it was a thinly disguised Nissan silvia S13 JDM model , albiet with a V6 rwd instead of the CA18DE/ CA18DET engines that were offered in Japan. The Dashboard looks like its come straight out of a R31 Nissan skyline, and the rear lights copy a Bentley. Suprised that John didn't mention a lack of ( oil pressure & voltmeter) gauges! 🤔
@@paulsz6194 i have a coupe. Has almost the same color paint to that s13 Silvia blue mint two tone grey. I see this way Nissan leopard(m30) and Nissan z31 300zx is pretty much the luxury s13 180sx and s13 Silvia. Older siblings.
My sister had the Lexus ES250 in 1990. During our 9 years of ownership, it's extremely reliable and the engine was buttery smooth. The car felt very lively off the line, had super light steering w/o any feel. Comfortable ride.
The 1st gen Lexus ES was certainly an underappreciated entry-level luxury car, indeed. The automotive press almost always complained it was just a tarted-up Toyota Camry V6 with two-tone paint and a nicer interior, but in reality it was MUCH more than just a different kind of Camry. It might have not been as famous as its bigger and pricier LS brother, but it was still a capable premium car for its time. It wasn't even supposed to be a planned launch model to begin with; rather, the ES was born in response to Lexus dealers' requests for a placeholder model to accompany the LS so buyers could at least have a more affordable alternative. Now fast forward three decades later and the ES is flying high as one of Lexus's top-selling models. And needless to say, I'm thinking of owning a Lexus myself in the distant future...
You are right the engine is smooth as silk and reliable but the auto transmission is a nightmare after the 100 thousand miles mine started to shift harshly the transmission died at 155 thousand miles.
BCJDM thiers one 2 blocks away from my house and I seen it while running.I literally stopped my run to figure out what it was pretty cool looking in person
Wow. This ES250 makes the ES300 that came 2 years later look way more modern with it's boxy shape and lack of projector beam headlights. The ES250 definitely has it's own charm though I will say.
Lexus needed a two-car line up at least. Otherwise it would have looked like a One-trick pony. Would have only appealed to a narrow market of people ( 7-series & S-class owners) where as the ES250 was less than a 5-series price & dimension wise, and less than an E class but bigger and slightly more on price & bigger than a 3-series & MB 190e. In my opinion, Infinity went down the right path by offering 3 models initially, but lexus won put in the long run. Plus, the ES250 gave " aspiration" to its owners to trade-up to an ES400, even if it meant buying a used one when the original owner traded up to the next ES400 release..
I came to say exactly this, the next gen ES300 i true luxury compared to this. I have a 92 Es300 with 151k and manual transmission. Boy is she a beast. Had her for 3 years now and its knock on wood. With 185hp and 5 speed she is zippy
I used to have ES250, overall it was a nice car. Decently comfortable, not too slow, could get about 28mpg highway/ 18 city. I modified the MAF to advance timing, that made a slight difference, not too bad for being free. But at about 100k miles the valve cover gaskets started leaking, harmonic balancer failed, AC compressor locked up. I really liked the frame-less windows and the trunk lid, sound system was good, fog lights were useful. One day a full size pickup plowed into the drivers side fender/door, the airbag did not go off, but I suffered no injuries. The truck was totaled, amazingly the Lexus made it back home on its own. The whole steering and suspension geometry got messed up bad and motor mount broke, but it stayed in one piece. However that was the end of my ES250. I just wish I had the 5 speed instead of slushbox.
Wow the fact that you posted THE FIRST LEXUS ..I have NEVER seen this episode lol. Thanks ..I STILL want a ES250 ...there is ONE left driving around my city!!! And that M30 'Vert
Never forget the time that I went for a ride in my uncles best friends Leopard here in NZ. It was a top of the line spec model that had the VG30DET. Was his fathers. I was about 8 years old and I will never forget that feeling to this day of being pushed so far back in my seat whilst he took off out of my parents driveway with the wheels finally gaining traction after what felt like an eternity.
Most of the Infiniti M30s were converted to a soft-top convertible once they got to US shores. Side note: the M30 is a rebadged Nissan Leopard from Japan. They have a solid following overseas and a smaller, yet fervent following here in the US. The M30 is a close relative to the Nissan Skyline R31. Engine and transmission is shared with the 300ZX (automatic). With an easy turbo swap from the 300ZX, you've got a serious RWD rocket.
B- trucker yeah I was adding my comment as the video was starting. I've been a fan of the Leopard/M30 as it's so close mechanically to my 300ZX turbo. It's a handsome and rare car. They didn't sell many of them (M30 or ES250) because they were essentially stop-gaps for the brands as they were trying to round out their product line up.
HarvesterUT2 yea I was just messing with you, but I'm gonna have to look up the leopard so I can read the specs on it cause I believe it can be fast especially with an identical 300 zx motor 🖒
The M30 was a rare Japanese luxury coupe that made it here. Like the Toyota Soarer of the same era. Not sporty or quick at all. But stylish, sophisticated, and smooth.
These cars still exists, especially in California. The Infiniti M30 is popular with drifting. The Lexus ES250 is a rarer find usually overshadowed by the LS400.
