lamar411

Well my friend, is looking for a ES and we came across a 2001 with 21k miles

what do you think?

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...e&rdpage=thumb

01LEXPL

iTrader: (10)

Cool!

Another one identical to mine!

I say go for it. Generally speaking when regarding the maintenance/mileage/reliability debate i am for the side that would much rather get something with more miles. However in this case we have to factor in it being a 2001, and it has 21k... so it has been driven either consistently for 6 months of the year [where the old people that owned it stored it for half a year while they are away on their vacations/summer homes]
Or it was one of those cars that was driven the grocery store and church each week and that's all.

Those are the points i provided prior to another thread regarding a 2000 car with 10k miles on it!

But this one would be more suitable since 20k miles shows it was driven 'more' than literally once a week to church up the road.

RXGS

iTrader: (2)

Looks good, if it checks out, get it. On a sidenote, i love how almost "timeless" this car is. That es is 9 years old and looks so at home inside the lexus show room

BoostedE21

Looks like a dealer is selling it...is it a CPO?

Let me share some experience with older cars that "look good with low miles" from when I was looking at M5's. I found a 2003 M5 with 100k miles that still pulled hard and was in excellent mechanical shape - more paint chips from highway use, but still in fine aesthetic condition. Then I looked at a 2003 M5 with 15k miles, and it felt a corolla. It was down on power and accelerated like a slug. Looked good, though. Moral of the story is: looks can be deceiving. Get a PPI at a different dealer. But if it is mechanically sound and looks like that, I'd go for it.

PFB

I live in Canada, and I bought my 2001 ES300, last October from a used car dealer. The car had 72,000 Miles at the time and I paid $7,000 (Canadian) for it. My car is Pristine both in and out and has been totally trouble free since I bought it. Tours has a wood steering wheel and mine does not, but I have self levelling HID head lights and I think yours does not. I love my car.

HOWEVER, I think that the Lexus dealer is asking Way to much for it, Probably double than what is worth. I am sure that he is attributing it to the low milage, but low milage is not as important as proper maintenance. Those models were prone to engine sludge which could happen at any milage, Especially to cars that were not well maintained (ie: Oil change was not done often enough. driven for short drives only, etc..etc..

Would I buy this car for that price because of its low milage? Absolutely Not at that price. According to Consumer reports the average price for the 2001 should be around $7,850

I looked at your dealer's web site and he also has a 2002 Es300 with about 69,000 Miles, and somewhat better equipped. The 2002 Model is better rated by Consumer reports than the 2001. Even that one is too expensive, but I believe a better deal. Consumer Reports average price for the 2002 Model is $9,475

In summary, I Love my 2001, and I am sure that you will love it to, but don't pay that ridiculous asking price.

Also have a look at his 2002. Still too expensive, but at least you get more car for your money than the 2001

Phil

GoodRevs

Good advice Phil, and you are correct it does not have HID's. If I may add one thing, the price that these cars should go for according to kbb and consumer reports is not what they actually go for. I've typically seen them go for $1-3k more. The price for that '01 you could probably get down to $12.5k, any more and I would be surprised. These ES's seem to hold their resale value well, as they're still pretty popular on the used car market after 9 years out of production. I got mine for a decent deal after watching it's price drop over a few weeks as the lexus dealer tried to get rid of it because they're not in the used car business. Perhaps you can do the same and wait it out assuming you're willing to run the risk of potentially losing the car.

BTW Phil, I thought all '00-'01 ES's had wood trim steering wheels? If you wanted I've seen a few on ebay, albeit for high prices (higher than most steering wheels, is there some rarity to wood steering wheel's for 3rd Gen ES's?). You could even get one of those nicer looking steering wheel covers. Your headlights make up for it though.

dannytx

We have a 2001 ES with almost 130k on the clock... it has been the most reliable car I have ever owned. The seats in this car are so comfortable, I end up driving it much more frequently than our 2010 RX.

I purchased my ES at 59,000 miles 5 years ago. The car had a complete Lexus service history, which I truly believe has made a difference.
I replaced the O2 sensor about 2 years ago. Other than that, everything has just been regular maintenance. The car does seem a lot happier on the premium gas. I ran regular for about 6 months, then the O2 sensor went out. Probably unrelated, but a wakeup call none the less.

I am pretty sure all U.S. 2001s have the wood steering wheel. The 2000s only had it as a stand-alone option, or part of the Coach/Platinum packages.