Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!

Lexus GS 300/GS 430

1545556575860»

Comments

  • piperjackpiperjack Member Posts: 14
    Hi all,

    I am interested in getting a used GS300 or GS400. My budget is $10K-$13K and my research shows that this could get me a GS300 or GS400 from 1998-2000 with 50K-140K miles. My questions are:

    1) Any differences in the years 1998, 1999 or 2000 in terms of reliability or features?
    2) Is 140K too many miles for a car like this?
    3) Would you go GS300 or 400?

    Thanks in advance
  • wwestwwest Member Posts: 10,706
    GS300, hands down...
  • piperjackpiperjack Member Posts: 14
    Why?
  • wwestwwest Member Posts: 10,706
    Just personal choice/opinion.
  • redbabyredbaby Member Posts: 3
    Take it in. I had the same problem, tilt button slid the roof and if you kept any of the buttons pressed it would cycle open and closed, wouldn't seal shut. The auto open and close did not work either. Dealer replaced controls, now ok.
  • jeffparkerjeffparker Member Posts: 10
    I am looking to buy a used GS and am looking for input on whether the 300 is adequate. I have test driven a 2007 430 and liked it but was not blown away by it. I found the road noise quite noticeable (I guess that's a function of the 18' wheels) and the power very good but not crazy.

    I am not looking for a hot rod type car - I like decent power but don't really need a V8 430. Just for ref. I drive a 99 Passat GLX V6 and find it under powered.

    Looking for input from those who have driven both the 300 and 430. Is there a big difference? Also, what's the reliability of this car? I am sick of all the problems with my VW Passat and can't get rid of it fast enough! Plus the VW dealerships are absolute sleaze bags!
  • stephenabelsonstephenabelson Member Posts: 23
    Hello,
    I am wondering what people who own the lexus gs300 or gs430 pay usually per month, not including gas in maintaining the car. i.e. trips to the shop, oil changes, fluid changes, repairs, other problems?

    i spoke to someone on the BMW forum and they said for their 5 series its around 150 dollars a month. I can't imagine that kind of income going out on a monthly basis on an already very expensive car.

    any thoughts on what people pay estimated on a monthly basis on their gs300 or 430's?

    (just to be clear, i am talking about the previous generation gs models, not the new one's. like 2005 and earlier).
  • madmatt1madmatt1 Member Posts: 1
    Guys pls tell me the dealer is not full of ******...chk engine light on 2 wks after dealer did plugs, timing belt, water pump and throttle body cleaning. My gs400 now running like a champ and fast as the day I bought it(used w/ 70K miles on it).
    Dealer says chk engine light code was "gas leak" but they dug deeper and found that the gas overflow bladder/tank which holds charcoal to evaporate overflow gas then sends the fumes to engine to get burned has a stuck-open valve risking sending charcoal bits into the engine.
    Anyone w/ experience w/ this?
    Thanks
  • kalakala Member Posts: 9
    This morning, the powersteering on my 2006 GS300 with just 4000 miles gave out. Good thing I was still at home and wasn't on the road yet. II'll be towing the car to my Lexus dealer soon. Has anyone else had this problem?

    From the time I first bought the car, when first driving off in the morning, I hear a squeak/squeal coming from the front end when turning the steering wheel. The sound goes away after a short while. The dealer told me the cause was a light coat of rust that forms on the brakes overnight. But I told them twice that I'm not stepping on the brakes. They said the brakes are still touch the discs slightly even when not stepping on them. I'm thinking that maybe that squeak is related to my powersteering problem?

    Also has there been any recalls on the 2006 GS300s yet?
  • msr2kmsr2k Member Posts: 2
    Can 2006 G3 300 play MP3 (CDs with a bunch of MP3 files)?
    I am thinking of getting a used GS and I would like it to have MP3 capability.
  • amf1932amf1932 Member Posts: 79
    Sorry, the answer is NO! :)
  • go_mdx1go_mdx1 Member Posts: 135
    Hi Folks,

    Considering a 2006 GS300. My driving is around 60% highway and 40% city. My 04 TL gets a combined 24 mpg. I'm hoping the GS300 will do even better - getting around 27 mpg.

