Deven

Riviera Red and Flaxen interior.

Well, the car arrived this evening. Managed to get home after work, and send my wife on an errand while I took delivery.



Car definitely looks outstanding, and I love the color even more in person.



Of course there was a little matter of bird poo and dust, and had little time, so I gave it a quick wash and even got to squirt some of the Carpro Hydro2 I had just bought.



and some more washing (love the Led lights, but no fog lights, oh well...)


Love the interior as well, the Flaxen is georgeous



The wheels are nice as well, I think the grey goes well with the color of the car



My plan was to get the car dried and in the garage so when she pulled in she would see the car in her parking space, but I miss judged the time, and she got home as I was drying it but she certainly was surprised and truely loves the color (thank god).

Problem was it was pretty dark when she took it out for a spin, so I have not set everything up for her, but her immediate comment was the car was not as 'smooth' like her old GS (in all fairness, she likes the disassociated feel, and quiet ultra smooth/soft ride, but that will never happen when I buy the cars in the household, lol).

Latter that evening I took it out for a spin, and I am shockingly surprised on how stiff the suspension is. Similarly the typical disconnect that was there with my 03 GS is not there. Now this car is no where as precise as my 911, but it is definitely stiffer and 'noisier' (not engine noise as the car is very quiet) than my Ranger Rover. I can see what my wife was talking about not being 'smooth'. I think I am going to have more fun than my wife with this one (if she lets me drive it......) as I think Lexus really did nail sports sedan with this one.

I'm a little tired now after all the excitement, but I'll give the details (options) and try to get some 'better' pictures this weekend (along with my story on the quest for a GS hybrid and how I stumbled across this one......)

Deven

I love cars. Perhaps to the point of getting too attached to them. Immediately after my oldest son was born, I 'needed' an SUV (being a Yuppie and all), as there was no way I am driving a mini van (even though they are way more practicle). Now I do my research like everyone, perhaps ad nauseam, but at the end I know what I want. The LX 470 was a no brainer, and in 2001, it was the 1st Lexus (even before LS) to have a Nav system. Well I had to have it, and get the most obscure color available, thus blue vapor (which is beautiful). Love the truck. Over 160 000 miles but has seen much less action these last 2-3 years.

After my wife got a new job, and after my second child was born, we needed a more reliable second vehicle. We had a 1997 Nissan Maxima, but in 6 years, all sorts of minor things started creeping up. With 2 babies (not quite, but close), we needed reliability and some comfort. Briefly (and I mean very briefly) looked at a few competitors, but the GS just blew the doors of all the competition in its price range. Got another obscure color (blue marlin pearl), and it has been my wife's car for the last 13 years. This has been extremely reliable. Have been taking it to the dealer religiously till about 2 years ago, where it was noted there are oil leaks, and would cost a lot to replace all the seals. Seems to be a common problem. About a year ago the radiator 'popped' and the car shut down in the middle of a busy road which was a pain, but got it fixed. The suspension is floaty, and after reading some of the threads here, probably the ball joints need to be replaced. Now there might be a minor transmission fluid leak as well. 160 000+ miles, and my wife likes the car, but it is showing its age (kids totally trashed that car).

There are so many nice cars out there, but none that I think can be considered as reliable as my two Lexus (or Lexi if that is a word). Seriously considered the Tesla, but somewhat pricy, and for a car in that price range, the finish is far from premium. Only cars I would consider would be the LS and GS (as I keep my cars a very long time). I like the LS, but I do not need a 'big car' as we have a couple of trucks so the GS it was. Though I buy all my cars new, this was the 1st time I decided to go for a pre-owned one. So the hunts begins.

My 1st plan was to get a 2013 GS 350, Meteor Blue Mica. As I started 'researching' I noticed that a CPO loaded GS350 is not necessarily that much cheaper than a GS 450h. Also it seems that Lexus significantly improved the fuel economy for the hybrid GS after 2013, So my attention shifted to finding hybrids. Very small inventory for 2013's hybrids and I do not think I have seen either blue color. After seeing a few red ones, I realized, I like this color a lot more than the blue.

