I'm Back!

[nc211]

NC211 has returned to his roots, in the Lexus fields of glory, with a 2001 GS430 with 57k miles on the clock. She's silver on the outside, black leather on the inside. Wood steering wheel, Mark Levison stereo, heated seats, and all the other bells and whistles. Local car, sat in the owner's garage I'm guessing, only drove it 7500 miles a year. $13k out the door plus the keys to the Mazda, inclusive of all tax, title, tag, etc.. Not to bad of a deal for both parties. They were asking $16k. The Mazda was a good car, not great. That engine made some uncomforable noises, and after two idle tensioners, new a/c unit, and several trips to the dealer to figure out what in the hell was making a hissing noise at idle, I finally said "enough of this mess" when the check engine light started coming on recently. Apparently, whenever the temp falls below 45 degrees outside, some EVAC modulars malfunction. A problem mine started having when we moved to Chicago, and apparently the dealers have a tough time fixing. That, and bad windshield clips that lost their cushion in cold temps which caused it to rattle, were enough for me to say "back to what I know". So, I'm back in the family!

First up: New fluids, filters and plugs. After that, I doubt I'll do much. Probably brakes soon though too, as the pads look about 50% worn down.

At the end of the day, this lexus costs us about $1,200 less a year to own!

[dcfish]

NC211 has returned to his roots, in the Lexus fields of glory, with a 2001 GS430 with 57k miles on the clock. She's silver on the outside, black leather on the inside. Wood steering wheel, Mark Levison stereo, heated seats, and all the other bells and whistles. Local car, sat in the owner's garage I'm guessing, only drove it 7500 miles a year. $13k out the door plus the keys to the Mazda, inclusive of all tax, title, tag, etc.. Not to bad of a deal for both parties. They were asking $16k. The Mazda was a good car, not great. That engine made some uncomforable noises, and after two idle tensioners, new a/c unit, and several trips to the dealer to figure out what in the hell was making a hissing noise at idle, I finally said "enough of this mess" when the check engine light started coming on recently. Apparently, whenever the temp falls below 45 degrees outside, some EVAC modulars malfunction. A problem mine started having when we moved to Chicago, and apparently the dealers have a tough time fixing. That, and bad windshield clips that lost their cushion in cold temps which caused it to rattle, were enough for me to say "back to what I know". So, I'm back in the family!

First up: New fluids, filters and plugs. After that, I doubt I'll do much. Probably brakes soon though too, as the pads look about 50% worn down.

At the end of the day, this lexus costs us about $1,200 less a year to own!

WOOT WOOT, Nc is back The forums are one step closer to being the complete package now :D Easy on the pedal there BIG SHOOTER you don't need another ticket after a joy ride

[smooth1]

Nice! Pics?????

[RX in NC]

Enjoy the car. I know you will treat her well and she will return the favor to you many times over....

If you have Denso iridium plugs in that GS, you'll be wasting your money if you change them now - they aren't even broken in yet....

How's the weather up there by the lakes these days? We'll hit about 65 this afternoon here in the Triangle. A perfect day for cruising, and I plan to take the Jaguar out for a little spin as a result....

[cardona6569]

Could not see any Pic, please post. Cris

[cduluk]

congrats on the GS :) I've always loved the style of the 01-05 GS430. I always looked out for one in the blue onyx pearl on ivory but never found one for cheap enough =/

[nc211]

I woke up this morning at 4:15 am, with a feeling that I haven't had in a while, that sense of excitement that a Lexus is sitting in my garage with my name on the keys. I was like a kid on Christmas morning, wanting my wife to wake up. I tried to find any excuse I could find to go drive it "honey, how about I go get us some breakfast". But, as anyone with little kids knows, the real ruler of the house is the one in diapers. So, I haven't had time to really drive it today. The 4runner is the baby buggy when we all go out and about. I'm actually looking forward to a Monday morning tomorrow, so I can drive it to the office! Here are some photos I took this afternoon.... Man, I love that Lexus leather smell, it's unique to the brand, and intoxicating!

