rwdfreak

iTrader: (1)

I was bored and decided to start a flame war.

I'm saying this because I've always been a huge fan of Toyota cars (yeah a Lexus is a Toyota, you just have to take the car apart and look at what is writen on the parts). In the family that's pretty much all we ever had (3 4runner, 2 Tercel, 2 Corrola, 4 RWD Celica, 1 pick-up 2wd, 2 Supra MKIII, 1 echo, and recently 2 LS400, an RX300 and my GS300.)

I tore appart my LS400 as a donnor for the Celica V8 swap and was amazed by how most of the parts on the car were still in perfect condition for a car that cost me 1200$. My dads one had over 150 k miles on it and was running strong without any issues. He sold it because he got a huge deal on his RX300

So when I started looking for a daily driver It was a no brainer I wanted a Lexus. The GS300 was appealing because it was sporty, confortable and had a huge potential for performance upgrade (read 2JZ NA-T) as well as a good suspension design and proper brakes.

Well after slightly less then 2 years of ownership I'm suprised by how many parts I've replaced and how much time I spent on the most expensive car I've ever owned (Also the most recent one). Keep in mind that car has barely 90 000k miles and had a complete inspection done when I bought it because it was a car from an other province (state).

I had to replace:
front upper ball joint passenger side
lower driver side ball joint
both rear wheel bearings
both e-brake lines
1 rear caliper
All door lock motor (I know there unexpensive, but that is something I have never seen fail on any of the cars my family owned so far)
2 front lower suspension bushing
Fuel tank had to be repaired as it was leaking.
Factory wheels are leaking air (somehow the tire bead doesn't seal properly on them)

And to top all that that the engine has an excessive oil consumption (1pinte every 1 500miles or so). Compression's fine, I've replaced the PCV valve and I don't think the valve seals are to blame since I can't see blue smoke on startups.

I'm also expecting the rear suspension bushings to fail soon as they are pretty dry rotten. Exhaust is also leaking.

I've been pampering this car since I bought it and this is how this car repay me. by breaking down.

Don't get me wrong I love this car. No matter how low you are in a big company employee's tree , this car still makes you feel like the boss. I just feel like this car is fragile and requires a lot of attention. I would get rid of the car, but I don't know what else I'd drive. It's such a great car when everything goes fine, but always have something broken. And when you have to work on the car nothing is simple. It's kind of a love-hate relation.

I guess I'm just tired of working on that car. Am I the only one to feel that way??

Oh and who's the genius at toyota that thought it was a good idea not to put a ski trap or folding seats in the back. Where I'm I supposed to put my hockey stick or my skis??

Oh speaking of that the GS300 is a terible winter car. Terrible even with a Torsen and proper Winter tires!!



SO LET THE FLAME WAR BEGIN

alredxiii

iTrader: (13)

That is some of the price you have to pay for living in snow cold wet weather and maybe some road salt.Exhaust wheels leaking air and maybe the gas tank as well!!!!Move to Texas or Arizona

Salil022

iTrader: (1)

LS400 is just a better built car period...Not that GS is a crap car, it just cannot be compared to LS in terms of quality and longevity (without having to replace tons of parts)

Lexusfam

iTrader: (3)

besides the balljoints, everything on that list sounds like you bought a lemon. factory wheels are probably just old and bent.

KingNasGS4

iTrader: (22)

I have Seen these things go bad on some GS'. And I totally understand where you are coming from bro.

Sometimes we feel like the car is supposed to have minimal servicing but some cars aren't the same. Some guys do 200k with very minimal servicing aside from the scheduled maintenance.

Im always envious of those who say that their car never gave any problem.

Comes with territory of owning a car .
I've seen guys with LS400 with more issues than you . I think most people who buy used cars through their lifetime will eventually get a money pit car .

LexFather

It's just you. Some of us bought em back when they were new and were very happy. An older luxury car will need cheddar to keep running right, Lexus is no different

Bippu147

iTrader: (9)

That's what you get for living in the East, where they pile 10lbs of salt on every square foot of asphalt in the winter. It's an 11 year old car that's probably been abused and neglected for maintenance it's whole life. What do you expect?

KingNasGS4

iTrader: (22)

Hey I resent that statement. As if that's a punishment for living on this side of the map and owning a Lexus

99SC42

iTrader: (44)

Iam rockin 257k mils on mine , I even bought a replacement for it (03 LS430) and i just sold the LS last month because it wasn't being driven .

If i have to do it all over again maybe i would get the GS430 for more power!

99 GS3

iTrader: (14)

The op is in Quebec, the winters are way more harsh then NY.. But yeah you can't really blame a manufacture for accelerated wear on a vehicle when you live in a region that has exceptional long or extreme weather.

They all can't be California cars. But winter is why people buying old cars will pay 3 or 4 times more for cars originally from westcoast/midwest. Although Florida is decent for snow the constant humidity tears cars up too in the long run, and effects the value for old cars bought from that region as well.

rwdfreak

iTrader: (1)

Wellyou can blame winter, but the thing is that all the other cars I've owned where driven under the same road condition in the same weather. If I compare the Gs to my dad's Rx300, they are both the same age, driven in the same conditions it even have more mileage. Didn't change any door lock, didn't change any ball joint or bushing and doesn't consume oil. My Celica has 100k miles on the body, but engine tranny and diff. Are well passed 200k. Still hold up fine and it has been driven like it was stolen for over 5years now. Engine leaks oil, but doesn't burn it. My moms Echo is supposed to be a weak car. It is neglected by my mom, but nothing has busted yet except for normal parts (filter, brake pads).

Why is there 5sticky about suspension failure and 1 for door locks if it's such a reliable car. Somehow the 1st gen jzs seemed more reliable. I guess it could be worst, it could be a e46 bmw...

I guess I was expecting too much from this car.

99SC42

iTrader: (44)

Ok i have only replaced the upper control arms , lower ball joints, sway bar links on my car, wp, tb at 126k now it has 256k due for another timing belt ,wp and plugs, right front caliper, both front wheel bearings, catalyst converter and O2 sensors.

It needs a driver side master switch, and both rear knuckles and new bearings. and i wanna replace the radiator it's not leaking but it looks old.

I got money back from this car 2years ago! So i really can't complain.

showtymers

i think you are completely looking into it way to harsh, if you really look at it these are almost easy DIY repairs, yes some are not into doing so, but not all Gs had failing door actuators non of mine are, non of my ball joins never had any problems i didnt own it from the start but all of the services was done in lexus and non of those items has been a problem and needed to be fixed. yes brand new its a 40-50k car but compare it to the same ERA of luxury cars that had problematic things example is the same era bwm "flagship car" M3's complete recalls on Rod bolts for people that wasnt reached fast enough for the recall on the lowering on the redline on the ecu.

same era mercedes on the c class had Major problems with full electrical wiring .. now comparing to the gs's problems where you pretty much can do and fix yourself .. try taking a m3 motor apart to replace rob bolts or reprogramming the ecu

RXGS

iTrader: (2)

Those just seem like things you change over time minus the gas tank. You have to change suspension parts on every car. I don't own a gs300, but everything you mentioned seems to qualify as "wear and tear" for cars up north. I am in Buffalo and stuff like that needs replacing constantly

bashigs300

i always thought about that too. i was surprised as hell when i found out the seats don't fold. i mean wtf. it's like a most basic thing. even the cheapest cars have that. i see they have brace behind the seats so maybe they did that to stiff up the frame maybe?