Ripper

gsean400 - hilarious. I'm 6'1"...and shrinking. I held my Nikon CoolPix directly over my head and tilted the screen so I could see the pic I would get. It turned out OK but I forgot to close the sunroof. go figure.

ThomasGS4 - Sweet ride. The lip, grill and wheels come off very nice.

MattyG - Thanks, man. and good point about about the design era. But what do you mean by future proof? Seems new car safety and performance keep getting better everyday.

gsean400

I agree future proof 100%. Just to think the 1uz/3uz engine out performs the newer v6 stangs and camaros is amazing. Talk about thinking ahead 15 years and not even labeling it a sports car, great styling, easy on insurance and best of all reliable.

MattyG

Yeah basically as gsean400 says, the car's engine still holds up well compared to newer vehicles. The 4.0/4.3 has very few peers and as you already know, put the hammer down and...

On the safety front: the car was designed with that in mind right from the start - very stiff platform and very solid, especially from a side-impact standard. It's what makes it a heavy car.

Front side curtain airbags on the A pillar, front seat-mounted side airbags. Dual front airbags. Seatbelt pre-tensioners. Emergency brake assist. Decent stability control system, snow mode, and you can even turn off the VSC.

My eye wanders too. It would take about $10-15K more and I'd be sitting in a IS350. Love the design and it has everything a GS does but nicer mod-con features/styling etc.

I love the German cars (in fact I drool over some models)... but I also know that constantly lifting the hood on a off-warranty Bimmer, Merc or VW/Audi is the same as playing the house in Vegas. You might win... and then again...

BLK13X

I still love the styling of the 2GS. To me, to this day, the shape is still something special... inside and out, especially in clean, unmolested form. The downside of the 2GS is that they are getting a bit long in the tooth... I've owned mine for five years now.

I was tempted to trade in for a 3GS just to be in something newer but the only real reason for the trade in would be for the 4.6 V8, as the 2nd gen GS430 was never available here in Australia. Unfortunately I personally think that the styling (moreso the interior) doesn't have the same special 'feel' that the 2GS does (I don't know, the 2GS 'feels' more Lexus-like). Nowadays the only car I'd really give in to trade would be a 4GS F-Sport.

Saying that, if I were in your shoes I would definitely hand it down to my kid. That way I could control the way it was treated out of my hands (lol) and you can buy whatever tickles your fancy.

newgsman

iTrader: (4)

I was in the same boat a few months back. In fact I was also in this boat before, way back when I bought my GS4. At that time I had a pristine 1992 Cressida which I really enjoyed driving and maintaining. When I bought my GS it took about two years to wean myself off the Cressida. That car was handed down to my daughters. I managed to keep it well maintained for a number of years but eventually time and kids took its toll on the car. I finally sold it this summer with close to 400K on the clock.

A few months back bought myself a 2012 ISF and I also decided to keep my GS. Now that I have the ISF I appreciate even more how great a car the GS is. The ISF is a very special car in it's own right but the GS is truly a car for the ages. At 16 years old it remains incredibly smooth quiet comfortable and fast. I test drove many cars in my search for something newer and there is hardly anything which matches the GS. I suspect that eventually I will be letting my youngest daughter start driving it and it may well go the way of my Cressida but it's still going to be in my driveway for a few years yet. I am enjoying the GS to the point that I am thinking I might just get an older corolla or something relatively cheap for my daughter.

I would recommend that if you can afford it, keep the GS and also get a new car. Then you will really see what a great car it really is.

GSteg

iTrader: (15)

Put a little less grease on the tires and you'll be okay.

I would pass the car down to your son long before selling it. At least you can keep an eye on it and try to teach him all about driving privileges. If he can tame a 300hp RWD sedan at 18 years old, then he'll be fine down the road.

It's too hard for me to let go of my GS even though I don't do anything to it anymore (other than maintenance). I bought another 'fun' car a couple years ago, but I would sell it before the GS any day of the week.



.

Ripper

gsean400 - It's definitely a well-designed, powerful and safe car. Yes, the 2GS definitely holds up well compared to current designs.

MattyG - I have an eye for the other Axis power also - maybe a 2010 535i. But I'm a litte concerned about maintenance and that the G might look better than the bimmer in my driveway

newgsman - good stuff. I'm now leaning toward handing it down to my boy and teaching him.

GSteg - You made me laugh out loud. Thanks for saying what everyone was thinking...I guess I got carried away dolling her up before her big comeback pics. Seriously though, he'll either tame her or put her in the ditch. I'll probably give him the chance though.

Thanks for all the input guys. I had almost forgotten how great this forum is. I'll let you all know what I finally decide.

Arcadian

That's a great looking car. Keep it if you possibly can and get something very different for fun. I know these will never be 'collector' cars per-se, but I think they will only get more special as time and attrition progress. Agree with other post about not selling to an idiot who will trash it.

Ripper

Hey fellas.

By way of update, I decided to keep her and see if my son would take of her and do right. The jury is still out but I may just do a "repo" and have my wife drive it instead of her SUV. I won't go into details about the repo, but let's just say you have to earn luxury.

Here's a pic of my new (to me) 2010 BMW 535i Msport. Less luxury, more sport. With a Cobb tune, she is freakin beastly. The G still feels nice though. I pushed her around for a couple of hours this past weekend. She still has the hammer.

Later for now.

tmf2004

iTrader: (15)

Nice looking 5 series....

MattyG

Sweet, Ripper. Looks like you have the best of both worlds. That's one of my fave colors on the Bimmers. Hope it works out for you. Bet that 5 is an eye opener in the handling and road feel department.

DMPesso

so how does it feel compared to the GS? the fact that you can even compare such an old car to a new one worth like 5 times as much is pretty nice. I love the 2GS, classic!

rudyH

What a silly post! You're not married to Lexus. There are a lot of great cars out. I think Lexus is out of necessity moving to. younger demographic that wants hot cars. I'm OK with that. I like a lot of them. But it's a competitive world and the bar is high. Audi and Mercedes are still far from Lexus in reliability in my opinion, but they are getting better. I think my next car will be an RC convertible if they make one, but who knows? Life is short. Drive what you like. You can always buy another Lexus. It's not a cult.

GSJake

iTrader: (21)

Oh man.. you have not been on here long enough to understand. It IS a cult. LOLZ>
Typically people who have been on here get the opinions of other members they have gotten to know.

I will through in the typical response when people buy the bimmers..
Ripper.. you will be back!

ThomasGS4

iTrader: (19)

Oh yes. Why else would I have two of the same car, granted ten years apart, in my garage?