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[quote=”Bluesnut” post=140758]For what it’s worth, I’ve had right knee surgery, right shoulder surgery, 2 surgeries in the lower back and a major neck surgery.
The neck situation was very bad as my spinal cord was crushed at C3. The docs couldn’t understand how I was able to even walk into their office. They told me my options were zero and hospital NOW.When I asked if it’s possible that I could be out in a week they wouldn’t even talk to me about getting out. They did the surgery on Monday evening, on Thursday I was outwalking the therapist in the hall without assistance, and after some begging they let me go home on Friday morning. Apparently there was an issue with 5 discs in the neck and I never realized just how bad the situation was until after I was released.
I suppose my point here is to help you think positive about the situation. I certainly sympathize with what you’re going through and wish the very best moving forward.
There’s a number of things that I had to give up (golf, bowling, tennis, company softball team, etc) and while I miss those things to some extent it’s also not the end of the world. Stay positive; things will work out. :-)[/quote]
Thank you for your story, I’m definitely depressed because I cannot do some of the things that I used to. I’m going to get through it though. Right now I’m looking at studying physics, so I’m already already thinking of the future. I do lament the fact that I cannot do what I always wanted to, but I may still be able to make it a hobby, though in limited settings.Thanks everyone for your words of encouragement.
[quote=”Pitt” post=140431]I’ve challenged them on many different things. The instructors have gotten so irritated they tried to blackball me from the program. I have a 3.8 gpa and I was referred for academic probation, my grades last term were manipulated saying I missed labs, until I took my lab papers to the department chair showing the instructor signature showing I completed them. I’ve transferred classes and the transfer advisor refused to give me credit for them, so I took that up with the department chair. The advisor had to write an apology letter. 2 weeks ago we took a test and I was given one test, while the other students were given a different test. Little hint the test I was given wasn’t over anything we covered. The academic chair got involving that one. I was handed an apology letter and the instructor has a reprimand on file. You name it they’ve tried it.
They told me it would be in my best interest to look at a different program somewhere else. I told them my lawyer will be in touch because they are discriminating against a disabled veteran. They quickly changed their tune. Another student was telling me three students before me were told they aren’t welcome in the program when they challenged some of the BS.
I know for a fact a few dealerships have cancelled their co-op program with the school. They are tired of being sent high school kids that quit after three weeks because it’s not the same as wrenching with their buddies.[/quote]
Which program are you doing? Since you mentioned dealership co-op I’m guessing that you are doing something like the T-TEN program, since you work a Toyota dealership. If I were you I would just call it quits, this program is not doing anything for you, just a waste of money. I’m sad that you had such a bad experience, I only went to T-Ten for one quarter but my teachers were pretty awesome. They really focused on electrical diagnostics, and I think a few dealerships even hire my former teacher to do tough diagnostics time and again.I think maybe you would be well served by going Fopeano’s route. I knew of a few very successful technicians that did just that at my dealership. In fact the guy I would call the best technician in the shop was completely self taught, he worked his way up from the lube rack, and is now a master tech.
[quote=”KeithLG” post=138961][quote=”kevk62″ post=138959]i had chance to touch almost every pos under sun, work for vw, volvo, hyundai, kia, multi brand dealer(subaru,mb, smart, sprinter, bmw),mopar, gm
european brands are my favorite…but, training wise, volve and gm is one of better brands for that…hyundai and kia training is kind of vague, i was certified with them back in 2013 but, i left because of over warranty crap work with bs employer attitude…
indy shops are fine as long as you can learn proper way…not just hack way. anywhere you can obtain hack technique anyway.
