caverman

I've been extremely happy with the two LS430 that I have owned and I've become a Lexus loyalist. My son turns 16 yrs old this week and although I'm not setting him free to drive on his own yet, I am starting to look for a car for him. I've come across some '05 GS300 in the 130k - 140k mile range for about $5,500 which fits into my budget. What are some of the major things I should be looking for to make sure they have been addressed when I go look at them? I'm assuming, like the LS, that 200k miles shouldn't be an issue for a well maintained GS?

ISFPOWER

iTrader: (20)

lower ball joints, outer tie rods, caster arm bushings, brake rotors, look in the steering fluid reservoir , timing belt are the things that come to mind.

caverman

Is the timing belt supposed to be done at the 85k range like the LS?

ISFPOWER

iTrader: (20)

im not sure. my previous LS and my current GS, i would/will do every 100k.

bruceb58

Manual says 90K

kevin3344

Just helped my brother-in-law purchase a 1998 GS300 with 282,000 miles, so I think you're good for a while. Myself, I own a GS400 with 225,000 miles these cars are bulletproof with proper maintenance. Like previously mentioned the suspension components are minor issues on these cars (ball joints in particular) but other than that just your usual maintenance. I probably take my car to the dealer once a year just to have them check it over.

caverman

Good to know! I kind of figured that would be the case. My first LS had 135K miles and it was driving perfect and I've seen some GS models in the 200k range for sale. I'm not sure I would go that high on mileage but low to mid-100k is not really an issue if I can see some service records.

My only kicker at the moment is that I would really like to get my kid a manual transmission car so that he can learn how to drive one (it's a becoming a lost skill). Obviously that's easier said than done, especially on a budget of about $7k and not buying a POS. Honda Civic SI is one I've been looking at as well but you're not going to get much for that kind of money or that's not someone's ricer wanna be. So, if I end up going the automatic route I think a GS would be a great addition and he would be privileged to drive such a nice car for his first one.

kevin3344

Absolutely. If something happened to my GS I wouldn't even think about a new car...I would just find one with 125-150k on the odometer and drive it for 10 more years! These cars are amazing. I recently purchased an SC430 with 105k on the odometer for a little under $12k as a weekend vehicle. Love it. Gets looks everywhere I go.

caverman

Anyone have a link to a DIY on how to replace the ball joints and tie rods? I've done some searching here and all I could find was threads talking about replacing them with Moog. I would like to see what it would take to do so I can decide if it would be something I could tackle or not.

ISFPOWER

iTrader: (20)

check youtube..

its pretty easy. took me 1.5 hours to do lower ball joints and outer tie rods , both sides on my GS yesterday. although i know how to work on cars, if you are competent with working on cars, its pretty easy. you will need a ball joint separator . don't use a pickle fork. use the pitman style or the actual ball joint sep tool you rent at the auto parts store.

lextout

just remember a car with higher miles but has been maintained well has had parts changed,compared to the car with lower miles that needs parts changed