GS400 is my every day winter car and mostly my year round commuter car. My summer car is my ISF which also sometimes get a rare turn out on a (dry) cold winters day. A good set of snow tires and prudent driving will allow you to drive just about any car in winter.

 

If you are just starting driver and have severe winters with snow and icing roads --- no Lexus pls. Rear drivin type cars need a lot of experience developed throught time and expensive winter type tyres to feel safe. I had FWD type cars, had many years different Subaru 4WD and now already like 1.5 year with Lexus GS300 . Driving in winter conditions needs planning and thinking each minute of the ride . Due to excessive power at your disposal you even must think before pushing gas pedal down... if you don't think-plan-evaluate driving conditions your rear part of Lexus will run away from you and having no experience you will not be able to correct your position.

It's just my 2 cents.
Respect.

 

Hey all,

I found a pristine super low mileage 2000 GS with less than 40k miles. I want it.

I was about to hop on it and realized these cars are RWD. I live in Upstate NY, so we def get all sorts of weather. Did some research and get so many mixed opinions. Some people swear by not having RWD... others simply say snow tires + smart driving = you're fine.

I really don't know much about these cars (or cars in general lol) but isn't there a mode to help w snow?

Any real life feedback would be great. Thanks all!

 

My 2GS is my winter car. Dedicated snow tires and smart driving is the way to go. There is a "Snow" mode to the electronic throttle control that numbs your pedal inputs to prevent over-throttling but it doesn't do all that much.

That said, I live in northern Delaware and we get maybe 4" of snow at a time at most. If I lived in an area that saw consistent snowfall, I'd be looking for something AWD with some ground clearance, like a Subaru Outback.

THAT said, society survived for 60 years of driving on snow with primarily RWD cars.

 

Thanks Mike. I am in Albany so I assume our weather is damn near identical... Its only about a 10 minute commute to my job. Nothing crazy. I assume I would be fine.

How do you like the car? I know they are toyota made... so I assume quality. Are parts/repairs common/expensive?

 

I have driven the gs300 exclusively as my daily driver through every winter since 2009. It depends how well they plow - how much snow and ice is left behind - specifically on steeper inclines.

I didn't get snow tires until the last two winters, they make a huge difference.
I also always used sandbags when there's snow on the ground. The bad part is they make the backend sag somewhat severe.

Without snow tires, the only time I got stuck is on steep hills that are not clear and a parking lot that was iced over, but the ES300 got out just fine. However, they clear the roads pretty good in Omaha, NE. I primarily take the main ones and avoid anything poorly cleared.

Btw, I have two snow tires barely used. Since I moved to Texas this year they're just going to rot otherwise. They're the 16".

Regarding the snow mode, I find it pretty useless. I had to turn off the VSC more often than not if I was sorta stuck. Otherwise, the wheels will not even turn. Oh, and it's best feature for the winter is how fast it warms up. I've never had a car warm up as fast as this one that's compared to various pickups, suvs, buicks, volvos, and other regular sedans.

 

I've had my 1999 GS400 since 1999, in NJ. All-Season tires are generally fine, but if your winters are bad (more than 4" of snow at a time), dedicated snows on a second set of wheels is the way to go. It's not a 4WD SUV, arguably stops in snow better, but it's getting going that can be the problem.
As far as repairs go, you'd be hard pressed to find a more reliable car. I do most of my own repairs, repairs are reasonably simple, especially compared to very new cars (2015+) where things are crammed into every nook and cranny and you need to remove your engine to get to the battery (not literally, but you get what I mean). Since it's a 2000, regardless of mileage, you'll want to replace all fluids and probably most hoses, at least the ones you can access easily.

 

Love the cat litter idea!!

 

About 4 years with the GS300 and I been driving in Chicago area winters/blizzards as a daily all year around vehicle. Stock rims and regular all season tires but the key is weight in the trunk. During the snow season I put 3 50LBS bags of unopened salt pellets right above the rear diff in the trunk. I like to keep the salt pellets in heavy duty trash bags just in case any salt bag breaks for a easy clean up (which it has not so far) plus I can open up a bag and use it by any tires if needed (which I have not done yet either).

The stability system works very well in the snow. Snow mode works good to but I never really use it or like the feeling of that heavy gas pedal. Most importantly just keep your cool in heavy snow and drive slower with caution.