Help!! GS 400 or 430? what year?
11-10-01, 08:30 PM
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Help!! GS 400 or 430? what year?
Hi Everyone,
This is my first post. Im DONE with my Honda EX 4cyl. After test driving GS 400, BMW540i and CLK 430, I have recently decided that I MUST own a Lexus GS. I definitely want a 400. Anybody with any opinion on which used Lexus they think is 'the one', Id love to read it.
Im not planning on racing but over time would love to make some subtle after market improvements to the car's performance and handling.
In other words, with all your that you guys have learned through research and your own experience....(what if any) are the major differences between say a 98 400 and an 01 430? Other than the huge diff. in price.
Obviously money is an issue..otherwise Id have to guess a fully loaded 02 GS 430 would be an easy choice!
In short, what should a guy know before deciding upon 'how much' to spend on 'which' GS4? Is mileage an issue, stay under what number? L tuned yes or no? stock 16's and upgrade myself? factory spoiler yes or no? etc etc etc.
Any pointers would be greatly appreciated. Wish me luck!!
This is my first post. Im DONE with my Honda EX 4cyl. After test driving GS 400, BMW540i and CLK 430, I have recently decided that I MUST own a Lexus GS. I definitely want a 400. Anybody with any opinion on which used Lexus they think is 'the one', Id love to read it.
Im not planning on racing but over time would love to make some subtle after market improvements to the car's performance and handling.
In other words, with all your that you guys have learned through research and your own experience....(what if any) are the major differences between say a 98 400 and an 01 430? Other than the huge diff. in price.
Obviously money is an issue..otherwise Id have to guess a fully loaded 02 GS 430 would be an easy choice!
In short, what should a guy know before deciding upon 'how much' to spend on 'which' GS4? Is mileage an issue, stay under what number? L tuned yes or no? stock 16's and upgrade myself? factory spoiler yes or no? etc etc etc.
Any pointers would be greatly appreciated. Wish me luck!!
11-10-01, 09:47 PM
#2
Lexus Fanatic
madmax,
welcome. you should put this thread in the gen GS to get more response. here is the info you need:
98 gs4: ~$28-32k, for ~40k miles.
99 gs4 ~$33-36k, ~30k miles
00 gs4 ~$36-39k, 20-30k miles
it does not matter whether the car is dealer certified. i ahve sen wayyy too many certified that is nOT worthy of title, or price. look for all serial # stickers on all body panel. if any oen is missing, that often means an accident/fender bender was involved. have a good tech guy/dealer do a pre-buy inspection, run www.carfax.com check. and if the seller has all service record, even better.
also i would try to find one that still has some factory warranty left. may be 99 and on with less than 40k miles. this way you can try to find things that nned to be replaced free under warranty. the options that you mentioned such as factory spoiler, and wheels, these are not as vital as the cleaniness, adn condition/title of the car. if the prices are right for the right car, go for it, adn add them on later.
if you have $551.5-52k+fees for the 02, go for it. other wise be patient and look for a pre-owned gs400-the best value money can buy.
430- little more torque, rain repellent wind shield, side curtain air bags...these are the major ones
400-e-shift, auto, or manual shifting, your call.
l-tuned suspension, steering ecu, all must have. steve at carson toyota (1800-90-toyota) has great prices.
welcome. you should put this thread in the gen GS to get more response. here is the info you need:
98 gs4: ~$28-32k, for ~40k miles.
99 gs4 ~$33-36k, ~30k miles
00 gs4 ~$36-39k, 20-30k miles
it does not matter whether the car is dealer certified. i ahve sen wayyy too many certified that is nOT worthy of title, or price. look for all serial # stickers on all body panel. if any oen is missing, that often means an accident/fender bender was involved. have a good tech guy/dealer do a pre-buy inspection, run www.carfax.com check. and if the seller has all service record, even better.
also i would try to find one that still has some factory warranty left. may be 99 and on with less than 40k miles. this way you can try to find things that nned to be replaced free under warranty. the options that you mentioned such as factory spoiler, and wheels, these are not as vital as the cleaniness, adn condition/title of the car. if the prices are right for the right car, go for it, adn add them on later.
if you have $551.5-52k+fees for the 02, go for it. other wise be patient and look for a pre-owned gs400-the best value money can buy.
430- little more torque, rain repellent wind shield, side curtain air bags...these are the major ones
400-e-shift, auto, or manual shifting, your call.
l-tuned suspension, steering ecu, all must have. steve at carson toyota (1800-90-toyota) has great prices.
11-11-01, 02:27 AM
#3
Lexus Fanatic
Will pretty much covered all the basics...
To answer some of your other questions...
Factory spoiler - This is up to you. I have never been a fan of factory spoilers but my '01 GS430 came with one (couldn't get the "fully loaded" model without one)...but now I'm glad I did...the more I see GS's w/o the factory spoiler, the more I think it doesn't look quite right...but it's entirely up to you...
Wheels - if you plan on getting wheels, DEFINITELY don't pay more for 17"s or chrome wheels...save that money for some good quality wheels...
L-Tuned - Ltuned makes several things. The sideskirts are nothing special...I'd rather get a whole body kit (but that's me), the steering ECU is a MUST. The spring/shock combo is up to you. I prefer to have coilovers so that I can control the height of my car rather than getting a mild 1" drop from the L-Tuned setup...
As for everything else, I suggest you browse through the GS forum (along with the Wheels forum, Maintenance forum, and even the Classified forum) to learn more...
Personally, I would buy a '99 or up...'98 was the first year and although there are no major problems (it is a Lexus afterall), I'd still feel better about getting a model year after the original intro...
To answer some of your other questions...
Factory spoiler - This is up to you. I have never been a fan of factory spoilers but my '01 GS430 came with one (couldn't get the "fully loaded" model without one)...but now I'm glad I did...the more I see GS's w/o the factory spoiler, the more I think it doesn't look quite right...but it's entirely up to you...
Wheels - if you plan on getting wheels, DEFINITELY don't pay more for 17"s or chrome wheels...save that money for some good quality wheels...
L-Tuned - Ltuned makes several things. The sideskirts are nothing special...I'd rather get a whole body kit (but that's me), the steering ECU is a MUST. The spring/shock combo is up to you. I prefer to have coilovers so that I can control the height of my car rather than getting a mild 1" drop from the L-Tuned setup...
As for everything else, I suggest you browse through the GS forum (along with the Wheels forum, Maintenance forum, and even the Classified forum) to learn more...
Personally, I would buy a '99 or up...'98 was the first year and although there are no major problems (it is a Lexus afterall), I'd still feel better about getting a model year after the original intro...
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