Considerable Daily Milage.

[Sandlot]

I am a contract courier for a group of pathologists in Nashville, TN. I Provide a vehicle to work with and travel 250-400 miles per day. I currently own a '99 Honda accord in which I have traveled 170,000 miles in 24 months. I have been considering the GS300 as a replacement. My current vehicle is a '99 Accord with which I have enjoyed more than 205,000 relatively trouble free miles but I am no longer comfortable in it. As my car is where I spend most of my time I have realized that I crave luxury. Having driven two GS300s (a '98 & a '00) and a 400 ('99) I am more than satisfied with the car as a benchmark in comfortability as well as being extremely fun to drive. I have decided on the 300 over the 400/430 not because of the initial savings but because of those that will be garnered in the long term (75 gallons of gas per week vs. 85.)

As it is a considerable investment with no hope of significant return I have a few questions that I hope those of you with experience can answer:

-Has anyone had to rebuild a '98-2000 3.0 liter Lexus engine and how significant was the cost?

-The advertised MPG seems high. Does it hold true in the long run?

-I plan to buy a vehicle with 60-80k and will add 80,000 per year. What kind of problems can I expect to face as I approach 100k? 150k? 200K?

Thank You in advance for your help. I appreciate whatever response I receive.

[dcfish]

I am a contract courier for a group of pathologists in Nashville, TN. I Provide a vehicle to work with and travel 250-400 miles per day. I currently own a '99 Honda accord in which I have traveled 170,000 miles in 24 months. I have been considering the GS300 as a replacement. My current vehicle is a '99 Accord with which I have enjoyed more than 205,000 relatively trouble free miles but I am no longer comfortable in it. As my car is where I spend most of my time I have realized that I crave luxury. Having driven two GS300s (a '98 & a '00) and a 400 ('99) I am more than satisfied with the car as a benchmark in comfortability as well as being extremely fun to drive. I have decided on the 300 over the 400/430 not because of the initial savings but because of those that will be garnered in the long term (75 gallons of gas per week vs. 85.)

As it is a considerable investment with no hope of significant return I have a few questions that I hope those of you with experience can answer:

-Has anyone had to rebuild a '98-2000 3.0 liter Lexus engine and how significant was the cost?

-The advertised MPG seems high. Does it hold true in the long run?

-I plan to buy a vehicle with 60-80k and will add 80,000 per year. What kind of problems can I expect to face as I approach 100k? 150k? 200K?

Thank You in advance for your help. I appreciate whatever response I receive.

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You won't have to rebuild this motor [ maybe after 300,000 +] - One of the strongest produced. Great MPG [as advertised] Regular maintenance and you will see more miles than you expect. Drive these cars with great confidence for a LOOONNNNGGGGGG time. ;)

[LexKid630]

I know exactly how you feel about craving luxury when you drive a lot, since my wife and i both travel over 1,000 miles a week. ;)

Lexus' are great cars and should last well over 300,000 miles!

[TurboGS300]

You obviously will have to sacrifice gas mileage for luxury, however I'm sure your gas is reimbursed and mileage will be lower in stop and go city driving.. <_<

[Sandlot]

You won't have to rebuild this motor [ maybe after 300,000 +] - One of the strongest produced. Great MPG  [as advertised] Regular maintenance and you will see more miles than you expect. Drive these cars with great confidence for a LOOONNNNGGGGGG time. ;)

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How about the transmission? Anyone had problems? I have not heard or read of any but you would know.

Thanks,

Chris

[dcfish]

You won't have to rebuild this motor [ maybe after 300,000 +] - One of the strongest produced. Great MPG  [as advertised] Regular maintenance and you will see more miles than you expect. Drive these cars with great confidence for a LOOONNNNGGGGGG time. ;)

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How about the transmission? Anyone had problems? I have not heard or read of any but you would know.

Thanks,

Chris

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Using OEM toyota t4 fluid and I installed a transmission cooler and inline filter, I have never heard of any problems except neglect. ;)

[Lexusfreak]

How about the transmission? Anyone had problems? I have not heard or read of any but you would know.

Thanks,

Chris

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Chris,

Make sure when you find a car or two you are seriously intrested in (higher mileage or not) has all the service records up to date. Change all fluids as per the owners manuals recommendations (I'm guessing that's 'severe service' intervals for you). Don't be afraid to have a mechanical inspection as well......if the seller (private or dealer) does not want to let you do that......RUN, don't walk away for the deal. As you know, mileage on a car is not as important as how well the vehicle was maintained.......if you get something around 90k, ask if the Timing belt & water pump were replaced as that is their interval. Good Luck & keep us posted! B)

[hooah]

You'll love your used lexus. I bought a 93 GS300 in 2000 and it's still going strong with 225,000 miles on it currently. Have only had to do routine maintenance.

[Wicked_Lex]

Having driven two GS300s (a '98 & a '00) and a 400 ('99) I am more than satisfied with the car as a benchmark in comfortability as well as being extremely fun to drive. I have decided on the 300 over the 400/430 not because of the initial savings but because of those that will be garnered in the long term (75 gallons of gas per week vs. 85.)

Not sure about the difference in MPG for the 300 vs the 400 Sandlot. I have a 400 and it’s pretty efficient. I consistently get about 25 MPG on the highway and even got 27 once. Its basically stock except for the Magnaflow mufflers and I always use synthetic oil.

There may be some marginal advantage on the highway for the 300 but not much since the 400 cruises at 75 MPH at only 2400 RPMs. Around town the smaller engine has to work harder (burn more gas) to get up to speed, offsetting some of the gain. If you have the money for the initial investment go for the 400 and you’ll have that balls-to-the walls performance when entering a freeway, passing someone, or any time you want to feel it.