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Should I wait for the GS 350?

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Old Feb 22, 2005 | 05:50 PM
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Exclamation Should I wait for the GS 350?

At first I wanted a GS300 AWD Flint Mica/Black interior loaded. However, then I realized next year there would come the GS 350. So, I decided I could wait for that. However, my dealer just called and said they have the exact car I want inbound for around $52K. Now I do'nt know what to do.

I have a car dilema. For work I need a beater pickup truck. The lease on my Tundra is up soon (april) and I have two choices:

1. Get a loaded Tundra Crew Cab(Lexus-ized with leather and wood) for ($40K)
2. Get a new GS for around town ($52K) and a Tocoma ($25K) for work

If I don't get the GS now, I may never get it, but I will have to drop $77K!!! However, if i get the Tocoma, maybe I can hold out without a 4-passenger truck for a while (a real pain) to get the GS 350.

UGH!!!

So, convince me why I should get the GS 300 NOW rather than wait for the GS 350 next year.
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Old Feb 22, 2005 | 06:50 PM
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I would be surprised if Lexus comes up with the GS 350 too soon. I realize people are talking about it, but Lexus would not want to release a vehicle and possibly kill the re-sale value of the current one by upgrading engine too quickly.

I could be wrong. I am sure others will agree and disagree with me.
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Old Feb 22, 2005 | 06:53 PM
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Default 52K for 246 hp , good grief

car is way overpriced for it performance level . Interior is nice. but not that nice . wait for a faster car
You can even buy full boat gs430 for 58K . All wheel drive is ok for bad weather, but its no handling
star at least in gs form.
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Old Feb 22, 2005 | 06:55 PM
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Default they did it one year later on es300

Originally Posted by YL06GS
I would be surprised if Lexus comes up with the GS 350 too soon. I realize people are talking about it, but Lexus would not want to release a vehicle and possibly kill the re-sale value of the current one by upgrading engine too quickly.

I could be wrong. I am sure others will agree and disagree with me.
one year later came es330/ what make you think it wil take more than a year.
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Old Feb 22, 2005 | 06:59 PM
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Originally Posted by jyg es3
car is way overpriced for it performance level . Interior is nice. but not that nice . wait for a faster car
You can even buy full boat gs430 for 58K . All wheel drive is ok for bad weather, but its no handling
star at least in gs form.

Yeah, but I really want AWD in Jersey and I'll give it to my son in college in Cambridge Mass. Performance is not really that important. .2 or w/e seconds 0-60 I don't think makes a huge difference, I have a Corvette for that kind of stuff.

What were performance gains when the ES 300 became the ES 330?
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Old Feb 22, 2005 | 07:03 PM
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I think you answered your own question. If performance isn't an issue and you want AWD then GET IT.

You can always get aTundra later if you don't like it.
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Old Feb 22, 2005 | 07:08 PM
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Originally Posted by YL06GS
I think you answered your own question. If performance isn't an issue and you want AWD then GET IT.

You can always get aTundra later if you don't like it.
Thats an extra $15K!


OUCH!!
My wallet just burned me as it tore though my pants and floated to the ceiling since it is so light now!

LOL

Wow, so many oposed to the GS . Whew!
Out with the infidels! Out with the infidels! Out with the infidels! Out with the infidels!

JK
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Old Feb 22, 2005 | 07:17 PM
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I would wait, the new GS300 is nice but probably not desirable enough that one has to get it RIGHT NOW, especially knowing the GS350 will already be available in Japan & elsewhere later this year & will probably be coming here in the not too distant future, my guess will be about 1 1/2 years later.
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Old Feb 22, 2005 | 07:25 PM
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My advice is never to wait on the car... It never ends - you wait for 1.5yrs for 350, then another year for an facelift, then heck, why not another 1.5 and get completly new model! It simply never ends...

Use GS for what it is - executive sedan, that is nice, quick and comfy at all times.. You have your Vette for going fast anway...

And Thundra is now at end of its age, why not wait another year and get completly new one? :-)
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Old Feb 22, 2005 | 07:29 PM
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Even if you wait I am sure the prices are not going to go down.

Bite the bullet if you think it is what you want.

If not, I hear the Avalon Limited is a nice car.
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Old Feb 22, 2005 | 07:36 PM
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Default Yaro's question the crux...

There is quite a dilemma for Lexus and it has kept me up at night thinking about its solution. The 3.5 Liter in the '06 IS will be a relative of the Avalon but with an exotic head architecture. We know that the ES350 and RX350 are coming next spring as early '07's. The GS450h will be another shoe to drop as an early '07. Why not an early '07 GS350 too? Should it cost more than a GS300 in this configuration? Lastly what do you do with the very advanced 3.0 Liter engine that is currently offerred in the GS? I vote to drop it into the IS because it is too good to waste. I guess this discussion really depends on production costs. I figure Lexus is going to need about 200,000 of these 3.5 liter blocks next year inorder to outfit all of theses models. That's a lot of Aluminum. If they continue the use of the Yamaha finished wood then that's also a lot of Maple and Walnut trees. How do they keep the production costs in control? The dollar is worth much less world wide than it was in 2003 yet we have nearly the same price structure today and more content. Acura also does a great job at this. The GS pricing reflects an adjustment for all of the R&D cost that the new generation requires. The 2nd gen. has been coasting along for years without any support from the Advertising dept. They will promote the new GS much more aggressively. The new GS brochure is the best brochure ever produced by Lexus. My favorite pages show the Great White shark ramming into a cage full of divers as an analogy of the Pre-Collision System. Now that's slick. Yaro, it reminds me of those catchy Harley Davidson ads where the guy always talks about when he almost got a Harley. Every time you wax your new GS you will step back, admire your work and smile to yourself..........
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Old Feb 22, 2005 | 08:01 PM
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Originally Posted by jyg es3
car is way overpriced for it performance level . Interior is nice. but not that nice . wait for a faster car
You can even buy full boat gs430 for 58K . All wheel drive is ok for bad weather, but its no handling
star at least in gs form.
You think thats overpriced, how about a 184 hp car for 55K???(5-series) Makes 245hp seem quite nice.
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Old Feb 22, 2005 | 09:26 PM
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Is it true that you're better off buying an 05 limited avalon, than an 05 ES330?

Iv been told that all dealers r discounting the 05ES330's already, some already at sticker. Why???? Is it because the Avalon is more powerful and offers more for the same amount of money? And lexus knows this car will drastically hurt their ES330 sales so they r discounting it???



My friend is looking into an 05 ES330, but when he saw what the avalon entialed and what you get with the limited, etc...he was totally BLOWN away!
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Old Feb 22, 2005 | 09:27 PM
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sorry typo...i wrote "discounting at sticker"..... i meant "discounting to invoice"
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Old Feb 22, 2005 | 10:04 PM
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Originally Posted by jyg es3
one year later came es330/ what make you think it wil take more than a year.
That is false. The MCV30 chassis aka ES300 was all new in 2002. The ES follows a general Toyota/Lexus cycle of 5 years. 3rd year engine/tranny updates 4th year exterior/interior updates. The ES330 MCV31 came about in 2004, the 3rd year of production on the current ES. The ES330 came 2 years later in 2004 from 2002. Expect the GS to gain a new engine upgrade for the lower model GS in early 2007 as a 2008 model.
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