Hi,

I am new to here and to the Lexus brand. I am looking to buy a car with a budget around 22k. Ideally it is 2-4 door, larger than compact sedan, V6, driver car feel, manual transmission (not happening as you know), no CVT, safe, and can do 250k miles with no major issues. I see 2014 GS350 dealer price around 22k. I was also considering 2017 Accord coupe V6 with manual (hard to find). I would like to keep it for 20 years or so. I am leaning towards GS350 but would like to know what you guys think.

Thanks!

 

GS350 will certainly meet your requiements except manual as you know.
You might also consider the ES too.

There’s a ton of vehicles that fit your requirements like Altima, Maxima, Camry, Mazda 6, VW Passat, Ford Fusion, Hyundai Sonata, Kia Optima, even the German luxury brands, although the repair bills will be higher.

any car CAN go 250k, but any car can also have ‘major issues’ over a trip the equivalent of 10 times around the equator.

 

Welcome to CL as a new poster.

^^^^^ I agree with most of what bitkahuna has said, except that an older ES, in the price-range you are looking at, probably won't give you the "drivers" car feel you want. It is biased somewhat more towards driver/passenger comfort...you cannot really call it a sport sedan. Probably only the latest version with the 45-series tire option (which would be out of your price range) would have the firmer feel you want.

 

Thanks! How reliable are GS350, how strong are engines and transmissions? Any specific trouble area to check, any particular year to avoid/choose?

 

GS 3.5 used in Tacoma. Engine strong.

 

According to Consumer Reports, generally reliable except the early GS300 AWD models from the mid/late 2000s.

 

Actually the GS has very high reliability and the best reliability in most years according to CR.

 

That's what I meant....all the GS models reliable except for the 1Gen GS300 AWD.

 

GS350 Fsport is a great car

 

The first gen GS never had awd.

 

Overall it got an 86 at CR.

 

What is your opinion on these statements:

"The 2GR-FSE engine features the overheating of the fifth cylinder. That is caused by the design flaw. The problem leads to high oil consumption at first and scratches appearance on cylinder wall later. If you read above, now you know the expensive end of that story.

The all GR family has a common problem with unreliable water pump and ignition coils. In some cases, they don’t last longer than 30-50k miles, and that is very annoying. The 2GR-FE has longevity about 200,000 miles (300,000 km). The 2GR-FSE and 2GR-FKS engines are more technologically advanced, powerful, and fuel efficient but less reliable."

http://www.motorreviewer.com/engine.php?engine_id=129

 

Come on, Jill. You know what I mean. I mean the first AWD models (2006-2011). For whatever reason, CR said they had a high incidence of reliability complaints from owners. The rest of the GS line, since then, including AWD models, seems fine.

 

I see what you mean now, when the first Lexus GS awd debuted. Anyways for the record, and according to CR, the 2006/2007 had better than average reliability, and the 2008 GS had the top rating possible. 2009-2012 whee not available

 

I am on the 3rd-gen IS forums quite a bit, and our cars in the 300 AWD and 350 trims have the 2GR-FSE. I think I've seen one or maybe two cases of water pump issues in the 3 years I've been on it. That doesn't include people outside the forums obviously, and the 3IS is still a relatively new car. I wouldn't worry too much about it. If you want the level of driving dynamics and luxury of the GS, you can't do better than the GS in terms of reliability. Comparable RWD sport sedans from Cadillac, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, etc. are all going to cost more to own than a Lexus GS. If you want something uber-cheap to own I'd recommend going with a more mainstream product. But if you want a little more of a premium vehicle that is more fun to drive than average, while also reliable, the GS is a good choice. Hope this helps!