While neither the Infiniti M30 nor the Lexus ES250 quite offered the panache or striking looks of their much more elegant & luxurious big brothers, they were a GREAT attempt at offering cars for those who might have REALLY wanted an Infiniti or Lexus, but could not quite manage the $35-$40,000 price tag of the LS400 & Q45.
The Lexus ES 250 and Infiniti M30 were half baked entry level cars which were clearly not well thought out. The aged Nissan Leopard derived M30 was a total failure in the US and although the ES 250 sold well it lacked refinement and looked far too much like the Camry which it was based on. Lexus got it right with the redesigned ES 300 in 1992 and the SC 300 and SC 400. Unfortunately Infiniti wouldn't find its way until the 2003 G35. It was dark times at Infiniti dealers throughout the 90s with badge engineered Nissan Maxima (I30) and Pathfinder (QX4) models and the slow selling G20 (Nissan Primera), J30 (Nissan Leopard) and flagship Q45 (Nissan President).
donald - heritage? lexus had no heritage then it was one year old dumbazz. and how was it a better "effort" than the seville, exactly? the seville had almost 100 lb/ft more torque which is so important in a luxury car and the rear seat was night and day roomier, not to mention the exterior was far better looking then the es.
aj l they would have gone bankrupt. Between Japanese management, and U.S. dealerships, so much money was laundered and stolen, they were ready to file for Chapter 11, like General Motors.
I agree! The W126 chassis is my favorite S-class body style. I feel the same way about the E28 and E34 5-series BMW. The visibility from inside is amazing.
My first car was an es250 in the exact same spec here. I had it for two years and sold it to our garbage man. I guarantee he still drives it. I can’t believe I put a cone air filter on it. It was great being a 17 year old.
My grandmother owned a 92 or 93 Cadillac Eldorado, while my grandfather bought a slightly used ES250 like was reviewed here. The Lexus may have had Camry origins, but the fit and finish, not to mention the quality, was in another world. The Cadillac looked better, but was a pig to drive and the GM shortcuts were evident to the eye. It's little wonder that Cadillac is an also-ran in their home market.
At the time, Lexus wasn’t ready to put out a coupe. I think it came several years later. And Infiniti has the J-model which is a mid sized sedan and it came about a year or so later give or take. Please correct me if my years are off...
Drove both back in the day. Coming from a 1986 Nissan Maxima SE, both of these cars felt underpowered. The M30's seat would not go back far enough to fit a 5'10 person. The ES250 at least was available in a 5 speed manual. I ended up with a second generation Acura Legend Sedan. That was probably the last time Acura had the edge over those brands.
These cars still exists, especially in California. The Infiniti M30 is popular with drifting. The Lexus ES250 is a rarer find usually overshadowed by the LS400.
The vg30e in the m30 is one tough motor! Any hot rodder worth their salt in tuning will find that it's factory forged bottom end, and factory head gasket are solid to 500+ hp. Get one, slap a turbo on there, and you're ready to go! Really overlooked in it's capabilities, you can still find the motor a dime a dozen, and that's what makes it HOT in the drift world right now.
I remember the Toyota aka Lexus not having tilt steering back in the day and it was unnacceptable,to this day i still consider Lexus as Toyotas with leather seats,maybe it's still the general perception
The problem with Infiniti and Lexus in those days is they didn't come with the upper crust status that a Mercedes or BMW did. Much like when Kia and Hyundai try to break that upper tier barrier today. Still an interesting time in Japanese automotive history. You could see Toyota starting to move in the Lexus direction in the mid to late 80's with the Cressida and further refinement of the Supra.
Acura and Lexus actually outsold the Germans from the late 80's to mid 90's only after a few years of their introductions so they were good enough for a vast majority of luxury shoppers. The Germans at that time had stale products. Hyundai/Kia are different because their mainstream brands are still trying to prove themselves while the Japanese made their stellar reputation to back them up in a much shorter time. Also doesn't help that the Genesis brand is still tied to Hyundai dealers and Kia Stingers and K900s share the same floor space as Rios and Fortes.
DaleDenton69 they had to make a name for themselves and get a good reputation before putting something super expensive out there, no ones going to buy a super expensive flagship from a brand that just came out. Now they've got the brand reputation to make a car like the LC500
DaleDenton69 -all Lexus 400 was a fancy blown up version of the 1989 Toyota Cressida. I use to work at a mechanic shop and when we picked up that car for a customer all I saw was smaller Lexus 400 version.
Leave the 90s people alone...they were stoked to have an FM Radio nowadays we're lucky to have back up cameras,Sirius satellite radio,power seats and liquid crystal gauges and infotainment center
we are so spoiled. Almost every car in their most basic model comes with AC tilt/cruise control Power window and locks with a remote opening of some sort. Fancy radios too high tech for me lol
Buddy of mine got a super low VIN number, 1st year ES250 that ran great for one day.... until the harmonic balancer came apart! Turns out that is a damn near impossible to get part, so its been sitting for almost a year now!
The M30 never really had a replacement since its demise, while the ES continues to be a staple of Lexus dealerships even today, now also on sale in other world markets outside of US. That is pretty telling which car was more successful.
Nissan simply picked a car to slap Infiniti badges on. Should have never been in the US to begin with. You're focusing on a letter, Not an actual model of car. Luxury cars are a gimmick rebranding marketing scheme and money grab.
