kruger

Sounds like its too late but I wouldn't de-badge it.

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.