So my neighbor has offered to give me his old gs300 with 405k miles on it for FREE. Might be a dumb question, then again it may not with there being million mile LS and Tundras. But is there really any room for more miles on this thing? My wife has a gx470 and I drive a 2nd gen tacoma so I am well aware of toyota reputation. but this car has almost double the miles that both of my other cars have. He said it still runs like new motor wise but it does have to be started with a screwdriver whether he meant across the solenoid or in the ignition I'm not sure but once its running apparently its just fine. Maintenance wise, this actually isn't his highest mileage vehicle so he knows how to make them last. But is this really the end of its life or is a little TLC and good faith enough to keep it around?

Bought our '00 Camry I4 manual with 212k miles, and our '98 GS4 with 198k miles... just broken in. IMO, as long as you maintain the car properly, do the oil changes and timing belt, and watch the other wearables (pads, etc), you have unlimited miles remaining.

The Camry got a timing belt at 280k and a clutch at 290k and is at 322k, and the GS4 got a new timing belt at around 215k and is at 225k and idles/runs like new (can balance a silver dollar on the intake manifold)...

If the oil looks clean, and he did proper preventative maintenance, and you do the same... you'll throw the car away from frustration over it not breaking, before it breaks...

Good to hear!

I'm guessing that the ignition cylinder is damaged, and that he holds the key close to the code reader, then starts it with a screwdriver. If the reader is good and the cylinder is bad, pull the cylinder, have a new key cut-from-vin, then have a quality locksmith re-key the cylinder from the key, they should charge $25-$50, depending where you are.

Had to do this to the trunk cylinder for out GS4, salty water rolls down the car/trunk, then seeps in to the cylinder. Pulled everything, they did the work in a day, and charged about $25, since we pulled it. Every single car we've bought in this area has had to have the trunk cylinder rebuilt, at least once, from the salty water rolling down the trunk lid. Runs from $10-$50, depending on lock cylinder style, and the locksmith.

I think the OP is debating if the car is even worth putting a dime into at it's millage. I say that all depends. If it starts up fine, no weird noises, runs strong. Then why not take it and fix a few things. It must have been well maintained. Probably needs new transmission fluid if you're gonna start driving it. Timing belt inspected. Plugs, etc.

The motor will probably keep going for a long time, with regular maintenance. But at 400,000 miles, everything else that hasn't already been replaced will need to be sooner or later. Every single part moving part is worn. Tolerances have loosened, plastics and rubbers have degraded. The entire unibody has been flexing and vibrating for 400,000 miles.
Reliable cars don't break unexpectedly, but wear is still a thing. Free cars are nice, but do curb your expectations. Anything with 400,000 miles on it is bound to have issues- maybe minor, maybe major. If it works fine now, might as well keep using it. The basic complement of "just got a car" maintenance and check-ups is probably worth it if it seems to work fine at the moment.

engine and gear if maintained right just getting broken in, yet the rest of the car may be broke. Just take it anyway, worst case you can sell it.

What a coinkidink. Just got my 99 GS3 with 317k for free as well. My opinion is this, if its free then anything you put towards it is worth it. This is coming from someone with 4 kids and one truck, so its value to me is more inherant than to anyone with multiple vehicles. Apart from possible head or deck cracks, most parts are fairly cheaper now.

After 20 years I've only got 236k on my '99 GS400. It's been meticulously maintained. I often ask myself 'how long can this car run?'. I guess with proper maintenance forever. The key is the suspension components (ball joints, control arms, struts, etc.). We all know the engine/transmission in these cars are bullet proof - as long as the suspension is ok you're good to go!