debtfree1

Hello everyone,


I am new to clublexus. I have never owned a Lexus or Toyota product. I test drove a 2018 ES 350 base model and a XLE V6 camry. Both very nice vehicles but i would like to purchase the Lexus. The packages Lexus offers are expensive and hard to justify for me. Is anything wrong with buying a base model ES 350? Do any of you own base models? Opinions and experiences would be helpful.

Thanks,

Lance

Mike728

I own the opposite of base, a UL with many options. That being out there, I see no problem in someone purchasing a base ES. It's all about what "you" want/need. Just make sure you're ok with not having a nav. It's one of those options that is almost a must have at resale time.

Oh, and I bought mine in March of 2013. They were still pretty new and the deals were not the best. Have you been negotiating on the ES at all? I'll bet you could purchase a new UL for slightly more than a base model was going for back then. Just saying, don't look at the sticker. A 2019 redesign will be here soon. The deals will only get better.

Freds430

Since you have never owned a Lexus will give you some kudos about them. J D Power has had them #1 in dependability for six straight years. Lexus is rated the third least expensive to maintain behind their cousins Toyota and Scion. What an incredible combo. My maintenance schedule is every 10,000 and oil change. I buy by Mobil 1 at Walmart and filter on line and take both to my local Toyota dealership where they charge $20 labor. Total cost is $47. Every 30,000 miles the brake fluid needs to be changed and this at the Toyota dealership is $120. That is it until 105,000 miles. I change the air and cabin filters once a year. Combined they are $40 and take five minutes to change. Hard to answer your question about a base model. That all comes downs to wants, needs and budget. I have loved by 2013 ES300h and 2017 ES300h. Very comfortable in life and could afford any car and I chose the ES. A great combo of looks, comfort, dependability, quiet, safety, and cost.

highrev6

Kijug

The base ES will drive the same as all the other models: premium, luxury, and ultra-luxury. The differences between the models are creature-comforts or nice-to-haves. If you want a very reliable car that drives well and is comfortable, there shouldn't be much stopping you if the ES is in your price range.

bc6152

One thing to consider is that ALL Lexus ES now come with the safety package standard. The features were optional up to 2017. This includes pre-collision and pedestrian detection,
lane keep and departure assist, dynamic radar cruise control and more... But as other members have stated, a car without navigation is a poor trade-in.

lexsc4

BradTank

I'd personally rather have a "base" Lexus ES than a "loaded" Toyota. I think the overall car is more important than a few extra bells and whistles, and most of the really important options are now standard. Things like a backup camera and bluetooth are standard even on economy cars now.

The factory Navigation on most cars is just not that useful, I'd much rather use my phone. I had factory navigation on my last Lexus and it got almost zero use. It's also absurdly overpriced, it's like a $1,500 option.

Probably the most useful option though for me are the parking sensors, that is a nice feature that would be hard for me to go without after having it.

lexsc4

I also considered the 2018 Camry XLE V6 but the cheapest deal I can find is almost $33k out the door, for another $2k I bought the base ES350 instead. I do like the Camry extra power and leather, but coming from an 2009 Avalon, I wanted a luxury brand instead.

jack

PAcommuter

I wouldn't worry about the Nav option. Lexus is behind the times when it comes to Nav, as most of the newer cars have android auto/ apple car integration and forgo the mfr nav. I hardly use my nav system as I find it's not as user friendly as voice command with a phone. Just connect your phone to the car and use Siri or Google for directions and you are good. Oh and keyless operation is lovely in regards to push to start and locking the car.

Zipit555

FatherTo1

Hi debtfree1, if you live your life like your screenname suggests then don't get caught up in the packages. My wife is still driving her 2006 ES with no plans to replace it no matter how much I try to convince her to get an NX or RX. The ES is extremely reliable and drives very well. That said, I'm a little disappointed that it comes with synthetic fake leather. However, the NuLuxe material honestly feels just as good as genuine leather and is more supple and more durable than the real leather that Lexus now uses. If you peruse the other Lexus forums you'll undoubtly see many posts and threads about how Lexus leather quality wrinkles much quicker than in the past and it is now thinner too. Therefore, not getting real leather in the ES may be a blessing in disguise. Also, as others have pointed out, the ES is based on the Avalon and no longer the Camry platform. The ES is roomier than a Camry. Did you notice the difference in your test drives between the ES and Camry? If you plan on keeping the car a very long time (10+ years), I would get the ES. As for Nav, that is so unnecessary today, especially with smartphones, tablets, and standalone GPS units available with better real-time traffic and cheaper updates available. Please let us know what you ultimately decide on. Oh, and highrev6 is right, you should check out the Avalon too...that is a more direct comparison to the ES.

Dave Mac

"Please let us know what you ultimately decide on. Oh, and highrev6 is right, you should check out the Avalon too...that is a more direct comparison to the ES."

I have been driving a 2018 Avalon XLE with just 1,200 miles for the last couple of weeks after totaling my 2016 ES and both my wife and I noted right away that the Avalon was not equal to our ES. This sense might have been heightened by the lack of blind spot monitor and cross traffic alert in the Avalon. I also found it interesting that the Avalon was 2 inches longer than our ES. We got a new ES on Friday and will be returning the Avalon this morning.

Dave Mac

debtfree1

lesz

Since I have service for my Lexus vehicles done at the local Toyota dealer, I've had several Avalon loaners.

When I've driven those Avalons, there are a couple of things that I have noticed immediately. First, the quality of interior materials in the Avalon is not as nice as in the ES. Also, noticeably more road noise, wind noise, and engine noise enters the Avalon cabin than that of the ES.

That said, if my choice was between a well-equipped Avalon with navigation, the full-suite of safety features, including the blind spot monitor, park assist, etc. and a bare bones ES without those features, it would be an easy choice for me to pick the nicely-equipped Avalon.

While there are some who would make the opposite choice, the fact that many would make the same choice that I would is the reason why the value of a base ES with minimal equipment does not hold up well at trade-in or resale time. A Lexus dealer used car manager who has posted here in the past has confirmed that to be the case. He has said that a base used ES is likely to sit on his lot for an extended period of time before selling at a highly reduced price or being sent to auction. Thus, knowing that there is a good chance that he will end up having to sell a used base ES for a significantly discounted price, he has said that is the reason why he makes significantly lower trade-in offers for a base ES.