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1995 Lexus ES Reviews, Pricing & Specs
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It's hard to describe any Lexus as entry-level, but next to the stately LS 400 and sleek SC coupes, the ES can only be categorized as such. While the ES was priced noticeably higher than its Toyota counterpart, the Camry, it still fell significantly below the European sedans it aimed to compete with. One note for owners and used car shoppers: despite initial sticker price, Lexus does retain a higher resale value than many competitors. In 1995, the ES received some aesthetic enhancements and an in-trunk CD changer was added as an option. Through the years, Lexus been incrementally adding additional power to the mid-size sports sedan. First, the 2.5 liter V-6 was replaced with a 3.0, and later a new aluminum block added a few more horses. The 1995 ES 300's 3.0 liter V-6 made 188 horsepower and provided 203 pound-feet of torque. The ES now came only with a four-speed automatic transmission, and all were front wheel drive. Despite the steady horsepower increases, the ES's gas mileage had remained at 19/25 mpg. By 1995, the ES 300 was the best selling Lexus. Although the vehicle was not a genuine high performance sports sedan or a truly dynamic spectacle, it did embody affordable luxury and solid reliability. Lexus started out riding the coat tails of Toyota's reputation for build quality and trouble-free ownership. However, seven years in to their pursuit, the Lexus was now reinforcing that reputation.
Published Aug 9, 2022 by CarGurus Editorial Team
User reviews for 1995 Lexus ES
Write a reviewUser rating:
by Anonymous
Jul 30, 2022
Worst Lexus ever..Camry are the best cars ever and this is supposed to be better.Jul 30, 2022
by Eric J
Nov 26, 2014
I put 239k miles on mine until I got in a car accident totaling it in November 2014. The other guy's insurance paid me $3400 for the car and I was surprised that it had still held some value. If a part broke on the car you could drive it 10k mi before having to address the issue... sometimes 30k. I did most of my own work and the car was easy to work on. The heater core went out at 230k and it took me about an hour to replace it and it was super easy... unlike any other heater core replacement I've ever heard of. Any other car would take a mechanic a day to replace. The entire car was easy to work on. If you do some just bare maintenance on this car the only thing you will have to worry about is cosmetics.. paint and interior.Nov 26, 2014
by Coty L
Sep 17, 2011
Bought this car due to restoring an 83 camaro. it was pretty cheap for its mileage. being a 95 thats not that much.
Performance: i give it a 4 because of the sluggish start from 1k to 4k rpm. there could be an underlining reason for this and i am not aware of it, but it is really quick from 4k to 6200 rpm well for a stock car at least.
Build quality: i noticed that one of the motor mounts are broken, the weather stripping seal is missing from the hood, moon roof is cracked, cd player (6 disk shuffle) has been getting errors out of nowhere, worked fine for a whole week then kept getting errors. these are minor things for a 95 though.
Appearance: looks like a 95 4 door camry. really boring on the outside. inside is your average tan color leather. overall kind of bland looking.
Cost of ownership: It would take me an average of 80 dollars to fill up a tank from empty. (i always put mid or higher grade gas in my vehicles) hasnt needed maintenance yet but will most likely check the plugs and oil soon.
Fun factor: like many imports, they are a blast to drive if you put money into the car. for example i wanted my es300 to sound like something. i installed a custom cold air intake (due to lack of making any) and its still quiet for everyday driving but late nights red light racing you can definitely hear this car stand out with the intake system. Handles really well for stock suspension. will not spin unless you are in the rain or snow. so this is a plus for me since wheelspin is pointless and just draws attention. Sep 17, 2011
User rating:
by Anonymous
Jul 30, 2022
Worst Lexus ever..Camry are the best cars ever and this is supposed to be better.Jul 30, 2022
by Eric J
Nov 26, 2014
I put 239k miles on mine until I got in a car accident totaling it in November 2014. The other guy's insurance paid me $3400 for the car and I was surprised that it had still held some value. If a part broke on the car you could drive it 10k mi before having to address the issue... sometimes 30k. I did most of my own work and the car was easy to work on. The heater core went out at 230k and it took me about an hour to replace it and it was super easy... unlike any other heater core replacement I've ever heard of. Any other car would take a mechanic a day to replace. The entire car was easy to work on. If you do some just bare maintenance on this car the only thing you will have to worry about is cosmetics.. paint and interior.Nov 26, 2014
by Coty L
Sep 17, 2011
Bought this car due to restoring an 83 camaro. it was pretty cheap for its mileage. being a 95 thats not that much.
