Hello All. First time poster and have been viewing a ton of posts on this site for the past few days and have found some very good information. Actually came across this site after deciding on purchasing a 2006 GS300 in Mercury Metallic. Decided on the Mark Levinson package (includes the sunshade, rear spoiler, rain sensitive wiper & adaptive front lighting, clearance sonar, moonroof and venitlated seats). Fully loaded for Hawaii as no NAV or satellie radio available here. Scheduled to pick it up tomorrow morning and am am super excited. Also added ceramic tint through Lexus via a local vendor (the same vendor that I took my old car to and would have taken this car to anyways) for about $30 over what I would have paid if I just came in myself.

A little over three weeks ago, I wasn't even thinking about getting a new car. I was a victim of a hit & run where I was rear-ended while going about 25 mph and the impact caused me to hop the curb and up a dirt embankment causing me to roll over a few times. I ended up on my passenger side facing the wrong way. I was able to walk away from the car relatively unsclathed while my 1999 4Runner was totalled. I really liked that car too. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE wear your seatbelts everyone! I truly believe that was one of the main factors that kept me safe through that crash!

Anyways, the other cars that I considered initially were the IS350, 330i, TL, A4 and A6 and the G35. As you can see, the GS300 wasn't even on my list initially as it was (an still is) a little more than I wanted to spend. The GS300 and the 5 Series were both a little over my initial price range as I am saving to put a down payment on a condo. Real estate prices here are ridiculous!

After the test drives, it was between the IS350 and the 330i. There were things that I really liked about each that the other didn't have, but neither jumped out at me as the clear favorite. As "luck" would have it, I had a contact through friend at Lexus and he said that he really couldn't discount the IS350 as they were selling too well, but he could help me out with the GS. The GS totally impressed me during my test drive. I really liked the additional space and the interior feel of the GS over the IS. At the end of the test drive, I really had the feeling like "Yes, this is the car for me!". That and with the discount it made it a no-brainer to go with the GS over the IS. Better car with a much better value with the discount. The power of the IS3540 was totally amazing, but in Hawaii, the GS300 has more than enough power than I will really ever need and better gas mileage than the V8 430. If I were still living on the West Coast, I could see the additional hp as a definite benefit.

My real debate came between which color to choose. They had both a Mercury Metallic and Flint Mica in stock with the package that I wanted. My 4Runner was silver and really easy to take care of and keep looking clean. I really liked both and too bad I couldn't get both! I see a bunch of guys who post here who went with the Flint Mica and their pics look awesome. In the end, liked the Mercury more in person and hope it will be easier to keep looking clean.

One thing that is on my mind about this car is the possibility, or inevitability, or scraping the front end. I know that you probably can't see it much if it happens, but just the knowing that it's there would make me cringe some. My last car was an SUV and didn't worry about driveway transitions, speed bumps, curbs or wheel stops. Ever since I decided on the GS, that has been on my mind some. I find myself constantly observing driveways and looking to see if parking stalls have high wheel stops. My friend, who owns a 330ci with about a 4" clearance says that you get used to it. In fact, I listed one of the pluses of the IS as that you could replace the lower lip of the front end. The Lexus parts depts said that they were about $250 each for the 2pc set. I know this may sound a bit dorky, but when I test drove the IS, it scraped coming out of the dealership's driveway. I mean it works fine if you come out on a shallower angle, but being used to driving an SUV, that' just isn't one of the things that you think about.

Well, just thought I'd share my story after learning about some of you guys over the past week or so. I am sure I will be back more often after I pick up my new car tomorrow. Can't wait.

 

Welcome and excellent choice!

The GS300 is powerful enough, especially in the RWD variety. It impressed
quite a bit more than the AWD, but you know the weather is not as good
here in Mass as it is in Hawaii. In case you need more power, the POWER
ECT button makes the car much more exciting at the expense of fuel.

About the color, my old millenium silver GS would look clean all the time,
even when it was filthy. You probably chose the easiest color to maintain
Flint mica looks great right after it's washed. That reminds me, my car needs
a wash pretty badly

 

Thanks.

Yes, when I test drove the GS300, it had enough power for my tastes. I mean you can always use more hp, but one of the reasons for going with a car instead of another SUV was the gas mileage. Besides, the freeways here are rarely free and when they are, they have unmarked police cars all over the place. While my 4Runner wasn't a guzzler, it still only got about 16 mpg. I used to live in Washington state and used to snowboard a lot. If I were still living there, the AWD would have been a must. The power of the IS350 was amazing, but I could see myself getting into some trouble with that car! It felt way to easy to be going

My 4Runner was Millennium Silver! It was the first year that they brought that color back in 10 years. I was actually first interested in the Anthracite something-or-other, but they discontinued it after the 1998 model year. It used to look pretty nice from afar even after weeks through the snow and grime. When when you'd wash a portion, you realize how dirty it really was.

