Hey guys i just got a 2000 gs300 for basically the cost of an engine. My dad bought the car for 200 as is then gave it to me abd bought a 2001 jetta, I payed for a 50,000 mile engine and the labor which ran me around 3,500 total. Did i do well for myself? the ODO says 147,943, how many more miles can i expect to get if i treat it right? i love the car and apart from the actuators in the back two doors everything works well... next im looking to completely upgrade the entire audio system to Kicker and use alpine amp... i want it to look as stock as possible apart from the head unit i plan on putting in... does anyone have any good threads or pictorials on how to do this?

 

welcome to CL.

 

There are many forum members that have 2Gs with well over 200k on them. Some with over 300k. I've seen one with over 500k! I've got 182k+ on my '00 GS300. Your car should last a really long time as long as you maintain it.

Before the sounds upgrade I would make sure the mechanics are ok. With that number of miles on it, you should make sure the following have been kept up: Timing belt, water pump, thermostat and gasket and O-rings, the two cam seals, front main seal, maybe the VVT-i pulley, valve cover gaskets, OCV filter, TB tensioner and bearing, plugs, PVC valve, air filter, serpentine belt, and ball joints. If not, see to them immediately.

Most should have been done at 90k miles; the ball joints maybe sooner due to a known issue with the OEM part. If you are mechanically inclined, these are all things you can do yourself and save a ton of money. Most of them you will have to remove or will have access to get to the timing belt anyway.

Check Lexus USA for the service history of the vehicle. It will have what has been done by a Lexus dealership It's a good place to start to see if some of the things above have already been done. Of course you should change the fluids regularly. I use synthetics in the motor and differential. I use Toyota T-IV in the tranny and Toyota red in the radiator.

Good luck and welcome to the club.

 

for 3500 i would say you didnt do bad.maybe a little overpaid on the motor and labor but if you got the car for free.
If the timing belt water pump werent done when the motor was not yet in the car i would save my money for that.and like ttaylor said ball joints and other misc. suspension components will need attention with that milage.but if the motor really has 50k and the body only 150k,youll have yourslef a solid gs for a relativley low price. post some pics!! i mean if you were to go out and try and find a 2000 for 3500 with less than 150k id say you would have a hard time.

 

Sorry I was a little off-base with my previous reply. Somehow, I overlooked the part about the motor having only 50k. So, you are not quite ready for the TB and WP service yet. Anyway, I think you did real good.

 

welcome to CL, and yeah, copping a GS300 for basically $3700 with 50k on the engine and 150k on the rest is great. take care of the maintenance and treat her right and she'll last forever. i have well over 200k on mine and love it to death. no probs and smooth as butter

 

sick deal. major win. congrats.

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Post pics. Then we'll let you know how good of a deal you got