    Is this realistic?
    does the GS 300 require premium fuel?
  • wwestwwest Member Posts: 10,706
    "Is this realistic?"

    Well,...NO.

    27 hwy only...maybe.
  • lawaiilawaii Member Posts: 7
    My 2007 GS350 gets 29mpg on the freeway doing 70-80mph but only 17-18mpg in town and on residential streets.
  • acura10acura10 Member Posts: 1
    my '06 300 gs awd is getting a bit OVER 30 highway, if I accelerate gently and smoothly and use cruise at 65 as much as possible.

    worst case stop and go around town is like 21.
    Right now in a 70/30 mix of highway / city driving I'm doing 26.7 according to the trip computer. this is all with the A/C on almost all the time.

    remarkably good for a 3700 lb awd luxury car that goes 0-60 in under 7 seconds.
  • srvivor87srvivor87 Member Posts: 9
    - Hows the factory Lexus Navigation System, is it worth it?

    - I read somewhere that you can play "DVD movies" on it's navigation screen on 02' and later models. Is that true, and if so does it work fine?

    - Is it possible to replace the factory "CD changer" with the "CD/MP3/DVD Audio/Video" setup that comes on the current Lexus models?

    -Thanks.
  • gouldngouldn Member Posts: 220
    Hello.

    I made a big mistake and stopped by a Lexus dealer on the way home from work, and a 2004 GS430 caught my eye. Before long I had test driven the 04 gs430 and also an 05 gs300.

    I was surprised at how easy, and yet still fun these big cars were to drive. They felt light on their feet despite their hefty weight, and I was really stunned by the comfort.

    I like the idea of a certified <40K example to take advantage of the 3 year 100K warranty, and it seems to me that the 300 and 430 are not far apart in price. The 05 GS300 with about 32K was offered at $26K, and a 04 430 with about 45K was offered for 25K. Both had nav/mlev.

    My driving impressions were a bit surprising. I _almost_ felt that the 300 was a tad faster... maybe it was the gearing, maybe just a fresher example, but certainly I did not feel a gigantic difference like I expected between the 300 and 430. Both were very nice, and my research so far shows that the MPG is almost the same.

    What do you think, should I go for a 300 or a 430? I'll be trading in an 05 Accord v6 coupe. Also, what kind of deals could I expect on a 04-05 GS (either 430 or 300), with Nav and the MLEV stereo? Are people getting them for under 25k?
  • wwestwwest Member Posts: 10,706
    With gas at $4/plus you'll undoubtedly get a "better" deal on the V8, in the short term.....

    Personally if I were in the market for a GS I would go for the later GS350 that has the V6 with DFI. 12:1 compression ratio yeilds better FE and more HP/torque over the GS300.
  • betterdealbetterdeal Member Posts: 1
    Remember save your money, do not get Lexus Nav system. Save $3000 for your next vacatio. Put in a $250.00 Garmin it is 10 times better and have fun on your vacation!!!!!!!!!!!
  • amf1932amf1932 Member Posts: 79
    I completely disagree! I have used the Lexus NAV system in my last two Lexus's ('03 ES300, '07 ES350). I also own the lastest Garmin GPS units. The Garmin's are excellent, but not nearly as sophisticated as the built in units in my Lexus cars. I can't go into a point by point reason I say this, but I will definitely buy my new Lexus cars with built in NAV units!!!
  • pf2001pf2001 Member Posts: 110
    I posted in another forum. I am posting here as well.

    I am looking into CPO GS300 AWD with 26400 miles. The listing has it for 34000 but I would like to know if 25000 is a good starting point? Too high? Can I go lower?

    Since the milage is low, I assume they will not bargain too much (even though it is 4 years old).

    Thanks
  • vchengvcheng Member Posts: 1,284
    Why not try 25k and go whichever way needed, likely higher, maybe closer to 30k give or take a grand for a specially nice car with a complete service history and of course the CPO warranty.
  • pf2001pf2001 Member Posts: 110
    Thanks for the advice.
  • vchengvcheng Member Posts: 1,284
    Let us know here what happens!
  • wwestwwest Member Posts: 10,706
    You're kidding us, right..??

    I have always noticed that our Lexus GPS/nav cannot always find the shortest or quickest route, say the one I already knew, between point A & B.

