| il38694 |
| Wife is wanting a Lexus E350. We live in Anaheim, S. Ca. Does anyone own a Lexus E350 and know a good dealer in nearby area? How much do you pay? Can you also recommend an online website which is as good as Hondapilot.org? Thanks. |
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| jay |
| As a reformed Lexus owner, I can tell you that you'll not find a forum as nice as this one. Clublexus.com is okay, but nothing will match hp.org, its great information, and the group of charachters we have here. :4: |
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| ecsw |
Go drive 1 before you buy. I can't stand the handling of ES350.
I would rather go with IS instead. |
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| il38694 |
| Bump. Anyone owns a Lexus 350 and lives in S. CA? |
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| whizmo |
I'd also encourage you to go drive one before buying. Isolating the driver from the driving experience is Priority #1 with this car and it does a great job of it. Just a novacaine/pillow of a car.
And make sure the Lexus nameplate/dealership-experience and slightly guzzied up interior is worth the price bump over a Camry.
- Mark |
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| Poki |
| Why not a BMW 535i or 335i? There is no driving experience like a BMW in my opinion. The handling, ride and confidence are unparalled. |
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| sblvro |
quote:
Originally posted by Poki
Why not a BMW 535i or 335i? There is no driving experience like a BMW in my opinion. The handling, ride and confidence are unparalled.
that is a commercial gimmick. if you want ultimate driving experience or a driver's car, hands down it is the evolution. but the ES350 is a boat. the IS is nicer to drive but the back seat is cramped. have I driven the 535i or the 335i, yes. |
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| Poki |
| I agree that the Evo is a blast but in my opinion, and I am coming from a 530i, the BMW has a combination of ride, handeling and luxury that is hard to beat. |
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| rocky |
| Whats your wife driving now and what does she like about it/dislike about it? |
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| il38694 |
quote:
Originally posted by rocky
Whats your wife driving now and what does she like about it/dislike about it?
She is driving an 1998 Toyota Sienna, which is still in good shape. My son will go to college next year. I will give the van to him. So she is looking for upgrading to something affordable "luxury" car. She is almost 50 years old and will enjoy "sofe ride" more than "1.1 g" centrifugal force. :D
I drive the Pilot, so we do not need another SUV.
Any other recommendations than ES350? Our price range is under $40,000. |
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| Luwin1026 |
Under $40k gives you a lot of options -
Acura TL - a bit sportier than the ES350, and is fairly luxurious as well. IMHO, a great value for the money.
Acura TSX - a notch further on the sportier spectrum, but not as luxurios with the high-revving 4-banger, and smaller than the ES350
BMW 3-series - a decked out 335i will push you beyond $40k, so you might consider a 328i - but sizewise it's a bit smaller than the ES350
Audi A4 - as a redesign is due sometime soon, they have the S-line package included now. Attractive design, capable performance, but once again, a bit smaller than the ES350
Mercedes C350/C300 - freshly redesigned and sweet-looking, decent performance, pretty luxurious for the entry level MB
Those are just some options you might have. While there are other offerings from the same marques that are above entry level such as the 535i, A6, etc. - you won't find anything under $40k unless you consider preowned. I didn't consider domestics such as the CTS, etc. as I do not have much experience nor knowledge of them aside from what I read in magazines.
Good luck! |
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| sblvro |
| actually, if you are just after luxury without considering other things like acceleration driving dynamics, the ES350 is the best one there is. but if you compare the driving between the IS and the ES they are totally different. The GS is closer to the IS in terms of responsiveness and is also very luxurious and comfortable. |
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| jay |
quote:
Originally posted by il38694
...affordable "luxury" car. She is almost 50 years old and will enjoy "sofe ride" more than "1.1 g" centrifugal force. :D
...
There you have it. The ES350 is clearly the car for her. I'm in that age bracket, and love the soft, super quiet ride of my Camry Hybrid.:p |
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| sski |
My temptation would be to look at Acura or Lexus. When I saw BMW, Audi, M-B on the list the first thing I thought of was repair costs. I'd agreed they make sence to include in the comparison but the fact you refer to a "budget" and you're sending a child off to college, would make me think a big $$ brake job or alternator etc. 6 months down the road would probably not be very welcome.
With Acura/Lexus you're getting Honda/Toyota quality, just dipped in gold. I'd even consider a certified pre-owned Acura or Lexus. |
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| whizmo |
If luxury is the #1 priority, I'd go with the Lexus.
But.... if you are going to be driving the car too, see if you can talk here into a Infiniti G35. This will be "luxury enough", still is a very reliable Japanese car, is a good value (you'll spend less than the ES), AND is a true RWD driver's car, in the vein of the BMW and Audis. Great compromise.
- Mark |
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| larryziegler |
quote:
Originally posted by sski
My temptation would be to look at Acura or Lexus. When I saw BMW, Audi, M-B on the list the first thing I thought of was repair costs. I'd agreed they make sence to include in the comparison but the fact you refer to a "budget" and you're sending a child off to college, would make me think a big $$ brake job or alternator etc. 6 months down the road would probably not be very welcome.
