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Buying Either An Ls Or Gs 400 Need Advice


superxjeff

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Hi, First post for me and I apologise if this is the wrong area. I am buying my first lexus and have narrowed it to a GS or an LS 400 1999 or 1998 unless I can get a better buy on something newer. With proper maintaince what can I expect to get as far as engine life? This will be a city driver with perhaps 5,000 highway miles per year and 5,000 city miles per year. It will be babied as my wife will be driving it. I am loking only for guidelines and nothing specific as we all know that car to car they will vary. Thanks You in advance. Jeff

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I suggest you take a look at the discussion string entitled "who has the most miles". You'll find that many folks are putting in excess of 200K miles on these engines without much difficulty. The Lexus is an excellent vehicle and is built to last. If you're only putting on 10,000 miles a year, you'll probably be driving the car for a loooong time. The GS is nice, but I prefer the LS.

Hi, First post for me and I apologise if this is the wrong area. I am buying my first lexus and have narrowed it to a GS or an LS 400 1999 or 1998 unless I can get a better buy on something newer. With proper maintaince what can I expect to get as far as engine life? This will be a city driver with perhaps 5,000 highway miles per year and 5,000 city miles per year. It will be babied as my wife will be driving it. I am loking only for guidelines and nothing specific as we all know that car to car they will vary. Thanks You in advance. Jeff
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Hi, First post for me and I apologise if this is the wrong area. I am buying my first lexus and have narrowed it to a GS or an LS 400 1999 or 1998 unless I can get a better buy on something newer. With proper maintaince what can I expect to get as far as engine life? This will be a city driver with perhaps 5,000 highway miles per year and 5,000 city miles per year. It will be babied as my wife will be driving it. I am loking only for guidelines and nothing specific as we all know that car to car they will vary. Thanks You in advance. Jeff

My first LS400 was a 1993 that I paid $22,500 for with 56k on it in 1998.I drove it till 2004 and bought a 2000 LS400 that cost me $22,500 with 67K miles.The only thing I did to the 93 was tires,brakes,and rotors.My girlfriends daughter bought it 3 years ago and is still driving it.She has had to put on the power steering pump,water pump and timing belt(normal maintaince).There have never been any engine issues.It now has over 160K miles,it had 103K miles when she bought it.

In May of 2007 I bought a 2006 LS 430 with 9998 miles.Looks and drives like a dream but the 2000 platinum edition was smoother driving and had less tire noise.I sold the 2000 LS 400 to my sister for $15K and she is estatic with the car.She also has a 1996 camry to compare it to.

In my opinion if the Lexus is maintained properly it will last forever.But I am 65 years old

and that limits my future in the car.I have read several posts of the LS getting to 500K.If you have one,maintain it religiously and enjoy the best ride you have ever had.

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I agree, properly maintained Lexus engines can go for a long time. Given the choice, I'd go for the LS. But it depends on what you're looking for. The GS is more of a sports sedan (at least compared the the LS). I'm not as familiar with the GS, but I think it's smaller on the interior. I also prefer the exterior AND interior styling on the LS. I drove a GS400 and and an LS400 with a friend of mine back in 98 who ended up getting the LS. The GS was faster, from what I remember, however the LS is much more of a quiet, smooth luxury car.

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LS is one class ahead GS, like BMW Series 7 vs. series 5 or Mercedes S class vs. E class.

So if I can choose, LS is my choice definitely given that purchase cost difference is not considered

resale value does say a lot about a car and since you'll find that the 2nd gen GS commands a hefty premium over a comparable LS, you might infer that the GS is more suitable overall to a broad range of potential owners. Don't get me wrong, I love my LS, but I'd trade it for a GS400 in a heartbeat.

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With proper maintaince what can I expect to get as far as engine life?
The 4.0 in either the LS or GS will last you a very long time. I've driven a '98 LS with 235k miles, and it felt like a new car. It's not uncommon for a LS400 to go 300k-500k miles without any problem.

If it were my money, I'd get the 98-00 LS (with hids) in a heartbeat...it's probably the best looking car that Lexus ever put out, imho.

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  • 1 month later...
With proper maintaince what can I expect to get as far as engine life?
The 4.0 in either the LS or GS will last you a very long time. I've driven a '98 LS with 235k miles, and it felt like a new car. It's not uncommon for a LS400 to go 300k-500k miles without any problem.

If it were my money, I'd get the 98-00 LS (with hids) in a heartbeat...it's probably the best looking car that Lexus ever put out, imho.

What's up everyone! This is first response, and I'm kinda excited! This all boils down to preference and what you expect from the car. I owned a 98 GS 300 with 125K and I currently own a 2001 LS 430. The GS was faster, but offered less head room, less interior space, and a sportier ride. The LS has more room and is fast for a big luxury vehicle, but does not offer the same level of driving performance in the GS. Repairs have been very minimal (bulbs, tires, brakes, etc.) on both cars. Either way you look at it, your making a good decision! Good luck!

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With proper maintaince what can I expect to get as far as engine life?
The 4.0 in either the LS or GS will last you a very long time. I've driven a '98 LS with 235k miles, and it felt like a new car. It's not uncommon for a LS400 to go 300k-500k miles without any problem.

If it were my money, I'd get the 98-00 LS (with hids) in a heartbeat...it's probably the best looking car that Lexus ever put out, imho.

Blake, I totally agree with your post! Period. When I was shopping around, the thought of a GS never even crossed my mind. It was an LS or nothing. But that's me. And I think the '98-00 LS400 is the pinnacle of Lexus's execution. It is simply a fantastic vehicle.

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