l am expecting my first child in 3 weeks and l am going to be a single mom, of course money will be a little tight but l found a 1997 lexus es 300 and l was just wondering what the upkeep costs would be for this kind of car..

lexus is the #1 car for reliablity and has been for the past 12 years

the expenses to this car will most likely be the lowest out of any other car, but l would assume to have less than 200 worth in expense a year, dont b surprised if its 0

l agree with the first answer completely about its quality especially when compared to american and german cars. It should not be too expensive to maintain a 97 Lexus because you can always take it to the Toyota dealership.

My A/C went out on my LS400 when it was 12 years old - $2,100.00. Only a Lexus dealer would repair it - Toyota would not touch it. l also had the rack and pinion steering replaced - $1,100.00. A 12 year old car will start to have problems, even a Lexus. All repair items on a Lexus are more expensive than a Ford or Chevrolet. You will love driving a Lexus, but you wo not like the repair costs. Good luck.

well it is an older model so it will need repairs now or very soon. upkeep is expensive but as the other person put they've had their car for 12 years and repairs are done and although you may not like the price of them it is far cheaper than buying a new car.

Do u need to own a Lexus, or can a comparable Camry do? l am a Lexus person, so l would normally say if u can afford it, get the Lexus, but in ur situation, if you're tight for money, then save the money & get a Camry for now. The upkeep will be about the same because both share the same engine/transmission etc. so u can get ur car services as if it were a Camry. Both r very reliable & nothing major should break on u prior to 150K. maybe even into 200K.

As for real hard numbers, l will assume that u r not doing DIY on weekends, but typically they r (local shop/dealership(toyota/Lexus)/DIY)

1. oil change - $20/($40/110)/$12
2. transmission flush $80/($100/$180)/$30
3. air filters $30/($60/90)/$14
4. tires r not car dependent & can range from $200-over $1000 installed for all 4, depending on brand & make of tires