Looking at a GS350
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Joined: Jun 2015
Posts: 563
Likes: 103
From: Pennsylvania
1. Yes, I think it is reasonable to expect 200k or close to it. At least I hope it is, because I'd like to still be driving mine at that point. I have a 2013 (in service date 2012) with 94k miles and so far it has been mostly great. Only problem I have had is some water intrusion in the trunk very recently that fried my amplifier. I was/am pissed about this, but in searching the forums, this problem is not common at all, so I just got unlucky. Other than that and a broken parking sensor, which I assume was damaged by a rock on the highway, my car has been completely trouble-free, maintenance only.
2. No common failures that I know of.
3. Don't know a ton about AWD vs RWD as AWD was the only option for me based on climate, but I don't think there's any mechanical reason to pick one over the other.
4. Don't have experience with ML. However, as someone who is pretty into audio, I think the base system is pretty damn great.
5. General info - look around and see if you can get a luxury package. Look for the cars that have wood steering wheels (luxury feature). The adaptive headlights are awesome, 18 way seats are awesome, extra sunshades are a nice touch.
2. No common failures that I know of.
3. Don't know a ton about AWD vs RWD as AWD was the only option for me based on climate, but I don't think there's any mechanical reason to pick one over the other.
4. Don't have experience with ML. However, as someone who is pretty into audio, I think the base system is pretty damn great.
5. General info - look around and see if you can get a luxury package. Look for the cars that have wood steering wheels (luxury feature). The adaptive headlights are awesome, 18 way seats are awesome, extra sunshades are a nice touch.
Thread Starter
Driver School Candidate
Joined: Oct 2018
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
From: VA
Thanks for the information everyone! IMO having a solid forum with reasonable folks is key to owning a car.
I am about to leave work to go test drive an AWD model to get a feeling for the car. If i like it, I am going to search for some RWD models.
I live in richmond where it snows at most 2-3 times a year. So i am leaning heavily RWD, for accleeration, driving feel, and over-steering goodness.
I am leaning towards a 2014+ fsport model with the 8 speed.
Id also like the Tan interior, and if possible a Black or white exterior.
I am about to leave work to go test drive an AWD model to get a feeling for the car. If i like it, I am going to search for some RWD models.
I live in richmond where it snows at most 2-3 times a year. So i am leaning heavily RWD, for accleeration, driving feel, and over-steering goodness.
I am leaning towards a 2014+ fsport model with the 8 speed.
Id also like the Tan interior, and if possible a Black or white exterior.
Lexus Champion
Joined: Nov 2014
Posts: 13,614
Likes: 2,920
From: Texas
Thanks for the information everyone! IMO having a solid forum with reasonable folks is key to owning a car.
I am about to leave work to go test drive an AWD model to get a feeling for the car. If i like it, I am going to search for some RWD models.
I live in richmond where it snows at most 2-3 times a year. So i am leaning heavily RWD, for accleeration, driving feel, and over-steering goodness.
I am leaning towards a 2014+ fsport model with the 8 speed.
Id also like the Tan interior, and if possible a Black or white exterior.
I am about to leave work to go test drive an AWD model to get a feeling for the car. If i like it, I am going to search for some RWD models.
I live in richmond where it snows at most 2-3 times a year. So i am leaning heavily RWD, for accleeration, driving feel, and over-steering goodness.
I am leaning towards a 2014+ fsport model with the 8 speed.
Id also like the Tan interior, and if possible a Black or white exterior.
Racer
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 1,734
Likes: 383
From: Philadelphia
6: The Luxury Editions have the best seats, turning headlights, all of the suspension features, nicer leather, and pretty wheels.
I did a ton of homework here when upgrading my 2GS, imported mine from 1500 miles away, and I am so happy with my Luxury machine. 2013 Red and Flaxen AWD ML. It's the best car I've ever owned, approaching eighteen months with it, and I can see myself driving it for another decade.
The turning headlights are badass: they are perfectly tuned to the steering wheel and provide better visibility on windy roads at night than any car I've ever driven.
I did a ton of homework here when upgrading my 2GS, imported mine from 1500 miles away, and I am so happy with my Luxury machine. 2013 Red and Flaxen AWD ML. It's the best car I've ever owned, approaching eighteen months with it, and I can see myself driving it for another decade.
