My FIRST Lexus was a 2001 GS300 that I bought Sept. Last year..I fell in love with the Lexus brand (I'm really a die hard Honda Fan and still am) and traded up to a 2001 LS430 ULTRA....
The BEST MOVE I've ever done...the LS is a HUGE STEP ABOVE the GS...the ride is sooo much smoother, quieter, a lot more Juice/power over the GS300, a lot more Luxury Item like Radar CC, Massaging seats, Air Suspension, etc. etc....
I can't believe how nice and LOADED this car really is....
Good Luck
Mike