good luck to you.keep learning[/quote]
That’s definitely something I’ve heard about Kia/Hyundai, the huge amount of warranty work.[/quote]
Hyundai and Kia have very long lasting warranties from what I understand. I think it is a 10 year, 100,000 mile warranty. While they are better than in years past, I still hear that many have a myriad of issues that come well before that 100,000 mile warranty is up.[quote=”mstk415″ post=137920]Previous vehicles
-1998 Chevy K1500 – Parked and undriveable for paperwork issues and intake gasket problem and needs new cats
-1989 Ford E150 – Head gasket failed, gone
-1996 GMC Yukon – Rear end failed and took tranny with it, goneCurrent vehicle:
-1983 Chevy Truck C20Considering:
-2014 Chevy Cruze Automatic 1.4L Turbo with 28K Miles
http://www.novatochevrolet.com/VehicleDetails/certified-2014-Chevrolet-Cruze-Sedan_1LT_%28Automatic%29-Novato-CA/2499739513I’d need to have a family member cosign on the loan since I have poor/no credit. My down payment would be selling the 1983 C20 (~$2K).
I want to transition from working my part time job 5 city miles away to doing my own website design and development in the near future, and I want to visit my office (about 60 miles round trip from home to office) several days a week to do this. Clearly the old truck is not reliable enough for putting this kind of miles on it, and the fuel bill for this would be the same or more as the new car payment – and I’m not even including maintenance and the fact that something different goes wrong on this truck ever time I drive it. Besides, I’d have a warranty in case anything were to go wrong, and though you can’t beat the laws of physicals (full size truck or SUV vs small compact car will always be won by the truck) technology over the last 30+ years has improved so overall the new vehicle is a safer choice.
My biggest problem is less the car payment – it’s more that I’d need comprehensive insurance which for me would be like $300/mo :'( Currently I pay $120/mo for minimum liability insurance which is a high rate but a lot less than $300. Insurance for a 20 year old male is not cheap. I still think I could afford it as long as I made sure to do at least one more website a month which I am confident I could do if I could actually go meet clients and show up in a presentable vehicle 🙂 I’ll also be saving on gas just commuting back and forth to my part time job because most of that is idling in heavy traffic which the carbureted V8 doesn’t like.
I’ve compared many different vehicles and spent several days doing research online, watching reviews, checking Consumer Reports, etc. I’ve compared the Chevy Cruze, Nissan Versa, Mazda 3, Ford Fiesta, Ford Focus, Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic, and Kia Forte.
While the Chevy does not stand out spectacularly in terms of value, fuel economy, or reliability, it also doesn’t seem to be a bad car – unlike past GM cars (Chevy Cavalier and Cobalt, for example). I like how it looks more than the other ones, I’d like to buy American (though the logo on the front is not my priority but just a plus), I like GM (mainly for their trucks, but I like to vote with my wallet so to speak), and it seems to be a little bit more substantial of a vehicle than say the Nissan Versa.
I know I shouldn’t base my decision on how it looks, but I like the styling of the Cruze. It looks mature, unlike many new cars on the road. I hate all this curvy crap and the Cruze has just the right amount. Sure, I think a Silverado looks better, but I can’t afford it and it’s really not practical.
I feel this forum is not very biased because it’s not specific to Chevy, Ford, Toyota, etc. So I’d be interested in hearing your thoughts on the Chevy Cruze. Thank you![/quote]
I talk to a lot of technicians at the Chevy dealership right next to the dealership I work at all of the time, and sometimes they pop in to get their oil changed. Let me just tell you NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO. The build quality on these vehicles is piss poor, and I’ve heard many horror stories from the technicians at the Chevy dealership. I’ve even had one that had come in with a nasty grinding sound and it only had 30,000 miles on it. I would stay far away from the Cruze, there are better options.If I were you I would stay away from a new car period, especially if you are starting a new business. If we go by the sticker price, minus 2000 dollars, not including tax you are going to be paying around 270 dollars per month over 4 years. When we add in the comprehensive insurance policy we are talking about 570 dollars per month. I’m also not including interest, which will be higher given the fact that you have no credit history. I think 570 dollars per month is a realistic number when you include insurance. If you add another 40 dollars in gas for the month the price to operate you car goes up to 610 dollars per month. Then you need to factor in maintenance items such as brakes, filters, fluids, and oil changes (given your usage probably once every 3 months or more for oil). It is also worth noting that the estimates on gas mileage are almost always off in real world situations.
