From GS to pre-owned RX, suggestions?
09-27-14, 08:57 PM
#16
i went from a 01gs300 to a 07ls460 when my daughter was born(amost 4 years ago). I've had numerous RXs as loaners(once for a whole month, and for 3weeks on another occasion). While loading stroller,bags,playmats is much easier into RX, the ride quality just wasn't smooth enough for my daughter to sleep
Maybe she got used to the LSs ride, but we had a few crazy roadtrips where I had to call my SA and demand a es350.
I personally think you'll be fine with GS and one kid. When the second will be on horizon, then RX or GX is worth getting.
Maybe she got used to the LSs ride, but we had a few crazy roadtrips where I had to call my SA and demand a es350.
I personally think you'll be fine with GS and one kid. When the second will be on horizon, then RX or GX is worth getting.
09-28-14, 03:16 AM
#17
I recently became a daddy and my modified GS is just not the right family car 
I'm thinking to get a pre-owned 2013 RX350. I'm looking at the prices and I see them listed at $40K - $45K. Personally, I think I would never get that amount from the dealer for my GS with 28,XXX miles w/ MSRP of $67K. My past experience tells me that I will get low balled, and only get around $36,000 for my car. Selling the car privately and then looking for an RX is problematic for me, I can't be without a car.
My ideal solution is of course, to go to a dealer, do a trade in, get the RX and drive off without paying a cent. I never done this before, so I would love to hear from people with more experience.
Thanks
I'm thinking to get a pre-owned 2013 RX350. I'm looking at the prices and I see them listed at $40K - $45K. Personally, I think I would never get that amount from the dealer for my GS with 28,XXX miles w/ MSRP of $67K. My past experience tells me that I will get low balled, and only get around $36,000 for my car. Selling the car privately and then looking for an RX is problematic for me, I can't be without a car.
My ideal solution is of course, to go to a dealer, do a trade in, get the RX and drive off without paying a cent. I never done this before, so I would love to hear from people with more experience.
Thanks
09-28-14, 12:28 PM
#18
Lexus Fanatic
Congratulations! I have twins coming in February myself. We had decided to have one...and my wife had convinced me it would be okay. Of course...the universe had a good chuckle at that!
With one, I think something like an RX would work okay. One of the nice things about an RX is that there is a lot of space between the rear seatback and the front seatback, which is good for installing a rear facing carseat. The issue with the GS to me would be installing the carseat. Forward facing would be fine. The RX has more cargo room, and you can load it to the top, use a roof rack carrier, etc for trips...things that wouldn't work so well with the GS.
I will say...you really can't beat a minivan when you have kids...even one. One of the nice things is the ability to take other people with you when you go places. Thats going to be an issue for us, since the whole rear of the Jeep will be full of carseats, if we want to go somewhere with Grandma...she's got to drive as well. The sliding doors make loading them much easier too, configurable adaptable seating. My sister in law has an Odyssey as does my neighbor across the street and watching them loading the vans and the way they work for a family...I see us having one. The rear seats slide way back...no kicking the front seats. Pull down DVD systems are a gift from God. And...while its nice (I mean a loaded Ody or Sienna isn't cheap, like $45-50k) its not so nice that you have to really worry about it getting screwed up inside...like I would with the GS and am about the Jeep.
Issue is...we just leased the Jeep RIGHT before she got pregnant with the understanding that we would stop trying not to have a baby and that if/when we had one, it would work until the lease was up and we'd get a van...of course it happened immediately (like the first time) and its twins LOL...
So I also am staring down the spectre of having to trade my GS for a minivan. We'll have to use the Jeep though for a while at first otherwise I'd have to pay to get out of the GS.
With one, I think something like an RX would work okay. One of the nice things about an RX is that there is a lot of space between the rear seatback and the front seatback, which is good for installing a rear facing carseat. The issue with the GS to me would be installing the carseat. Forward facing would be fine. The RX has more cargo room, and you can load it to the top, use a roof rack carrier, etc for trips...things that wouldn't work so well with the GS.
I will say...you really can't beat a minivan when you have kids...even one. One of the nice things is the ability to take other people with you when you go places. Thats going to be an issue for us, since the whole rear of the Jeep will be full of carseats, if we want to go somewhere with Grandma...she's got to drive as well. The sliding doors make loading them much easier too, configurable adaptable seating. My sister in law has an Odyssey as does my neighbor across the street and watching them loading the vans and the way they work for a family...I see us having one. The rear seats slide way back...no kicking the front seats. Pull down DVD systems are a gift from God. And...while its nice (I mean a loaded Ody or Sienna isn't cheap, like $45-50k) its not so nice that you have to really worry about it getting screwed up inside...like I would with the GS and am about the Jeep.
Issue is...we just leased the Jeep RIGHT before she got pregnant with the understanding that we would stop trying not to have a baby and that if/when we had one, it would work until the lease was up and we'd get a van...of course it happened immediately (like the first time) and its twins LOL...
