days. Great product by toyota lexus. America could have produced it but the scumbags at ford and gm rather sell people garbage and insult their intelligence and make a greater profit, rather than make the best produce. By the way i also own a 1999 supercharged corvette and i could only imagine how much better it would be if gm management had the same attitude as toyota/lexus designing things to last.
04-30-24, 11:29 AM