Can you afford 610 dollars a month? You mentioned that you are working part time, and you are griping about your truck sucking gas down. Filters are also expensive, it cost my customers around 50 dollars to replace a cabin air filter. So around once, or twice a year you’re probably going to have an 80 dollar service done, that adds an extra 160 dollars over the course of a year. Aggressive on your brakes? That is not covered under warranty, that is around 300-400 bucks if you get a full service. It’s also worth mentioning that you will probably NOT get 2000 dollars for your truck if you trade it in.
You do not need to buy a new car to get a reliable vehicle, you just need to make a sensible choice. Hell, I’ve been driving a 25 year old Buick LeSabre around for 5 years and I bought it for 500 dollars(only pay 50 a month in insurance), which is less than your monthly payment by the way. I’ve put a good 65,000 miles on it, and the only thing that I’ve needed to replace is my ECU. I got a new one for around 30 dollars at a junkyard. Never once has it left me stranded, never once has it had to visit a shop. I’ve only needed to take a wrench on it once in the many years that I have owned it.
For you maybe an older Toyota Camry might be in order. Paying 610+ dollars a month just to drive your car is not good at your stage of life, especially if you’re going to quit your job to start a businesses. That means you have no guaranteed income, and that is something that they will look at as well, your income when deciding whether or not they want to loan you the money, and at what interest rate.
Barney, Chevyman, and Andrew all are on the right track. Yes, you can build an 800hp Supra, the question is what is your budget? Building an 800hp Supra is going to cost you a small fortune. You can’t just up the boost, or throw another turbo on the car and expect it to run for long. The car will be a ticking time bomb with a half-assed build. You’re probably going to need to run a more aggressive camshaft, you’re going to need forged internals, and you may even want a different head on your engine. If you decided to do all of this you’re probably going to need professional help. Engine building takes special tools, and knowledge, if you do it wrong you’re probably going to ruin your engine, and most likely some pricey parts in the process. Another thing to take into consideration is: can the stock transmission handle 800hp? Probably not.
Now lets talk about the logistics of driving around a vehicle with 800hp. You’re probably going to have an extremely heavy clutch in your car. It’s going to be very inconvenient when driving it around in traffic. Have you thought about the kind of gasoline you will need? It’s probably not the type of stuff you can get from just any gas station, especially in California. The regular stuff will cause severe knocking, and it will eventually destroy your engine.
You’re not going to get 800hp from just bolt ons. It’s going to take money, professional help, and tuning. Even then your car isn’t very streetable. Let us not forget that you will probably need to upgrade your suspension, brakes, and tires so you can actually use that power safely. Don’t forget about all of the tuning that you will need to be done… Even then your car won’t be very reliable.
You’re basically going to be replacing most of the mechanical components of the Supra in this scenario. That is big time bucks. Just drive the car, and enjoy it how it is if you want a reliable daily driver.
[quote=”Pitt” post=137315][quote=”Pithy Radish” post=137156][quote=”KeithLG” post=137141]Hey guys. So at the moment, I’m a student at my local community college, I just finished up my first year (during which I changed my major from science to computer science), and I have to take a math class over the summer. Math definitely is not my strong suit which introduces the very real possibility of not passing this class. Without this class and the subsequent class I’ll have to take in the fall, I won’t be able to take any computer science classes at all until I pass them (which means I’d have to keep paying for the classes), which would defeat the purpose of being a computer science major lol.
I’ve just been thinking about what the next move will be if I either don’t pass these classes or if I feel like I can’t, which is why I’m here. I took auto tech for 2 years in high school and loved it. Worked in a shop for a little bit and liked it for the most part. I’ve been thinking that if this doesn’t work out, while I’m still young and while I can still get financial aid (covered my entire first year and what was left over covered my summer class), I would switch my major again (I’d actually have to), but maybe to auto tech or auto body.
