DMPesso

This is correct but they are different up to 40mph as well. The 430 effortlessly gets to 40mph and if U pressed the gas at the same pressure on the 300. You would be flying in the 430 with a sexy growl from the Engine. I think he gets the point. No ones gonna say get the 300 lol. Let's see what he does

GS4_Fiend

iTrader: (22)

I'm selling my gs430 in CA.

JJaySilver

Wow, that kind of explains why the 300 mpg's are the same as the 430's. 300 has the iron block! Now if it was an aluminum block, it would obviously have a slightly higher mpg or maybe a couple or few HP increase. I wish I was lucky enough to find an 01-05 Silver 430 with black interior under 200k miles. I've spent thousands on maintenance, minor repairs and upgrades already on my 01 300. So to get the 430 now and start spending all over again on maintenance, and maybe repairs to me isn't worth it. I'm waiting to get my hands on the future V8 powered GS350 FSport. good luck with desicion op!

MattyG

And the funny thing is Toyota could have brought over the twin-turbo version of the Aristo over to North America, but I think they were worried about stealing sales from the 400/430 and potential emissions certification issues.

DMPesso

damn now I feel lucky to have my silver with black interior 430 with only 140k ;-)

I didnt think it was THAT rare, but I guess a clean one is very rare

Sykotic336

iTrader: (1)

im not exactly sure how the 430 compares to a 300 as i drive the 300 but im satisfied with my choice ( sexy supra sound ) but if id want more power i would jus drop a turbo in my 300 and call it a day, not everyday you see a turbo gs

MattyG

Oh yeah. Don't ever believe the GS300 is down market. The one I drove briefly was silky smooth and I nearly bought it. The six dates all the way back to the Crown, Cressida, Supra years.

The 400's/430's are for us maniacs who crave rocket-like power and big highway speed

I think the ultimate killer mod for the GS is this: SD model that needs a engine/tranny refresh so you convert to the jdm twin turbo setup and then lower it with coilovers and add some nice 18's. I think its already been done and talked about on CL.

kowala

iTrader: (2)

Take it from someone who's been in a GS400 for 5 years and now has a GS300. The GS3's gearing is designed to provide you with enough power needed to haul the weight of the GS. I was impressed with the performance of GS300 for it being 225HP. It won't satisfy your speed craving though if you occasionally like to get some speed "giggles," as most of us probably do. All of this which has been said already of course. The GS430 will definitely feel like a completely different car and has the missing element that the Grand Sport (GS) needs. IMO go with the GS430 unless you plan on doing the swap down the road. Oh and +1 on the V8 sound, it just naturally sounds better. I sure miss that start up growl every morning.

MattyG

This question of 300 vs 400/430 would have been a harder decision 16 years ago when the price difference between the two cars could have been as much as $10K! They cost a pretty penny, $38-48K.

Now they're used cars that are sitting in the $5-12K range. So yeah the V8 is preferable but harder to find. But I don't think it's a $10K difference.

DMPesso

WELL put! this is precisely why its a NO BRAINER to get the V8. $10,000 more of a car for only $1000 or so. But anyway I think were talking to ourselves because it seems like the OP isn't even here anymore. Maybe he got the 300 and is to embarassed to say it lol.

Lutkis

We're all hyped and excited out here and sharing our thoughts of both of them and meanwhile the OP has decided to go with Volvo.
Hope not.

DMPesso

Main reason I love the GS, inside the cabin it sounds so sexy like a refined, quiter, smoother infiniti sound. I never get tired of hearing it

Alphaman19

I love my GS4 with no regrets. But if I were to do it all over again, I'd go with the GS300 because the GS4 takes much more money/effort to go from 300hp to 400hp. The GS3 can go from 225hp to 400hp+ much easier/cheaper. But that said, I think GS4's 300hp is just about enough for most daily driving.

DMPesso

its more then enough power for the average non speed junkie person, and if your a speed junkie you shouldnt be in a GS anyway because the handling is not good at all compared to a real speed demon car. swapping a turbo into it is gonna cost way more then just having a V8 because theres many things you need to replace and on top of that it will NEVER be as reliable as the stock V8, many things will go wrong, little annoying things...

MattyG

I'm sure the OP has fled by now but hey, that's how it goes. People do that on other forums too. Sometimes a tourist asks for directions and gets the shortest route, the easiest route, and the scenic route.

All I know is that if you told me to spend about $10K on a reliable used car that can do these things:

0-60 in about 6 secs or so.

60-0 in under 120 feet and maybe even less than that.

A ride that balances agility with smoothness... no jaw-breaking crash and bump.

Reliable powertrain, accessories, build quality.

Safety systems left, right and center, both active and passive - this car can save your life.

That's what I looked at when I bought mine. Yes I'm a German car fan but I am not into constantly lifting the hood and fixing things over an over again. Right now this is the car for me and it's a wonderful safe car.

It's got a sloppy ride-biased suspension but I could go spend some dough and fix that too.

And yeah that V8 is one of the sweetest motors I've ever driven. Shove this car's transmission into 2nd or 3rd gear around town and you've got a sleeper that's mistaken for a Camry or ES which blasts off and blows away the traffic.

The yahoos who tailgate, cut you off, and do stoplight races in Redneckville will remember those taillights... because that's all they're gonna see.

Soapbox rant.