I own the m30 in pearl white. That thing had the 300zx motor non turbo. Could really smoke the tires with the car. I would still have it today. If a range rover didn't total it. Amazing car at the time it was a sleeper
My Nana had a 1990 M30 Coupe in black on black. They bought it used for $10k plus a 1990 Sentra they had just bought new. (So a total of about $15k) when the same car with the miles that one had would’ve been about 30k. They garaged it in the winter and it only made it 75k miles till they sold it on in 2010 for a 2010 Honda Element.
Nissan made more exciting cars than toyota those days. The q45 was fast and athletic but did not meet the expectations of a market with a gaudy taste for chrome and wood and copy cat mercedes styling.
my first car was a 1990 Lexus es250 5 speed and I loved it! then it got vandalized and totaled out unfortunately :/ since then I've owned a G35 coupe then a G37s coupe then an M37s(which was fully loaded and I fuckin LOVED that car) and now a newer G37s coupe. Only thing I don't like about the G's is the frameless Windows leak sometimes. God I wish I had that M37S, long story short I found out in the end the dealership who sold it to me sold it to me knowing it had a $7,000 broken part and just pulled some fuses but when I replaced the fuses and the 4WAS system went to be used it was broken so all the lights popped up. returned it and it was a mess afterwards with the banks on their end and all this shit cuz they were angry but God I'm sad
If ever there were two cars that are now footnotes for their respective marques, these would qualify. Can't remember the last time I saw an M30 coupe as they weren't even that popular when new. There were quite a few ES250s sold, but this model was dwarfed by the sales of the later ES300 (also Camry based, but a bigger, more refined car.) and most had disappeared by the early 2000s. The ES250 looked way too Camry for my liking, but the drab-dash of the Infiniti wouldn't have sold me either - so given a choice my 1990 self would have chosen the Lexus...or the top of the line Camry and saved a few thousand $$$..
I was always impressed that Infiniti had the nerve to release that M30. It always struck me as hopelessly dated in style in and out. I can't believe anyone bought one over the competition available.
Because the Infiniti M30 shares a similar platform as the Nissan 300ZX, I've seen some M30's being modified and become a fixture on the drifting scene.
Wow the first cars from brand new luxury brands. I Remeber trying to get purchase Es250 in high school because I couldn't quiet afford the 92 and up es300 or even the 91 sc300 but thank god the BMWs were depreciating more then Lexus in the early 2000s so I ended up finding a 92 325i sedan for a great price that only needed a new exhaust because the exhaust system was known to get holes in the pipe and make a cheap aftermarket exhaust sound. I Remeber making the mistake of getting a basic aftermarket copy exhaust instead of buying original from dealer because the price difference was significant but it turned out to be a mistake and lesson learned not to ever buy aftermarket copy's of OEM parts for bmws because the sound was still shit. Anyways thank god I didn't have enough for a Lexus because after getting that e36 325i I absolutely became addicted to bmws. E36 328i followed with two back to back e39 540s,first one was a 97 non vanos I believe and second one was a 2001 sport package. By then I graduated and had a good job so in 2007 I got a brand new 335i sedan then I traded it in for a 07 550i sport then traded that for 2010 550i sport which had the m5 kit on it for 08--10 but the 07 didn't come with it. My last BMW was the X6 50 which had the twin turbo v8 4.4 and it wed a beast
Acc0rd79 JDM mean Japanese Domestic Market. These are not JDM cars. They are Japanese cars but they are US-spec North American Market cars. Only cars manufactured to Japanese-spec are JDM.
at this point in time, they were trying to avoid being seen as a badge-engineered Toyota....there were a few articles in both car & driver and road & track magazines (used to subscribe to both of those back then) describing the business model: no shared vehicles and no shared dealerships
I've never understood why Infiniti didn't do a left hand drive version of the curvier, post 1988 facelifted F31 Leopard dash. It would've made the M30's interior look way more modern than that dash ( which is a mirror image of the dated R31 Skyline dash), which echoes the 1986 original one... I for one think the blend of curves and boxy is quite tasteful for the early 90s, but we have to keep in mind that it was designed for the japanese market in mind, where buyers in this segment prefered conservatively styled cars, but which didn't please the tastes of american buyers all that much. + Maybe if they had thrown in more of the high tech & quirky features found in the JDM version, it might have made up for the already 'on the way out' styling of a car which was already quickly approaching it's end of production life stage🤔
Ben Dover setting it once and never messing with it again counts as "actually using it". So yeah, it's a big deal if the gauges are blocked and you can't adjust the wheel.
+Ike N At the time (~1989) the S Class *did* have a power *telescoping* steering column with driver airbag, so there was no technical reason not to include tilt ability as well. The cable guide and slack reel required to keep the wiring harness intact was already present. The omission (according to my memory from the time) was due to philosophical reasons...something to do with keeping the airbag properly aligned on the torso. Lexus added the power tilt-tele capability on the LS400 in 1989 but if you check they had the patent on it much earlier, suggesting it was already in use on JDM vehicles (Crown maybe?). Anyway, with Lexus including it on the LS400, Mercedes was forced to concede and include it on future S class models.