    What somewhat amazed me is that once I got the Garmin and travelled along with both "enabled" the Garmin was more likely to find the best route. But what was interesting was that as we travelled along the Lexus system would eventually "find" the very same routing as the Garmin turn for turn.

    So it wasn't that the Lexus didn't have enough map resolution it was that the Lexus was clearly part BRAIN DEAD.

    As a for instance the Lexus system wanted to take us through the tri-cities area (Richland/Pasco/Kennewick) from Condon Oregon home to Seattle. Even an idiot could see that was not a proper route, time or distance.
  • pf2001pf2001 Member Posts: 110
    Well, never received the phone call that the sales person said he would do. Oh well, we decided to get a 2010 Camry.
  • vchengvcheng Member Posts: 1,284
    Well, it is no Lexus, but a new 2010 Camry is a fine car nonetheless by the same parent compnay. Enjoy the new car!
  • s_filess_files Member Posts: 1
    Hello. Just bought a 06 GS 300 yesterday. Have spent the last day scouring all of the manuals and literature trying to learn about the car. My major issue is with the bluetooth......can not figure out how to transfer my phone book and I can not seem to manually add numbers into the phone book. Any advice will be greatly appreciated!
  • frankbaileyfrankbailey Member Posts: 1
    I have a 99 GS 300. I noticed water in the left rear footwell. Investigation yielded the sunroof seal leaking. Further investigation showed the drain port on the left rear side of the sunroof also leaks. I was able to thread a weedwacker line up from the discharge of the drain hose, but when I checked to see if I had unplugged it, it still leaked when I ran some water over that section of the sunroof. How do you (1) replace the sunroof seal & (2) repair the drain tube? If this requires headliner removal, how is that done? Also, how do you replace the sunroof seal?
  • lexusfan8lexusfan8 Member Posts: 1
    I have a 1991 Nissan Maxima SP with 108,000 miles and have never changed the transmission fluid, it runs great. I also have a Lexus 1999 GS300 with 65,000 miles, and trying to decide whether I should change T.F.

    I have read in a past article that said original T.F. should not be changed. I have followed the Lexus manual and did the timing belt, drive belt, water pump etc., but I'm hesitant on the T.F., any thoughts.

    Another problem... occasional surge when pressing gas pedal. I have owned this car for 10 years and have avoided any mishaps, however while having the car in for some work at a Firestone shop one of the mechanics caused the car to surge and hit the side of the building causing major damage which they paid for.

    Did or does anyone have a similar problem.
    Thanks
  • chaseallen76chaseallen76 Member Posts: 1
    Hello. I am looking to buy a 2001 lexus gs 300 with 94k miles on it. Seems to be in good condition. the 2nd owner has only owned the car since Feb. Any ideas at what types of maintenance this car will be needing in the near future? timing belt, water pump? assuming it checks out ok, is $8500 a good price? person to person kelley blue book is $7950 but no sure if a lexus in good condition goes by KBB. any insight would be greatly appreciated.
  • peterpan99peterpan99 Member Posts: 65
    2001 GS300 with 75K should be about $7500, but for a good-condition car $8500 is OK.

    Have not had any problems with mine except replacing O2 sensor and Mass airflow sensor.

    Good luck.
  • peterpan99peterpan99 Member Posts: 65
    A/C starts to smell rotten 5 minutes after turn on.

    This is terrible.

    anyone knows the fix?
  • peterpan99peterpan99 Member Posts: 65
    The GS300 engine is a high-compression engine requiring 91 octane gas. Use lower octane will likely cause premature ignition, incomplete burning of fuel, causing engine knocking, reducing horse power and fuel efficiency.

    Incomplete fuel burn will produce more pollutants, eventually fouling oxygen sensors and catalytic converter, which would be expensive to replace.

    If the engine can run reliably on cheaper low octane fuels, the engineers would have stated so in the manuals.
  • amf1932amf1932 Member Posts: 79
    The engine control computer automatically retards the ignition timing to compensate for lower octane fuel. Therefore this will protect the engine from damage! That's the reason that Lexus vehicles incorporated this feature in the programing of the computer.
Sign In or Register to comment.