Faults:

Normal maintenance.

Struts and rotors at 121K.

Known Lexus problem of the LCD on the radio going out. Bought the car with this already and I'm not sure when it went out.

General Comments:

One of the smoothest engines and transmissions out there for a used car. The gears shift seamlessly. This is a 13 year old car running like new. One of the best used car deals out there. Highly recommended!

Faults:

New CV joints at 170,000 kms.

New struts and front strut mounts at 193,000km.

Various minor body creaks and groans just emerging now.

General Comments:

Ultra reliable and almost fault-free, even at 200,000 kms.

All the electrical and comfort appointments still work perfectly.

Excellent mid-range torque output.

Silky smooth 4 speed transmission. Shifts beautifully.

Leather trim, if properly cared for, remains very neat and serviceable.

A pleasure to get into and drive absolutely every time.

Faults:

There have been no serious (urgent) issues with the ES300, the brake pads had to be replaced around 500kms ago. All just standard procedure.

One CV joint was also replaced around 1000 ks ago, it was leaking.

General Comments:

As far as handling this car is quite heavy, but the 3L Quad Cam V6 does pack a punch. I was never disappointed with the car's performance.

Comfort wise this car is a winner, and combined with Toyota's technical experience it can't be beaten for reliability.

This car is also a good looker when kept in good condition.

The service offered by the local Lexus dealership is extremely efficient, they are polite and let you drive a new car while your car is being serviced. They also offer extra customer satisfaction options for free, for example they once chauffeured me to the international airport while my car was in service - and dropped it at the airport all expenses paid so I could drive away with it when I arrived back home.

You really can't get a better car for the price.

Faults:

Brake light sensor. Fog lights went out. Rear tail light bulb.

General Comments:

My 97 Lexus es300 is absolutely the best car I've ever owned. 253,000 miles and still going strong. It doesn't smoke and still runs very smooth.

Faults:

Withing 1 month of ownership I had to replace 4 exterior light bulbs.

Rear sway arm bushings had to be replaced because of funky annoying noises.

Now it is time to replace the front bushings too, because of a nasty bumpy noise.

Steering wheel start produce chirping noise when moved left or right.

I had to replace the Y pipe on the exhaust because of the leak.

The worse thing is that now I have to replace the cam seals because they have started to leak. (1400) dollars.

There is a common problem with idle air control valve, which will shut the engine down at stop lights unless you clean it.

Wind noise above 60 mile per hour.

The gas mileage is just average.

General Comments:

Previously I owned three American cars and none of them "EVER" gave me this much trouble. I have spent more money on this vehicle than all my three previous cars combined. This is the worst car I have ever owned. And believe me all the problems I have described above are not some rare problems, but they are extremely common in all ES vehicles (97-2001). So please don't think I am coming from the moon with a bad mouth about Lexus.

If you have money to fix cars, by all means buy ES300. The best thing about the car is the acceleration, it drives beautifully and handles extremely well. I love the way it drives and looks, but I hate to funnel money to fix it too often.