VoodooFarm

Hey guys, unfortunately not a GS owner just yet.

I read through the FAQ but just wanted to get your guys opinions since I'm looking at a GS350. My previous car, a 2004 Scion xB, was totaled recently. It was my first car and I poured my heart into it I really loved that thing, spent a lot of time customizing it and taking care of it. I bought it at 160k miles and drove it to 195k miles with absolutely no problems and just scheduled maintenance. The Toyota reliability makes me want to stay in the Toyota family.

Anyways, I got a few grand from the insurance company for a nice down payment on a new car. I'm looking around and there's a 2007 GS350 AWD, it has 134k miles and the lexus dealer is asking 10.8k. I was looking for a car that wasn't as high mileage and a bit more recent, but I really like the look of the GS350 and I've been researching it a lot and really haven't found anything bad about it. I was wondering if you wonderful owners could offer some insight on the car for me. Any problems that are known with this generation, anything to watch out for, your thoughts on the car, likes, dislikes, what you would change, service costs, and what you think of buying one at around 130k miles.

Any help or insight is appreciated! I'm going to go test drive it this upcoming week probably, but I'd like to know as much as possible before then.

Sodium

Welcome to CL!

If the GS is well maintained, 130,000 miles is nothing – a member here put over 300,000 miles on his GS and did nothing but routine maintenance (he only sold it because he got an LS). Things to be careful of: 1. The water pump should be replaced about every 80,000 miles. 2. Lexus says that ATF WS (the transmission fluid used in the GS) is lifetime fluid, and many people believe this, so be sure that there isn't any slipping or other tranny issues during the test drive. And if/when you get a GS, change the tranny fluid as soon as you can. Also, replacing the diff fluid would be good. The main complaint I've seen here is dash rattles, but there are ways to reduce or eliminate them. Also, if you plan on lowering the car you should get a RWD (lowered AWDs have a propensity for vibration issues). Also, wheel gap is a bit bigger on the AWD than on the RWD. Since you're in Florida, you probably don't need AWD.

As for running costs, it really depends on how much you're able/willing to do yourself. Parts are (usually) not unreasonably expensive

I have a 2008 GS and I love it, it'll take too long for me to list everything I like about it

Also, sorry to hear about your xB

burny

It uses oil more than I would like. Get in a routine of checking it every 1,000 miles or so

VoodooFarm

Thanks for all the info! Yeah from what I've read the engine itself is basically bullet proof and is used in the IS and Camry. I was reading through the forum and saw both the water pump and transmission fluid mentioned throughout this section, so those are two things I'll definitely be looking into. I have seen threads about the dash rattles too, but it seems like there are fixes so I'm not too worried (especially coming from the plastic interior of my xB). No plans to lower. I would prefer a RWD mostly because I'm sure it would be slightly cheaper and I don't need the AWD, but strangely enough I can't really find a RWD from this generation for sale near me even though it's Florida.

Thanks for all the info! Really appreciate it. Going to email the dealer and inquire about the water pump/transmission fluid.

VoodooFarm

I have seen some threads about this. It doesn't worry me too much, I'm pretty ontop of things like that and already routinely checked my xB's since as it aged it did start to use more oil as time went on.

speedkar9

I like my GS350 overall. Decent passing power after 4000RPM, smooth, nice interior, RWD.

However, it is quite isolated from the road, and the throttle and transmission isn't exactly responsive. In stop and go traffic, it sometimes makes the car a bit sluggish. This is typical in most drive-by-wire Toyota V6's cars, where as the 4 cylinders are more snappy.
My car is terrible in the snow and ice, but I'm running Michelin Pilot tires which are pretty much summer tires.

Since your coming from a small car, if you want to stick to something a bit more nimble, you can look at the IS350.

VoodooFarm

I kind of expected it would be more isolated from the road considering it's more of a luxury car than anything. I'm hoping an F-Sport intake could improve the responsiveness.

Ice/Snow isn't a worry for me considering Florida is a solid 70 Degrees in the dead of winter right now.

I've looked at the IS350's before, but they seem smaller and more cramped, more so than the xB. I'm not as concerned about the nimbleness and I actually like the size of the GS so I'm not worried there.

Thanks for your input! I like collecting as many thoughts and opinions on the car as possible to see if anything stands out or is common

Sodium

F-sport intake won't do a damn thing except look nice with the hood open. The best F-sport mods for performance are the suspension mods and the brakes

VoodooFarm

Good to know then. I'm surprised, I know the IS is obviously lighter and more sporty but I've read about an F-Sport intake improving responsiveness in them. Figured it might transfer over.

Any idea if Lexus dealers still sell F-Sport parts for this generation or would I have to find them all online?

Sodium

I'm sure dealers sell F-Sport parts for the 3GS

And whoever said that the F-Sport intake increases responsiveness are just kidding themselves – the intake is just a box containing a filter, and a tube. The stock tube is rubber, and the F-sport tube is aluminum. It may sound a bit better, but since both intakes have exactly the same shape, layout, dimensions, and diameter there won't be any difference for responsiveness or any other performance measure. The only way it could increase responsiveness is if the air filter was totally full of crap and was restricting air to the engine, then when the F-sport air filter that comes with the intake is installed and the engine can breathe freely again, it could make the car feel more responsive

703

You should look at the gs 460. Engine and transmission is a bit more responsive day today.

brucelee1

iTrader: (2)

Mine is an 08 AWD. It is a great car, the only thing I don't like are the rattles. Working on those as we speak.

brucelee1

iTrader: (2)

My GS uses NO oil between changes.

socaligs

iTrader: (3)

+1 with rattles. This is my second GS and rattle monster still reside inside my GS..

ServerTech

I like the engine power, strong brakes and it's very comfortable. No rattles from my car ever since the dealer performed the recall/campaign/service bulletin or whatever they called it years ago. I bought the car new in December 2006, I've never broke down on the road, its been reliable as a pet rock. Dealer replaced the water pump and rear brake calipers under warranty around 28k miles. And some fuel lines/gaskets all under warranty. Have the Lexus dealer look up the service history. Good luck with whatever you buy.
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