That ES 250 looks nice, I almost bought a 91 in 1996, but I settled for a 95 Camry back in the day. There was a big difference when the es 300 debuted in 1992, but a V6 Camry was a better value and had the same engine.
The Lexus ES250s interior was nicer than many newer entry level luxury sedans including the latest Lexus cars genuine wood and real leather....fast forward to 2024 fake leather no real wood and even fake metal trim smh...or Acuras take a Restyled Honda Civic with the same economy car interior and a luxury car price smh
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Man, i live for these retro reviews. Infiniti M30 wow. Talk about a car that just disappeared without a trace.
Im buying one they live very healthy just forgotten i like cars that no ones gonna pull up with
@@chambliziOfficialChannel exactly but it's a great drivetrain and available for cheap due to no popularity
Same here I eat,breathe, and shit retro reviews.....
it was a thinly disguised Nissan silvia S13 JDM model , albiet with a V6 rwd instead of the CA18DE/ CA18DET engines that were offered in Japan. The Dashboard looks like its come straight out of a R31 Nissan skyline, and the rear lights copy a Bentley. Suprised that John didn't mention a lack of ( oil pressure & voltmeter) gauges! 🤔
@@paulsz6194 i have a coupe. Has almost the same color paint to that s13 Silvia blue mint two tone grey. I see this way Nissan leopard(m30) and Nissan z31 300zx is pretty much the luxury s13 180sx and s13 Silvia. Older siblings.
Wow, the Lexus interior made me feel comfortable just to look at it, nicely done.
Lexus is interior pretty, great luxury car, What engine of Lexus ES 250, hp and torque?
Old is Gold.
I loved the mid 80's nissan maxima, they were just cool back then
They've already done an '85 Maxima and an 88 or 89. Just search for it
How the hell were these cars so quiet? Those dB numbers put many of today’s cars to shame
I wonder if low profile tires have made things noisier in new cars.
@@JoeUrbanYYC
Probably, the drug dealer wheels and low profile tires spoiled the ride and the low decibels numbers.
Used heavier materials that weren't paper thin and light weight
The 1984 Toyota Supra was also around 67 db so it's not that wonderful for a so-called "luxury car"
@@JoeUrbanYYC Lexus and Infinit 1990s is beautiful and best cars. Pretty cars
My sister had the Lexus ES250 in 1990. During our 9 years of ownership, it's extremely reliable and the engine was buttery smooth. The car felt very lively off the line, had super light steering w/o any feel. Comfortable ride.
Nice
The 1st gen Lexus ES was certainly an underappreciated entry-level luxury car, indeed. The automotive press almost always complained it was just a tarted-up Toyota Camry V6 with two-tone paint and a nicer interior, but in reality it was MUCH more than just a different kind of Camry. It might have not been as famous as its bigger and pricier LS brother, but it was still a capable premium car for its time. It wasn't even supposed to be a planned launch model to begin with; rather, the ES was born in response to Lexus dealers' requests for a placeholder model to accompany the LS so buyers could at least have a more affordable alternative. Now fast forward three decades later and the ES is flying high as one of Lexus's top-selling models. And needless to say, I'm thinking of owning a Lexus myself in the distant future...
You are right the engine is smooth as silk and reliable but the auto transmission is a nightmare after the 100 thousand miles mine started to shift harshly the transmission died at 155 thousand miles.
@@dudeman2644 Did you keep up with maintenance?
@@richardmendez5677 Lexus is my favorites cars
I didnt even know these existed. Dont think ive ever seen one of these cars.
BCJDM thiers one 2 blocks away from my house and I seen it while running.I literally stopped my run to figure out what it was pretty cool looking in person
Alot I'm California
In
I’ve seen a one of these white Lexus once out of my whole life on the road in Bakersfield, CA while driving on the I5 freeway.
I went to the introduction party of the Infiniti, in Atlanta/Decatur, Ga. There was the Q45, M30 coupe and convertible; G20 sedan.
Wow. This ES250 makes the ES300 that came 2 years later look way more modern with it's boxy shape and lack of projector beam headlights. The ES250 definitely has it's own charm though I will say.
Lexus needed a two-car line up at least. Otherwise it would have looked like a One-trick pony. Would have only appealed to a narrow market of people ( 7-series & S-class owners) where as the ES250 was less than a 5-series price & dimension wise, and less than an E class but bigger and slightly more on price & bigger than a 3-series & MB 190e.
In my opinion, Infinity went down the right path by offering 3 models initially, but lexus won put in the long run. Plus, the ES250 gave " aspiration" to its owners to trade-up to an ES400, even if it meant buying a used one when the original owner traded up to the next ES400 release..
@@paulsz6194 LS400
I came to say exactly this, the next gen ES300 i true luxury compared to this. I have a 92 Es300 with 151k and manual transmission. Boy is she a beast. Had her for 3 years now and its knock on wood. With 185hp and 5 speed she is zippy
I used to have ES250, overall it was a nice car. Decently comfortable, not too slow, could get about 28mpg highway/ 18 city. I modified the MAF to advance timing, that made a slight difference, not too bad for being free. But at about 100k miles the valve cover gaskets started leaking, harmonic balancer failed, AC compressor locked up. I really liked the frame-less windows and the trunk lid, sound system was good, fog lights were useful. One day a full size pickup plowed into the drivers side fender/door, the airbag did not go off, but I suffered no injuries. The truck was totaled, amazingly the Lexus made it back home on its own. The whole steering and suspension geometry got messed up bad and motor mount broke, but it stayed in one piece. However that was the end of my ES250. I just wish I had the 5 speed instead of slushbox.
