bbrown23

Hi,
I am new to the forums and I don’t have a GS 430 but would love to buy one. I've always loved the style of the second generations, it just looks so cool! My only concerns are that they are 9+ years old and most that I can buy have over 100,000 miles. Now I know Lexus is a great car manufacturer, perhaps even the best but I’d like to know what I'd be getting into.

Are they expensive to maintain service wise? What about insurance, does it being older help or hurt the monthly cost? Could I get to 200,000 without any major concerns if I took good care of it? Is there a time when problems start with the AC, cd player, etc.? I would really like to get one with 100k - 120k and drive for the next few years with no problems...

I'd love any input you guys would have and really appreciate it!

bigegg

no one knows, cos no one's broke one

Sevenevez

iTrader: (2)

i have over 200,000 on mine and it is smooth as butter

bbrown23

Wow over 200,000 and still smooth, that's pretty amazing! What do you do?

I'm trying to find one that is in good shape, I really want one that doesn't have terrible cracked leather...

DMPesso

Yea the 430 is the same engine basically as the engine that was in the legendary LS400 which if you google it is stated by many reputable sources as one of those most reliable cars ever built. Now the gs430 engine and tranny are near bulletproof which is why most people buy these old Lexus '. The only thing you'll ever have to worry about is suspension parts going bad as the 2GS (98-05) has a very weak suspension and unless your very OCD about driving a car that drives like a new car like me and some other people you can get by without changin anything besides ball joints. Other that then you can drive the car over 300k with normal maintenance with no major issues.

Arcadian

These cars are getting older (mine's 2000 GS400), but a lot of them are/were really well taken care of for the first 5-8-10 years of ownership. So, with that, depreciation and the Lexus initial build quality and high quality materials, these cars are a tremendous value. Now factor in the Lexus/Toyota reliability and the value is even better. I figure this is the best time to get a GS430 because you can get an essentially 'new' $50-60,000 car for what $7-10,000? Last advice, if you are all about modding the car, get a cheaper, more used car. If you want a nice, long term ride spend more for one that's been "well loved." You'll still likely need to do ball-joints, caster arms, timing-belt, water-pump, spark-plugs, brakes. When the dust clears let's say you're into the car for as much as $14,000, what would you rather have, a GS430 or a comparably priced newer, used Accord?

bbrown23

I'm not planning any modding at all. I know, I'm boring! Is it very expensive to get the ball-joints, caster arms, timing-belt, water-pump, spark-plugs and brakes done? Exactly my thinking on the last part too, I'm 18 and this would be my first car so I don't have a ton of money but would much rather have an older GS than a new accord!

DMPesso

Good idea! DONT MOD a Lexus, keep it stock you'll have nothing but problems with the suspension if you mod anything on it. Keep it stock buy new OEM parts and you won't be happier. And to add to the list definitely get the tie rods and upper control arms then you have basically a new car.
Still even spending a couple grand to make the car drive like a new car is completely worth it then buying a newer car that's cheaper like the other guy said like a honda accord. And I can almost guarantee you that a 2001 GS engine/tranny will outlast a 2008 or newer honda in the long run.

DMPesso

And to answer your question no it's not that expensive especially when your buying all the parts from sewell at clublexus discount prices :-). If a few grand is too much all at once for you start for sure with the ball joints, then caster arms and tie rods then upper control arms last since they are the most expensive. Were just telling you because most of us changed everything bits at a time and each time you need an alignment so if you do everything at once you will definitely save a lot of money on labor and alignments!

Sampak

Mine is a '98 GS400, same car same horse power, just smaller engine size. It's got 245,000 miles and from what it looks like the previous 1 or 2 owners before me (I think I'm the 3rd-4th owner?) only did the front lower ball joint/caster arm/rod ends and I just did the right front upper ball joint (control arm really) for $200 from Napa Auto parts. You can go OEM for the little things or aftermarket but that's up to you. I'm getting the timing belt/water pump/pulleys done next week hopefully which is about $1000 give or take. This timing belt setup I think is really the only 'drawback' of the Toyota/Lexus cars as they need this every 90-100,000 miles, as opposed to a timing chain.

Other than that I have to say, I've seen 2 other GS400's and they had cracked leather arm rests and seats, and both were at 160k and 200k miles, but both had decent mechanicals with minor spots of paint fade, and near full records. The one I bought however basically has no records from 104k miles to 245k, other than the previous owners' word that the belt was changed sometime in between. Yet it drives smooth, pulls like it was new (I guess, I've never driven a new one hah) and the interior is not as worn as the other 2.

I paid $4600 which I think is a bit over what I should have, considering I needed suspension parts and the $1000 timing belt service (for my peace of mind), but I don't really regret it. Looks and smells (haha) great like a 5 year old car. Just needs $1500 to bring it up to 'just do oil changes' status.

bbrown23

Wow $4600 that's not bad at all. Now my mission is find one in as good as condition as possible! It seems like in some pictures there are steering wheel audio controls but on others there aren't any was this implemented in the GS 430? and is it just to change songs or something? Also for the ones that do have navigation, does it still work to this day or does it need to be updated or anything? Thanks for the replies, really appreciate the responses!

tmf2004

iTrader: (15)

that is a good price . You can Find them for good deals on Craigslist but most of the time there pretty banged up but every once on a awhile u can find a gem .

Sent from my iPhone using IB AutoGroup

bbrown23

Also why do some of them have gold letters for the "Lexus" and "GS 430" was that a special option or something?

Sampak

I'm not a Lexus techy but I've noticed that too, even on some Toyota Camrys from the 90's and what not. I thought I read it's a 'gold package' thing so basically has some extra hoopla in there.

As for audio controls, I think you'll find it kind of funny and frustrating that even a GS430 ('01-05) had this as an option, for the price they charged LOL -- but here's the fun part, the cassette player was standard even on the GS 430 redesign in '06. No idea whatsoever why Lexus thought that was something a top of the line luxury car should have (well, I guess you can't have enough in a luxury car). But audio controls, hell even heated seats are missing (not standard) on my '98 GS 400. A 430 probably is no different in that regard. And yes it's just the standard audio controls like on most modern cars (radio, tune/seek, volume).

Also, as for NAV system, I don't have any information other than it was some built in DVD or such setup, so basically it's probably outdated and you'll do better to mount your phone or GPS up on the dash whatever. What you want is that premium sound system (Mark Levinson, or Nakamichi?) because I have the bare bones standard audio and the bass is lacking (plus my radio's LCD screen is screwy with no backlight and characters are screwed up on the bottom right where I need to see the bass/mid/treble adjustments).

Anyway, I paid $4600 for mine with that many miles and 15 years old... for a GS430, 01+ you should look for $6-$10 for one in good shape and ~100k miles, otherwise you'll end up with a beater. UNLESS You find a steal of a deal, then go for it! FYI The 3 GS400's I looked at, 16-245k all were asking $5-5300 originally so that gives you an idea on what to expect for a clean low mile 430.

abounly

iTrader: (27)

I have a 01 Gs430 with 178k miles. Still runs strong and halls ***.

Just keep up with basic maintenance and you should be okay!