UDel

My GS430 was "totaled" last week from a rear end collision so I am unfortunately in the market. I wanted to just replace my 2nd Gen GS430 because I love that car/engine and I don't really care for newer models out but there are none anywhere near me and 2nd Gens of similar mileage(105K miles) as mine are hundreds of miles away and are going for a bit more then the settlement value they are giving me(trying to get it up) so I will likely have to step up to a newer model. Worse thing is the damage to the car is barely noticeable and it is perfectly drive able, it is just the damage to the spare tire area/exhaust pushed it over to being considered totaled which is so disappointing as everything else is in such good condition.

Anyway, I looked through the 4th Gen forums and have not seen much about issues with the car but wanted to know what should I look for especially with cars with some miles on them, any issues popping up, anything to avoid. I am not getting anything new or too recent, this is the 2nd major damage not at fault accident I have been involved in that simply could not be avoided in less then 2 years and I am having to avoid collisions more and more due to distracted drivers/cell phone users so I am going to avoid spending much.

AJLex19

Sorry to hear about your 430 - i had a 2nd Gen GS430 as well and loved it. Traded it in for my current 4GS.


There are a bunch of minor issues here and there with the 4GS but nothing crazy since the powertrain has been around for a while. I've had the driver seat cracking, a few rattles but that's all. I have 51k miles on my early build 2013 (first registered in april 2012) and no issues. Have not been back to the dealer for any issues (My warranty is good until May 2018).


Helpful thread: https://www.clublexus.com/forums/gs-...ngevity-2.html

Jeevz

AJLex19 is right, there are no real issues with the 4GS. Have a look at the latest posts here - we've been relegated to discussing whether we have pushed the SOS button or not due to the lack of problems...

er34

4GS will be a great upgrade you won't regret, but if your totalled car is in the condition that you say, why don't you buy it back as salvage car after getting paid out and get it fixed up?

e60bmw

iTrader: (1)

Go for the 4GS, there isn't really any major issues that crop up. Look up boards with other competitors to the GS like the f10 BMW or other models. Alot of those cars are riddled with know problems or defects. Its one of the reasons why I went with this car. I'd go with a f-sport if I could, ended up with my current model because of the deal I got but the f-sport would add some nice extra features.

UDel

Thank you for the replies.

I don't want a salvage title. I may have problems insuring the car with a salvage title, have to look into what my policy is and state regulations are and it will be very difficult to sell and will take a lot of value away despite the car being in great shape, most dealership won't take them. I know it is only the age of the car and the extreme high cost of repairing even minor accidents that is making it a total loss, the accident was not very bad and damage is simply not very significant but I never dealt with a salvage title and do not think I want to. If I had another car of my own I might just do it but not for my daily driver.

As far as upgrade, there are some nice things about the 4th Gen GS but I am going to miss that torque and smoothness of the V8 in my GS430 the most, the 6 cylinder just did not compare. I wish I liked the 3rd Gen GS as I could still get a V8.

ChronoR

Could look at the 450h. It has low end torque because it's a hybrid. I certainly have no problems with its smoothness.

MustangSal

What he said!

kamskeez

The 4GS will be a great replacement! No major problems I'm aware of.

SW17LS

Honestly trying a 450h is a great idea....

UDel

So far it has been tough finding any around me. I took a quick look at a base GS350 and it did not even have heated seats. I could not believe they made GS's without heated seats, I was not even aware they were not standard. I was pretty disappointed and immediately turned me off, there were low end Acura's with heated seats standard all around it, most Accords had heated seats. Even the salesman was not enthusiastic how such a expensive car was equipped and admitted I might be disappointed with it.

Has anyone bought out someone's lease? Did see one guy on Craigslist offering that, the GS looked pretty nice but I would have to research that a little.

I am not really interested in hybrids(unless it is a NSX) plus GS hybrids are extremely rare, I have never seen one on the road.

e60bmw

iTrader: (1)

Where do you live? Check on ebay around 500 miles. Lots of dealers use ebay for listings, also use cargurus.

SW17LS

I'm not into hybrids either, but the GSh and LSh aren't like other hybrids.

AJLex19

You may want to consider a 4GS with the Lux package. Coming from a 2nd Gen GS430 myself, I felt like the Lux package 4GS behaved most like my 2nd Gen - very smooth, very comfortable and lots of creature comforts. I too miss the serenity and strength of the V8 but have found you sometimes need to compromise.

If the GS-F is in your price point, that's the 4GS that you might like most!

spoogenet

Seriously, where do you live, I'd like to ensure I never drive there! I curse the texting-while-driving scourge of the road!

4GS is a great car. If you look around on the forum, you'll see there are a variety of "common" things with the 4GS, with the main complaints being low MPG, noisy sunroof seals, and maybe worn out shocks (especially in the lowering springs crowd). Having a Lux package myself, I highly recommend it. The AFL and 18-way front seats are my main favorites.

The main things to look for in a used one are the features you want! Besides that, the usual things of any used car, such as accident damage, shoddy repairs, etc.