Faults:

Before reaching 40,000 miles, the following 'defects' were discovered and have been replaced:

Complete A/C system

Transmission

Total Engine

Rack / pinion steering.

Also, due to wear, the brakes and bushings have been replaced, as well as two new sets of tires.

General Comments:

This is the third ES300 I've purchased from our city's (only) Lexus dealership, trading in my 1997 ES300 and paying the balance in cash. The defects began to surface by the second year of ownership. Nevertheless, last December, after the engine had to be replaced and I tried to trade in the car (with another Lexus because, with that history, no one else wanted it), Lexus (corporate) would not give any more than blue book value. All work has been under warranty and only the Lexus Service Department has touched the car. Each time it was repaired, I was told the car was now a "new car." However, the "new car" concept does not apply to trade in value.

This is my only means of transportation, and I'm just a bit uneasy about its reliability. I now own a car with 47K miles (and climbing) that has been rebuilt in the Lexus Service garage. And, since no other dealership / individual wants it, I have little choice than to buy another Lexus (?!). Call me old fashioned, but I had also expected to drive my car for a while, and hadn't planned and/or budgeted to replace it so soon.

Faults:

Nothing has gone wrong with the car.

General Comments:

This review is for my family's Lexus ES300. The Lexus ES300 is the luxury version of the Toyota Avalon, which is a little bigger version of the Camry. So it's basically a bigger, nicer Camry. If you look in Consumer Reports you see that it is the one of the most reliable cars on the market today. The dealer is great, and will wait on you hand-and-foot. So the car is a good buy, although a little on the expensive side.

Now the driving experience. The first thing you notice when you step into the car and turn the ignition is that you can hardly hear the engine. When the engine is idling you can't hear it at all, no joke, you have to look at the tach to make sure it's on. The 210hp, 200lb torque V6 goes 0-60 in 8.3 seconds, which is pretty fast. Good top end too. The car handles well, and can turn very sharply. We have the 16-inch rims on ours and the Z-rated high-performance tires, both big plusses in handling.

Our interior is leather. We've got the premium sound system with the 6-CD changer, and it is great. Probably the best stock sound system I have even seen. I prefer my own personal one in my Pontiac Bonneville, but that's because of the 15' in the trunk ;-)

Anyway this is a very nice car. My family's last car was a 1992 Pontiac Bonneville (which I now drive), and this is quite different (smaller, more luxurious). I told my dad to get a Vette, but he wouldn't listen. I think he said something about cost-of-ownership or something. Anyway if you want a cushy ride and don't care too much about going fast then get a Lexus ES300. If you want all the above + speed get a Lexus GS400. If you only want speed + handling today get a Vette. Whatever you do, don't buy a Ford Taurus.