RX, we're actually in the same weather pattern as you guys are down there, mid 60's with sun! It feels great outside! The only real bad weather we've had since we arrived was the weekend after we arrived, with 10 inches of snow. We had to fly back to NC that day to pick up our boy from Grandma & Grandpa's house. The 4runner made no issue of that amount of snow. Infact, it was kind of fun to finally drive it in 4 wheel drive. But, this place is ugly as sin in the winter time, that's for sure. Trees are bare, and everything is brown with a light hint of white from all the damn salt on the roads. A few days of good springtime rain should fix that though. We're starting to green up a bit. The 4runner had those plugs too, and I changed them at 60k miles, and made a very nice difference. I think the dealership probably hit the engine with the steam machine, as the car stumbles a bit at idle. Classic case of water "or 87 octane". I've got a bottle of seafoam in it now to see. They lubed everything with armorol so badly, it looks like a s*x toy under the hood. I've wiped a lot of it down. Another thing I need to do is the transmission fluid, asap. The stick shows red, but WAY too much of it. It's overfilled a good bit. Going to the Toyota dealer tomorrow for a case.

Thanks DC! I'll do my best to keep my butt out of trouble! But, with 300 horses under my right foot, that could be a challenge. I've never had a car with this kind of power before. From the reviews, it says it'll hit 60mph in about 5.7 seconds. Way too fast for me " ;) "One thing I really liked about the 6 over the 8 is the managabliliyt of the throttle control. The 6 was easier to drive, and felt more light on it's feet. The 8 definately has a heavier feel to hit overall, more like the LS, and if you push the gas just a little too hard, it'll down shift and launch you like a bat out of hell. It'll take a little bit to get used to that. The 4runner's V8 is the same, and I nearly flipped it over when we first got it with a left turn at a stop light. Had to scoot across traffic, and got more than I had bargin for. Thing practically leaped out of it's skin.

[dcfish]

Schweet, Schweet, Schweet.............. How are you feeling that spoiler ? I know what you mean about throttle control, The l6 isn't the greatest off the line...But after she's rolling and you hit it, SAY: BYE BYE B) Again, Nc A very nice GS you have there . You caught me munching cheetos when I read this thread (No kidding) Had a couple of Newcastles and got the munchies Keep the reports coming ;)

[jainla]

Finally back from the cold! I don't know about DC but I like the wing; not too flashy, not too rice-rocket. Looks nice with the dual exhausts. I drove 2 GS430s when I was shopping back in the day. It's a hell of a car; I was surprised how quick and surefooted that car was for it's size. And loves me some V8 in the morning. You may end up finding a new route to work so you can find some more empty streets to wind it out (I know this from experience).

I agree about the throttle control and the V8; around town my car has 2 modes; granny and rocketship. It seems to really like downshifting from 5th to 3rd (or even 2nd). Once you're going past 40 mph or so you can easily get it to downshift only 1 gear and then LET IT RIP!

[dcfish]

Finally back from the cold! I don't know about DC but I like the wing; not too flashy, not too rice-rocket. Looks nice with the dual exhausts. I drove 2 GS430s when I was shopping back in the day. It's a hell of a car; I was surprised how quick and surefooted that car was for it's size. And loves me some V8 in the morning. You may end up finding a new route to work so you can find some more empty streets to wind it out (I know this from experience).

I agree about the throttle control and the V8; around town my car has 2 modes; granny and rocketship. It seems to really like downshifting from 5th to 3rd (or even 2nd). Once you're going past 40 mph or so you can easily get it to downshift only 1 gear and then LET IT RIP!

I ask about the spoiler because I was thinking of installing one ;)

[nc211]

At first, I wasn't too keen on the spoiler on the car. But I must say that's it's grown on me, quickly. I love it now that I've had a chance to drink a few beers and stare at it, like a 16 year old boy who's stumbled upon an open window at a strip club! My new neighbors have got to be wondering who in the hell has moved in next door! Hahaha! They better not push too hard, as I can easily dig into my southern background and put a few dirty alternators and car batteries on the front porch for display. That'll help the property values around here!