With Acura/Lexus you're getting Honda/Toyota quality, just dipped in gold. I'd even consider a certified pre-owned Acura or Lexus.
New BMW's come with a 4 year maintenance agreement standard. My nephew just purchased a 328i this past weekend and he states he won't have to pay for any maintenance or repairs for 4 yrs or 50,000 miles. What a great sales tool!
As taken from the BMW website:
"Maintenance is one of many hidden costs to consider when you’re looking at a car’s sticker price. For most cars, that is. The BMW Maintenance Program is one of the most comprehensive maintenance programs in its class. Not that service is needed often, only every 15,000 miles or so, but when it does, just about anything your BMW might need replaced or serviced—brake pads, wiper blade inserts, oil change, checkup—is fully covered for 4 years or 50,000 miles, whichever comes first.*
The BMW Maintenance Program covers all factory-recommended maintenance and items that need replacement due to normal wear and tear. Your maintenance costs:
Scheduled Inspections: $0
Brake Pads: $0
Brake Rotors: $0
Engine Belts: $0
Oil Changes: $0
Wiper Blade Inserts: $0
Inspections: $0
Fluid Services: $0" |
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| tangotango99 |
quote:
Originally posted by Luwin1026
Under $40k gives you a lot of options -
Acura TL - a bit sportier than the ES350, and is fairly luxurious as well. IMHO, a great value for the money.
Acura TSX - a notch further on the sportier spectrum, but not as luxurios with the high-revving 4-banger, and smaller than the ES350
BMW 3-series - a decked out 335i will push you beyond $40k, so you might consider a 328i - but sizewise it's a bit smaller than the ES350
Audi A4 - as a redesign is due sometime soon, they have the S-line package included now. Attractive design, capable performance, but once again, a bit smaller than the ES350
Mercedes C350/C300 - freshly redesigned and sweet-looking, decent performance, pretty luxurious for the entry level MB
Those are just some options you might have. While there are other offerings from the same marques that are above entry level such as the 535i, A6, etc. - you won't find anything under $40k unless you consider preowned. I didn't consider domestics such as the CTS, etc. as I do not have much experience nor knowledge of them aside from what I read in magazines.
Good luck!
Why not add the Infinity to your list. |
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| il38694 |
quote:
Originally posted by jay
Clublexus.com is okay, but nothing will match hp.org, its great information, and the group of charachters we have here. :4:
I checked out clublexus.com. hp.org is the best. Because of this site, it almost made me buy another Pilot. But wife did not like my idea at all. :(
Drove the ES350, GS350 (too expensive), BMW 300 something (don't remember the number, car is too small), GS35, MB C300, the wife's winner is ES350. The price is about $1000 to $1500 over invoice.
It seems that no piloteers own a ES350.
We are still shopping for the lowest price. |
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| ramirami |
| My biggest strike against the ES is that it looks way too close to the Camay |
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| whizmo |
With wives, the Lexus will almost always win. They have wonderful interiors and they're just so "soft" - there's that word again.
Occasionally, you'll find one who like's Audis which also have nice interiors - if you're single, I recommend you marry her.
- Mark |
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| ecsw |
quote:
Originally posted by il38694
She is driving an 1998 Toyota Sienna, which is still in good shape. She is almost 50 years old and will enjoy "sofe ride" more than "1.1 g" centrifugal force. :D
Pick no others. Yes, in this case ES350 is a very good choice for her.
I doubt your wife cares about sportier driving and all that. ES350 is one of the best created for 40~50 years old group IMO.
But if you can afford a bit more, RL is definitly better than ES350. I drove them both and love RL over ES even when it comes to the interior luxury. ;) Leather fell softer and the finish in RL felt better than ES350 for sure. |
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| djstorm |
An an owner of an older ES (1994), I can tell you that if it's as quiet as our 1994, it'll be a dream. We only have 85,000 miles on ours and it still rides and drives like it's only a year old. And I love it that it's 13 years old and I can still get about $4500 on a trade-in on it. I love the fact that I can floor it and I hardly hear the engine at all (it still has pretty good pep for a 13-year-old 3,380-lb car with a 3.0L V6 with only 188 HP and 203 lb/ft of torque and 85,000 miles).
My FIL was looking for a new car about a year back to replace his 1994 Lexus LS400 (excellent car, by the way). He had me test drive with him the following vehicles:
Acura RL
Audi A6
Lexus GS300
Infiniti M35
Comsumer Reports loves the M35, but I wasn't that impressed. The RL was nice and the Audi drive nice, but the Lexus was hands down my favorite. However, since he only drives 2-3K miles per year, he went economical and bought a 2007 Honda Accord EX-L with NAV. And he absolutely loves it!!
If I had a choice of sedans right now, I think I'd go in this order:
Lexus GS
Acura TL, Lexus ES or Honda Accord (tie)
Lexus IS
BMW 3 Series
just my opinion, of course!! |
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