CPO 1996 Lexus ES300 Purchase Rationale

In early 1998, I was considering a brand new '98 Toyota Camry, '98 Honda Accord, or a certified pre-owned (CPO) Lexus ES300. After test-driving all three, I decided on and purchased a 1996 CPO Lexus ES300. The deciding factors were the smoothness and quietness of the ride, the styling, and the knowledge that I would be well taken care of at the dealership (which happened to be within 10 minutes of either home or work). Some of my friends have said that an ES300 is just an over-priced Camry, and they aren't necessarily too far off the mark, but in my opinion, the better styling, sound insulation, and customer service make the extra cost well worth it. These same friends have acknowledged that they weren't completely satisfied with their treatment by Toyota dealerships, whereas I am pretty happy with my Lexus dealership visits.

With respect to appearances, everyone has different aesthetic tastes, but IMO the 1992-1996 ES300 body styling is the best that Lexus has produced to date. I also liked the same 1992-1996 Toyota Camry styling better than any other years for that car. Both the ES300 and Camry underwent respective styling changes in 1997 that I believe were for the worse. The other subjective part of my purchasing decision was that Camrys and Accords didn't have the neat-looking electro-luminescent dashboard display like the ES300. I also think the ES300 dash is more "cockpit" like, which to me, is a plus. My emphasis on the appearance of the dash is based on the fact that you are looking at it directly or peripherally the entire time spent driving the car.

My CPO car had about 23,000 miles on it with a few minor dings which were touched up before delivery. It spent its prior life as one of this particular dealership's loaner vehicles, so at least I know that the maintenance schedule was very likely to have been strictly followed. It's also not as likely to have been potentially joy-ridden by teenage sons/daughters of a private owner.