 

Wow, if 16 mpg isn't a guzzler, what is? My wife's SportCross gets around 19-20 in mixed driving, and she complains how inefficient it is!

Anyway, congrats on your new car! I just got a GS300 AWD last week, and so far I'm averaging 24-25mpg in mixed driving. For the moment I'm not pushing it hard, which would probably knock the average down to 22-23 or so.

Congrats again, driving the GS is going to be a pure joy, and the lower cost at the pump will be a nice perk.

 

Congrats on your GS..

I bought one just before the holidays. It's an incredible ride and great MPG. DId you use Bruce Metzker at Servco? He's a good guy. Got me a great deal on my GX when I lived on the Big Island.

 

Wow.... how do you get 24-25mpg mixed driving? The best I've gotten so far is 21.4 mpg mixed driving.... and I don't have a lead right foot. You have any secrets you're willing to share?

 

Congratulations on the purchase

 

Just go real easy on the gas and brake is all I'm doing, nothing special. Mild acceleration, let it coast when you can, and anticipate stops by letting off the gas earlier.

We'll see what I get over the long term---the miles I'm putting on right now might be biased towards highway which could be skewing the results. On my 02 ES I used to only get around 21-22 in mixed driving, and the GS is 21/28 as opposed to the ES's 21/29 rating. So I would expect that long term I should get the same mileage, or maybe a bit less if I'm having too much fun with the extra pep of the GS.

 

Congrats on a great purchase!!

I have the mercury mettalic also and I love it. I also have a 99 Black GS300 and YES it is VERY hard to keep the car clean escpecially since that is my daily driver. I always get tons and tons of compIiments in the car and love the day i take my 3GS out since the wife gets to drive it most of the time.

Welcome and congrats.

 

My dad drives a Land Cruiser and gets about 12 mpg. He's retired and doesn't do very much highway driving. I guess everything is relative.

 

I actually went through the General Sales manager who then had another sales person to help me with the sale. I did see Bruce Metzker around the showroom though. Recognized him from his photo on the servcolexus website.

 

Just picked up my new GS300 a couple of hours ago. Went through the whole orientation of the features of the car (which was actually quite long) and I think I am going to be spending a bunch of time figuring thigns out when I get home this evening.

The first impressions of my GS300 is that I feel that the car really fits me well. I think the IS350 was a little too "young and racer-type" for me and the my familiarity with Toyota and Lexus kind of swayed me away from the 330i. It's a nice blend of luxury, class, power and size that's just right for me. Right now I am just loving it and I am sure it will grow even more on me as I get used to it (as opposed to driving an SUV).

Didn't get much of a real impression on the handling as my office is only about 2-3 miles away from the dealership. However, one of the first things that I noticed is how quiet it is in the cabin! I didn't have the stereo volume loud at all and it seemed very peaceful in there. The dealership recommended a break-in period of 1,000 miles and to take it easy until then. I will have to see how my restraint holds up in the next couple of weeks.

 

Which interior color do you have? The ash or the black? I got the ash with the black trim. While I do like he ash, I thought the black might be easier to care for. They had the ash in stock and the black would have been a 3 month wait. I am not real picky on the interior color, but I do like the look of the black trim.

I do notice that the wife usually gets to drive the newer cars! At least for most of my co-workers that's the case. Maybe one of the reasons why I am still single? Haha

 

Congrats! It's a sweet car, isn't it? My one-week-and-counting report:

• Luxury factor is high. Comfort, quiet, and nice cocoon-like cockpit.
• The bells and whistles still seem endless right now. Have been really enjoying the bluetooth phone, even with the driving restrictions still enabled. I finally got a chance to stick a in DVD to try out the video option. Not terribly useful, but a hoot nevertheless.
• It corners like it's on rails, at least compared to my ES-300. Coming from a lumbering SUV you're really in for a treat! The highway through Manchester is pretty twisty, and I tended to kick the ES down to 60 from 75-80 to take the turns. No need on the GS, and it doesn't even feel like I'm close to pushing the limit! Amazing!
• This thing moves when you kick it in the ***! A couple of times I've wanted to just get clear of a bottleneck in the traffic flow, and stomping on the pedal had me out of the thick in no time.