That Infiniti M30 kind of resembles Nissan Stanza four door, in a coupe body.
look at a 1985 Maxima
Looks nothing like the Stanza.
I had a 91 Stanza for my first car and seeing the profile of the Infiniti just now made me see the resemblance for the first time.
Wow the fact that you posted THE FIRST LEXUS ..I have NEVER seen this episode lol. Thanks ..I STILL want a ES250 ...there is ONE left driving around my city!!! And that M30 'Vert
That Infiniti M30 coupe is beautiful. I would own this!
Never forget the time that I went for a ride in my uncles best friends Leopard here in NZ. It was a top of the line spec model that had the VG30DET. Was his fathers. I was about 8 years old and I will never forget that feeling to this day of being pushed so far back in my seat whilst he took off out of my parents driveway with the wheels finally gaining traction after what felt like an eternity.
Most of the Infiniti M30s were converted to a soft-top convertible once they got to US shores. Side note: the M30 is a rebadged Nissan Leopard from Japan. They have a solid following overseas and a smaller, yet fervent following here in the US. The M30 is a close relative to the Nissan Skyline R31. Engine and transmission is shared with the 300ZX (automatic). With an easy turbo swap from the 300ZX, you've got a serious RWD rocket.
HarvesterUT2 I think the guy in the show told us that already 😂🖒
B- trucker yeah I was adding my comment as the video was starting. I've been a fan of the Leopard/M30 as it's so close mechanically to my 300ZX turbo. It's a handsome and rare car. They didn't sell many of them (M30 or ES250) because they were essentially stop-gaps for the brands as they were trying to round out their product line up.
HarvesterUT2 yea I was just messing with you, but I'm gonna have to look up the leopard so I can read the specs on it cause I believe it can be fast especially with an identical 300 zx motor 🖒
Sweet, thanks a lot. M30 convertible review coming up?
"No Lexus convertible, Infiniti only..."
Three Kings?
The M30 Vert review was uploaded quite recently on their channel.
Wow he was so calm in this review ! But I love that Infiniti! Man and it had a sport setting and adjustable suspension !! Wow!
that ES250's interior still looks comfy today
The M30 was a rare Japanese luxury coupe that made it here. Like the Toyota Soarer of the same era. Not sporty or quick at all. But stylish, sophisticated, and smooth.
These cars still exists, especially in California. The Infiniti M30 is popular with drifting. The Lexus ES250 is a rarer find usually overshadowed by the LS400.
My parents owned a white ES250 and I used it in high school. That brings back many good memories.
While neither the Infiniti M30 nor the Lexus ES250 quite offered the panache or striking looks of their much more elegant & luxurious big brothers, they were a GREAT attempt at offering cars for those who might have REALLY wanted an Infiniti or Lexus, but could not quite manage the $35-$40,000 price tag of the LS400 & Q45.
The Lexus ES 250 and Infiniti M30 were half baked entry level cars which were clearly not well thought out. The aged Nissan Leopard derived M30 was a total failure in the US and although the ES 250 sold well it lacked refinement and looked far too much like the Camry which it was based on. Lexus got it right with the redesigned ES 300 in 1992 and the SC 300 and SC 400. Unfortunately Infiniti wouldn't find its way until the 2003 G35. It was dark times at Infiniti dealers throughout the 90s with badge engineered Nissan Maxima (I30) and Pathfinder (QX4) models and the slow selling G20 (Nissan Primera), J30 (Nissan Leopard) and flagship Q45 (Nissan President).
landy - thank you captain obvious
donald - heritage? lexus had no heritage then it was one year old dumbazz. and how was it a better "effort" than the seville, exactly? the seville had almost 100 lb/ft more torque which is so important in a luxury car and the rear seat was night and day roomier, not to mention the exterior was far better looking then the es.
my sister and I both have a Q45 and we LOVE them !
landyachtfan79 lexus is a UGLY piece of SHIT toyota TRASH
What a gorgeous car, way more elegant and attractive than any of these dime-in-a-dozen crossover SUV's these days with fake exhaust tips
My mom had three Lexus cars, a 1995 GS300, then a 1998 GS400, then 2001 LS430. They were amazing. The GS400 was a rocket
A 1998 gs 400 is my dream car i love the shape of those cars i remember the first time i saw one champagne colored i fell in love right their 👍👍👍
When Lexus made a nice looking grill...
1991 Lexus ES250 was my very first car, bought it for $950.
nissan could a been a quality japanese company if it were not for renault
Some of the newer Infinitis are pretty underrated, the only main downside is the age of the platforms.
aj l they would have gone bankrupt. Between Japanese management, and U.S. dealerships, so much money was laundered and stolen, they were ready to file for Chapter 11, like General Motors.
