Luxlex5

I've been searching for a GS 350 or gs 460 for some time now.

i like the 3rd gen body style.

I'm confused on which year to get. Obviously the 2011 would be best since its newest 3rd gen but im having a hard time finding the one i want.

is there any big differences between 2008 and say a 2011 gs350? I know the 2011s have bluetooth streaming and a usb port. Does the 2008 not?

I aso read something about a upgraded navi on 2011?

i dont mind the navi too much since i mostly use my phone for that but i do like to play music from my phone, i like the aux for that and dont really care for streaming it bluetooth unless theres a noticable difference of sound quality?

Would i be happy with a low mileage 2008 gs350? Theres one for sale 1ownwr 60k clean

or should i wait for a 2011 gs460 or 2011 gs350?

im trying to do this right the first time and this will be my first lexus

PC94

2011 is certainly the newest and, generally, the newer years allow manufactures to iron out any kinks seen in the earlier models. Personally, I own a 2008 GS350 and it is an all-around excellent vehicle. There isn't a large difference between this and the 2011, and you can typically snag a 2008 with a decent amount of miles for a respectable price.

The 2008 models have an aux port and Bluetooth, but the Bluetooth is only for phone calls. Many cars of this vintage are missing the audio codec required for Bluetooth music playback. I worked around this problem by investing in a cheap aux Bluetooth adapter which, coupled with a ground loop isolator, works like a charm. I don't think the 2011 has a USB port, but I could be wrong.

As far as navigation is concerned, I believe the interface is updated from the 2008 (graphical/UI changes mostly) but the core functions are the same. I spent roughly $200 at the dealer getting the updated navigation DVD (call me crazy, but it's a good fallback in the event my phone doesn't work for whatever reason).

You being happy with the purchase is truly subjective, as it would be you living with the vehicle on a daily basis, though I hope my input helped you in your search! Purchasing your first luxury vehicle is exciting, especially when you don't pay full price

Best of luck!

PC94

Also, do you have a link to the one you are looking at?

Vooduguru

Grom audio makes an adapter that's plug and play and works awesome to add streaming audio to the existing head unit. It works with the steering wheel controls too and IIRC cost me less than $150

pvsmith

I have a 2011 GS 350 AWD and it does have a USB port inside the arm rest. It is a little picky about how you format the USB to get it to read, but it is fast and works great. To update the nav costs something like $170 at the dealership, so I don't mind mine being six years old. Roads haven't changed that much. I bought mine with 15,000 actual miles with one owner for $22K. It is worth every nickel. Everybody who rides with me says it is like being in a Rolls Royce, with all the wood and super-quiet. There were only a total of 3,400 of these Lexus models made in Japan that year, so yes, they are hard to find. I looked for 18 months to find this one. But on Cargurus, there are always a few popping up, and some with low mileage. Just be patient and you'll find that dream car.

ez12a

I have a 2007 and would imagine a 2008 GS wouldnt be that different. If you cant find a later model, an older one with a Vaistech bluetooth adapter will work great. Steering wheel controls, text on the audio screen of the navi, etc. Never really had a problem other than pairing my friends iphone 6s. Seamless switchover to the lexus hands free system for incoming and outgoing calls (pair phone to both HFL and Vaistech).

Dont really use the built in navi since it costs money to update and it doesnt provide traffic avoidance routing my phone does.

designo

iTrader: (6)

I have a 2009 GS460

The only think I wish it had was the media connection ( USB or Bluetooth ) instead of an AUX input only.
That's pretty much it.

ryan350808

don't get a AWD GS if you are planning on lowering it lol. I personally have a lowered AWD GS350 and the vibrations and wobble is irritating every so often lol.

jegyed

The AWD sticks better to the road, so no need to lower unless it is for looks.

jegyed

Also when test driving make sure to go over a bumpy road and listen for Dash Rattles.

speedkar9

I have a 2007 GS350 and I love it, though it feels like a heavy car.