I do want to pass these classes and get into computer science (it’s not my dream job or anything), but I think it would be something that I would enjoy doing, but on the same token, I think I would enjoy working in auto tech as well, so what are the pros and cons of my situation? Any advice is helpful :)[/quote]
Have you ever heard the phrase “I think therefore I am”? That phrase is very powerful, and once I finally understood the message that it was trying to convey, a bunch of new doors opened up for me. If you think that you cannot pass your math class you are dooming yourself to failure. The words ‘I cannot’ will shut many doors in your life, instead start telling yourself “YES I CAN”. It will change your life.I’m speaking from experience. In high school I was a complete failure when it came to math. I spent my whole high school career in remedial math classes, and I consistently ended up with Fs on my report card in math. I had to start out in community college from the very bottom with math, which was a pre algebra classes that dealt with basic addition, subtraction, division, and multiplication. I told myself that I was going to beat math, and master it. I ended up getting three years through an engineering degree, and I only quit because I did an internship over the summer of my third year and hated the job with a passion. I was stuck behind a desk all day playing with excel spreadsheets.
The moral of the story is, I sucked at math, but I was able to work my way up through a whole year of advanced calculus, and differential equations. I also spent a lot of time in physics, and chemistry classes which are also math intensive, especially when you start applying chemistry, and physics to real world situations. Things all changed for me when I started to tell myself that “I can”. If I can make it through classes dealing with calculus and differential equations, you can pass your math classes. Will it be easy? Probably not, but through hard work and preservation you can do it.
Live to impress yourself.
I would not do auto repair unless it is your passion. This can be a very harsh career. I’ve seen it turn many good men, bitter and jaded really quickly. Your salary is not guaranteed, your benefits will suck, and you will constantly have to spend money on tools. I know of at least one guy on this forum that has over $100,000 dollars invested in tools. It will also take a toll on you physically and mentally. That is why I say, you better have a passion for auto repair if you want to get into this career.[/quote]
I’m almost 100% positive we are the same person Pithy. I dealt with the same thing in highschool, and went the community college. Learned to how add, subtract, divide all over again. Got all the way to diff eq before I realized engineering just isn’t my thing.[/quote]
Yeah I know, I swear every time you post I see some kind of parallel to my own life. Heck, we even work on the same brand of car now hahaha. By the way how is life in the Toyota dealership? Have any angry parts guys when somebody decides to bring in a Lexus IS250 or 300?[quote=”KeithLG” post=137176]Don’t get me wrong guys, I have every intention of working hard to pass these classes, I just know that sometimes (more often than not in my life) things don’t always work out the way you want them to despite all the effort you put in.[/quote]
The point I was trying to make is that right now you’re expecting yourself to fail. Don’t do that, you’re setting yourself up for failure if you do. Even if you don’t believe it start thinking that you will pass your class. I was the biggest failure at math, yet I ended up getting pretty far in an engineering degree. If I can do it, you can do it too.The key is making use of the resources available to you. My school had a free tutoring center. I could sit in that room and do my math homework, and if I was lost I could ask for help from the tutors. You could also work with other people as well. Those two things helped me immensely.
I would also suggest spending some time on youtube. They have some great teachers on there. You can always you can find one for the type of problem that you’re doing. Last but not least, ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS check your answer after you’ve finished the problem. Usually you can plug numbers that you got into the equations, and see if they work out. Always write out every step as well so you can backtrack and see if anything is amiss. This really helped me “diagnose” what I did wrong. I would check my answer and it wouldn’t work out. Then I would go back through my work and find out what I did wrong.
By the way, why would you have to switch majors if you failed your math class? I failed my first pre algebra class and I didn’t get my financial aid taken away. I wasn’t forced to “switch majors.” I really don’t get that logic.
As far as Auto Body, and Repair go I would think twice before I get into the field. I decided to get into the field because I had a burning desire to fix cars for a living. I had a passion for wrenching on my old clunkers, and I always secretly loved it when they broke down because I got to wrench on something. I always helped my friends out with repairs, and I used to help my father fix the family car when I was around 12. Unless you have the passion, and you have the same desire to get into the field I would look elsewhere.
