thebandit3

So I am totally new to lexus. Ive done some reading and from what ive read basically barring setting the car on fire you cant kill it. So i test drove a 99 GS400 yesterday and loved it . It has 105k on her and the seller claimed in the future the valve gasket/cover? needs to be replaced. Said it was leaking a bit. Hes asking 5K and wont budge. Any tips or info would be great guys!

RamAirRckt

My first Japanese car was my 138k mile GS I bought in late 2011. I have 237k now and it runs just as good as the day I bought it. If it has a good maint history, in good shape, doesn't need tires, etc and it well maintained, $5k is a fair price.

Watch for rust if you live in the rust belt like I do. I front of back wheels and behind are where mine are showing. Very small. And on corners of windshield.

I have nothing broken on mine, it runs super smooth and is a ball to drive.

I haven't seen any leaking valve covers on mine. Watch for oil leaking from the PS pump on the alternator. Make sure timing belt has been done, or has history of it. It isn't hard to do if you can handle advanced mechanical work on your own car.

As my friend (who is the first Lexus technician in the state of IL) said, the GS400/430 was the mechanic's favorite car. Easy to work on and hardly anything breaks. It is super reliable and a good car.

Watch for suspension worn parts such as ball joints (creaking, bad, get replaced ASAP, no sooner that!) and worn bushings in "caster arms" aka "Control Arm #2".

Else a very problem free car. You will love it.

Arcadian

You can of course search the site for what to look for, but here goes. If it's in the condition you want for the price (or close) then buy it. Count on replacing a crap load of front suspension parts, beyond the usual consumables like brakes, shocks. Replace timing belt, water-pump, and all fluids. Then you should be good to go for about 4-5 years. GS400s eat starters every 3 years and get weird front-end shakes for a dozen different reasons. But all in all, a beautiful, reliable, fast car that's a relative bargain compared to anything on the road.

JLAWS

Welcome! You probably could easily spend about $2K to $3K getting everything fixed to make it perfect especially if the timing belt service wasn't done. Remember it is a 16 year old car. There will be a lot of wear and tear. Parts will need to be replaced. You can save $$ if you are mechanically inclined and do stuff yourself.

DMPesso

5k is a good deal if 105k is the ACTUAL mileage and if its CLEAN. Personally IMO I would rather take one with more miles for less money because the timing belt was most likely changed already which costs about $1000. If it wasnt changed on this car I would try to bargain as with that mileage most of the suspension probably wasnt changed yet since most of the time it is changed around 100k. You should ask what suspension parts were changed and when...