Performance: i give it a 4 because of the sluggish start from 1k to 4k rpm. there could be an underlining reason for this and i am not aware of it, but it is really quick from 4k to 6200 rpm well for a stock car at least.
Build quality: i noticed that one of the motor mounts are broken, the weather stripping seal is missing from the hood, moon roof is cracked, cd player (6 disk shuffle) has been getting errors out of nowhere, worked fine for a whole week then kept getting errors. these are minor things for a 95 though.
Appearance: looks like a 95 4 door camry. really boring on the outside. inside is your average tan color leather. overall kind of bland looking.
Cost of ownership: It would take me an average of 80 dollars to fill up a tank from empty. (i always put mid or higher grade gas in my vehicles) hasnt needed maintenance yet but will most likely check the plugs and oil soon.
Fun factor: like many imports, they are a blast to drive if you put money into the car. for example i wanted my es300 to sound like something. i installed a custom cold air intake (due to lack of making any) and its still quiet for everyday driving but late nights red light racing you can definitely hear this car stand out with the intake system. Handles really well for stock suspension. will not spin unless you are in the rain or snow. so this is a plus for me since wheelspin is pointless and just draws attention. Sep 17, 2011
by Kyle A
May 11, 2010
Lovin this car. It is completely stock. it has leather seats. sunroof. cd player. these nothining to fancy with it or anything aftermarket parts YET. Great car to drive on long trips and going out at nights on. very comfortable.May 11, 2010
by Anonymous
Jan 18, 2010
bought it used in 2003 with 46,000 miles. It ran like a champ from day one and always had good power. In 2006, my son started driving it and beat it to hell. I took it back from him in late 09 and put new struts and springs on it and had Pep Boys repair everything that made the "check engine" light go on. There is an anti-sway bar on the rear suspension that makes a clunking noise because the rubber grommets holding the bar in place get loose over time and allow some movement. I just shimmed the sway bar and the rubber grommet and the clunking noise went away. I also replaced the two front drive axles.
The car runs fast and quiet - as good if not better than it did when new.
I am a big guy, 6' tall well over 200 lbs, and the car is adequate and comfortable. The heated seats are a blessing and the cd player works fine.
The lights on the dash tach and speedometer have gone black - used to be bright red, but I do not have a problem with the aesthetics.
This car has been used for every purpose. The current mileage is 146K and I intend to drive this thing indefinitely.
Without doubt, the best car I have ever owned.
Jan 18, 2010
by William W
Jul 20, 2009
I was 20 years old when I had this, it was only 3 or so years old. Yeah I thought I was the hottest thing on the road lol. It was really hot at the time though I will still say. Lexus quality, smoothness, quietness, style. It was black 2tone gray bottom. Stock chrome wheels. Fully loaded. Remember those 6 disc CD changers in the trunk? As with many black cars I didn't like all the swirlys. Was on the dull side. I wanted white/gray 2tone but these cars were going for mid to high 20K's. I got this for alot cheaper and grabbed it. It had 47K miles on it, but thats nothing on this kind of car. Well I did have it for a year and 8 or 9 months and I hit 95K miles on it. The last 2 months or so it started to overheat here and there. Would have needed an engine. I had to get rid of it even though I really didn't want to. Drove really really nice. Smooth ride. Smooth acceration. Traditional Lexus interior tan leather/brown dash. Very nice. Soft leather. The console and all is very similar to what most of the interiors of todays Toyota's look like. Back window was cool, when it went under half way down it kinda turned and went sideways into the door. Yeah, I just keep remember how smooth the acceleration was. You felt the V6 power. But in the end I guess it didn't last. I guess maybe it was the way I drove it??????????Jul 20, 2009
by Anonymous
Oct 26, 2008
Amazing, dependable, comfortable performs like a dream for its age. Good acceleration, braking & handling. Maintenance free with the exception of normal maintenance. It has truly cost me nothing to own, thus one of the reasons I still own it. It is such a fun car to drive...comfortable, easy steering and quiet. And, it still looks fabulous!!Oct 26, 2008
by James S
Feb 16, 2008
Its alot nicer than my old car, and a nice car to drive for nowFeb 16, 2008
by Shawn A
Feb 10, 2008
Gold paint, leather, ect, sunroof, auto everything, auto climate contol, and everything else you'd expect froma Lexus. Upgraded sound system with 12-disc cd changer in trunk and remote in front, MTX Thunder subwoofer with 800 watts peak in trunk, and Rockford Fosgate amplifier with 1200 watts peak bolted to trunk wall with separate bass control knob in armrest console. Much more but those are the main points lol.Feb 10, 2008
What users have asked
When I try to start car I just get a clicking noise
It's cold (24degrees) stared the car yesterday fine. Today go to start and just getting a fast clicking noise and battery is fine.