So I also am staring down the spectre of having to trade my GS for a minivan. We'll have to use the Jeep though for a while at first otherwise I'd have to pay to get out of the GS.
09-28-14, 01:42 PM
#19
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I recently became a daddy and my modified GS is just not the right family car
I'm thinking to get a pre-owned 2013 RX350. I'm looking at the prices and I see them listed at $40K - $45K. Personally, I think I would never get that amount from the dealer for my GS with 28,XXX miles w/ MSRP of $67K. My past experience tells me that I will get low balled, and only get around $36,000 for my car. Selling the car privately and then looking for an RX is problematic for me, I can't be without a car.
My ideal solution is of course, to go to a dealer, do a trade in, get the RX and drive off without paying a cent. I never done this before, so I would love to hear from people with more experience.
Thanks
I'm thinking to get a pre-owned 2013 RX350. I'm looking at the prices and I see them listed at $40K - $45K. Personally, I think I would never get that amount from the dealer for my GS with 28,XXX miles w/ MSRP of $67K. My past experience tells me that I will get low balled, and only get around $36,000 for my car. Selling the car privately and then looking for an RX is problematic for me, I can't be without a car.
My ideal solution is of course, to go to a dealer, do a trade in, get the RX and drive off without paying a cent. I never done this before, so I would love to hear from people with more experience.
Thanks
09-29-14, 07:05 AM
#21
Lexus Champion
Congrats to both SNiiP3R and SW13GS on your upcoming arrivals! I have a 3 year old girl and also a boy on the way.
Our RX has been a blessing with the ease of the car seat and the cargo room. We can easily accommodate two car seats, and a third adult in the second row. We've been more than pleased with it.
The only time it really comes up short, which has already been mentioned, is when we need to carry additional people. Right now, with just the one kid, we can take the three of us plus my parents (or my in laws) with us, all in one car. When junior comes, that will no longer be the case. That's when a minivan would be nice. For now, when we have out of town visitors, we end up renting a minivan. Nothing beats the utility.
Our RX has been a blessing with the ease of the car seat and the cargo room. We can easily accommodate two car seats, and a third adult in the second row. We've been more than pleased with it.
The only time it really comes up short, which has already been mentioned, is when we need to carry additional people. Right now, with just the one kid, we can take the three of us plus my parents (or my in laws) with us, all in one car. When junior comes, that will no longer be the case. That's when a minivan would be nice. For now, when we have out of town visitors, we end up renting a minivan. Nothing beats the utility.
09-29-14, 10:52 AM
#23
Lexus Fanatic
Thanks! Yeah for just the 4 of us it'll be fine...in any event we'll have at least 10 months in that situation to see how big an issue it is.
09-30-14, 09:14 PM
#24
While my GS is in service, I am enjoying this 2013 Lexus RX350. I am loving it, definalty drives different then the gs, but so much more compartments and room inside the car. I love the luxury you get in the GS, but my next car might be an RX. For 1 kid GS should be fine, I would wait till the new body comes out because it seems dated inside compared to the newer models of GS, IS and ES.
10-01-14, 06:26 AM
#25
Lexus Fanatic
Update!
We got one of our car seats as a gift yesterday, it was waiting for us when we got home. So...we installed it in both cars to see how well it fits.
Heh heh.
So this is a Cybex Aton Q, which is like the smallest infant seat you can buy, its very compact. I'm 6' and my wife is 5'10. In the GS, with either front seat adjusted so that it doesn't touch the seat installed directly behind it our heads do not fit underneath the headliner. As in, we have to sit with our heads cocked sideways. It does fit in the center and does not touch either seat adjusted for comfort, which surprised me. So, with one installed in the center its doable. But, with that seat installed in the center niether outboard rear passenger can sit with their shoulders squared, nor can you really leave the base installed and use those seats since the base takes up a quarter of each outboard rear seat.
So...with two there is no way we can use the GS to ever take the family anywhere. We can take one somewhere in a pinch.
Moving on to the Jeep. The seat does not fit behind the driver with the driver's seat adjusted for comfort for either of us. It does sit in the middle and one behind the front passenger fine, the passenger seat has to be adjusted forward but thats not as big a deal as the driver because of the position of the pedals. Oddly enough even in the Jeep you have to adjust the drivers seat a little forward because it does touch the edge of the baby seat when installed in the middle. Once we have to go to a rear facing convertible seat...I just don't see how that would be doable even in the Jeep, and definately not in the GS.
Like I said, there is significantly more space between the rear seat and the front seats in the RX than in the Jeep, so it may be okay. You might want to look at an Infiniti QX60 too, very adaptable inside for an SUV.
So...sadly I foresee a minivan.
We got one of our car seats as a gift yesterday, it was waiting for us when we got home. So...we installed it in both cars to see how well it fits.
Heh heh.
