I am considering purchasing a 2000 GS300 from a second owner (9 years owned). The car has 234,000 miles. it looks to be well taken care of.
Any advice? Anything I should look for? any misgivings in general?

i would appreciate advice anyone can offer.

 

 

When looking at a high mileage 2GS you'll want to be sure it has an excellent service history. This means timing belt and water pump changes every 90-100k. We found a one-owner 1998 GS300 with 288,000 miles for my brother-in-law last year and to date he has not had any issues besides a battery (in the photo below his is black mine is silver). He has just over 291,000 now. We got the full service history from the owner and you can also log in to LexusDrivers.com and register the VIN to see what was repaired at the dealer (this is a must). Here are the big items to look for:

1. Timing Belt and Water Pump changes (every 90-100k)
2. Valve cover gaskets and Rear main seal (prone to leak oil)
3. Ball joints and Control arms (common on the 2GS)

If those items are done I say go for it. With normal maintenance you won't have any problems out of these cars and it sure is better than a car payment. Just be sure you have a reputable Indy who knows these cars because the dealer is expensive.

 

Hi Eskaeone, Thats what I am looking for. Define overhaul? I am a decent weekend mehcanic and do most of my own work. For those items that I dont care to do, I have a solid mehcanic. What would be entailed in a 250K overhaul?

 

excellent,

thank you for the input. I am checking now on whether or not there is a full service history.
I have had other vehicles with similar requirements esp timing belt/chain..

great info!

 

With any high mileage car go into it knowing that suspension components, if not already changed, will need to be. Ball joints are an issues so when test driving listen closely when applying full lock side to side. Environment is also an issue seeing that you are based in Ohio I would try to get it on a lift and inspect the under carriage.

Plus it would also be a good time to inspect for leaks etc.

 

As others have said, check the history of maintenance and overall condition. If that checks out, go in knowing that it's an old car and will need a lot of suspension parts and likely a set of brakes. Having said that, there's nothing else out there that can have this kind of mileage and drive/feel/look like a nearly new car - that's the really amazing thing about Lexus.

 

Preventative maint. i.e. seals and gaskets and any major leaks. there is also an issue with the cam gear (?) oil filter I believe? it gets clogged and and needs to be removed and cleaned out. I'm not sure on the exact item (I'm a GS4 member) but I know I've seen that issue on the forums before. I think the owner's manual has the recommended maint. intervals as well.
other issues to look for are:
Ball joints (all ready mentioned)
Rear parking brake shoes, sometimes come loose after normal wear and tear.
And last but not least are the dreaded BMC's. The early ones (98-00) loose their nitrogen charge and cause failure. That issue has been covered on CL extensively.

 

We should have a sticky thread for people looking to buy. We get this question every week.

There are so many new threads for things that have already been covered, and the relevant threads with good information get pushed down and lost in the mess of people asking the same thing over and over again.