Lexus ES: 3rd Generation (1997-2001)

It’s been a long time coming, but tomorrow begins my search for a suitable car for my girlfriend, Karissa. Having driven a 1993 Toyota 4runner for the last five years, she’s looking for an upgrade in comfort, gas mileage and safety. Of course, it’s going to be a Lexus.

Now, there was talk of buying another brand, perhaps an Acura or a BMW, but nothing all that serious. It’s certainly no secret which car company I was pushing. In the end, it was a process of elimination:

• No large sedans
• No V8s
• Nothing new/nearly-new (which she refuses to buy due to depreciation)

This left us with the RX, the IS, and the ES. In our test drives at the local dealer, the RX was too big and the IS too small, leaving us with a single choice. Only problem, Karissa doesn’t like the ES 330 and its super-Camry look, meaning we’re going a few years back, to the 1997-2001 ES 300.

I’ve arranged for us to test-drive eight ES 300s tomorrow, all in Toronto. Armed with days of research, a list of common problems and an eye for blue smoke from the exhausts, I’m looking forward to it.

Flickr user anlee took in the Everton Family Freedom Festival on July 4th, and managed to snap off a photo of a heavily modded ES 300, complete with scissor-doors:

I guess dropping the frame, upping the wheels, getting the custom paint job and snapping on a body kit just wasn’t enough. (Not sure about that front bumper, it looks enormous!)

It all started with the LS400.

I remember the first time I noticed one, admittedly mistaking it for a Mercedes, only to see that silver L and think I’d seen something rare, like a Ferrari or a Lamborgini.

Of course, that wasn’t the case, but the truth impressed me even more, a Japanese Luxury brand, created by Toyota. I was and remain enamored with Japanese culture, and to me it seemed like the perfect vehicle. I knew what my first car purchase was going to be.

Fast forward nine years, finally in the position to buy a car, and there was only one choice — My girlfriend and I bought a 1994 LS400 and my obsession was solidified:

Of course, buying the car was just the beginning. I started spending more and more time on the Lexus forums researching and reading up on every conceivable topic, following every single shred of news. It wasn’t too long before my car and Lexus became an obsession.

This website is a result of that obsession. Welcome to The Passionate Pursuit, dedicated to bringing you all the most up-to-date and interesting news on all things Lexus.

My name is Kevin RE Watts and I can be contacted here.

Let’s begin.