What options is a must have when buying a 3gen gs? I decided to buy a 3gen gs and want to do a little research before i started to really look for one. I want a AWD to go to the snow. If I get an AWD I would leave it stock.

Couple questions

Are the 08's and up really better than the 06-07?

Should I get the 300, 350, or 460?

What's a good price range?

Are there any known problems?

 

the reason i went with 07 over 06 was the nav on 06 looks shi**ty to me. and im not ballin so no brand new toys for me

 

wow so many questions lol

 

08 and up steering wheel. Can't see how you 06-07 guys stare at that ugly one all day.

 

Actually I'm looking out the windshield, not at the steering wheel.

 

Lol exactly bro !!!

 

Haha now we know why we have so many accidents

 

I like the look of the 06-07 cars more.

Newer front bumper looks weird, grill in particular, way too much chrome. Also rear bumper is not flush with the quarter panels making the transition noticeable, Mirror casings have this harsh looking blinker built in which I don't care for much either. Blade wheels look cool.
Navigation is better on newer cars, plus you can play MP3 cds, 07-up.

Its up to you, depends what you want out of the car. I always had v8 cars, love the torque and sound so for me anything less is no acceptable, especially in a high end luxury car. I also dont care much about fuel economy as i mostly drive the car on weekends and take the train to work every day.

Find whats in your budget. Newer is better most of the time. But the best thing to do would be to drive a 350, 430 or a . 450 is a cool car from what I hear, but I would not get a high tech car like that without a Lexus warranty. Just too much expensive stuff to break if it ever does.

 

get a 2nd gen gs300/gs400/gs430 and spend the extra money to mod

 

I would have Millennium Silver, grey leather, dark wood, and AWD... same as what i have now...

BUT, maybe a GS350 or GS430/460 instead of GS300 for a bit of extra power. The nice trade-off is that the GS300 AWD weighs right about the same as a RWD GS350. The handling balance for the GS300 is the best of all 3GSs.

If they would have made it an option, the black leather with the dark wood would have been pretty cool I think.

 

10+ have bluetooth audio which is pretty convenient.

 

Go with an 07 GS350 AWD absolutely the best sedan if you know how to maintain it.
Get as many options as you can; ML & PreCollision Detection are the hardest to find in the color combo you may like . And in my opinion they are not that important. ( many tech alternatives).

Options I have are black on black, AWD, parking sensors, heated/cooled seats, folding mirrors, headlight washers, navi, Bluetooth, rear camera, rear sunshade.

Found it after a year of searching. But it's exactly what I wanted.

Test drive a gs300 & GS350 you'll feel the power difference.
Gs430 or Gs450h don't have AWD as an option.

Try to find one with low miles 60k or under; that you can change out all the fluids yourself and start your own maintaince record.

Hope that helps

Michael.

 

I'm probably not the best person to chime in on this topic since I just bought my 2010 GS 350 (20k mi) a few weeks ago, but these forums have fantastic information and advice on problems / fixes / mods.

Also, something I found useful was to look up the vehicle's service history at drivers.lexus.com, it will only show work done at Lexus or Toyota dealers, but for my CPO vehicle, i saw regular 5k mile service intervals and all necessary work done, and they'll aslo sometimes show what other work has been done that carfax or autocheck may not (non-accident body work, wheel repair or frequent alignment...)

Also, if you get an '08 or '09 that is still in the 4yr/50k factory warranty, you can extend it for up to 8y/125k through Lexus - something that was a requirement for me. Have you looked at some of the replacement part prices on Sewell and the like (in particular the nav system, or even the screen alone)?

The only problem I've had with mine is squealing breaks - terrible that my 2010 Lex is the loudest car in south florida! (There is a TSB for this - just haven't done anything about it yet. )

 

This is what I have and what I wish I had:

ML - Great sound and DVD is great for my son.
Nav - Use the iPhone mostly, but its good when I use it.
Heated/Cooled seats - Most definitely a good thing for cold mornings or right after the gym!
Folding Mirrors - Useful for fitting my car next to my wife's RX in the garage and still having walking space between.
AFS - I have always liked this. Had it on my IS250 and driving a loaner RX450H (doesn't have it) makes me miss it.
Headlight washers - I haven't used them yet, but I'll see how useful they are this winter.
Parking Sensors - Great to have! I use them everytime I park now.
Backup Cam - So used to it that I don't feel comfortable when a car doesn't have it.
Bluetooth Audio - I am so greatful that I don't have to plug in my phone everytime I get in the car anymore. Pandora just starts playing when the car starts.
CPO - These cars are reliable, but when things break, they are costly. Good idea to have and I will most likely extend it out as far as I can.

Don't have:
PCS - Would love to have that as a just in case type thing, but not a deal breaker (obviously).
Rear Shade - I feel that it's just one more thing to break. I didn't use it when I had an ES350 loaner and I feel that it's not necessary for me. Just tint the windows.
AVS - I'm going to lower the car so it's, again, not necessary for me. For someone to keep the car stock, it may be useful for spirited driving.

I may be missing some things, but this is the majority. I have AWD and I still plan on dropping the car and most likely (if I have the vibrating/wobble issue) will have the spacers machined to keep it dropped. If you have any specific questions in your search, let us know!

 

i have a fully loaded GSh (can't add/delete options). if i had to do it all over again, i would custom order and get apsss added on top of what i have now.