Where in South Florida are you?

 

I've seen it range from tie rods, to caster arm bushings, to wheel balancing as Daniel previously mentioned. Essentially what it is is an imbalance somewhere in the suspension. Although some have been able to mitigate or even cure this issue by replacing nearly every suspension part, it's not worth the headache if you can avoid it.

Also, take a look at the power steering system and reservoir for any leaks. The power steering pump is placed "conveniently" above the alternator, so when it leaks, the alternator will eventually die.

Lastly, check to see that all of the doors lock and unlock like they should. It's not a very fun job replacing those door lock actuators.

I hope I didn't scare you off. Other than these items and a few that others previously mentioned, the GS is a very solid car.

Happy buying!

 

Actually it's a GOOD PRICE for the year, the model, the options, and the low miles. How many miles did your car have on it vs. the year it was purchased. Does your 99 have all of the options listed here?? If not, you are comparing apples to grapefruits!!

 

OP, check to see if the lower front ball joints were replaced. At 100k, it's time to replace the CRAP OEM ball joints. Check the sticky and you will see what I mean. These things break/pop more than any other car I've ever known. Bad quality control without a doubt on Toyota/Lexus's part. My car is about to hit 100k and I just ordered my Moog ball joints and outer tie rods for $120 shipped.

 

It's almost preferable to have a non-nav GS, as the nav is so outdated anyway.

I wouldn't necessarily call NEbiker's car a cream-puff; I remember him posting a thread about some tranny issues not too long ago.

 

Im in the plantation area and the car is about 3 hours north from me

 

Thanks for the heads up I will definitely be checking those then. $120 shipped is not a bad price. How hard is the installation? Can you PM me the link to those parts?

 

Not going to lie, at the end of that post I got a little scared lol. I appreciate you pointing these things out. If these issues comes up I can certainly talk the price down a bit more The seller did mention that he replaced a door actuator and I did know what it was until I read your post and did some research. I’m going to take a look at the car tomorrow and I will have to come out of the pocket about $200 in gas just to see if she is worth purchasing. I have a gut feeling that this car will serve me right but I guess I’m a bit nervous about spending all my current savings this car and even more nervous about having to deal with major repairs. At least the timing belt has been done.

 

I bought it only a few months early November 2011! But I am located in Massachusetts which is a huge reason for the price, luckily it was garaged all its life. I got it

125k, complete service history, all options except Navi and 17" wheels,

And yes I did have a slight issue with my tranny, but I drained fluid and changed the filter and the problem has gone away.



If someone is interested I placed a bid on this car when it was first listed on ebay and the dealer ended up calling and wanted to sell it to my for 6500..already has a TRD strut brace and a SRT intake on it. Almost looks like it may have carson tuned exhaust too. Decent car for a decent price.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/?cmd=...K%3AMEDWX%3AIT

 

double post

 

$8500-$9000 is fair.. those that think paying $10.5K Thats over Dealer-Retail..!!

 

i'm sure the OP can get the car for a little less. around me that's an average price for when i was looking for my car. i ended up getting my 01 GS430 for $7400. but it has 137k & needs some TLC. around me there were some GS300 with very high mileage going for $7000-$8000.

 

Just lowball his *** gosh! People these days. Did a bunch of Honda guys start coming into Lexus or what smh. If you have a mechanic, you can let him look at it first before you buy it. Good luck and welcome to CL

 

Welcome to CL.... Start low.... seems like a clean GS...

 

Go to rock auto website. You can find the rods and joints there. If you google, you can even find a 5%great off code online. That is a great price for quality parts. I refuse to purchase the OEM ball joints with the known problems. Even read in a more recent thread where a member's newly purchased OEM ball joint broke in 2.5 yrs after purchase!!! Ill pass...Lexus must be using China steel.