Faults:

Jumpy gearbox.

A little heavy on fuel economy.

Warning tail lights stay on.

General Comments:

The most incredibly comfortable car I've ever owned (every seat in the car), and yes better than euro brands.

It copped lots of criticism for being an over priced Camry Azura back in the day (very similar looks and features), but there are differences between the two; the ES300 gets a little more power, extra safety equipment, 1 extra speaker, but no bodykit as the Azura =(

The Lexus is far more comfortable than the Camry, and for that it is well worth paying a little extra for it in the used car market. Before you crack out your cheque book... just note although it is very similar to the Camry, don't expect that it shares every part with the Camry (Australia), because during that era, the Camry in Oz was built in Australia. I had to learn this the hard way when I had to buy front pads for it -- Camry $35, ES300 $90.

Make sure the car had all its scheduled service done (especially the oil changed), because the 1MZ-FE can be very unforgiving when run with dirty oil.

Faults:

Found that the driver's seat is sunken.

PCV valve.

Power steering was tighter.

General Comments:

I love cars, and I love to feel how different cars feel to drive. With my car history, one can easily conclude that.

I bought a Lexus ES300 for the second time.

I bought my first Lexus ES300 98 with 200,000 miles in hurry and I really liked it. Then I switched to BMW, which is not my type of car (tight steering!)

Well some time ago I wanted to buy a car that I wanted to keep for longer, and I was waiting for a Lexus or Honda Legend. I like comfortable cars rather than sports ones!

Then I found a Lexus ES300 2000 with only 110,000 km, single owner, no accidents, with log books, and I bought it.

I really love it.

I noticed a few bad things in this car and I took care of them.

PCV valve - I got a PCV valve from Amazon.

Sunken driver's seat - I replaced the driver's seat foam with a passenger seat foam (I got the passenger seat from one owner who was dismantling his damaged car).

Tight steering - I flushed the PS fluid may be 5-6 times, then I added Lubeguard (from Amazon) to the PS fluid and it has improved.

I tried different fuels. With 98 RON fuel the car runs smooth, but doesn't increase the Km much.

E10 makes the car sluggish, so I am filling it with 91 WITHOUT Ethanol.

I get around 400kms to tank with the A/C on.

So far I am enjoying this car.

Will add some more soon!

Faults:

The car had a front impact from the previous owner; slightly rippled quarter panel, small scratches on the front bumper, bonnet and impact bar. Tacked up almost $3,000 in quotes from numerous body shops, so buy your own panels if you are accident prone.

Previous owner also drove without the engine oil cap on, and thus oil spilled onto everything under the bonnet. Despite this, the cylinder head was not warped, and there were never any oil leaks after a good flush of oil residue in all the bays.

Driver's seat leather was ratty, punctured and beyond repair (a common problem with this model). Every other seat was amazing, after a good Meguiar's leather conditioner treatment to soften up any dry patches.

Transmission O/D light began to flash intermittently. 9/10 times this is a solenoid issue, but this was not part of the 9 - check vehicle history for auto services. I have the suspicion my ES300 never had one.

Small coolant leak near the radiator, most likely due to the front impact, and couldn't locate or fix, but didn't use copious amounts of coolant, so no huge drama.

General Comments:

Mechanics punctured a radiator hose during a routine service, and was able to make a return trip to Dee Why from the central coast, unknowingly empty of coolant, and it only overheated upon returning home. Very strong header on this car.

A great car for anyone shorter than 6 foot, but taller persons will struggle. Try to find one with good body work, engine mounts and transmission.

Stock tyres are 205/65 r15, but visit a wrecker and pick up a 16-18" rims/tyre set, and change the suspension to a much stiffer setting, to counter the atrocious wet weather handling.

An oil spill into the alternator was quoted at $300 to repair - went to wreckers and picked up a reconditioned Camry alternator for $80, as most Toyota parts are compatible with this model.