LynnB4

I am thinking about purchasing a 2005 ES330 from a relative. The car only has 45,000 miles on it and appears to be in good condition. There isn't a Lexus dealership in my area that I can take the car to for a prepurchase inspection. I was wondering if anyone could tell me what some common problems are in this vehicle so I can make sure these problems are checked out. I have read a lot of complaints about hesitation with the transmission so this definitely has me concerned. Does the hesitation cause the transmission to fail prematurely? Are there any other common problems that I should get checked out before purchasing it?

AllanG

The tranny hesitation is just an annoyance rather than something that causes mechanical issues. I would suggest avoiding an ES with the AVS (adaptive variable suspension) option - the struts (shock absorbers) that come with that option cost $500 apiece to replace when they go bad (as ours did on an '03 ES).