Used CPO Lexus ES vs New Honda or Toyota

nelsona

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Hello,

Let me pre-face my post by saying that I'm not trying to start a flame war, but merely get trying to get a variety of opinions on an upcoming car purchase.

My current vehicle is a 2000 Integra which has been giving me problems for the last 5 - 6 years. Repairs have been a constant headache during that time and it's simply no longer worth it to put any more work into the car.

I've been looking at some new and used cars for the last few months and have narrowed my search to the following vehicles.

1. New 2016 Honda Civic Touring ($28,000.00 - $29,500.00)
2. New 2016 Toyota Camry ($34,000.00 - $35,000.00)
3. New 2016 Honda Accord Touring ($35,000.00 - $36,000.00)

4. Certified Pre-Owned 2014 Lexus ES 350 ($32,000.00 - $35,000.00)

Note: The 2014 Lexus CPO's range between 8,000 and 25,000 miles (there are 3 - 4 that have caught my eye).

All vehicle are fully loaded / top trims (including the Lexus with the Ultra Luxury Package, Mark Levinson audio, etc).

So the question I have for the forum is, given the options listed above, what would you choose and why?

The Honda's seemed like a slam dunk as my brother has an old 2001 Civic with nearly 213,000 miles on it (which I'm currently borrowing), but I'm worried with the CVT's in the new Civics.

Furthermore, I've heard quite a few complaints from people regarding the uncomfortable ride / seating in the new Accords as well as, to a lesser extent, the slightly louder ride (due most likely to wind noise / insulation issues).

Toyota, Lexus and Honda all offer reliable vehicles with pretty good warranties, but I was leaning toward the Lexus due to its especially good reliability, comfortable ride and styling.

That being said, I doubt any of the vehicles listed would be a bad choice, so making a choice isn't so clear cut.

Any thoughts?

Or put another way, what would make you hesitant to purchase a used Lexus?

The major issue I've found with Lexus is maintenance and repair costs, but that can mitigated to an extent by bringing in a Lexus to a Toyota dealership for maintenance and repairs.

Also, given that the Lexus ES and Toyota Avalon are based on the same platform and share many of the same parts, repairing a Lexus ES shouldn't be that much more expensive than an Avalon (which isn't to say it will be cheap, but given their reliability, shouldn't be something you'll end up doing that often).

Thank you,
Nelson
 

xxBLOOD88SHOTxx

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It will be more expensive if you take it to a Lexus dealer instead of a Toyota dealer. The same part can be double the price simply because it is a Lexus. I would be hesitant to buy a Lexus out of warranty. My dad's LS460 is out of warranty and he is going to dump is soon even though it only has like 110k on it.

Other than that I can't help you, I'm more of a GS/IS fan myself.
 


itzrivera

New Member
Have you driven them yet? I don't know much about new cars, never bought one brand new, but I would worry about cost of ownership in terms of estimated repairs, as well as insurance, gas etc.
 

nelsona

New Member
@everyone: Thank you for the input.

It will be more expensive if you take it to a Lexus dealer instead of a Toyota dealer. The same part can be double the price simply because it is a Lexus. I would be hesitant to buy a Lexus out of warranty. My dad's LS460 is out of warranty and he is going to dump is soon even though it only has like 110k on it.

Other than that I can't help you, I'm more of a GS/IS fan myself.
Did your dad ever have any problems with the LS?

If not, did he at least like the car (if not, what didn't he like about the car)?

If he did like the car, did you ever try out the vehicle (if so, what did you think about it)?

Thank you,
Nelson
 


nd4sped

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Keep in mind that all a Lexus is, is a rebadged higher tiered Toyota that. Since Lexus doesnt exist in Japan basically everything above the Camry/Solara is a Lexus.
 

xxBLOOD88SHOTxx

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@everyone: Thank you for the input.



Did your dad ever have any problems with the LS?

If not, did he at least like the car (if not, what didn't he like about the car)?

If he did like the car, did you ever try out the vehicle (if so, what did you think about it)?

Thank you,
Nelson
The only problem he has had (and it was recently) is he had a pulley go bad which made an annoying noise. Unfortunately the radiator needed to be pulled to replace said pulley and the radiator was damaged in the process so he had to buy another one.

The direct injection issue that plagued that vintage of Lexus models has been rectified by Lexus at this point, so the 2014 you're looking at won't have that issue.