That Lexus is sweet, I miss those big windows in cars,they look so majestic, just take a look at the 90s Mercedes S Class for example
I agree! The W126 chassis is my favorite S-class body style. I feel the same way about the E28 and E34 5-series BMW. The visibility from inside is amazing.
The Inifiniti looked so much more dated than the Lexus.
That's because it was. Neither car has any relevance to the other except they were both marketed under both companies' luxury brand in the US.
I see a very well preserved ES250 at my local gym all the time. Typical gold with tan cladding paint scheme. It matches my 91 LS400!
My first car was an es250 in the exact same spec here. I had it for two years and sold it to our garbage man. I guarantee he still drives it. I can’t believe I put a cone air filter on it. It was great being a 17 year old.
My grandmother owned a 92 or 93 Cadillac Eldorado, while my grandfather bought a slightly used ES250 like was reviewed here. The Lexus may have had Camry origins, but the fit and finish, not to mention the quality, was in another world. The Cadillac looked better, but was a pig to drive and the GM shortcuts were evident to the eye. It's little wonder that Cadillac is an also-ran in their home market.
Love these retro reviews as always! Can you find a 1987 Toyota Camry retro review? It would be much appreciated thanks!
どちらも日本ではアッパーミドルクラスのカムリプロミネント、レパードに無理くり当時の最新のトレンドをねじ込んだやっつけ仕事感がたまらなく好きです笑
特にステアリングがそれぞれLS、Q45と同じなのが良いですね！
以前ニューヨークに行った時、初代ESはものすごく見かけましたよ！ホントにかっこよかったです！
向こうで観る日本車はこっちで見かけるものよりも数十倍かっこよく見えます！
灯火類とかの違いがそう見えるんですかね…。
A co-worker of mine had one of those es250 about 10 years ago. It was ragged out pretty bad. We car pooled in it. It was a unique and quirky car.
I'd take the ES 250 for sure
Agreed
At the time, Lexus wasn’t ready to put out a coupe. I think it came several years later. And Infiniti has the J-model which is a mid sized sedan and it came about a year or so later give or take. Please correct me if my years are off...
Just love the shape of this car so cool
Drove both back in the day. Coming from a 1986 Nissan Maxima SE, both of these cars felt underpowered. The M30's seat would not go back far enough to fit a 5'10 person. The ES250 at least was available in a 5 speed manual. I ended up with a second generation Acura Legend Sedan. That was probably the last time Acura had the edge over those brands.
I would agree. It went down hill for Acura when they ended the names ..the Legend became the RL and now the RLX.
These cars still exists, especially in California. The Infiniti M30 is popular with drifting. The Lexus ES250 is a rarer find usually overshadowed by the LS400.
The vg30e in the m30 is one tough motor! Any hot rodder worth their salt in tuning will find that it's factory forged bottom end, and factory head gasket are solid to 500+ hp. Get one, slap a turbo on there, and you're ready to go! Really overlooked in it's capabilities, you can still find the motor a dime a dozen, and that's what makes it HOT in the drift world right now.
If this had come out 6 years prior, John would’ve called that 10 second 0-60 “somewhere between quick and rrrrrocket!”
So this is when John finally learned how to pronounce Camry
I remember the Toyota aka Lexus not having tilt steering back in the day and it was unnacceptable,to this day i still consider Lexus as Toyotas with leather seats,maybe it's still the general perception
Those M30s and Leopards are quite cool cars, The closest modern equivalent would be the Infiniti Q60.
The problem with Infiniti and Lexus in those days is they didn't come with the upper crust status that a Mercedes or BMW did. Much like when Kia and Hyundai try to break that upper tier barrier today. Still an interesting time in Japanese automotive history. You could see Toyota starting to move in the Lexus direction in the mid to late 80's with the Cressida and further refinement of the Supra.
Acura and Lexus actually outsold the Germans from the late 80's to mid 90's only after a few years of their introductions so they were good enough for a vast majority of luxury shoppers. The Germans at that time had stale products. Hyundai/Kia are different because their mainstream brands are still trying to prove themselves while the Japanese made their stellar reputation to back them up in a much shorter time. Also doesn't help that the Genesis brand is still tied to Hyundai dealers and Kia Stingers and K900s share the same floor space as Rios and Fortes.
DaleDenton69 they had to make a name for themselves and get a good reputation before putting something super expensive out there, no ones going to buy a super expensive flagship from a brand that just came out. Now they've got the brand reputation to make a car like the LC500
DaleDenton69 -all Lexus 400 was a fancy blown up version of the 1989 Toyota Cressida. I use to work at a mechanic shop and when we picked up that car for a customer all I saw was smaller Lexus 400 version.
@@2Kriss2Kross Hyundai also wasn't smart to make their "luxury" brand name an offshoot of the Hyundai Genesis.
They still don't have it
My mom had a 1990 Camry and
a 1992 Infiniti G20 that was Bluebell Vanilla Cream Color lol. I personally always liked the outside of the M30 only
The glory days..
It's a Camry in a tuxedo
Donald Trump is Affirmative Action for the GOP Good one
Wow a video of a es250!! Hopefully they have videos of the es330
Leave the 90s people alone...they were stoked to have an FM Radio nowadays we're lucky to have back up cameras,Sirius satellite radio,power seats and liquid crystal gauges and infotainment center
hahahahah
we are so spoiled. Almost every car in their most basic model comes with AC tilt/cruise control Power window and locks with a remote opening of some sort. Fancy radios too high tech for me lol
look at those overhangs.
