Need Repair Advice

[SHAWNGS300]

What up guys? I have a 1998 GS300 with 125,000 miles on it. I need to spend about $1,500 on repairs for:Ball Joints,Crank Position Sensor,Valve cover gasket,spark plugs & stem seals,coil rack, & wires. I just spent $700 for a new ECU(main computer). Also just spent $900 on front brake calipers,rotors,& pads.

Back in January i spent $1,500 for some electrical problems and a new starter,and o2 sensor. The cars body, interior, and A/C are all good, still has a smooth ride. Everthing else works good, I only drive the car average 3000 miles a year, my weekend car. Do you guys think i should invest the money on the ride, or sell it fast? Is it a money pit or if i repair everything, when i'm done will i be problem free for years?

[Captain Meeks]

Man you raise a hard question.. I have the same problem with a 92 25th Anniversary edition Camaro...does your car hold any sentimental value or anything...that is the reason my Camaro is still on the road...over the years I have spent in the neighborhood of around 15 to 18 thousand...body work new motor...rebuilt trans... new leather interior.. special dash lights...stealth ram air..B&M shift kit....so on and so on.... all in the name of sentimental... personally there are alot of good cars out there...I just keep it around because its the car my wife and I had when we got together. If it would have been a horse it should have been shot when we met :( ..but, I just kept on to it..now its like one of the family...lol... If I had it to do over again... well there would be one less in the family.. :chairshot: ..for what i spent .. and still continue to, is crazy... Thats the question you need to ask yourself.. what is the car worth to you... I personally would opt in your position to probably keep...it looks like most of what you spent has been or will be regular maint...other than small electrical problems...even then your dealing with a 10 year old car... sorta expected...

[RandyM]

Personally, it sounds to me as if most of the $ is being spent on Maintenance items that are inevitable. The only thing that didn't was the ECU---How about the A/C? Does it ride well? Ask yourself this: If the car is for sale and you knew all that had been spent on it, would you feel fairly comfortable buying a 125,000 mile 11 year old GS 300. I've had 3 since '95.

[djspawn00]

Sounds like you're paying higher than average prices for your work... sell me the car.

$1500 for some "electrical problems" I can't fathom what would run that high....

You're GS hasn't even reached its midlife crisis in terms of mileage, i can't imagine why you'd be having all of these "problems" although a lot of stuff just seems like basic maintenance that you're paying way too much for.

[SHAWNGS300]

Sounds like you're paying higher than average prices for your work... sell me the car.

$1500 for some "electrical problems" I can't fathom what would run that high....

You're GS hasn't even reached its midlife crisis in terms of mileage, i can't imagine why you'd be having all of these "problems" although a lot of stuff just seems like basic maintenance that you're paying way too much for.

-Well let me brake it down: The electrical problem the car wasn't starting (clicked but didn't turn over, turned out to be the starter), the fans did not come on to cool the engine when car was idle some relays were missing, the wiring was screwed up by some fool i use to have working on the car, dealer had to get everthing back to spec. That was the $1,500.

The brake job for $900, i guess i got robbed. The ECU the car wasn't starting, cranked but won't turn over, immoblizer on ECU wasn't see key with chip. Now if i spend another $1,500 will i have any other problems to look forward to with a car this age & milage? That is the question ?

Also Anyone out there with a GS with more miles than me? And what did you have to change?

[mlgs300]

Sounds like you're in deep. Of course you can resell for more by listing what you have had done to the vehicle so the next owner does not have to worry about those things. Instead of sinking more big bucks into it, why not use that for a nice down payment on a newer lower mileage GS ?

[LovetoPartyLFD92]

I have a 98 GS 300 with 127,000 miles on it, and like you, it is now my weekend car. I put about3-4k a year on it for mileage. My Honda CRV is my main use vehicle. Just look at the NADA Book Value of our car, $9000-10000. It ain't worth *BLEEP* without the repairs. I changed the ball joints to the tune of $500. Brake job, about $750. Timing belt with water pump, another $600. Shocks and struts are next, probably $800. The parts for Lexus are goddamn expensive. Half the time you need to order the parts through Lexus, because aftermarket parts companies don't carry it. The rotors are like $280 per set, and pads are alot too. God forbid you need a new brake caliper like I did, $350 just for the part! Again, the water pump was 3 bills, just for a little pump! I suggest finding a reliable, trustworthy mechanic with a good reputation to work on your Lex. The Dealer will stick it up your !Removed! without KY. The dealer was quoting me $1400 for the timing belt and the maintenance associated with that interval. My local mechanic did it for half that, and the *BLEEP* is done right! I made a mistake of getting an oil change at Lexus of Portland to the tune of $100! But i ate fresh baked cookies and drank starbuck's coffee while waiting...I plan on racking 200,000 miles in this Lex, as many before us have already done. I think this car has been extremely reliable and is very well built. I still get inspection stickers and the inspection shops can't believe my car is a 1998! I am a firm believer in you get what you pay for AND preventive maintenance must be kept up with! Any other questions, just ask.

Chris

[djspawn00]

I have a 98 GS 300 with 127,000 miles on it, and like you, it is now my weekend car. I put about3-4k a year on it for mileage. My Honda CRV is my main use vehicle. Just look at the NADA Book Value of our car, $9000-10000. It ain't worth *BLEEP* without the repairs. I changed the ball joints to the tune of $500. Brake job, about $750. Timing belt with water pump, another $600. Shocks and struts are next, probably $800. The parts for Lexus are goddamn expensive. Half the time you need to order the parts through Lexus, because aftermarket parts companies don't carry it. The rotors are like $280 per set, and pads are alot too. God forbid you need a new brake caliper like I did, $350 just for the part! Again, the water pump was 3 bills, just for a little pump! I suggest finding a reliable, trustworthy mechanic with a good reputation to work on your Lex. The Dealer will stick it up your !Removed! without KY. The dealer was quoting me $1400 for the timing belt and the maintenance associated with that interval. My local mechanic did it for half that, and the *BLEEP* is done right! I made a mistake of getting an oil change at Lexus of Portland to the tune of $100! But i ate fresh baked cookies and drank starbuck's coffee while waiting...I plan on racking 200,000 miles in this Lex, as many before us have already done. I think this car has been extremely reliable and is very well built. I still get inspection stickers and the inspection shops can't believe my car is a 1998! I am a firm believer in you get what you pay for AND preventive maintenance must be kept up with! Any other questions, just ask.

Chris

ahhh you poor guys... you can get OEM parts online for like half the price!!! but like this guy said... find someone other than the dealer to do the work.

i.e... i got my water pump for $170... not $300... although paying $600 for a timing belt job is awesome assuming all parts were included.