vegas1

Wanted to get some insight here from Lexus ES owners.

In terms of performance (acceleration, handling, braking capabilities), driving feel, maintenance costs & reliability, and safety:

1. How does the 92-96 generation ES (in particular, the '94 model) compare to the 97-01 generation (in particular, the '01 model)?
2. How would this '94 ES that I found compare to my last car, a '93 Camry 4cylinder?
3. How would either any of the above cars compare to what I'm driving now, a 2007 Honda Accord? (if you want the long story, find my thread I posted under the Car Chat forum, titled, "Very confused about cars.") Am I barking up the wrong tree?

Also one very specific question: what would it cost on this '94 ES I've been looking at to have both the driver's and passenger's front seats reupholstered with brand new leather, with a high quality job, and so that it looks stock original (or at least tastefully matches the rest of the car's interior)?

Does anybody else out there really, really miss the 2 tone paint jobs of the Lexus models from the 90's? My favorite is the white body on gray bumpers.

LeX2K

That's a lot of questions.

The 2nd generation vs. the 3rd ES, the 3rd is a quieter car for sure, although the 2nd gen car is smaller and more agile it feels more sporty to me. Safety, 3rd gen no contest there. Reliability, about the same, ditto for fuel costs.

For the leather work, cost entirely depends on who does the work, and the quality you expect. You can also buy leather skins and do the upholstery work yourself, although the job can be frustrating and challenging. Removing the seats, dismantling them, remove all the various rings and hooks etc. takes time and effort, which is why the pros charge a lot to do this type of work, it's not easy.

The 2007 Accord, I know someone that drives one, I find the car to have a bit of a harsh ride and it's not a quiet car by any means, the ES will have it beat here. But I've found that Honda and Acura cars generally emphasize handling dynamic over comfort, Lexus the opposite to an extent.

For the paint work, you can have anything done if you're willing to pay for it, but just don't, it's simply not worth it, plus repainting is almost never as good as factory.

vegas1

Well my decision just became a little easier. The '94 Lexus is completely off the list. I just went on a test drive-- it felt VERY slow, steering has almost no feel, and the whole car rattles and pops constantly. Also I couldn't get comfortable in the drivers seat-- felt like the seat was too high up (wouldn't adjust any lower) and the seat back not tall enough-- couldn't get any upper back support. Which is weird too since I'm just a hair below average height. I felt cramped in, a little claustrophobic. Was glad to get back in the Accord. The 2000/01 model still might be a possibility though, if I can find one in good condition.

97-SC300

iTrader: (17)

My mom has my old car which is a 97 Avalon.... the engine and transmission feel of that 1MZ if completely different than the vvti 1MZ in my 01 ES300.

Strangely, the coasting RPM on the Avalon is lower at all speeds. This equates to fuel savings. In fact, I am still utterly shocked at how much gas the ES drinks because the Avalon is a noticeably larger car. I think my GS430 is at least on par or better at fuel economy than the ES300.

Can't go wrong either way though.

mdbrown

Hmmm, I am actually very pleased with the fuel mileage of my 2000 ES. I recently took a 480 mile round trip in hilly country. Even with the hills and driving around for a day in town, I averaged 26.4 miles per gallon. That includes time spent idling in drive throughs, in town stop and go driving and so forth.