So there was this car in Pittsburg, at a Lexus dealer, 2013 GS450h, with less than 100 miles on it. It had been sitting on the dealers lot for the last 3+ years, and according to the service records, has been maintained (battery changed a couple of times, hybrid system checked, charged, may have even had a couple of oil changes). The dealer took ownership of the car in January of this year, so it was put in service January 2016, and then CPO the car. Silver color black interior, but not upgraded much. At the same time I did find a Red/flaxen 2013, ~28000 miles, at a private dealer in Nashville. Loaded, with all the goodies, but the Carfax said the car was in an accident. The dealer said all they know is that the drivers fender was replaced. Now I know for many that is a red flag, but the price was good (~$33 000), and miles were relatively low for a 2013, but alas, was in an accident.

In the middle of the night I had an epiphany. In 2003, I bought my wifes GS new for $42 500, and now 13 years latter I can get an essentially new car for even less. This one loaded with new technology and a hybrid to boot, I had clarity in thought and realized this was an amazing deal. I decided that I would buy the Silver one from Pittsburg. No big deal that it was not the color I wanted. So in the morning I email the dealer, and of course I get a reply back that they had just sold the car the night before.

Some what disappointed, I started searching again, there was a black/black one in LA from the dealer CPO, 22000 miles, loaded, but 2 prior owners though. No way my wife keeps this car clean. There a Red/black one in Houston but not CPO, and does not have the Luxury package, and is higher milage (36000).

I turn back to the one in Nashville. They are accommodating in that they will let me have the car checked out by anyone I want. After procrastingating, and realizing that there are so many cars involved in accidents (I think >15%), and modern day repairs are phenominal, if the car checks out I will buy it. So sure enough in the evening I send out an email to the dealer making an offer, and then get note back that the car had just been sold an hour before.

So here I am thinking WTF, cars sitting on lots for years, and I am missing out by hours. So I figure, might as well get the 2003 GS fixed up. Start ordering parts (Spoiler was broken so I ordered a new one), door actuators not working so I start ordering parts, start searching for a mechanic to change the engine seals, order new leather to get the center console repaired (there is a tear), looking to get the parts for the front lower ball joints and tie rods, etc, etc.

I am fixated in getting a Red/Flaxen hybrid, but want some of the nicer options. Figuring that maybe I should not worry about the color as much, I should just give in and get whatever is currently available. I keep searching on and off and include newer than 2013 (I have yet to see any 2014's and almost no 2015's). All of a sudden on a Sunday morning, see that there are 2 2015's at Lexus Monterey. Not much details, no pictures, just colors, and milage. Super low milage, for both, so I send a quick email inquiry, and promply get a response back with PDF files with the full spec sheets.

The red was an F-sport, reasonably loaded, no Luxury package, no Mark Levinson (or so I thought). Now I was not looking for the F-sport, but the color combo was perfect. I wanted the triple LED lights that in prior years only came with the Luxury package, so I was not sure if this one had it. Called up the dealership, found out why they were low milage (apparently there is a local company that leases only hybrids, so they had 1 year leases on both of them and returned them). They had just come in the day before so were not even prepped or checked over by the dealership yet, but they were going to be CPO, and get their service done. Carfax was clean, so I bought it. I was not going to be denied this time waiting or procrastinating. Sure it was signifianctly more than I had planned on spending, but then again it is 2 years newer, and very low miles.

Best part was that Lexus financial was having some sort of spring deal for CPO cars 0.9% on the GS, and 1.9% for others. More of a reason to get a CPO and spend little in the cost to finance.

