13th Sep 2006, 16:53
Folks, before you write rude comments, you should read the reviews more carefully! In this review, the person stated that the engine blew a piston. The engine was repaired, then after being repaired it overheated and damaged the engine again. I hardly can imagine it being the owners fault if he/she states the car was well maintained and the car only had 70k miles to begin with. Blowing a piston at 70k miles is crazy talk! Gosh, some engine. This is not the only owner review I've read where the 2.5L V6 self-destructed. After reading these kinds of reviews, as well as other reviews about sludge build-up problems with the Toyota 2.2L and 3.0L motors, I'm SO not impressed! Save your money. Buy a Volvo. No more costly to fix, but at least they don't have these really odd, major problems.
19th Jun 2007, 14:15
My '88 Camry (the car this "Lexus" is based on) had the sunroof cave in as well. Not sure what that was all about, but it was pretty unnerving to open the sunroof sunshade one day to see the glass broken. No, there was no object that fell on the car, so don't even go there. This is not the first time I've heard of the 2.5L engine killing itself off prematurely. Look around the web. It's pretty common, so obviously a design flaw somewhere. By the way, that Camry I mentioned was the worst car I've ever owned and I've owned anything from Chryslers to Volvos. Do I even need to mention the fuel economy of the 2.5L motor? Yikes!
23rd Aug 2007, 23:19
Well, I'm a Lexus mechanic. I'll start off by saying this, the ES250 is a blemish on Lexus' history, and should have never happened.
The engines overheating due to the hoses was not because of poor quality, it was because of a bad mechanic. There are a lot of things I would ask at the point when the engine threw a rod. What are the driving habits of the person behind the wheel? Same for the tranny going out.
But I must say, I work on these cars for a living, I see their quality, and I guarantee you that the ES250 does not reflect the Lexus quality that I see in the other cars they make. And also remember that car was made 18 years ago; Lexus has come a long way since then.
27th Aug 2009, 15:18
I've owned an ES250 for quite a long time now after trading in a horrible Volvo (Wheel flew off when the bolts holding the rims to the brakes failed, Engine overheats, and the car had a clean carfax, BAH!) And nothing has happened to her. I'd say it was a good investment too.
15th Apr 2011, 01:42
Lexus has come a long way since the early years? You've got to be kidding... about the LS400 anyway. Even from the very first year, it was probably the best car ever made. I've had over 200 cars in my life, and my 900 dollar LS400 with 175k miles, only needed 275 dollars to fix it, and was one of my favorites. The owner was told by a shop it needed a new engine. A total lie. 125 mph is no problem and it still feels like new. My friend insisted on buying it, so when he whipped out 4K, I reluctantly sold it.
The 250 dollar LS400 I picked up last year with 140 k miles needed $1800 in body work, but it too drives as well as any BMW or Mercedes I've ever owned, yet it's soooo much cheaper to keep on the road.
My son just graduated from college, and I told him we'd get him any (used) car he wanted. He has driven hundreds of new and used cars since he was 16, and after trying out the 250 dollar LS400 for a month, won't give it up.
IMO the early BIG Lexus was and still is a gem. The small Lexus with the problematic V6 is a different story. Nice until it blows the head gasket, and unlike Subaru head gaskets, it's a bear to work on. I still like Buicks, BMW's and Mercedes... but the LS400 has me sold.
12th Aug 2005, 14:24
The trunk hinges on these cars were kind of crappy. And the sunroofs were not the greatest either. But what did you do to kill one of the most reliable engines ever built? I know people getting 250k out of there 2.5 liter Toyota motors. You could change the oil every 10k miles and still get 140-150k out of them.