Is this a good car, any major problems with the car? Im thinking on getting a 95 GS or a 96Acura RL..

 

I posted the same question a few months ago when I started looking for a first gen. GS300. No posters at that time reported any major problems with the car. However, some years of the GS300 were voluntarily recalled by Lexus because of a design flaw in the ball joints. I believe the years recalled were 1994-1995. It is important to make sure this recall work has been done on the car you are driving. I don't believe the recalled ball joint poses a safety hazard, but it is supposedly a ride-quality issue.

I just bought a 1994 GS 300 myself. My advice is take your time looking. I looked at about 12 cars and drove 7 before I found the right one. It took me almost 3 months. Get a Carfax account. You'll need it. Several of the GS300s that I ran VIN reports on had strange title histories such as 2 auction sales within a 45 day period. To me, that is a car to run away from.

If you are open to model years other than 1995, you also may want to look at the 1994s and 1996s. It seems like there were many more 1993s and 1994s out there. I could not find a 1993 with low enough mileage, so I went with the 1994. The 1997s are few and far between.

Good luck and happy hunting.

 

Also, Din, there were a lot of clean GS300s in the Houston and Dallas areas on eBay.

 

I love my 95!

PS...I'll be at the World Import Challenge next weekend in Baytown at the Houston Raceway Park. Swing out, my car will be the white Veilside Lex in the Enkei wheels booth.

Check it out at...

http://www.streetsourcemag.com/Profi...ProfileID=6898

 

Ist gen GS300's are a very good choice if you can get ahold of one that has been maintained in true "Lexus" fashion over the years.

This I think is easier said than done due to the fact that alot of people see the year of the car(93-97) and assume that it is a throw away car or they think they are getting into a Lexus "cheap" and just drive the $hit out of it w. no maintainance.

Lately I have been looking at every pre-owned GS300/400 in my area just as an educational thing, and have seen half a dozen or more 1st gen GS's that are sitting on (non-lexus) dealers lots and they all look just plain old "tired", I think they are almost all 94-95's that I have seen. All have 100k+ mi. and the interiors smell like cigarettes, dirty leather, the list goes on....

Then I look out at my '93 GS300......

and think about how I clean & detail the entire engine about once a month.....

What ever Lexus you get , good luck!

 

Yea most of the older GS I have seen look tired... I dunno I might just end up getting a 97 Acura RL. Rico your car looks really nice.

 

Din-

Here's a clean-looking 1996 GS. The gray and gray is pretty hard to come by:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/aw-cg...5&tc=photo6299

 

heh, dude.. i'm sellin '94 LS400 very cheap, for 8.5k
that's a v8 not i6, this is top of the line luxury sedan made by lexus and it's mad cheap!

 

I believe '96 was the first year a 5 spd auto trans was available.

'93-95 have the 4 spd auto. Seems to be a fair price. But I'd be hard pressed to buy a car w/out actually seeing it and kicking the tires.

Din if ya can, chk it out!

very cool of ya link13 to take the time to do this for another CL mem.

good Luck on yr search, don't give up-you'll find your GS!

 

Thanks for saying that. I like to help others when I can. Buying a used car is not easy. If you find the right one, the first gen. GS300s can make you a very happy owner, which is partly why I'm trying to help Din. I saw that same gray Lex on eBay when I was searching for my '94. I liked it, but it's in Texas, where Din is aparently also located. I think it's a dealer, so he could probably go look at it if it's not too far away. I lucked out with mine. It was posted in the SD Union Tribune and cars.com picked it up when I did a 200 mile radius search. I got mine w/ 59K miles on it. I am really happy with it.