ckindley

Sorry if this is not allowed. But i do not currently own a gs300. I have plans to buy one in the coming days. I came here before my purchase to get some advice. I have found 2 beautiful 2003 gs300s with low miles(97000 base model black on black and 108k white on black sport design) but both have salvage titles. The owner of one sent me pictures of the damage and it didnt seem to be nothing major( mainly left headlight assembly and bumper) didnt appear to have any structural damage. And the body work looks flawless. Im wondering what the value would be of thes 2 vehicles and if it would be "ok" to purchase one of them. My searchhsearch has yeilded little results limited to over priced, high mileage and junked cars. The asking price of both are 7800 for the one with 97k and 6000 for the 108k. Im selling my current vehicle with in the next week and would like to be in my new gs by next weekend. So having said that, im looking for a decent gs300 in the southeast area (nc, sc, ga)

Again, i apologize if this is the wrong place for my inquiry.

saulgs430

That price is about right specially with that mileage its hard to find a gs like that for that price...these cars are well known to go past 200k miles if taken care of.

ckindley

Even with the salvage titles, 7800 is a good price? Dont that affect the over worth of the car?

mveale

iTrader: (5)

Salvage title cars can be pretty hard to put a value on, because it varies with each buyer. Some will not even consider a salvage title car, others will at a reduced price, and some people don't care either way. One thing is for sure: Your prospective market for salvage cars is smaller than it is for clean title cars.

As for a fair price, it really depends on which type of buyer you are. I paid $5700 for a clean title, beautifully maintained, black on black '99 GS400 with 142k. The car's only issue is a scrape on the front bumper from a parking lot. There is no way I would pay $7800 for a salvage title GS, but that's just my opinion.

Run a CarFax on both and see when/why the title was branded. Because these cars are older and pretty inexpensive now, it's not hard to believe that some moderate, non-structural damage that happened recently would cost enough to total out a car. If it happened back when the car was nearly new, then you can be assured there was major damage. Also, often times the CarFax will describe the damage that totaled it. If the seller is showing you pictures of minor damage and the CarFax shows that the car was totaled due to a flood, you know you're working with a shady seller.

GS30inAZ

ckindley. Welcome. I'm actually selling a 2003 GS430 if interested. I'm new to the forum but have owned my GS since 07. Its a great car, 162k miles and still a strong runner, clean title. Good luck on your search and PM me if interested. I'm in Arizona.

ckindley

What im running into is high mileage gs with a high prices. I.e 02 base gs300 202000 miles for 9000.00 or lower miles 130000 for 12-13000.
I have wanted this car since my buddy had one in 99. Now i can somewhat afford one..... and i cant find one. So, im stuck with the option of over paying or buying the salvaged ones.

Thanks for the replies!!!

ckindley

Unfortunately I wouldn't have any way of getting there to pick it up. Im all the way in charleston,sc

ckindley

http://myrtlebeach.craigslist.org/cto/4824519782.html

Found this one. 4500.00
143000 miles. Which has me worried. Never had a car with miles that high. Is this one worth it?
He says it has New brakes, front and back, didn't change rotors. New battery put in before the trip down. Timing belt was changed around 100k I believe but I have to double check. I believe the only code it has is emissions, which I believe is irrelevant in SC because no inspections are mandatory. mpg's are good though because I got over 500 per tank on my trip. Small odds and ends I can tell you about if you're interested.

tmf2004

iTrader: (15)

Welcome to the forums.... PM me with any questions...

GS30inAZ

The ad says the title was "rebuilt"

That one might be decent for the price if you don't mind a 6 cylinder.

If that deal doesn't pan out I'd be willing to work with you on the price of mine and help get it transported to you. It was originally bought and owned in Kentucky for the first 40K miles of its life and has been in rust free AZ since 2007.

mveale

iTrader: (5)

Well, you've kind of answered your own question:

People won't pay top dollar for cars that are nearing the end of their usable lives. The fact that there are GS's for sale with 200,000+ miles that are still bringing close to $10,000 should be a good indicator that you're buying a solid, reliable product.

My GS400 just hit 143,000 miles and it feels more solid and reliable than a lot of cars I drive at my work with less than half that mileage.

Of course, this all varies from car-to-car and has a lot to do with how it was maintained... So let's take a look at yours:

- Brakes: He pad slapped it, which can be fine if the rotors were in good shape and have been replaced in the car's life. If he slapped a new set of pads on the original rotors, he's probably an idiot.
- Battery: Self-explanatory
- Timing belt: If it was done at a dealer, it should have a sticker on the engine block that has the date and mileage of the change written on it. If that's not there, ask for a receipt from a repair shop.
- Check engine codes: Buy a code scanner or have someone else scan it before buying. "It's just an emissions code, no big deal," is the oldest trick in the book.

ckindley

Thank you sir! I definitely will. Still trying to figure this forum out. Lol

Seize

Welcome to Club Lexus and best of luck on your GS search

ckindley

I got the carfax on this car. No flood damage. Description on there matches the pics. It was a in a wreck maybe a year ago. But, avg loss off retail is about 30 to 40 percent. Which is way off 7800.00 lol.

Caniac14

Hey there and welcome. I'm in NC. I wouldn't worry about mileage too much on any GS. The 2JZ i6 and 1UZ v8 are both very good long lasting motors if well maintained. Had 250k on stock motor in my 96LS (1UZ) and it ran as smooth as ever. I am about to hit 200k on my 98GS(2JZ) and it's smooth as well. Any of these cars with good maintanence records are good. Especially high mileage single owner cars. That single person didn't get it there without taking care of it.

As for your pricing, I got my 100% mint 10/10 black on black 98 for $3,500. Granted the dealer had it accidentally listed as trade in price instead of private party sale, but the NADA value was $5,500. And as I said mine is mint all around. So the 108k at $6k is good price! And I'd haggle the price down to 7 on the other car. Granted you find out what caused them to be salvage titled.