03LexusGS

Hi everyone! I lost my best buddy, my 2000 ES 300 in a car accident. Guy hit me with his brand new caddy suv in the right rear tire, so the car was totaled. It was his fault and his ins co sent me a check for 9k.

Question.

I've found a nice clean (also white my fav Lexus color) 2003 GS 300 to take it's place, and I would like to know some general summarys on the vehicle. I don't see many of these on the road and I'm wondering why.

The owner says it's a good car, has around 130K on it and it runs sweet, So anyone have any idea/gen maint/upkeep etc on this ca and what I should look for?

Thanks!

yoitskenn

iTrader: (4)

There are a ton of gs300 on the road. It's just hard to tell if its an 03. It's a good car.

SaiyanGS3

iTrader: (8)

OP, first I should say that I'm glad you are away from the ES. That car is just a female car to me lol. You will enjoy the 2nd gen GS. How much does he wants for it. Get a car fax and auto check. Go to lexusdrivers.com and register the car with the VIN to see what work was done to it by the dealer.

Look at the sticky on this site and the suspension page to see the general problems associated with this car. it's better for you to read and understand first before being spoon fed. The motors are bullet proof.

ThomasGS4

iTrader: (19)

First and foremost, welcome to Club Lexus. I guess the GS is still an undiscovered treasure in Tennessee, as they are everywhere in CA and TX. As it has 130k miles, just be sure the 90k service has been performed. (I'm sure it has, but double check) Also, the more suspension pieces that have been replaced, the better off you will be. Coming from a Lexus, I'm sure you're aware they're not cheap! Check to make sure that all of the door locks are functioning properly. There is a DIY to fix the actuators if they are bad, although it's not a fun one. Lastly, these cars are notorious for having a steering wheel shake on the highway at +/- 65 mph. Just be sure to give it a thorough test drive.

Good luck and happy buying!

mexguy89

iTrader: (3)

Great beautiful cars purchased mine January it's a 99 but mannn runs like a Bentley super smooth fun every option except no navi nor seat warmers. You won't regret purchasing it

03LexusGS

Bought it over the weekend! sweet ride and I checked with Nashville Lexus for the national maintenance schedule, and yes the 90,000 mile service was done. This car has lived all of it's life in Memphis TN since mile 1 so no rust or corrosion issues. I love this car...especially the tranny buttons on the steering wheel and it (the wheel) moving up and out of the way when the ignition is shut off. It has the power and (snow) buttons on the console, and I have the original manual on the car so it's time to read and see what I can see! Oh, the car is white kind of pearly white, very nice interior in tan leather and burled walnut.

Thanks all for your input!

01LEXPL

iTrader: (10)

Wow! The insurance gave you 9K for an ES?! Holy ****.

mk2tmr2

iTrader: (1)

Congrats! You should read all the stickies in this forum. It will be very enlightening. Especially those pertaining to the common issues like front lower ball joints or door lock actuators. (Your door lock actuators will fail...it's only a matter of time). For peace of mind, have an honest mechanic thoroughly inspect your lower ball joints in the front. At your mileage, you may just want to replace them to be safe. They are inexpensive and it's a very easy job. When I replaced mine they weren't making any noise or showing any play...but they were in seriously bad shape. I'm glad I replaced them when I did (110k miles).

Beyond that...just enjoy the car! These things are great.

03LexusGS

Thanks! I love this car! Yes, the door actuators have been replaced by the previous owner and he told me it was NOT a fun job, so I'm good there. The lower ball joints I'll have checked out when I bring the car into Lexus for servicing. The guys here at Lexus Nashville are very accomodating. While my wife's car was in for servicing they had not finished with the engine timing belt in time for our NYC trip for the big conference there so they allowed us to take the new 2012 300 450h Hybrid SUV for the week. Normally they do not allow the loaner cars out of town even, so it was very nice indeed that they allowed us to take it.

What a sweet ride! A little disconcerting at first because you really have to put your foot in it when starting from a dead stop due to the electric motor/gasoline engine combo, but once you do it's a very responsive machine; at highway speed we were averaging around 25-28 per gallon. The only recommendation I would give Lexus would be to install a larger fuel tank. The present 16 gallon one could use another 8 gallon capacity in my opinion, and I told the folks there when they asked for performance specs. We did run into snow, ice, and rain, but the car just shrugged it all off due to the front wheel drive, as it was NOT a 4X4.

03LexusGS

$9,820.00 to be exact. I know, I was floored! But State Farm really did well by me. All my chiropractic care was paid for ($4,800.00) plus they gave me an additional $4,500.00 for pain and suffering. I'm retired so I couldn't claim any work loss per se, but I was amazed that they were so generous all around. I have nothing but good things to say about all the people that I was in contact with there.

And I must say that I feel 100% due to my docs care and I'm well and truly healed. I'm keeping him and want to continue adjustments every two months or so because I feel so energized after I leave, AND because I play Solitaire on the machine suspended above the Hydro Bed and so far have beat the computer 5 times! LOL HEY! 5 times out of 36 ain't bad....