647 views
Car won't start
Try to crank won't do anything no clicking sound or anything
1443 views
When taking off in drive it's slow /engine light came on
When going to take off in drive the car is slow es300 Lexus 1995 200k. Oil is good transmission fluid we just put some in . Light went off but the acceleration is still slow . Help need car to last a few more months . I have had no other issues .
427 views
1995 Lexus ES300 electrical problem?
I noticed the headlights dimming one night on my way home then all of a sudden everything on my dash went out and the car started jumping and jerking, I was able to get it pulled over and thought it was just the battery. Upon trying to get jumped off I realized something more was going on. I had it pulled to a mechanic shop and was told that my alternator was bad.. bought a new alternator, paid for the labor of installation and thought I was good to go. I pulled out of the mechanic’s parking lot, made it not even a mile down the road and the car started to rev very loud but wouldn’t shift and the dash lights were coming on and off, got pulled over and had it pulled back to the shop. After my car sitting there for almost a week I was finally told that it had to be a “hot” wire coming from the alternator which we finally figured out it was not, it was a fuse that had blown, got the fuse replaced and drove my car into town, Everytime I would stop at a light or sign I would smell this burning scent! Once I got 5 miles down the road to my destination and parked it black smoke was rolling out from under my hood. After popping my hood I could see that the smoke was coming from right under the alternator so I thought maybe it was just some spilled oil burning off from where they changed out my alternators. The next day driving to work the exact same thing happen all the dash lights went out and the car started jumping and jerking. I got pulled over and had it pulled to a different mechanic (by this point I was completely done with the first one) After some testing it was determined that the new alternator I just bought and had put on was bad, due to being put on with a battery that was bad (that of course I was not made aware of) after a new battery and having my old alternator tested to make double sure it was really bad before buying yet another new one we found out that my old alternator was not bad it just had faulty wiring that needed to be replaced, had that done and the old alternator put back on with the new battery and yet another fuse and head out on my way thinking that all this car trouble is behind me... 30 minutes down the road and the fuse blows... yet again... thankfully the mechanic sent me on my way with extra fuses just in case.. pulled over replaced the fuse and took off... I had to repeat this process 3 times on my way home (which is a 45 min drive) upon speaking back with the mechanic I just left he tells me that it may be something to do with the wiring cluster (I believe that’s what he called it) but that it would be very expensive to fix... has anyone dealt with this problem and have any advice to getting my car up and running more then 10-30 mins at a time without having to constantly replace a fuse. Any advice is very appreciated!
65 views
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1995 Lexus ES Pricing
Original MSRP
$31,980 to $31,980Price range
N/AAverage price on CG
N/AYoY price change
N/ATrims & specs
Air Conditioning
Automatic climate control front air conditioning
Airbags
Dual front airbags
Audio System
Antenna Type: power · AM/FM radio
Brakes
ABS: 4-wheel
Comfort Features
Steering wheel trim: leather
Convenience Features
Multi-function remote: keyless entry · Steering wheel: tilt-adjustable
Lights
Exterior entry lights: security approach lamps
Mirrors
Exterior mirrors: power
Roof
Moonroof: power
Seats
Front seat type: bucket · Heated: front seats · Upholstery: cloth
Tires and Rims
Wheel type: aluminum alloy · Wheels: chrome
Windows
Front wipers: intermittent