Impressions on a 2008 Lexus GS 350 awd
 

I currently have a 2005 Lexus ES 330 but I always wanted a 3rd gen gs. What can I expect as far as reliability and anything else I should be aware of . It's has 110,000 miles and they want $14,000. And I also heard stay far away from the 2006 gs 300, is that true.

The 350 is a solid engine and way more reliable than the 300. Only things I would be concerned about is oil consumption and the horror stories I've read on the water pumps failing and ruining the motors. The water pump is relatively cheap repair and I would do it as preventative maintenance if it hasn't been done yet. Look up the vin number on Lexus drivers and see the history of the car. That usually indicates how well the previous owners have taken care of the car. Of course these are my two cents.

I own the same car, and its very solid. Like the poster said replace the water pump before 100K, I used an AISAN (actually oem rebrand) brand off ebay for $110 bucks and about and hour or two worth of labor. I haven't had an issue with oil consumption and I run conventional oil. Currently im at 150K miles, apart from the regular maintenance no issues. You might want to look up the vin number on mylexus.com to see if the vehicle has had all the recall work preformed on it.

If you wanted to lower an AWD, I wouldnt recommend it as they are known to get vibrations in the driveline. Even at idle you'll get slight vibrations, and until you reach 20mph. Some guys are ok with it, I personally dont care for it.

I have a 2008 GS 350 AWD which I bought 2 weeks ago. I used to drive a 2007 ES 350. For the water pump, the 07 ES also has that issue but I got used to the fact that every week, I should check on the radiator level as well as any leak around the water pump housing and keep an eye on the radiator temp. gauge. If you do that, you'll be fine. Also, the GS has the front and rear differential fluids and the spark plugs need to be changed every 96k km unlike the ES every 196k km. As for the price, is a bit high but maybe that's your area.

Theres no need to check water levels weekly, thats a bit excessive. I get mine checked every oil change.