At the end, who knows why things happen, but missing out on a couple of cars by hours leads me to this one, and after getting it yesterday, I am so glad I did not get either of the other ones. What is interesting, is that it DOES have the Mark Levinson system, The spec sheet that he sent via email was not the original factory sticker, and when adding up the options in retrospect, it came short of the original MSRP. The original window sticker was in the manual, the numbers are correct. It probably was a typo that they forgot to add on what he sent me, but I consider that a pleasant surprise as I had mentally accepted that there was no M/L.

The triple LED lights I guess are now standard for F-sport Hybrids, and no longer part of the luxury package. It seems that the Luxury package does have the LED fog lights however. Don't need them as they would be for aesthetic reasons only. Otherwise the car is well spec'd out:

Riviera Red/Flaxen
Blind Spot Monitor
Head up Display
Mark Levinson
Navigation
Power Trunk
Intuitive Park Assist
Lexus Dynamic rear Steering
F-sport Package (of course)

So I got the car I wanted after all (and more). So maybe things to happen for a reason.

I will push the car this weekend, to see how it really handles. It seems many people hate the OEM tires which may be contributing to the harsh ride. Tint I will do as it gets really hot here in AZ. Probably either the 3M crystalline, or Spectra Photosync. I have the Huper Optic on the old Lexus and my 911, but that is old technology.

Im2bz2p345

Awesome post and such an amazing read! Thank you for sharing your story and glimpse of your beautiful vehicle. I noticed that slightly used (especially CPO) hybrids go fast because they depreciate quickly and that "premium" that one pays for a hybrid new (MSRP) dwindles down to very close to GS350 prices.

Btw, I think you may be the only owner of a GS450h F-Sport in the U.S.! There is only other person who owns the hybrid F-Sport and that's sapik in Czech Republic. How do I know? Well I am "friends" on CL with pretty much every other 2013+ GS450h owner or enthusiast, lol. Here is a thread with pictures of Sapik's ride, which he modded slightly: https://www.clublexus.com/forums/gs-...ml#post9364668

^^ That might give you idea if you're into modding. I'll PM him to let him know that he finally has another hybrid F-Sport buddy on CL

Also, go with Spectra Photosync! It's definitely worth the premium for the advancement in technology - there is literally nothing like it in the market. If you care about maximum heat reduction in your interior, don't even look at anything else. I'm in TX, which like AZ, gets scorching hot during the summer months, and Spectra Photosync tint makes a big difference.. especially if you leave your car out in the sun for any period of length.

You can check out the link to my ride in my signature. I'm done only a few mods to improve my car (not much aesthetically), which may give you other ideas if you're interested in any of those. Ooo, I just noticed that we both had our vehicles shipped on the same brand of trailers! yay haha.

All the best,

~ Im2bz2p345

ThomasGS4

iTrader: (19)

I wish I could say this is true, but alas, it is not. The GS and LS had factory Nav as an option starting in 1998.

GXtoGStoLS

It really does sound like it was meant to be, Deven! It also sounds like we have been on the same rabbit trail over the last several months. You are right about the good ones moving fast. I saw one here in our local area a couple months back and did a little bit of internet sales negotiating, and the dealership was not very amenable to negotiating. I'm glad that one didn't work out because I did better, just as you did. That Pittsburgh car really was a huge temptation and a great deal! Once I saw that, I spent about two days searching cars.com for all the 2013 cars (of all brands) that are brand new and out there for absolutely rock-bottom prices. I had no idea there were so many leftover cars out there in the world. I think they dropped the price of the Pittsburgh car recently, and that's probably what got it moving. It was around $45K when we looked at it earlier this year, but it was priced around $40-41K (can't remember) before it sold. Someone got a great deal. Maybe they'll show up here and tell us about it.

I love that you surprised your wife with the car. She'll get used to the different ride, but I would guess that after so many years with her old GS that she is very attached to it. I came from an LS to this GS450h, and there is a slight difference but really not that much. It's less floaty but in a good way. I feel more alive driving this car than I did the LS. The LS was a driving snooze-fest for me, even though it was one crazy-nice car. I liked being driven in that car more than driving it. I can't get enough of driving the GS450h!

