I am looking at purchasing a 2006 GS430 and would appreciate this communities input. Car has 95k miles on it and is up to date on all services including recent 90k mile service including timing belt and water pump. Car has been serviced at an independent shop but owner has copy of records.

I'm going to have the car inspected by an independent shop. I would appreciate this communities input on this model and any specific issues I should be on the lookout for. I expect to own the car for another 3-4 years and don't anticiapte putting a lot of miles on it, maybe 5k miles a year.

 

I would definitely jump on it. The 430s are much more reliable than the same year GS300 (different engine than the previous gen), and from what I'm seeing at this rate, better than the GS350.

Take a look at the suspension. The 430 has the adaptive variable suspension. Also I think the 2006-2007 has some dash rattle issues.

 

Test drove the car today. It felt quite heavy to me, not sure it's what I'm looking for. It definitely had a lot of power but that was most noticeable on the interstate with room to accelerate. The steering felt a lot heaver than I would have expected. I do a lot of city driving and was hoping for something that pulled from a stop a little quicker and handled a little more easily. Should I expect anything different from the GS350? I may need to look for an IS350 but those are very hard to find and command a premium where I live.

 

Try gs460 if i were you.

I have 06 gs430 with 170k miles. Smooth like a butter. Me likely. Alternator most likely need to be replaced around that miles. I did mine around 105 ish.

Good luck. Cant go wrong with gs430. Very reliable.

 

How reliable are the electronics? This car is fully loaded, power everything, push start, parking sensors, the whole 9 yards. At 11 years old, how frequently do things like power seats and power windows fail and are they expensive to repair?

 

Surprisingly its very reliable for me. Heck my old 03 es300 at 79k miles window motor failed. So far i have no problem whatsoever with windows, chair, radio, navigation. Ohh my rear window sun screen motor failed around 140k, easy to fix. Front seat leather ripped a tiny bit recently due to ages. I drove this car at least 12k miles/yr first few years i got it.

If u gonna put only 5k miles/yr, dont worry about it much. Just enjoy it, at least its a lexus.

Any picture of the car? How much?

 

Masboy is right, the only thing critical was the alternator which is typical in ANY car over 10 years. Other than basic maintenance like oil change, brake pads, rotors, and timing belt, you sir are golden.

 

Car Listing with pics

Masboy, back to the steering, I was kind of surprised at how heavy it felt. I'm also used to lexus having buttery smooth turning but this felt much more stiff. I've driven a GS350 before and it felt much smoother. Could that be something with the power steering?

The car is clean and well taken care of can't deny that. Also serviced regularly. Nice that the timing belt and water pump were replaced.

 

I have an 06 GS430 that's about to hit 180k miles. It's a great car, getting ready to change the timing belt/pump.

 

430 has been reliable, my alt went out around 130ish, that's it. the gs is a heavy, solid car with not that much power.

 

I've had my 06 GS430 for just over 5 years. Bought it CPO at 50k miles. Just turned 140k. Prior to this GS, I had a 99 GS400 from 2005 to 2012 (took that car from 60k to 175k).

The 06 is one of the, if not the, best most reliable car I've ever owned. When I test drove the 06, my first impression was that the steering felt heavy, at least compared to the 99. However, I would say I got used to it within a day.

i saw one poster say that the car was underpowered. I disagree. It has more than enough power and has a really nice exhaust note when you get on it.

I hope to put at least another 100k miles on the car.

Oh, and about 3 years into ownership I had the opportunity to trade up to a mint 2008 GS460. I test drove the car, compared it to mine, and decided it wasn't worth making the switch.

Best of luck to you whatever you decide.

e

 

I've a GS 350 and to me the steering wheel is very heavy because the GS is a heavy car and seems slow at low speed when you test drive it but once you push it, get ready to fly. I don't know about the 430 engine but the 350 has tons of power and I'm sure the GS 460 is ever more powerful than both but has the worst transmission of them all.

 

I inherited a 2006 GS 430 recently with 36K miles and I think its a great car. Always serviced my mothers car at Lexus of Naples and it runs like new... My issue is do I keep it or hang on to my 2006 LS 430? I love both cars but my LS has 92K miles and is just about perfect. Higher mileage on the LS and GS is not a problem because these cars can go 300K miles with just basic servicing.

 

Looks like a solid bargain IMO. As others have stated, the GS430 is a reliable vehicle, and shouldn't require much for years to come.

Nick C.

 

Thanks everyone. Purchased the car two days ago for $10,250. I did get used to the heavy after driving it a couple of hours. Coming from a 4 cylinder FWD, I am enjoying the power very much. So far everything seems to be working fine. I did notice the ML subwoofer rattles when playing songs with a lot of bae, but that seems to be a common problem that can fixed by gluing the speaker foam.