He loves the car, very roomy (I'm 6'3 300lbs and car ride in the back comfortably), 8spd transmission is smooth it has plenty of power. It isn't a performance oriented vehicle in any fashion, but it can trap 100mph in the quarter and it weighs damn near 4500lbs with me in it. It's a nice smooth quiet luxury car, but like I said before it is out of warranty and there is no point in keeping it at this point.

I personally had a 2001 Lexus GS300 (with the n/a 2jz) and it has my favorite daily by far. I would of bought one again when I moved to WA if I could of found one in decent shape. They are relatively cheap and the 2j is a very reliable engine (not to mention the ease of a potential twin turbo swap.)
 

nelsona

New Member
@everyone: Thank you once again for the input.

The only problem he has had (and it was recently) is he had a pulley go bad which made an annoying noise. Unfortunately the radiator needed to be pulled to replace said pulley and the radiator was damaged in the process so he had to buy another one.

The direct injection issue that plagued that vintage of Lexus models has been rectified by Lexus at this point, so the 2014 you're looking at won't have that issue.

He loves the car, very roomy (I'm 6'3 300lbs and car ride in the back comfortably), 8spd transmission is smooth it has plenty of power. It isn't a performance oriented vehicle in any fashion, but it can trap 100mph in the quarter and it weighs damn near 4500lbs with me in it. It's a nice smooth quiet luxury car, but like I said before it is out of warranty and there is no point in keeping it at this point.

I personally had a 2001 Lexus GS300 (with the n/a 2jz) and it has my favorite daily by far. I would of bought one again when I moved to WA if I could of found one in decent shape. They are relatively cheap and the 2j is a very reliable engine (not to mention the ease of a potential twin turbo swap.)
Regarding your fathers decision to drop the LS; was it more because it was old and had a pulley failure or more so because it was out of warranty?

In other words, I'm trying to gauge whether a Lexus is ticking time bomb when out of warranty (given that so many praise its reliability).

Furthermore, did your father end up purchasing an extended warranty?

If not, given the issue with the pulley, would it have been worth it (assuming it cost $1500.00 for a 7 year 125,000 mile warranty)?

Thank you,
Nelson
 

xxBLOOD88SHOTxx

Surge Master
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Well he didn't buy it brand new, so he never had the warranty to begin with. Lexus is a solid car, I mean it is a Toyota after all. Saying it is a ticking bomb would be incorrect, but life is life and anything can happen. An extended warranty isn't a bad idea in any case because peace of mind is almost priceless in my opinion. He really wants to just get into a brand new ride, like purchase one from the dealer.
 

House Special

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I would say go with the Lexus. For the price of a fully-equipped Camry, you can buy a well-equipped Avalon or pre-owned ES or GS. I'd say go with a newer Avalon or pre-owned Lexus product. There aren't many maintenance issues, and I see plenty of people bring their Lexus into my dealership(I work at Toyota). Lexus does have a higher overall quality than the Toyota, especially the ride and quietness of the cabin.
 

Killa_CiViC

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Lexus is not the same as Toyota and very few parts actually cross over in spite of similar platforms. I'm a former Toyota master, current Lexus master technician.

IF you buy a Certified Pre-Owned Lexus, invest in the extended warranty too., They're now offering extensions up to 125k miles.... if you're planning on keeping it that long, get the warranty. It could pay for itself after one repair... Lexus is also now offering tire and wheel protection plans and certified maintenance plans on the CPO vehicles, if you care about that stuff.

The biggest problems with the ES is the engine water pumps.... they have a tendency to just start dumping coolant and the engines overheat very quickly... extended warranty companies will pay for the water pump, but not the melted engine I start checking for any signs of leaking from 45k miles on. Then some of the timing chain covers develop oil leaks too, but it seems to be less of a concern with ES's newer than 2011.... it still happens though. Front brakes seem to last forever. Rear brakes last about 30k miles. Tires seem to last about 30k miles, regardless of make and model, with proper rotations about every 5k miles. Oil services are recommended every 10k miles, but in my personal experience, that's not soon enough. I wouldn't go more than 5k miles between changes, if it was my car...... the whole 10k mile oil change interval is just intended to bring down ownership cost for lease customers. That's the ONLY reason for it.
 


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