So this is a Cybex Aton Q, which is like the smallest infant seat you can buy, its very compact. I'm 6' and my wife is 5'10. In the GS, with either front seat adjusted so that it doesn't touch the seat installed directly behind it our heads do not fit underneath the headliner. As in, we have to sit with our heads cocked sideways. It does fit in the center and does not touch either seat adjusted for comfort, which surprised me. So, with one installed in the center its doable. But, with that seat installed in the center niether outboard rear passenger can sit with their shoulders squared, nor can you really leave the base installed and use those seats since the base takes up a quarter of each outboard rear seat.
So...with two there is no way we can use the GS to ever take the family anywhere. We can take one somewhere in a pinch.
Moving on to the Jeep. The seat does not fit behind the driver with the driver's seat adjusted for comfort for either of us. It does sit in the middle and one behind the front passenger fine, the passenger seat has to be adjusted forward but thats not as big a deal as the driver because of the position of the pedals. Oddly enough even in the Jeep you have to adjust the drivers seat a little forward because it does touch the edge of the baby seat when installed in the middle. Once we have to go to a rear facing convertible seat...I just don't see how that would be doable even in the Jeep, and definately not in the GS.
Like I said, there is significantly more space between the rear seat and the front seats in the RX than in the Jeep, so it may be okay. You might want to look at an Infiniti QX60 too, very adaptable inside for an SUV.
So...sadly I foresee a minivan.
10-01-14, 10:27 AM
#26
Congrats on the new addition to your family! My wife and I just had our first child 2 weeks ago!
I actually sold my 350z and got the GS when we found out the news. I sold the Z on Craigslist in less than 3 days. The GS is a high-dollar luxury car, so I wouldn't go that route.
Getting a quote from CarMax and your dealer as previously suggested is a good starting point. If you don't like those offers, I'd suggest using AutoTrader. You may have to pay a fee to list but you'll get better leads than Craigslist.
Note to Admins: I don't work for any of the companies mentioned above. I'm just providing recommendations based on my past experience. So don't ban me bro.
I actually sold my 350z and got the GS when we found out the news. I sold the Z on Craigslist in less than 3 days. The GS is a high-dollar luxury car, so I wouldn't go that route.
Getting a quote from CarMax and your dealer as previously suggested is a good starting point. If you don't like those offers, I'd suggest using AutoTrader. You may have to pay a fee to list but you'll get better leads than Craigslist.
Note to Admins: I don't work for any of the companies mentioned above. I'm just providing recommendations based on my past experience. So don't ban me bro.
Last edited by blacksun; 10-01-14 at 10:30 AM.
10-01-14, 10:31 AM
#27
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Congrats to both of the new dads. Having a toddler myself I can assure you that a car like GS may not be adequate all the time. It might work for a while or in emergencies, but if you have more family members or are carrying strollers and stuff they simply eat up space. Even regular grocery shopping may seem like a packaging competition when it comes to loading everything. With one kid, I believe the RX may be best for you. The sliding rear seats may come in handy as well. Any more heads and all bets are off... Go bigger then.
but its definitely not going to be a minivan, at least not until we get a second kid.
10-01-14, 07:02 PM
#30
Lexus Champion
Congrats on being a dad! The dealers always suggest Carmax if you aren't satisfied with their trade because it gets you off their backs and they can make a "clean" deal on just the car you are purchasing. I tried the Carmax route one time and actually received a lower quote than the dealer gave me. It was an '06 M45 Sport with stock features and they asked me if I'd modded it because of the sport wheels. 
Also, remember that if you sell to Carmax you will pay the full sales tax on the RX, where if you trade your GS on an RX you will only pay the sales tax on the difference between the two cars. It really depends on the deal Carmax gives you and whether it is better than the difference in sales tax.
Example:
Carmax outright sale for $36k
RX sale for $45k x 8.5% sales tax = $3,713 in sales tax
RX sale for $45k - GS trade-in for $36k = $9,000 x 8.5% sales tax = $742.50 in sales tax
Using the above example, Carmax would have to offer you $2,970.50 more than your Lexus dealer just to break even.
Take a look at the following article:
https://www.galves.com/t-galvesnfSaveHundreds.aspx
Also, remember that if you sell to Carmax you will pay the full sales tax on the RX, where if you trade your GS on an RX you will only pay the sales tax on the difference between the two cars. It really depends on the deal Carmax gives you and whether it is better than the difference in sales tax.
Example:
Carmax outright sale for $36k
RX sale for $45k x 8.5% sales tax = $3,713 in sales tax
RX sale for $45k - GS trade-in for $36k = $9,000 x 8.5% sales tax = $742.50 in sales tax
Using the above example, Carmax would have to offer you $2,970.50 more than your Lexus dealer just to break even.
Take a look at the following article:
https://www.galves.com/t-galvesnfSaveHundreds.aspx
Last edited by dseag2; 10-01-14 at 07:05 PM.