OUBobCat93

I just put down a deposit on a certified pre-owned 2005 Lexus ES330 at my local Lexus dealership. I then began doing some Internet research regarding the car and found a lot of negative comments regarding the 02-05 ES transmissions, including multiple threads on this site. Now I'm kind of freaked out and I'm considering backing out of the deal. I'm going to drive the car again keeping the transmission issues in mind. If I'm happy with the way the car drives, should I go ahead and buy it? Is the transmission issue immediately apparent or could the transmission possibly start lurching/hesitating later on? Thanks in advance for your comments.

RXGS

iTrader: (2)

No don't there is nothing wrong with the transmission meaning you will need to replace it, but instead it just takes time to get used to. From what i remember it was more of a computer thing more then the transmission itself there are also transmission re-flashes which some say take care of the said problem, and others say it will make it worse. Besides that, the es330, especially the 05-06's are great buys

orion603

do some research regarding the transmission issue in this forum. I have a 2005 ES330 and there's still some moments that it lags but most of the time, I don't have that issue. Other than that, it's a nice car.

KLF

I just got mine 3 weeks ago, and yeah I do notice the issue that some are complaining about. In my case it's really not that objectionable, I just know the way it behaves and drive accordingly.

LOVE the car, GET IT!!

rickyp39

I have a 03 es300 and it's my first car. I've had it for 2 years and it acts weird sometimes but maybe that is how Lexus engines are. I love the car however. Super smooth.

LexBob2

In Consumer Reports Reliability History the '05 ES is rated Well Above Average overall.

Trans. Minor is Below Average, but Trans. Major is Well Above Average.

Probably a safe bet.

WAES300

It would be heck of a lot better than a Buick like the one my grandma had, the tranny went out at 30K miles on them. It was practically new!! (This was on a 07...)

Personally, I've driven the newer ES's and I love them. I didn't notice much going on with the tranny, shifted smooth as butter. Love the seats, the smell, the power, the quality... You know what is going to replace my old ES when it dies- or more like when I decide to upgrade, mine still runs like a clock!

OUBobCat93

Thanks for all the replies. I went ahead and bought the car. It drives great - much better than the 94 ES300 I'm replacing it with.

MikeLex

Congrats on your new-to-you Es330. How many miles on it?

dugw

last year i bought a certified 2006 es330. it came with 3 year, 100,000 mi warranty. don't they still offer warranty on those?

OUBobCat93

35,115 miles on the new one. It's certified, so I get the 3 year/100,000 mile warranty. I had 229,xxx miles on the old one.

Megafast13

Congrats on the amazing car!

If your transmission is shifting at odd times, or lags, unplug your battery, wait 60 seconds and reconnect it. It will reset the Computer which adapts to your driving style, so it'll shift better for you.

If you still aren't happy, the dealer can do a firmware update on it.

orion603

that's very low mileage for 2005 one. Congrats.

BoostedE21

Remember, the dissatisfied are always louder than the satisfied. If it's a CPO car, you don't have much to worry about as far as maintenance is concerned - pretty sure the transmission is covered. if you like the car for what it is, go for it.

funcrusher

The transmission isn't a big issue. Annoying sometimes but not that big of a deal. I don't even want to ask the dealership how much they'll charge to fix it