I learned a valuable lesson on my last Lexus, which is don't buy a leased car, especially a "corporate" lease. I also learned another lesson, one that I thought might be the case but was stunned at the level. That is, if you want a good deal on a used luxury car these days, go shopping in the richest part of town. I bought this from a local Caddy/Saab dealer in a very high-end suburn of Chicago. They have two lots full of used luxury cars. Guy said folks are coming in left and right with their BMW's, MB's, Jag's, Lexus, Porsches looking for stuff like Honda Civics to trade on. Said they're taking "whatever we offer, no questions asked". Their making a killing on the spread, and guys like us can get great deals!

Dang, I can't wait for 8:00 am tomorrow! I hear jainla on finding a different route! Unfortunetaly, see that Garmin Navigation gadget on the window? That's the only way I know how to get around this place, otherwise I'm sure my internal berrings would put me right inthe middle of the hood in no time. I think someone should suggest to Garmin to add "fun drive route" to the options for navigation, instead of just "shortest route or fastest time".

[RX in NC]

How do the Chicago car insurance rates compare to what you paid here in the Triangle?

[nc211]

How do the Chicago car insurance rates compare to what you paid here in the Triangle?

They're higher, but not too bad. I think it costs us about $75 a year more. Oddly enough, the Lexus costs me about $10 more a month than the Mazda, thanks to the cost of repairs and that V8 engine. We're with USAA, which for us is just a fantastic operation. I've got both cars financed with them now, and simply can't beat them. Overall for insurance, for both cars, is about $100 a month with $250 deducts across the board.

Love that traction control! We've got some rain today, and coming into the office this morning, I put my foot in it about half way from a stop light. The rear end wiggled, the little trac light on the dash came on, and I was glad nobody was with me, because I just giggled like a little school girl! The car has new Goodyear tires, I think they're called GT4's? I could be wrong, but something like that. Man, I love rear wheel drive!

[Kyle Petree]

That's a beautiful car there NC, I've been seeing a lot of pics of GSs lately and now I kinda want one.

[RX in NC]

Yep, I love big V8s with rear-wheel-drive. You just can't get that haul-!Removed! feeling from anything else. That's one reason why I love my now 10-year-old Ram 5.9-litre V8 pickup so much. Smoked a kid and his buddy in a late-model Mustang at a stoplight yesterday afternoon with my wife aboard and both of us drinking big milkshakes while I peeled out when the light turned green. Man, that kid was *BLEEP*ed (as well as stunned that some geezer in a pickup with one hand around a milkshake cup and the other on the steering wheel just blew him away). He tried his best to catch us but we turned off Leesville Road to head home before he could close on us. Even my prim and proper wife was laughing (instead of chewing me out like she normally would for egging on some pimple-faced over-hormoned kid)....

[nc211]

Thanks Kyle, I'm loving it too, and suggest that if you want one, now is the time to buy one, probably the best time to buy one actually. I bought this one for the simple fact that I did not have faith the Mazda would hold up to the kind of standard I like in cars over the next 3 years. What I'm trying to do is position ourselves now to not need any big ticket items over the next 3+ years. If what I think will happen in the economy, happens, things are going to get quite expensive soon. As the ball rolls, one way to the next, the next logical step in a deflationary environment, is an inflationary one. And if anyone here is (a) old enough to remember, or (B) a student of, the late 70's and early 80's economy, then you know how out of whack it can get. Mortgage rates of 18%, that sort of stuff. So, if you can do it, you're comfortable enough to do it, then I say do it. Just make sure you ask yourself "do I feel comfortable that this will keep me happy for the next few years". The GS series for me, is a firm "yes" to that answer. Big enough for me, small enough for my wife to be comfortable driving it, safe enough for our son to ride in, and dependable enough to not worry about it. Factor in the small distance I will actually drive it during the work week "60 miles total", and gas prices don't really matter, and we're not going anywhere for a few years anyway. I would also try to find one with under 60k miles. At 60k, if the owner didn't really address the fluids in the power steering, transmisison, etc, you're at that point where damage to the internal workings have not occurred beyond a simple flush to fix.