Buddy of mine got a super low VIN number, 1st year ES250 that ran great for one day.... until the harmonic balancer came apart! Turns out that is a damn near impossible to get part, so its been sitting for almost a year now!
can get one off ebay
Can find them for $70 new dude. Exact same parts as a camry.
The 92 es 300 easily made the 90 es 250 a disappointment.
IMO the M30 looked nicer than the J30 which came out a couple of years later.
The M30 never really had a replacement since its demise, while the ES continues to be a staple of Lexus dealerships even today, now also on sale in other world markets outside of US. That is pretty telling which car was more successful.
Nissan simply picked a car to slap Infiniti badges on. Should have never been in the US to begin with. You're focusing on a letter, Not an actual model of car. Luxury cars are a gimmick rebranding marketing scheme and money grab.
M35 m45
Great video, I love my old Lexus!!!🤗
I own the m30 in pearl white. That thing had the 300zx motor non turbo. Could really smoke the tires with the car.
I would still have it today. If a range rover didn't total it.
Amazing car at the time it was a sleeper
My Nana had a 1990 M30 Coupe in black on black. They bought it used for $10k plus a 1990 Sentra they had just bought new. (So a total of about $15k) when the same car with the miles that one had would’ve been about 30k. They garaged it in the winter and it only made it 75k miles till they sold it on in 2010 for a 2010 Honda Element.
Can we get a retro review of the M30 convertible?
1:03 and with that, the era of John inexplicably pronouncing it “Cam-Ray” ended with the 80s.
I found two ES250s and one M30 for sale in the US
The Infiniti looks like a Stanza. My sister had a Stanza and it was an outstanding car.
Yeah, it looks exactly like a Stanza only in coupe form.
Can you do a retro review on 1990 toyota camry and 95 celica
Are Lexus Cars and Infiniti Cars made from the Philippines other than Datsun Cars and other Japanese & Other Southeast Asian Cars ?
es250 has that cressida look
Both the LS and ES from the time were derived from the Cressida. Those two cars are the reason the Cressida doesn't exist anymore.
The 1990 Nissan Maxima GXE was nicer than this ES. This video reminds me how nice the third generation Maxima was for its time.
Nissan made more exciting cars than toyota those days. The q45 was fast and athletic but did not meet the expectations of a market with a gaudy taste for chrome and wood and copy cat mercedes styling.
my first car was a 1990 Lexus es250 5 speed and I loved it! then it got vandalized and totaled out unfortunately :/ since then I've owned a G35 coupe then a G37s coupe then an M37s(which was fully loaded and I fuckin LOVED that car) and now a newer G37s coupe. Only thing I don't like about the G's is the frameless Windows leak sometimes. God I wish I had that M37S, long story short I found out in the end the dealership who sold it to me sold it to me knowing it had a $7,000 broken part and just pulled some fuses but when I replaced the fuses and the 4WAS system went to be used it was broken so all the lights popped up. returned it and it was a mess afterwards with the banks on their end and all this shit cuz they were angry but God I'm sad
I'll take a Legend over an ES or M30
If ever there were two cars that are now footnotes for their respective marques, these would qualify. Can't remember the last time I saw an M30 coupe as they weren't even that popular when new. There were quite a few ES250s sold, but this model was dwarfed by the sales of the later ES300 (also Camry based, but a bigger, more refined car.) and most had disappeared by the early 2000s. The ES250 looked way too Camry for my liking, but the drab-dash of the Infiniti wouldn't have sold me either - so given a choice my 1990 self would have chosen the Lexus...or the top of the line Camry and saved a few thousand $$$..
I was always impressed that Infiniti had the nerve to release that M30. It always struck me as hopelessly dated in style in and out. I can't believe anyone bought one over the competition available.
Because the Infiniti M30 shares a similar platform as the Nissan 300ZX, I've seen some M30's being modified and become a fixture on the drifting scene.
No it does not share a similar platform as the Z.
Wow the first cars from brand new luxury brands. I Remeber trying to get purchase Es250 in high school because I couldn't quiet afford the 92 and up es300 or even the 91 sc300 but thank god the BMWs were depreciating more then Lexus in the early 2000s so I ended up finding a 92 325i sedan for a great price that only needed a new exhaust because the exhaust system was known to get holes in the pipe and make a cheap aftermarket exhaust sound. I Remeber making the mistake of getting a basic aftermarket copy exhaust instead of buying original from dealer because the price difference was significant but it turned out to be a mistake and lesson learned not to ever buy aftermarket copy's of OEM parts for bmws because the sound was still shit. Anyways thank god I didn't have enough for a Lexus because after getting that e36 325i I absolutely became addicted to bmws. E36 328i followed with two back to back e39 540s,first one was a 97 non vanos I believe and second one was a 2001 sport package. By then I graduated and had a good job so in 2007 I got a brand new 335i sedan then I traded it in for a 07 550i sport then traded that for 2010 550i sport which had the m5 kit on it for 08--10 but the 07 didn't come with it. My last BMW was the X6 50 which had the twin turbo v8 4.4 and it wed a beast
The ES was created as a rebranding ploy to essentially support the crazy-expensive LS F-1 program they had to pay for.
