Hey Scotty ! I’m 16 and I’ve saved up for a Lexus. I’m thinking of getting a 2007 es 350 with 150-170k, I’ve heard they had engine problems though. My local prices are 4-5k. What do you think ?
I also wondered what would be a good car for me? I have 4.5k, need to impress friends, reliability to do door dash a few hours out of the week, and I want to smoke people at the light!
Ah to be young again. Let me give you a free tip: scrap your #1 and #3 requirements.
Firstly, do NOT buy a car to impress people. Buy a car that fits your needs and your budget. If they don't like it, too bad. They aren't paying for it.
Secondly, forget racing people between the lights. There are many reasons for this, but the most important are safety and insurance. Have you priced insurance on that car? At 16, you get one ticket, one accident....and you will become a pedestrian because nobody will insure you. There aren't any world-beating racecars in your budget anyway and an ES 350 isn't blowing anything away.
Thirdly, there are WAY better cars to door dash in. A Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla would be PERFECT as they are cheap to buy, cheap to maintain, cheap to insure, and very cheap to fuel. That means more money in your pocket.
Take some advice from a guy who has done it all when it comes to cars: do not go out there and make yourself "car poor". If that Lexus has a problem, it is going to cost you a pretty penny to repair. Live within your means. Get a good Honda or Toyota and put the money you would have spent on expensive repairs into the bank. I promise you, PROMISE YOU, you will be happier than if you blow your savings on an expensive paperweight.
Exactly like mod_man said you should look for a car that fits your needs and YOU like and think about what your friends think about it last. You might be fine with a Civic or a Corolla, or maybe you want to spend the money on a Lexus.
The ES is based on the Camry and I think you should look into a 2005-2006 Camry XLE, which also has an optional V6 which you don't really need. I see someone else also said that.
I think that your 16 and don't need a lexus. I think you should get a camry, corolla, or civic based on your requirements because you dont need the v6; youll just get speeding tickets in the mail. The perfect car would be an 05-06 camry XLE because they are reliable, cheap to maintain, and are bigger and safer, and have more power than the corollas. They also go for about 4 grand and the XLE's come with leather and everything.
But you don't have to listen to me; just take everyone suggestion and make a decision based on that and buy a car that you like and think is appropriate for your budget because it is going to be your car at the end of the day, not mine.