I personally like the steering wheel and grille of the 2007 better than 2008+. I do miss having an aux connection, but make due with CD MP3's and a cassette aux input for now.

Dainiukas

I bought a 2011 GS recently and I'm somewhat disappointed.

The pros:
- Reasonably fast
- I've yet to properly test the AWD in snow, but in the dry or wet it's very good.
- Reasonably comfortable
- Decent sound system (ML)
- LEDs almost everywhere
- Ventilated seats (optional, I believe)
- Rare

The cons:
- The brakes on my car are terrible on my car. It might just be mine, though.
- The engine sound is terrible. That's more an issue with the Lexus (Toyota?) 3.5L V6.
- I read about the rattles, but I still can't believe that a 6 year old car from a luxury marque could have that many rattles. It's not desperately bad, but I would expect not to hear a squeak.
- The ride is jittery over rough roads.
- I love that there are LEDs almost everywhere, but the few random places that don't have LEDs are ridiculous. The best example is the mirror puddle lights and the DRLs. It's quite inconsistent. And, yes, I know that those can be replaced relatively easily, but it speaks something about the car in my opinion.
- The front wheel well gap is enormous. My guess is that it's due to the AWD system.

There are more things to mention, but I can't remember them off the top of my head. My advise is; drive the car for a good while to listen to it and to get a feel for it. I needed a car so I bought it quite quickly. If I had more time to look, I would've probably gone with something else. It's a shame because I REALLY want to like the GS.

pvsmith

Dainiukas, you and I have the same year and same model--2011 GS 350 AWD--but that is where the similarities stop. My car had 15,000 miles on it when I bought it, and granted, I've added only about 3,500 more miles to it during the last six months, but my car is perfectly quiet inside and out. There are a lot of times when I have the motor idling that I can't tell whether it is still running because it is so quiet. There are absolutely no creaks or rattles anywhere inside or out. Maybe I just got a good car, or it doesn't have enough miles on it for all the problems to show up, but I could not be happier with my Lexus. The brakes are perfect, the ride is smooth and I can't think of anything I would like to change on it.

Dainiukas

I feel like the creaks and rattles become more apparent with age, but also depend on the weather. I live in a climate where the temperatures fluctuate severely throughout the year, so perhaps that accelerates the aging process of the plastic and vinyl parts. That being said, I've driven ~15 year old Audis that were perfectly quiet.

The engine is quiet while idling and while cruising, but under acceleration - not necessarily hard - I can clearly hear it and it sounds terrible. It's the most generic engine sound I've heard. I test drove an RC350 AWD sometime ago and it had the exact same engine sound.

I'm not trying to bash the GS, but as time goes by, I just seem to find things that annoy me. Maybe it'll start growing on me.

ez12a

The engine in the GS is the same engine they use in today's IS, GS, and RC350. It's at least 10 years old if my 2007 has the same basic engine.

I agree it's not the most pleasant sounding engine. It can sound like a tractor from the outside cause of the direct injection. Because of the timing chain, there is no real major maintenance required on the engine. This is amazing coming from a Honda J series. I just give it oil and gas and it runs. It is inexpensive to fix and easy to fix compared to other makes.

It has port and direct injection, so we're not plauged by the DI-only carbon build up issues that other makes are having. I.e. Ford, Audi, BMW.

The 2GR-FSE was in the Ward's 10 best engines for 4 years, so despite it sounding very bland it's a good engine. Mine burns little to no oil, and has decent power and mpg at just over 120k miles. I cant say the same for my old TL with the J series that burned half a quart or more before oil changes, and that only had 95k. I've learned to admire the tractor utility engine that we've got. It's a workhorse, plain and simple.

as far as your other complaints, try bleeding the brakes. I think the brakes might be slightly diff from AWD and RWD though. after bleeding my RWD, the pedal is much firmer. Not sure if I agree with jittery over rough roads, the RWD GS is like a boat. I wish it was a little more stiffer. Been toying with the idea of getting F sport sways and replacing my shocks...but it might just not be worth doing.