This career is hard on your body, especially if you’re doing body work. You’re also going to be exposed to dangerous chemicals almost every day. You’ll be working on flat rate which means if the book says a brake job should take 3 hours and it takes 10 hours that you’ve only got paid for three hours worth of work. That has happened to a few guys almost every day since I’ve been there. You will also only get paid if you are physically working on a car. That means if you’re in a slow shop, or overcrowded shop you will not get many hours, or you’ll spend all day cleaning your tools for free. You will spend a lot of money on tools, as I said there is at least one guy here that I know of that has $100,000 in tools alone. I know of at least one guy at the shop I work at that has that much money in his tools as well. You will also have to deal with a metric ton of shop politics.
I haven’t been working at my job for very long, but I’ve already seen new techs wash out and call it quits. This is a brutal field, so unless you have an aching desire to work on cars, I would not even think about getting into it. You need to be thick skinned, and maybe a little bit of a masochist to be successful here.
[quote=”KeithLG” post=137141]Hey guys. So at the moment, I’m a student at my local community college, I just finished up my first year (during which I changed my major from science to computer science), and I have to take a math class over the summer. Math definitely is not my strong suit which introduces the very real possibility of not passing this class. Without this class and the subsequent class I’ll have to take in the fall, I won’t be able to take any computer science classes at all until I pass them (which means I’d have to keep paying for the classes), which would defeat the purpose of being a computer science major lol.
I’ve just been thinking about what the next move will be if I either don’t pass these classes or if I feel like I can’t, which is why I’m here. I took auto tech for 2 years in high school and loved it. Worked in a shop for a little bit and liked it for the most part. I’ve been thinking that if this doesn’t work out, while I’m still young and while I can still get financial aid (covered my entire first year and what was left over covered my summer class), I would switch my major again (I’d actually have to), but maybe to auto tech or auto body.
I do want to pass these classes and get into computer science (it’s not my dream job or anything), but I think it would be something that I would enjoy doing, but on the same token, I think I would enjoy working in auto tech as well, so what are the pros and cons of my situation? Any advice is helpful :)[/quote]
Have you ever heard the phrase “I think therefore I am”? That phrase is very powerful, and once I finally understood the message that it was trying to convey, a bunch of new doors opened up for me. If you think that you cannot pass your math class you are dooming yourself to failure. The words ‘I cannot’ will shut many doors in your life, instead start telling yourself “YES I CAN”. It will change your life.I’m speaking from experience. In high school I was a complete failure when it came to math. I spent my whole high school career in remedial math classes, and I consistently ended up with Fs on my report card in math. I had to start out in community college from the very bottom with math, which was a pre algebra classes that dealt with basic addition, subtraction, division, and multiplication. I told myself that I was going to beat math, and master it. I ended up getting three years through an engineering degree, and I only quit because I did an internship over the summer of my third year and hated the job with a passion. I was stuck behind a desk all day playing with excel spreadsheets.
The moral of the story is, I sucked at math, but I was able to work my way up through a whole year of advanced calculus, and differential equations. I also spent a lot of time in physics, and chemistry classes which are also math intensive, especially when you start applying chemistry, and physics to real world situations. Things all changed for me when I started to tell myself that “I can”. If I can make it through classes dealing with calculus and differential equations, you can pass your math classes. Will it be easy? Probably not, but through hard work and preservation you can do it.
Live to impress yourself.
I would not do auto repair unless it is your passion. This can be a very harsh career. I’ve seen it turn many good men, bitter and jaded really quickly. Your salary is not guaranteed, your benefits will suck, and you will constantly have to spend money on tools. I know of at least one guy on this forum that has over $100,000 dollars invested in tools. It will also take a toll on you physically and mentally. That is why I say, you better have a passion for auto repair if you want to get into this career.
