Scott1258

i'm looking a buying a 2001 GS430. The one I'm looking at has Nav and ML stereo, 55K miles - appears to be in excellent condition and the owner wants $28K for it. Is this a good price for this car?

I'm also looking at a 1998 GS400 with Nav, 65K miles and the owner wants $22k for the car. Also looks to be in great conditiion with new tires and brakes.

Is the 2001 worth the extra 6K? Thanks for all the opinions!

Scott

dseag2

I haven't done any price shopping on GS4's lately, but in my opinion the $6k is definitely worth it. I'm sure there have been subtle upgrades to the car (other than tail lights and Mark Levinson) between 1998 and 2001. You can also check Kelley Blue Book or Edmunds for market values, although there may be slight variances based on geographic location/demand. Good luck!

bluelex

i agree 6k is big and the only major difference is 10k miles between the 2. u can use thos 6k paying off the insurance 4the year and have money left 2 mod the car...but than agian u can't go wrong here with either

gs400998

I did a quick search using the advanced search at autotrader for GS430 then GS400 under $28K (with price only) for all areas. Only a few GS430 were found and all with more than 50K miles. However there are pages and pages of GS400 under $28K. I didn't read all pages but already found a couple of GS400 with only 29K, 30K miles. If you are interested in less mileage then you will have more selection looking at a 98-00 GS400.

Scott1258

Thanks for your reply. However, I'm not neccesarily looking for a car with lower miles - I was more interested in hearing opinions about is a 2001 GS430 worth paying 6K more than a 1998 GS400 with both cars having the exact equipment (Nav, spoiler, 17's, etc.) and roughly the same miles range. Thank you for looking the cars up on autotrader though.

I'm thinking I found a good deal on the 430 at 28K as most 2001's with Navigation are in the low to mid 30'sK in price, and the ones in the 20's don't have Nav. Thanks for the opinions so far. Anyone else have any thoughts on this please post. Thanks!

Scott
(deciding on which GS)

portcityplaya

iTrader: (1)

Definately if you can get the 430 for that price go for it. I would.

oldguy

I owned a 98gs400 and drove it 48000 miles. Now have a 01430 with 44000. The 01 has the advantage just from the price difference, in my opinion.

But the big deal is that most (all?) 98's have a vibration in the front end. At about 65mph. Very careful balance of the tires can get it gone, only to return in about 3000 miles. Lexus told me there was no fix. Some other CL folks have said they fixed it, but have never responded to my request for information asking if it stayed gone over miles.

My car does not have ML or Nav and I wouldn't let it go for anything close to $28000.

Save some money for sways and Bilsteins and STB and LCB. And for what it's worth, I'd do the Bilstein HD, not the sports. The rebound is too tight over some kinds of bumps. Though, when the road is smooth and I'm going fast, these are wonderful.

The seats are very comfortable for all day driving. The stock sound system is excellent. I love road trips in my GS. Even gets fine mileage.

Scott1258

Thanks for all the opinions! I've decided to go the the 2001 GS430. When I get it I'll post all the particulars.

Now I'm trying to decide between shocks and struts, or coilovers.

The Bilstein PSS system is looking very good. Just wondering how much stiffer it is to the Bilstein/Eibach combo. From other posts the Apexi WS system seems to be about = to stock. And, I'm hearing about the HKS LS+ system but don't know much about it. I don't want to lower the car much - just want great handling that's still comfortable. My current car is a 1993 Toyota MR2 turbo that handles like it's on rails. I love this car! I'd like to duplicate this in the GS but with ride comfort too. Possible? Let me know anyone. Thanks again,

Scott