Cathy

I have been looking for an 2013 lexus gs with pre collision but it seems that used cars are no longer a bargain these days! Prices for used cars actually rose in my market when compared to March and being a cheapskate I do not feel justified paying more for a depreciating asset.

Im now looking at a 60000 miles 2011 lexus gs which follows a much normal depreciation curve. Here are the concerns I have:

1) 3rd gen GS seems to be the most unreliable lexus (I assume low production numbers) reported by consumer reports. I was hoping that buying the last model year of the generation would have resolved all the known mechanical problems. Am I too naive in this regard?

2) is there anything I should tell my mechanic to inspect more closely?

3) I have heard that the suspension can be unnerving at closely spaced joints on the road. I have yet to find a bad road to test it out but I wonder if other users can comment on this?

Thanks in advance!

Steve2424

1) Maybe jumping the gun thinking this as I believe the Consumer Reports piece covers model years from 2007/8-2010 (if I recall correctly). If you want the car, check it's service history, any mileage errors/ discrepancies, accidents and also find ones with miles as low as you can afford. I bought mine with 44K miles last year, now at almost 64K and not an issue so far (knock on wood). 2011's can still be susceptible to the plaguing issues reported; the majority of 3GS issues pertain to the GS300 from what I've read about mostly. Some GS350 owners have "suspected or experienced" issues with their car, but reporting an issue on a public forum, and not really knowing whether the owner dogs the car and maintains it properly are also factors contributing to its reliability.

2) IF you will have a mechanic able to inspect the car I would pay attention to the water pump and fluids. A road test would weed out any potential suspension issues since just checking for leaks isn't a reliable enough method since parts can sometimes be worn away, but show no signs of wear such as axles and struts - and also see how the transmission shifts during the road test.

3) I came from a 2001 Maxima SE. If you want an unnerving suspension, drive one on NYC streets and then drive a GS and see how much smoother and better planted it is when compared to the Maxima lol. A new Honda Accord drives like a dream compared to my Max, so I can;t really provide much insight on this for comparo purposes.
Also tires would play a significant role in whether road imperfections affect your ride, and your perspective on what YOU consider to be a comfortable ride and the type of car you are coming from will have an effect on your thoughts about the GS's suspension.

Love my car, minus the dings and scuffs it has and hope to keep it well past 100K miles if possible.

Keep in mind you are buying a mid-sized luxury car, and all the tech advancements within all the major components open doors to more that can go wrong. Hope this helps, and good luck!

LexusLive

Whatever you do, don't use runflats. They absolutely destroy the ride. This is going to be my next set of tires when my Kumho Platinum's are all done:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....ll+Season+Plus

Gotcha350

If you don't need AWD then stay away from it...if you are buying an. AWD make sure you have a through underbody inspection...especially the exhaust system...look for rust on the body...and most important...service records...I have an 08 with 62k and no problems...shes going in for a check up and oil change Tuesday...

verly6565

i have the 2010 gs350 which is the same as the 2011 ,i think the only differance is the media center snd some internal engine modification but im not sure ,Since i bought it i finally have a trouble free car,the tires are run flat pirellis which are silent on the road,




the media center is updated to series 6









if you get a warrenty from lexus get the tire and wheel package they replaced two front tires
and refinished all four rims

alSpeed2k

We have a 2011 AWD that we bought almost 2 years ago. It's running great! We need new tires soon and I will likely get the Continental DWs (summers). Only thing I don't like about it is the massive wheel gap. :P

Cathy

Unfortunately the 2011 gs 350 with 60000 miles I was looking at was sold. I had wanted to pay $25000CAD out the door for it.

However, I got myself a 2013 26000 miles top of the line (pre collision, radar cruise, night view....) lexus gs for $47000 CAD out the door for it!

The extra $22000 was hard to give up but I figure since I drive my cars for at least a decade I can afford to spoil myself a little.

Thanks for the help everyone!

verly6565

nice post pics when you get it