TBone12

Hey guys, im over on the Ls fourm, i got a '96 ls400 with drop, wheels, and the like. Im thinking about getting either an '07,'08 gs350 (or hopefully a 460 if I can find one) for school next year.

So, what is y'alls experience with the car and how do y'all like it.

Thanks for the help, and maybe i'll be a apart of this fourm too.

LIMS407

not sure what ur price range is but u could get gs for really cheap now,,,i think most of members here like their gs except the rattle issues which can taken care i think (maybe not for some),,,good luck

*Batman*

For the 07 and 08 model years I think it was the best car in its class. I think the BMW, Audi, and Infiniti probably had a little better build quality (e.g. less likely to rattle), however the Lexus tops the bunch on reliability and powertrain quality. Plus the Lexus corners really well - look at the C&D test stats. It matches BMW on skidpad and beats all the others.

I'd give the Jag XF a look as well if its in your price range.

808LexGS

I've had my 2010 GS 350 for just over 2 weeks now and I love it. It's a good time to get a new one b/c of the special lease offers. The car is real smooth, quiet, and is pretty quick.
The interior is what I like about it the most. High resolution nav, led interior lights, high quality leather, etc.

mr3gs300

I have a 06 gs300 and its great, got nice pick up smooth ride, I have the dash rattles but with the music on I barely hear it, only if I hit a bump hard. but besides dat its a great car

TBone12

Thanks guys, yea I really like the interior and it's got such a streamline/aggressive look about it which I really like. Anyway my price range is around 30k. Where does the rattling come from? other than that I love the lexus reliability; my ls400 has been in the family for 14 years and has never had any problems.

LexRoc

I picked up my 07 GS350 a few months ago after being out of the Lexus game since 05. Have to say...I love it.....one of the nicest cars Ive owned

tekjunkie

I got my '10 GS recently. It's just ok. The acceleration is so so but I got the 350 because I need awd. The ride is kinda hard. The car was in the shop a couple of times this past month and the two loaner cars (ES and IS) had better rides. They both took the bumps nicely. With the GS, even the small bumps give you a jolt. I wish I could do something about this. That said, I'm satisfied with the interior except for the ventilated seats.

KingTX1981

That's too bad...why has your car been in the shop already?

I got my 2010 GS350 within the past few weeks - AWD also...I've been really happy with it.

Nice styling, plenty of opportunity to modify, and I'm a huge fan of the interior. The subtle touches are what make it really nice...Haven't had much issue with the ride quality, and it does have some kick - I drove a V8 benz for years before this and the acceleration is comparable.

Anyways, my assessment:

jtrue28

^tek - Does it have run-flats? If so, that's a lot of your problem. You can't compare the ride of the ES to the GS. The ES client base is older women. They have larger profile tires and the suspension isn't as tight because it's not meant to be a "sport" sedan. Not sure which car you're coming from, but in my experience, the ride quality is night and day from most other cars.

*Batman*

I had same experience with my GS460 regarding the ride (although my acceleration is awesome!). The problem is the run-flat tires. Even with the best run-flat tires they transmit all the bumps!

I changed the tires and the ride is much better. It will never be as soft as ES but it should be comparable to the IS. It's a pretty sporty but still luxurious ride.

If you want maximum comfort you should buy one of the following tires:
1) Bridgestone Turanza Serenity
2) Michelin Primacy MXV4

I know its painful to buy new tires for a brand new car, but trust me you won't regret at it. The runlet tires not only give a bad ride, but the vibrations damage your car and cause rattles over time. I wish I had made the switch earlier!

Here are some quotes from tire rack on what Lexus 3GS owners said about the Bridgestone Serenity:

I8ABMR

I love my GS but she is not a perfect car. My car is dropped aggressively on coilovers with F sport sway bars and the car still handles like crap. The steering is numb also. There are some rattle issue as well.

What I do like about the car is the quality of the car, the silence of the cabin, the stereo is decent, and the service quality is stellar. All in all I think I wanted a sports sedan when I bought my GS but ended up with a luxury car instead. Over the past 3 years I have grown accustomed to driving this boat and learned to appreciate its strong points. I would buy another Lexus just for the service quality but I will check out Infiniti next time to see what the new M feels like in a few years. I miss being able to toss the car around. I miss having the car surprise me at how well it holds the road

*Batman*

It's funny you say that because if you look at Car and Driver's tests, the GS can pull the most Gs in its class on the skidpad. It is the only car that can pull 0.89G on the skidpad. The others are not even close. The reason - the other cars are too heavy.

Here are car and drivers test results:
2008 GS460 0.89G
2008 BMW 550i 0.89G (no longer available)
2011 BMW 535i 0.86G
2011 Infiniti M37 0.82G
2010 Audi A6 3.0T 0.88G

And it is worth noting that while Audi's score on roadholding is high, it was running Michelin PS2 tires in that test. The other cars were all on Grand Touring tires, and the Lexus was on Standard Tourng tires. I'm sure my car with the Michelin PS2 exceeds 0.9G

tekjunkie

To respond to the previous posts...

My car has been in the shop for the ventilated seats. They simply don't work. The shop couldn't find the problem so now I just don't use them. It makes me hotter when it's on.

My previous five cars were MB's and a BMW. All were V8s and the GS350's acceleration is disappointing compared to them. A poster asked what I'm comparing it to, they were high end cars (more expensive than the GS) so I'm not purely comparing it with the ES loaner that I had. I only compared it recently because you would think that the GS would have a better ride. My MB SL had low profile tires with the sports suspension and the ride was much smoother.

If, in fact, it is from the run flats, thanks for the suggestions! It's such a shame to replace them when the car is brand new. There are definitely rattles in the dash. Annoying as hell.

This forum is awesome. Many of you seem to give really good feedback. Thanks

*Batman*

If you're coming from a German V8 engined car you will of course find the GS350 to be disappointing in acceleration. V6s don't have anywhere near the torque. You should have bought a V8.

Mercedes Benz does not use run-flat tires at all because of the ride implications. Runflats have been adopted broadly by BMW and some Lexus models. Your SL drove smoothly because it the tires were able to absorb bumps. If you put softer regular tires on the GS I'm sure it will be even smoother than the Mercedes.

Trust me - it's definitely the run-flats. I had a BMW 330Ci with M-Sport suspension and regular tires before getting the GS460. And that had a smoother ride than the Lexus. It doesn't make sense and its entirely the tires. With the new tires the ride is softer than the BMW in regular suspension mode, but similar in Sport mode. Your car only has regular mode so you should find it comfortable once you change the tires.

A lot of us have swapped out the run flat tires, and I did it with just 800 miles on my car. It's a shame but its worth it.