High Mileage ES350s
#1
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Anyone on here have higher mileage ES350s? My parents are looking into buying one since they want something a little more fuel efficient (Both them drive a V8 Lexus). Just want to see how they hold up over time.
#6
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Sounds like 50/50 so far. The only reason Im asking is because my parents have a friend who had a 98 ES300 that was shot at 120,000 miles. It only had 80,000 miles on the motor. She had the sludge issue at 40,000 miles so they rebuilt the motor. Lexus was shocked when she traded it in. The car cosmetically was in perfect shape, but everything else was going wrong. The car was well maintained as well. Parents are worried that the same thing could happen to them with the ES350. They tend to keep their cars for years.
#7
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You could also check on the durability with owners of the Camry V6, Avalon and other models which have the same drivetrain. In general, Consumer Reports rates them pretty good for used car reliability
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Sounds like 50/50 so far. The only reason Im asking is because my parents have a friend who had a 98 ES300 that was shot at 120,000 miles. It only had 80,000 miles on the motor. She had the sludge issue at 40,000 miles so they rebuilt the motor. Lexus was shocked when she traded it in. The car cosmetically was in perfect shape, but everything else was going wrong. The car was well maintained as well. Parents are worried that the same thing could happen to them with the ES350. They tend to keep their cars for years.
Oh, btw, only have 30,800 miles on mine so far. Tranny shifting well since the reflash. Just need to take it in, again, for the pesky dash rattles that are so prominent in winter. Other than that it has been great.
Last edited by Macklin; 12-25-09 at 06:32 AM.
#10
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I just turned over 50k miles a few weeks ago. This is my first Lexus and the more I know, i.e. the sludge issue (on old ES's), the transmission issues, the diesel engine noise, the oil hose, the rattles, the vibrations.... the less and less I think about holding on to this car.
I have also found our local dealer to be a typical car dealer, not really concerned about the issues. I now travel over an hour away to another dealer who is more in tune with what's going on. Corporate Lexus is even more shocking - the response I got was very Stepfordish, like if they deny the issues, then they don't exist.
I just don't see what is so great about these cars. I understand you are paying a premium for the car, but for what? I like the styling and looks, but I was expecting a lot different in the reliability area.
As for people considering an '07, personally, I'd look for a late '08 instead. Just from the practical standpoint of production changes (you could look in the TSB's to see when production changes were made, to avoid some of the issues). I shouldn't be persuading people away from the '07's, as mine will probably end up on the lot somewhere soon.
I'd like to give Lexus another chance, but overall I just don't feel the value is there. I also thought the residual value would be higher, that was a big factor in my decision. That doesn't seem to have played out either.
Overall, I just feel let down.
I have also found our local dealer to be a typical car dealer, not really concerned about the issues. I now travel over an hour away to another dealer who is more in tune with what's going on. Corporate Lexus is even more shocking - the response I got was very Stepfordish, like if they deny the issues, then they don't exist.
I just don't see what is so great about these cars. I understand you are paying a premium for the car, but for what? I like the styling and looks, but I was expecting a lot different in the reliability area.
As for people considering an '07, personally, I'd look for a late '08 instead. Just from the practical standpoint of production changes (you could look in the TSB's to see when production changes were made, to avoid some of the issues). I shouldn't be persuading people away from the '07's, as mine will probably end up on the lot somewhere soon.
I'd like to give Lexus another chance, but overall I just don't feel the value is there. I also thought the residual value would be higher, that was a big factor in my decision. That doesn't seem to have played out either.
Overall, I just feel let down.
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