Your red/flaxen is just beautiful. As my local salesman put it to me, "you have a very rare car!" There is something kind of fun about being different from everyone else.

Note to Im2bz: I saw your comment in the welcome to GS thread, and I will make a post here in this subforum to answer your questions soon. I'm in Dallas and have only seen one 4th-Gen GS450h, and that was about two months ago. It was white.

1111GS

Congrats on your purchase. I have seen a hand full of Hybrid but have not seen an F Sport myself.

IMO it is well worth it to replace your OEMs. I can't tell from the pictures what tires you have but probably Dunlop or Bridgestone. I test drove and made sure my dealer would swap out for Michelin for me. Some say you lose a some handling over Dunlop but all I feel is significant road noise reduction. I wouldn't get this car if it was equipped with Dunlop or Bridgestone. I'm in the hot zone too but I chose to keep this one tintless. I want people to see the empty inside so they have no intention to break in. Plus, Cabernet is pure beauty... so is Flaxen.

Deven

Well then, thank you for correcting me.. It has been a while so I probably got my facts wrong, but I thought there was something special about the Nav unit that year (maybe not), perhaps it was the 1st for the LX series then?

Deven

Ya, it is the Bridgestones. After spending ridiculous amount of money for high end tires on the Porsche (P zero's and PS2's), I realized that there are some very good tires for almost half the price and twice the tread. I have Hancook Ventus (V12 evo 2) currently and they have actually been very good. I will check to see if they are available in the GS Sport size, but I also have them on my GS 300, so they should be available. Feel bad swapping out tires with less than 4000 miles on them, but something I will consider for sure.

To me at least the sun is very unforgiving here, and destroys the inside. The IR reduction will save the leather. I think that Spectra Photosync has a 70% and 3M might even have a 90% (people use these for the front windishield) tints. Something to consider to keep the clear look, but protect the inside (if the car gets exposed to the sun).

Deven

Thanks for the kind words, and I certainly will check out changing the LED in the trunk for sure. I was initially gung ho to do the fog lights, but the OEM fog lights for 2015 seem to be in the bumper (the colored part even more lateral) and not in the black area like in previous years. I am kind of a stickler for the OEM look, so I will wait to see if there is a retrofit option at some point.

Deven

Thank you for your kind words as well. Ya, the price they were asking was less than $42K. I bet it sold for $41K (or even less). Again, '4' year old car that was essentially new, but has the stigmata of being 'old'. Loaded 2013's with 20-25K miles are being sold for ~39K CPO, and <35K private, so despite low miles, it will take a significant hit in depreciation these next 4 years.

Only think I am not a big fan of, is the mouse to control the screen. I understand why they did it, and I suppose it will be a good thing as most things can be done voice activated. But wow, definite leap in technology compared to even my 4 year old Range Rover.

Can wait to get home and 'play' with the car this weekend (I know it is my wife's car, but I am way more excited than her, lol.).

Sevn86

Congrats! So the GS450h F sport is a factory option in the US? I had no idea.

Im2bz2p345

Yup!

In North America, the F-Sport package first became available with the release of the 2015 model.

It wasn't around in 2013-2014 in NA, but was available in other countries around the world.

~ Im2bz2p345

GXtoGStoLS

Deven, has your wife warmed up to the car yet? I hope so! How can she not, after all! ;-)

Deven

She has. I was going to post a follow up this weekend, with some pictures. The car is getting tinted today, decided to go with Specta Photosync. She is getting 'used' to the car, and as such has grown to appreciate it even more. I think immediately going from Car A to B, she noted the difference, but now that she has been driving it regularly she truly appreciates the improvements.

I have not gotten to drive it as much, but I jump at any opportunity that comes my way. It fits perfectly in my stable of cars.

Chilton88

Congratulations, this Saturday Lexus Escondido is holding a Latte and Lexus meet. I'm not sure how far you live Seven, but it could be a road trip...