RX, have you seen the movie Dazed & Confused? I'm gonna' start calling you Wooderson. "Livin baby, l.i.v.i.n." "I'm gonna' blow the wood screws clean off your doors Benny".

[blake918]

That's a great looking car Robert! Congrats! B) I think the 98-05 (?) is one of a few cars that look great with a spoiler. You made the right move going with the 8!

[JENunnez]

Wow NC that car looks new, very clean, even the interior looks like new, nice. I congratulate you on a super sweet buy.

[smooth1]

Hey NC, nice job on the GS. It looks great. Very clean inside and out. You'll definately get your money's worth out of that!

Now.......you just have to lower it a little, new rims, tint,,,,,LOL!!! J/K! I actually like the rims that are on yours with that color. They look very classy.

[nc211]

Thanks guys! I'm really enjoying the car, and getting back to my "cruising" persona. The Mazda was fun, but demanded a different kind of driver, as it wanted to be tossed around and revved up. I liked it, but up here on these HORRIBLE roads, a softer cruiser is more inline with the environment. I agree Blake, good choice on the V8 indeed, as I've fallen in love with "juicing" it here and there. Looks like you and I shall continue down the path of lexus ownership!

[Frankie_B]

Congats! I've come to think that this generation GS is one of the best cars on the market today. How soft is the ride though? Does it feel shabby around the corners at all?

[SW03ES]

Congrats, she looks great!

You're tempting me to go out and buy that 06 LS430 I've had my eye on! ;)

[nc211]

Congrats, she looks great!

You're tempting me to go out and buy that 06 LS430 I've had my eye on! ;)

Thanks Steve, I'm loving it more and more. Driving it is one of just a handful of highlights in my day right now. I've put a whopping 28 miles on it so far! Hahaa. But, I've used a 1/4 tank of gas....oh i love that v8 power. We've been tempting you to buy that LS for years now! You're not going to find a better time though, then right now. The only other element that could play into your favor for negotiation purposes, is if gas were back up to $4 a gallon. Used cars are the rage these days, espeicailly ones that can sell for under the $15k window. So, if you're offering them a car on trade that they can sell for around that window, and you want one that is above that window, they'll bend over backwards to do the deal. At least that's what I've heard around here from 4 dealerships. I looked at Infiniti again, and was told they can't sell used I35's fast enough, with some older G35's, but no M or Q series at all, nor the SUV's of any year. I also heard the 03-05 ES series are hard to keep on the lots too, even though there appear to be quite a few more of them around. Searching within a 25 mile radius of Chicago for a 00-05' GS series, only produced about 15 offerings. But, type in LS (01-06), and it was nearly 50 of them. Some of which actually had green grass and full trees in the background of the photos, which tells you how long it's been on the lot. So, I'd say, go buy it! You've waited long enough, and you've earned it!

[nc211]

Congats! I've come to think that this generation GS is one of the best cars on the market today. How soft is the ride though? Does it feel shabby around the corners at all?

If you're asking if it's a "sports" car feel, I'd have to say, not so much. But it's not as soft as the LS though either, with not nearly the body roll. Where I live, it's all flat and stop-light corners, so I can't really comment on how it would handle on "fun" roads. It feels floaty going down the road, but if I make a turn at speed, it seems to hold it's level pretty well. But, it's also 8 years old, so I'm not sure how the struts are in comparison to a newer car. Even though it only has 57k gentle miles, they're still 8 years old.

[SW03ES]

My problem is that this recession impacts my business the same way it impacts theirs...my ES is still a great car and its all paid for. Plus, its high mileage (125k) so I don't know how well I'd do on trade...

Its tempting though ;) If I were in another business I would absolutely do it now, but I'm loathe to part with cash (what cash I have left after the market rammed me up the pooper) and loathe to take on any payments...