chabo3

They are available for cheap, some are pretty, and they are rated as having unbeaten reliability for their time.

The only other car I've owned was a 1997 Toyota Corolla which never gave me any issues. I'm currently carless and want something better than my old car. My absolute max budget is $5000 and I've found multiple 2nd Gen Lexi for 2500 or less.

Is this a good choice? Any reasons I should stay away? My mechanic friend can check out the car with me before I buy it and help me with DIY repairs.

plex

iTrader: (11)

Both the 2nd Gen 300's and 400's last for a while with good maintenance. I'm almost at 200K on my GS400 got it with 178K 3 years ago.

There's tons of information here on what to look for issues, fixes etc...

kevin3344

A 2GS is an excellent choice just be sure the maintenance like TB/WP has been done. Things like ball joints, motor mounts, etc. can be expensive. You can register the VIN at Lexusdrivers.com and that will give you the service history from the dealer. Ask for service records and run a Carfax. You should be able to tell very quickly if the car has been taken car of by it's owner.

My GS400 currently has 232k and shows no signs of stopping. Bought it new in '99 so this is my 20th year owning the car (build date was actually 10/98). Needless to say this car is a tank!

Arcadian

Buy It! Buy the best one you can find, you won't regret. My car has 190,000miles and is daily driven where we have 5-6 months of winter. It still drives and feels like new. The 1UZFE V8 stills pulls like a train, uses no oil and starts ever time. My interior still looks new (mind you we have 3-months of little sunlight here). These are simply the best value in a used car. They should be on the collector's radar, but they're not so get one cheap!

Alphaman19

daddyduke

I've had my gs430 7 years gabe it to my wife 2 years ago and I swear every time I drive that car I just wanna ask for it back even just look at it coming down the street make we wanna it back the 2nd gen GS is the one...sexy asf and super reliable if you take care of it synthetic oil and Chevron 91 or shell 91 only..I'll say pull the trigger if the recorrecord is come back to your likening

kevin3344

Timeless looks...even after 20 years it still looks good. There aren't many cars that stand the test of time like this one...

SaiyanGS3

iTrader: (8)

shwalker07

It mostly depends on the condition on the GS you are looking at. These cars were built right from Toyota with very minor issues that are common but overall, these are the last of the best.

akafixture

I have had 2 and they are great cars. Again like others state, check the condition. I have put allot of new parts on mine, not because they needed it, but for peace of mind. They do have their problems, door lock actuators (make sure they all work) and other things.

You get Toyota dependability, with out the price of repairs like my BMW's had.

There are plenty out their so dont just at the first one.

Fixture

mtaalib3

The aforementioned door lock actuators are a very cheap and easy fix if you have some decent mechanical skills. If I was looking I would not let that make me pass on a car that was in good condition otherwise. My 05 GS 430 is my daily driver and has been ever since I purchased it in 2016 with 231k miles on it. At first I was apprehensive about purchasing it because of the high miles and the current owner was a smoker. But the price was right, $3400 dollars, it drove amazingly and there were no check engine light codes on it at the time. Since then I've replaced all but one O2 sensors myself, both engine mounts, tranny mount, cleaned the throttle body (this really helps improve the throttle response), timing belt & all associated items, knock sensors, lower ball joints, inner and outer tie rods, battery, and gave my car a through cleaning due to the smoke smell. It no longer smells like smoke probably mostly due to my cleaning and I've installed a massive stereo system (2 16in subs attached to the rear deck, 4 amps, 3 way set up in the front and two AGM batteries) in it. I also did some aftermarket mods, front & rear sway bars, solid rack bushings, front strut tower bar, coilovers blacked out headlights and tails just to name a few. All of the maintenance has been necessary due to it's age and/or mileage but since I have my own tool they were not that expensive and much cheaper than having a car payment. The way I see it, if you take care of your car, it will take care of you,

shwalker07

I couldn't agree any more with that statement. I wish more people would think like this especially with the throw-a-way society we live in today.

sbagdon

To answer the original question... depends.

The 2nd GS has reached that moment (imo) that self-maintained it's a great car, if paying someone you'll go broke. The best you can do is find the correct balance of initial purchase price vs. maintenance at purchase, and decide if you're going to do future work yourself, or pay someone to do it for you. So:

What are you paying to buy the vehicle?
What state of maintenance will it be in, when you buy it?
Who will be doing the maintenance labor, while you own it?

when paying to have someone else do it for you.

On the front-end, around the 200k-225k range, we've replaced the lower ball joints, upper control arms, struts, rotors, pads, and left caliper. At Lexus, that would have been.. $4k-$5k? Using factory lower ball joints, and aftermarket for everything else, paid for the parts, probably... $600 (ok, that includes the rear struts, bought all 4 as a set)? Yet now, those parts will (hopefully!) last another 100k. We have the parts to do the timing belt (just haven't scheduled it yet...), which are about $500 (if using all oem-quality parts, replacing the factory oem "red" coolant, factory sealant, etc), which would probably be $1500+, yet again, will last another 100k miles (also, we have all the Toyota/Lexus SSTs/Special-Service-Tools for this job, which most people wouldn't have...). And let's not even talk about what replacing the center exhaust pipe and pair of O2 sensors would have cost, at an exhaust shop (or Lexus).

When we bought our GS4, the seller had just paid someone else to replace the starter. Guessing their frustration had reached the point (lots of little things, and the starter) that they just wanted what the starter cost them, and a few $ back. The starter is clicking again, and it'll cost us $79+core, and 5-6hrs of our time... if we paid someone else, that would be a $700-$800 fix. A reasonably priced high-mileage GS4 is 1 major repair, or 3 minor repairs, from costing more then the vehicle is worth, if you paid someone to fix it for you.

So... the big question over here is... who's doing the labor on your future preventative maintenance and repairs...? That might guide you to your final decision(s)...

TrueGS300

They are great cars. Superbly comfortable and dependable when serviced up. The premium sound system in my 98 is the best I've ever had and still thumping like new from the factory amp/sub. The 2jz is a reliable and easy engine to work on. Cheap and readily available parts. As with any aging vehicle, you will have to fix things as they go out, like door lock actuators, window regulators and or motors. There is also a nice aftermarket support for this car. Can be made to look great relatively easy. Since you are interested in one then you know that they are a good looking and timeless design. Don't need us to tell you that. I'd get one. I really like mine.

MOAWINGS

I'm thinking about buying a second one. Solid cars.