M30 leopard wayyyyyyyyyyyyy cool.
Back when JDM cars were tearing up the market!
still are..
Acc0rd79 JDM mean Japanese Domestic Market. These are not JDM cars. They are Japanese cars but they are US-spec North American Market cars. Only cars manufactured to Japanese-spec are JDM.
Toyota Cavalier, JDM baby!!!
Allen D. Most Japanese cars are not JDM though.
Seems like the 90s were everybody's rookie year
cant beat japanese!
Wonder why they didn’t use the Cressida for the sub Lexus model
Probably wanted to keep it smaller.And cheaper but it would of been cool to see what a luxo Cressida would of been like
I would have taken a Cressida over either of these.
at this point in time, they were trying to avoid being seen as a badge-engineered Toyota....there were a few articles in both car & driver and road & track magazines (used to subscribe to both of those back then) describing the business model: no shared vehicles and no shared dealerships
Talking about luxury and style!!! Loved the Cressida from the 80s to the 90s
The Cressida was the larger car, already a luxury from Toyota, so the conversion idea was easy to create the LS400 from the Cressida
The M30 was rear wheel drive and was a way better handler than the lexus. Also its v6 was more characterful. Only its boxy interior was off putting.
I've never understood why Infiniti didn't do a left hand drive version of the curvier, post 1988 facelifted F31 Leopard dash. It would've made the M30's interior look way more modern than that dash ( which is a mirror image of the dated R31 Skyline dash), which echoes the 1986 original one...
I for one think the blend of curves and boxy is quite tasteful for the early 90s, but we have to keep in mind that it was designed for the japanese market in mind, where buyers in this segment prefered conservatively styled cars, but which didn't please the tastes of american buyers all that much.
+ Maybe if they had thrown in more of the high tech & quirky features found in the JDM version, it might have made up for the already 'on the way out' styling of a car which was already quickly approaching it's end of production life stage🤔
Literally everyone is comparing Lexus ES250 to Toyota Camry V20, but nobody claims that Lexus ES250 looks almost identical to Toyota Cressida MX83.
I'd take the Lexus over the Infinity just for it's interior, with its two-tone neutral colors. It's a very nicely laid out car.
Nice cars
Satellite radio existed in the 90s?
Do you have any reviews on the chevy celebrity?
wmally fvck no. nobody cares. go away
I’ve nearly bought one of both
Does anybody know if the Lexus ES250 was offered with automatic air conditioning?
Never saw a M30 2 doors in Canada , probably never sold here . I've got more luck to see an old tudor camry .
I'm sorry, but the Infiniti looks like the most generic Japanese car on the road at the time. I'm amazed they ever sold any.
How does a luxury car omit tilt steering?
Ben Dover But again, it's a luxury car and this was a feature so basic it should have been included. Not the telescopic function, just basic tilt.
Ben Dover setting it once and never messing with it again counts as "actually using it". So yeah, it's a big deal if the gauges are blocked and you can't adjust the wheel.
Ben Dover doesn't get it.
Better ask Mercedes because in 1990 the S class wasn't available with tilt steering either.
+Ike N
At the time (~1989) the S Class *did* have a power *telescoping* steering column with driver airbag, so there was no technical reason not to include tilt ability as well. The cable guide and slack reel required to keep the wiring harness intact was already present. The omission (according to my memory from the time) was due to philosophical reasons...something to do with keeping the airbag properly aligned on the torso. Lexus added the power tilt-tele capability on the LS400 in 1989 but if you check they had the patent on it much earlier, suggesting it was already in use on JDM vehicles (Crown maybe?). Anyway, with Lexus including it on the LS400, Mercedes was forced to concede and include it on future S class models.
That ES 250 looks nice, I almost bought a 91 in 1996, but I settled for a 95 Camry back in the day.
There was a big difference when the es 300 debuted in 1992, but a V6 Camry was a better value and had the same engine.
You see M30 convertibles from time to time, not so much the coupes. I never see first gen ES250s I've only seen 1 or 2 first gen ES250s in my life
For some reason the Lexus ES250 looks more like a Toyota Cressida than a Toyota Camry from an angle
M30...such a sweet blank canvas
I'll take the M30
Do you have this engine foot?
نزلت فالخليج من عام 2013 ES250
I always wondered if the ES250s 2.5V6 is the same as the 4GR-FSE in the Lexus IS250🤔
The ES250 had the 2VZ-FE
1990 Mazda MX-5 Miata please!!!
Boutta but a Lexus es250 for 900 ,with 98000 miless..
Do the MR2 Spyder!!!!!!!!!!
i found a infiniti m30 vert on cl once
Why no Legend?
The Legend was larger than these two and competed against trump LS, Mercedes-Benz E-Class, and BMW 5-Series.
The Lexus ES250s interior was nicer than many newer entry level luxury sedans including the latest Lexus cars genuine wood and real leather....fast forward to 2024 fake leather no real wood and even fake metal trim smh...or Acuras take a Restyled Honda Civic with the same economy car interior and a luxury car price smh