Lookin To Buy A Gs400, A Few Concerns...

[joey93turbo]

Hey guys. I'm in the market for a classy car that's fun to drive and it seems the GS400 has beat out other offerings from Audi, BMW, Mercedes, and Acura. I don't have alot to spend, only around $15k. I realize that I'm probably going to have to purchase one with 75k+ miles and I'm worried about super expensive repair costs after reading some of the threads on this forum. Are the GS400's expensive to own, fix, and maintain? how reliable are they? I don't have alot of money so reliability is a huge factor for me. It seems Lexus leads the high-end market in reliability though, from what I hear. I have a full shop and I'm good with a wrench, are these cars difficult to work on and is the info out there on how to fix problems yourself? or are you pretty much stuck with taking it to the $tealer? Am I going to regret purchasing a GS400 with 75k+ miles on it? I've seen a few for around $15k, do you guys think I could get a clean one for that price?

Thanks!

[kruger]

I bought a '99 GS400 with 35,500 miles for $21K in Austin, TX. It needed new tires all-round because the original rubber was still on the car. It came with the 7 year Lexus extended warranty which turned out to be a blessing because after driving it for about 2 months the throttle body went out (a $1000 repair).

Maybe if money is such a concern you should look at a GS300 instead. They have plenty of get-up-and-go and I'm sure you could get a lower mileage GS300 for the kind of money you want to spend. I bought the GS400 because I wanted the V8 power but I very rarely use it. If you buy a Lexus you're buying primarily for comfort rather than performance...you just don't drive these cars aggressively that often.

[Wicked_Lex]

Hey guys. I'm in the market for a classy car that's fun to drive and it seems the GS400 has beat out other offerings from Audi, BMW, Mercedes, and Acura. I don't have alot to spend, only around $15k. I realize that I'm probably going to have to purchase one with 75k+ miles and I'm worried about super expensive repair costs after reading some of the threads on this forum. Are the GS400's expensive to own, fix, and maintain? how reliable are they? I don't have alot of money so reliability is a huge factor for me. It seems Lexus leads the high-end market in reliability though, from what I hear. I have a full shop and I'm good with a wrench, are these cars difficult to work on and is the info out there on how to fix problems yourself? or are you pretty much stuck with taking it to the $tealer? Am I going to regret purchasing a GS400 with 75k+ miles on it? I've seen a few for around $15k, do you guys think I could get a clean one for that price?

Joey93,

I did a lot of research and test drove a lot of different cars before I bought my first Lexus which was a 1999 ES300. I traded the first one off for the GS400 that I now own. My 2000 GS400 has 100K miles on it and the front end is still tight, the paint hasn’t faded, it still does 0-60s in under 6 seconds, and gets 25 or more MPG on the highway. Lexus has a strategy, they want to build customers for life and they do this two ways: Quality and Service.

A guy that worked at a Lexus dealership told me that the V-8 (SC,GS,LS models) is so overbuilt that they have torn them down after 200K miles and they don’t even need a valve job! If you use a synthetic oil, change it with oil filter every 4000-5000 miles, and replace the air filter as needed, the Lexus V-8 will probably last 300K or more miles before it needs any engine work.. These are GREAT cars.

If you do need any maintenance work, which is rare unless it’s the scheduled type, Lexus will give you a loaner car, probably a late model ES300, while they are working on your car. I had the 60K maintenance done on my ES and the engine was sludged because the previous owner didn’t change oil properly. Even though the car had 80K miles on it and wasn’t under warranty, Lexus took off the heads, replaced some valve guides and did other engine work for free!

Their waiting room for customers looks like at least a 3 or 4-star hotel lobby with big screen TV, plush furniture, free coffee etc. When they are done working on the car they have a valet type service where they drive it up and leave the door open for you. In addition to that they wash, wax, clean windows, and vacuum the car! They want customers for life and I think I will be one.

[tmwfla]

I usually only read these forums and not post much, BUT, you're in the EXACT same position as I was about 3 months ago. I was looking for a "sport" sedan. Nothing from the states got my blood pumping. I read too many horror stories about German offerings, but I narrowed it down to either a BMW 540i, 740i (didn't want the iL), or an Audi A6 V8. I couldn't find an A6 V8 in my price range (also 15K), so that was a quick decision. I found a really nice 98 BMW 540i for 18K w/only 52k miles and liked it when I drove it (test drove it twice), but some of the LEDs on the dash were already fading, and the dealer wasn't willing to deal on it (in all fairness, he was asking quite below "avg book"), so I didn't get that one. I test drove a 2000 GS400 w/105k miles and liked it too, but the dealer was asking way too much I thought (19k I think). Finally, I found a private owner (i.e. no tax to pay!) that had a 98 GS400 w/90k miles on it w/new tires and windshield. This thing was seriously one of the nicest used cars I'd ever seen. He was asking 15,500 and took 15k for it. This is my first, but definitely not my last Lexus. I love the 400 (could use a BIT more power though). I've even been trying to convince my wife to sell her '03 Subaru Outback for a used GS4; she's so far resisted my idea due to being scared of a higher mileage car. We'll see how it pans out in the long run, but for 15k, I couldn't go wrong w/this one I didn't think. Even if I end up wanting to sell it in a year or two, I won't lose a bunch of money...some but not a ton I don't think. Good luck. Go for the GS400, you won't regret it.

P.S. A friend of mine has a nice 98 540i that he swears by, and it IS nice (I like the BMW body and suspension more than the GS), but in the end, I decided I don't want to pay for a BMW and drive a Pontiac rental every weekend while it's in the shop. I work w/an ex-BMW mechanic and even he told me to stay away from BMW. My friend w/the 540i claims he's never had any problems w/any of the 3 he's owned, but he's the only one I've ever heard say that. Hope this helps you a little. Good luck.