[quote=”CadyTechFL” post=136892]Sounds like the OP has already made up his mind on getting a box. I have a SnapOn Masters KRL722 love that box plenty of room to grow your tool collection. Don’t have any experience with Mac tool boxes as nobody in my dealership has one its either SnapOn or Matco. I would stay away from Matco lots of owners complaining about rust, have a tech at work fighting with Matco to get his box fixed or replaced its less than five years old and its has rust all over the inside.[/quote]
The guys at my work hate the Matco boxes as well. The guys that have bought Matco have been having rust issues. The Macsimizers are NICE boxes. Most of the technicians at my work have the Mac boxes, and they have been through hell and back. Even the oldest of the Macsimizers in the shop still are not having issues with rust.[quote=”CadyTechFL” post=136892]Sounds like the OP has already made up his mind on getting a box. I have a SnapOn Masters KRL722 love that box plenty of room to grow your tool collection. Don’t have any experience with Mac tool boxes as nobody in my dealership has one its either SnapOn or Matco. I would stay away from Matco lots of owners complaining about rust, have a tech at work fighting with Matco to get his box fixed or replaced its less than five years old and its has rust all over the inside.[/quote]
The guys at my work hate the Matco boxes as well. The guys that have bought Matco have been having rust issues. The Macsimizers are NICE boxes. Most of the technicians at my work have the Mac boxes, and they have been through hell and back. Even the oldest of the Macsimizers in the shop still are not having issues with rust.Usually the horsepower figures that manufacturers give are at the crank, not to the wheels. There is always horsepower lost through the drive train before it reaches the wheels. That is not even considering the age, and amount of miles on the vehicle in question. That also can also affect horsepower.
[quote=”JustinFluck” post=136785]I thank you for your concern for the financial advice on the car but being the person I am, I see that if I’m going to own my cars, I’m going to put my personal touches on my car. Plus, there’s the fact that I’m financially set for college and stuff like that and with the money left over, I want to put it in my car. As a true car lover, I believe that I will never let go of my first car and if I could have my way, I probably wouldn’t buy another one until i start a family. With the fact that I’m not going to sell the car, the resale on the car is irrelevant. Plus, I have all the tools and supplies I need for underbody rust prevention at my disposal as my uncle owns his own body shop and has told e he would gladly lend me anything body-wise if I asked. I was just wondering what would look the most practical on the car. I’m also doing turbos and engine mods also which I was wondering if you could help me out on also. :D[/quote]
I understand that you want to put your own personal touches on the car, but think long and hard before you put that body kit on the Supra. Many people thought that they never would sell their cars, but you know what? Life happens. I wanted to keep my 1986 Audi Quattro 4000 forever. It was a unique car, and it was fun to drive but I finally found myself in a situation where I had to get rid of it.The main reason I’m saying this is because the car you have is now a collectors item. A well preserved supra is a highly sought after commodity and it is shooting up in value fast. From you picture it looks as though your Supra is very clean and in original condition. That is more unique today than a Supra with a body kit on it, and it will stand out more in stock form, I guarantee it. I understand that you want to put your own personal touch on your car, and ultimately it is YOUR vehicle and you can do anything that you want to it. I’m here to ask you to NOT destroy what you have. It’s a rare car, there are not many in as good of condition as yours, and it’s only going to get more valuable as time goes by, how many cars can you say that about?
Please, please don’t put that body kit on that car. You’re going to ruin its value, and you’re going to defile a valuable piece of history. There weren’t very many made, and there are certainly not many in the stock configuration.
[quote=”bigmeat” post=136524]My 20 plus year old Mac Tools Aw434 1/2 impact seems to be dying and will need to have it rebuilt or replaced. I am thinking of buying a Harbour Freight Earthquake impact gun. Anybody have any real world reviews?[/quote]
I would skip it if I were you, there are other impacts that could be found around the same price range that are better. There is an Ingersoll Rand gun that is usually 100-123 dollars that could be found in almost any auto store. It weighs a lot but it is torquey, and very reliable. There is one that is a community tool in the shop I work at, and it is beat, abused, and dropped almost every day, yet it’s still running perfect. For about 160 dollars you can get a composite aircat gun that is torquey, light, and reliable. I personally use the aircat 1150, great gun, light, quiet, balanced, and one of the most torquey guns in the shop in my opinion.The one thing that irks me is the trigger, it’s very hard to feather it.
