Cascades88

Hello,

I really enjoy all the useful content here on the forum.

Am hoping to get some feedback regarding a potential used car purchase of a 2005 ES 330 with 100k miles. The price is fair at $8k and it has all the bells and whistles. I have not driven it yet, as it's about 2 hours from where I live. One owner and well cared for. Timing belt and water pump recently changed at 90k. In looking at the threads here on the forum for this era ES, I see the numerous mentions of hesitating transmission issues, and it give me pause. I believe Lexus can refresh the ECU, which may or may not improve the situation.

Question is: Should I let this known transmission alone prevent me from buying such a great car at a fair price? My other option is a 2007 LS460 with much higer mileage, 223k, for the same price $8k.

Thanks in advance for any and all comments, or suggestions.

LeX2K

Some people are bothered by the laggy throttle others not. The only way to know is drive the car and even then your time behind the wheel might not be long enough to get a feel for the car. On the price, I don't know the value of these cars but first impression is that's too high. On the LS, remember that car will get significantly worse fuel economy.

Richardsr

Cascades88

Thanks, I appreciate the reply. I do think it's worth a test drive for sure. And the LS is a absolute machine, but I hear you on the fuel cost vs the V6 of the ES.

Cascades88

Thanks for the reply and the tip about the full stop. Sounds my potential buy and the one you bought are very similar, with mine being the same year and just 10k miles more. The owner has kept up with all regular maintenance and has the records to prove it, including about $2,200 done in repairs over the past year or so. The transmission he says is "smooth and responsive," but of course he's going to say that. Does the transmission issue dampen your enjoyment of the car in any way? I mean, on a scale of 1-10, how much does it annoy you or your passengers? I used to have a '97 ES300, and never noticed any issues whatsoever with the tranny. I'm also considering 2007-2009 ES350, but the style points just don't cut it for me compared to the earlier Gen. Would love to hear your thoughts, as I will be looking at it this weekend.

Richardsr

Hayk

iTrader: (1)

Why would somebody sell an impeccably well kept vehicle with so much money put into it recently? That's my only question.

Richardsr

Norbecke

Richardsr

Oro

We've had a 2002 (same generation as the 05) for years and it is nearing 300k. I have only on one occasion been annoyed at the low-speed gear hunting - we were leaving downtown Seattle the exact time a Seahawks game let out and got stuck in lengthy grid-lock around the I90 entrance/origin. This was once in quite a few YEARS. I am not the primary driver, but she never complains about it on normal work commute.

If your drive includes substantial gridlock regularly, then you will want to think about it. If not, then don't worry about it.

Look up the private party price at Edmonds.com. I find that highly reliable and it is sensitive to location, condition, etc. I wouldn't pay more than it indicates for the year/mileage/condition. The ES is unlikely to need much at only 100k for the foreseeable future. The LS would not make me run away - these engines and transmission go forever, and if you do your own work, it's not much to replace the wear items. I have heard some LS models get impressive mileage, the 430 did, but I'm not sure about that one (worth checking into). If the condition is excellent, I'd compare them head-to head a bit harder and find out what each could be bought for - not necessarily the asking price.

daredeil95

I installed the weathertech wind deflector and had the windows tinted


Found it on Facebook marketplce
I bought a 2005 ES330 about 3 weeks ago, Mine is a Black on Black with 66K one owner car. The carfax/autocheck that i bought on ebay matched the online Lexus dealer service records so, I bought it from a dealer in Long Island, NY for $7700. IDK if that was a good or bad deal but, I absolutely loved the car so, the dealer was asking $8700 and he sold it to me for $7700 cash and I drove it away and registered it myself in CT. I noticed the jittery trans on my test drive, it's not that bad but, I brought my car into Lexus and for about $220 they changed the trans fluid and replaced the wipers and the trans was much better and that took care of the trans jitters when taking off from a stop and all is good. I installed some ceramic brake pads on the front to stop the brake dust from dirtying the rims and all i have one more task to complete and that is replacing the drivers door lock actuator. I bought the part off amazon for about $55 bucks and plan on installing it this week or on a cooler day this week. My point was that buying a older car will require some type of maintenance but, there's really nothing to expensive or difficult ti repair on these cars. I read that the EVAP box under the car could be problematic but, I'll worry about that issue if it happens so, I wouldn't worry about buying that Lexus your looking at, these are great comfortable driving cars. Good luck!