4rings

ok so ive been looking between the 97-01 ES300's id rather find a 97-99 with lower miles for cheaper.. but i was just curious about the quality and reliability between the two generations if you will call it.. would you say the older ones are better or the 00 and 01? i dont really care about the options of the 00 and 01 because i can always do it to the older one.. whats your opinions?

Lexusfreak

I would get the newest ES of that generation within your budget personally (former 2001 owner here).

Have a look at www.nctd.com to compare as they made quite a few improvements & tweaks over the years.

Due to the engine gelling issue that effects this 3.0L V6 do your best to find one with complete service history & make sure the oil changes are accounted for.

Good luck.

4rings

cool. well its hard to find a 2000 in my budget, but it would have to be high miles.. i mean i had a friend who had a 95 with 270k miles and ran beautiful. never had a problem and was smooth as silk. i just hope the newer ones are the same.

Lexusfreak

If they have been well maintained.....they should be.

jem1660

The 92-2001 model ES is my favorite body style, by far. So I chose to go after the newest, and after a while of searching through tons of 100k+ miles, I found my diamond in the rough (sub-80k miles). I think you'd be doing yourself a favor with any year you get, these cars are amazing. Happy hunting.

onslaught

Honestly, the 97-01 ES300 is essentially the exact same car. If anything, the lights, bumper, grille look slightly different. If that doesn't matter I say go with the best deal based on mileage, cleanliness, and well-maintained. 99-01 has 10 more hp. Other than little tiny differences like the above, day-time running lights, auto-lower power windows, wood grain on the dash, rear headrests....its the same. All design mods for the most part.

01LEXPL

iTrader: (10)

^^ But that is the beauty of the 99-01's [biased here]...

It is what makes it stand out against older cars that all look the same [92-98]

brucelee1

iTrader: (2)

I bought a 97 ES 2 yrs ago with 125K miles on it. Car was one owner and really flawless. I have had nothing go wrong with it.

Seems to me it is all about condition and care. If you find an ES that has been taken care of, I would NOT worry much about the year.

PlatES300

iTrader: (1)

man speaks the truth. I have 230k on my 97 ES and no crazy problems here. Just the usual 100k service, fluids, replacing some worn bushings, and the rear valve cover seal that tends to leak alot on these cars.

rlx101

'02 155,000miles (250,000km) still running fine (knock on wood). just got back from 500miles+ road trip.

97'ES

Actually the auto trans is a different unit on the 99' and up I believe, still a 4 speed. VVT-i in the 99' and up as was mentioned. I love my 97' for whatever it's worth. I have about 107k on the clock now, nothing major. Control arm replacement used to be an issue but fairly recently the aftermarket has just the bushing without replacing the whole unit. Saved me a couple hundred. Replaced valve cover gaskets, cleaned the IACV and the throttle body, fairly straightforward. Like everyone said just make sure the oil changes were done on time and that the ATF doesn't look awful. I was lucky enough to find one with full service history and Mobil one in it since about 45k. Good luck.

rasengan60

wow, makes me feel lucky, i just bought a '98 from the neighbors across the street. it was their church car so it only has 27,000 miles on it. it's perfect, but i like my IS250 i had before better that was an '06

rlx101

my biggest gripe with older cars is the rust. even simple DIY can turn into PITA just because it takes forever to remove parts due to rust.

PDXLex

Take your time and the right one will come along. I was fortunate to get a smokin' deal on a '97 with 180k miles. I was hesitant on the 'higher' miles, but after a test drive and fully printed list of service repairs I aquired at the local Lexus dealership I was sold. I've owned a lot of cars, but I still can't believe the 'like new' feeling and smoothness of a car with 180k miles. I guess I was lucky to find one with most of it's service done and documented at the dealership.

BoostedE21

We have a 1999 Coach edition, and it is well over 150k miles. The only major thing we've ever replaced was the alternator, about two years ago. The engines can suffer from blow-by after they age, but unless you develop a very severe case, you'll still be able to drive it fine.

As with all "high end" cars, I would recommend that you have some mechanical knowledge, so you can see through the dealership's BS and know how to fix minor things yourself.