[quote=”Hackiesacker007″ post=136406]Thanks for the replies!
Any particular reason why I should exclude the ES350s from my search? Are the maintanence costs substantially higher?
Also, I’ve heard that many of the newer Toyota Camrys aren’t as reliable as they older ones – should I consider something like a Nissan Altima or Honda Civic?
Ideally, I’d like the ES330 or ES350, but I would prefer to keep the maintanence costs as low as possible. If maintanence isn’t substantially more than it would be for the Camry, then I’d probably go with Lexus.[/quote]
IS250/350 are an entirely different platform/car than the ES cars. The reason why I said to avoid them is they have carbon build up issues which can cause the engine to seize, and they are their own platform. They don’t share parts with most Toyotas, making maintenance more expensive.The main issues with newer Camry’s (any many other Toyotas) are their piston rings. Some of the piston rings start going prematurely, which usually means at some point that you will either need to get your engine replaced or rebuilt. The newer ES’s also seem to have the same problem as well. If you’re looking at a new Camry it will be important to verify that the car is not burning, or consuming oil. If you can look at the service records.
Yes, while the Camry’s are not as reliable as in years past, I think that is true to a certain extent with most automakers. Every car has pattern wear. I know Altima’s had piston ring issues in years past, and many automatic Honda’s have had some tranny issues. If I were you I would avoid the Altima.
[quote=”Hackiesacker007″ post=136391]Thanks for the quick reply!
I’ve been considering your point about the maintanence for a Camry being less because there are more Camrys out on the road and therefore are a lot of aftermarket parts for them. However, aren’t there also a ton of Lexus ES330 and Lexus ES350s on the road? Also, my understanding is that Toyota parts can be used on Lexus vehicles, substantially reducing the maintanence cost. This may not be the case anymore because the newer Lexus ES models are based on the Toyota Avalon design, not the Camry design.[/quote]
The ES’s are all based on Toyota’s K-Platform which contains the Solera, Camry, Avalon and many other vehicles. The ES’s seem to have a softer suspension when compared to their Camry brethren. They are a smoother ride, and whenever I drive them it does a very good job of absorbing the bumps, and potholes in the road. The suspension on this car is dialed in, and compliant.Mechanically, the ES series is similar to the other K-Platform Toyota’s, that being said there are still some differences. Whenever an ES comes into my Toyota dealership for a repair sometimes the parts department is left scratching their head. Not all of the parts are in the ES are the same as its K-platform counterparts. The parts that have the Lexus insignia stamped on them come at much larger cost, and let me tell you there are PLENTY of them in the ES’s that won’t fit a Camry or vise versa.
That being said Lexus’s are still very easy, and inexpensive compared to most luxury cars to maintain, but they definitely cost more to maintain than the Camry. The parts are more expensive, and the Lexus dealerships in my area charge a little more to per hour than the Toyota dealerships do. You can always take it to Toyota, but sometimes they won’t have the parts and it will take a little longer for them to complete the repair, or if they are like the dealership I work at they’ll tack on a little extra charge.
The ES’s I noticed seem to have more electrical issues, but they are mostly related to the extra features that are in them.
If you want a reliable, affordable luxury car the ES’s are a very good option. The Camry’s are a better option if you want the cheapest, easiest, hassle free way to go to from point A to point B. The Camry’s are not as plushy, don’t come with as many features, and are not as smooth of a ride. The Carmy’s do however offer similar driving dynamics, and characteristics. You will also get a newer car with less miles in a Camry than with an ES. I do not think the Lexus is worth the extra money. It’s also worth noting that you should probably stay away from the IS250/350 if one should catch your eye if you’re looking for an ES series.