Goliath27

Hi my names ALi, im from cleveland ohio, im lookin into picking up a Gs430, 2001-2002, havent found one yet. and i wanted to ask some questions, maybe someoen can help

1st- im going head to head between 2 cars, teh GS and the Infinity M45(2003-2004), the GS is holding itys value compared to teh M, but does anyone know anything of use about the M to make it not worth my time? or any opinion on teh two

2nd- i see alot of 430's without Navi, and some without even a wood wheel? can i find a wood wheel easy? average price? and teh NAVI, is it worth bragin about, or would i be better off buying a aftermarket one and instalin that? will they still work with the CD-Changer and the Wheel mounted controls?

3rd- i cant seem to get lucky, every car i find that i want(silver on black) seems to get sold or has to many miles, anyone recoment another site other then Cars.com/Ebay/Autotrader/?

THANKS



ALi

Bigbea

Asking opinions in here is gunna be a bit biast. Most will say go with the GS since all of us drive them. They are a great car, super reliable and gotta love the bodystyle. I love my car but hey you never know.

As for your questions...Wood steering wheels is around $500 and can be googled (american stiches I think) but you have to send yours to get it done and they give you a loaner.

Stock Navi is nice but you can upgrade easily to an aftermarket if it isn't included. In most cases the stock changer will not work but not all. Not sure about the mounted controls.

Check on Craigslist in your area. They have alot of cars. GS are somewhat hard to find if you're particular on colors, mileage and options but they're out there.

Good luck searchin...

Spyder78

iTrader: (7)

I believe that gs430 all come stock with the wood wheel. Hopefully somebody can vouch for this.

Goliath27

yea i figured on the bias stuff. thats cool, still worth hearing arguments ya know

i found a gs with 75k just like i want it but minue a spoiler for 16,900, problem is he wont budge on the price

who knows


ALi

Bigbea

cash talks!!

LEXUS_KID

iTrader: (4)

First let me say WELCOME Goliath27, Check are lexus vechiles for sale, then ask your self this question from me to you? Are you going to mod this car??? If so then who care's what it come's with you can change anything on a car And cash is KING trust me I no good luck and you will find what your looking for

nate579

iTrader: (4)

IMHO and in order to your questions:

1st: Frankly, Either car is great. I love my GS but if I could've found the right combination in the 1st Gen M45 I would have gotten it. Due to it's exclusivity. Not many was made and not many on the street. Infinity have outstanding reliability no matter what you hear, no they are not Lexus but usually finish in the top 10 or 20 rankings. Usually the proble areas are the weak brakes. So that can be you first mod if you were to get one. And they too, look great modded for example:


2nd: A few early batches of GS430 was produced without wood steering wheel and navi(opt). There are few people on here that have ML w/o Navi in their 430. It is rare, but later batches was geared to fully load up the 430 w/ Nav, ML and wood steering wheels. I think they was optional until mid year when the switched over to standard (refering to the steering wheel). I am sure someone will correct me if I am wrong, but that was my understanding from a few lexus service reps. So there are a few out there.

3rd: Be willing to travel to find the car you want. I purchased my GS in another state about a 2 hour drive away from my home. It was well worth it. I usually don't recommend extended warranties but if you were to go out of state to purchase a vehicle I would talk to my credit union or AAA if you are a member, to purchase a minimum coverage, just in case. (expecially if the car have excessive mileage and you don't know what maintenance has been done, which you should bypass anyway, but.????). But reliability on GS's are great and as you know us lexus owners take care of our rides.

I hope this help and I am sure there are other knowledgable entities on here that can give you even better advise. But don't discount the M45 I love that generation and can't go wrong with either purchase.

Goliath27

haha thanks for the replys, LEXUS KID, is that a custom paint job, i would belive so, just gonna ask anyways. looks great

NATE, thanks, i love the exclusivness of the first gen M too, but its so hard to find the right combo of stuff in the car, were as the gs430 has just about the right combo with every car lol

anyone know how i can find the stats on both cars to compare them? see the Hp and 0-60's on em, stuff like that


thanks



ALi

JMgs300

You didnt mention your price range but here is a great car with all the options and only 7k miles. Its in NJ which is not that bad of a ride from ohio...

*Also has the CPO warranty*

http://www.lcpo.com/cpo_podetails.ps...0430&year=2005

Goliath27

lol yea price range,, should a clerified, im lookin to stay under 18



ALi

LexFather

M45 is cool, very very good used car buy. Think about it though, there is a reason it didn't sell or do well. Its cramped inside, handles poor and actually lost to a GS 300 in a comparison!!! The engine is a beast though and it is different to own.

The GS is well a GS. Its a Lexus, it was the first shot from Japan in this mid size segment. It won multiple awards and comparos. It is classic, still fast, still looks new and well, Nissan made a copy of every one of its sedans based on the GS.

Go for the GS. Besides, you didn't even spell Infiniti right, lol. No brand, no prestige, but nice cars.

nate579

iTrader: (4)

Yea your right Sicklex, Infiniti is one of my favorite passwords. I agree on the reason it didn't sell, but for the price and the mods out there. It is something to consider. My wife wanted one before we purchased our home and the GX. And she droll over them. I usually paste a picture of a black M45 on my fore head to get her in the mood. LOL. And Goliath, anything you find in that price range is gonna have at least 80,000+ miles on it. Hopefully you get one that was grandfathered to death. Also don't discount a GS400.

Neophyte

Goliath my brother has a 2004 M45 and I honestly think they are both nice cars. IMO the GS is roomier and more comfortable, but I do think the M45 handles better than the GS in stock form.

I am one of the rare people who have a GS430 without a wood wheel with Navi and ML.

DASHOCKER

iTrader: (2)

The 1st gen m45 has so much more technology than the 2nd gen gs3/4..Intelligent cruise control, and voice recognition for climate control, radio & nav are just the tip of the iceberg. I love the look of this car since it looks like a 60's musclecar. The slogan for this car by Infiniti was "The intelligent muscle car" I stil have a dvd that I recieved from Infiniti called "The muscle car with brains" in which they peg the m45 against a 69 Dodge Charger and a 69 Plymouth Baracuda.. Very rare car the M45... I would rock it

Compare interiors...

Lexus GS 430




03/04 Infiniti M45

Goliath27

haha u guys are cool as wat, well i talked to the people at the M45 forum a while back, the one thing they did warn me about is that the motor if not properly broken in, would burn oil, and they said i had to look for one that had the oil changed every 3k on the money and such

u SURE teh m45 handles better?


ALi