The turning headlights are badass: they are perfectly tuned to the steering wheel and provide better visibility on windy roads at night than any car I've ever driven.
Last edited by jonathancl; Nov 9, 2018 at 06:09 PM.
Driver School Candidate
Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 15
Likes: 0
From: OH
6: The Luxury Editions have the best seats, turning headlights, all of the suspension features, nicer leather, and pretty wheels.
I did a ton of homework here when upgrading my 2GS, imported mine from 1500 miles away, and I am so happy with my Luxury machine. 2013 Red and Flaxen AWD ML. It's the best car I've ever owned, approaching eighteen months with it, and I can see myself driving it for another decade.
The turning headlights are badass: they are perfectly turned to the steering wheel and provide better visibility on windy roads at night than any car I've ever driven.
I did a ton of homework here when upgrading my 2GS, imported mine from 1500 miles away, and I am so happy with my Luxury machine. 2013 Red and Flaxen AWD ML. It's the best car I've ever owned, approaching eighteen months with it, and I can see myself driving it for another decade.
The turning headlights are badass: they are perfectly turned to the steering wheel and provide better visibility on windy roads at night than any car I've ever driven.
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 12,269
Likes: 296
From: ------
Look for the wheels, Luxuries have a unique multi spoke wheel design but sometimes non luxury owners put those wheels on. Luxuries have dark wood trim, wood on the steering wheel. Those are the biggest indicators of a Luxury model. Good luck, they are rare and tough to find, took me a while to get mine.
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 12,269
Likes: 296
From: ------
I noticed the same thing, 8 speed felt noticeably slower and less powerful in a RWD then my 6 speed auto in a heavier AWD. 3rd Gen GS350's are more aggressively geared then 4th Gen GS's and are a little quicker.
I live in Texas and I have a awd model. Around the time I was looking for a car I came across this one, I had been looking at salvage style cars, almost went with a m6. I found a gs350 which was in a previous flood, ended up buying it and shipped. I paid 1/2 the going rate at the time, it has been a great car for me. I don't know the extent of what happened and how much water but in my mind if it survived that it can take a beating. I intended to keep it for a while, and wanted to go Lexus again after my LS430 has been fantastic for the last 4 years. I went away from BMW because I got tired of the stuff that had to be repaired, it stopped being worth it pretty quick and the newer models don't really excite me much. The GS was the winner in my mind between the stuff I was looking at with 4 door "sports" sedans, 550i/a6/eclass. I really like the 6 speed in the awd, with some of the stuff I have done to it, the car has great power and acceleration/gearing. It gets up to 60 very quickly and feels sporty. Between the tune and the throttle accelerator the gears hold really well in manual mode and shirt quickly. I would have chosen the fsport if I could but then again this was a specific deal, so I couldn't really be too picky since I was saying 15k... I perfer the fsport front end and also being able to have the suspension dampening. I don't know if I've driven the 8 speed before so I can't comment on how the difference is. Keep in mind the awd will weigh more too. I really love the way the awd feels though, off the line it just goes, never losing traction, and taking a turn overly fast the car just grips and sticks to the road. No need to worry about it losing control. Its a wierd feeliing coming from rwd cars but I really like it, you can take turnarounds very quickly.
I agree with Udel. When I was looking for a luxury pkg, I focused on wheels, that was the easiest way to find them. Keyword searches don’t work well as many of the dealers don’t mention that it has the luxury package in the vehicle details.
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 12,269
Likes: 296
From: ------
Yep, dealers rarely list it as a Luxury model, some don't seem to even know there is one and some will list a non luxury GS as a Luxury model, so your best bet is to just look for the unique wheels and then do a check on the interior for the dark/blackish wood/wood steering wheel to make sure it is a Luxury and someone did not just put Luxury wheels on a non luxury.
Driver School Candidate
Joined: Sep 2018
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
From: MO
Former Volvo driver
Hi All,
I will preface this by saying I went through the FAQ post, and I did a search, and i couldn't find exactly what I was looking for.
I have a 2012 Volvo S60 T6 AWD. I love the car, but it has had numerous issues in the last year (electric parking brake, Blindspot monitoring, AC compressor). Its only at 110k miles. Id like to step up to something a little nicer, and a LOT more reliable. The GS350 seems to fit the Bill. I am looking to buy used, probably a 2013 or 14, under 60k miles I have a few questions for owners.
1. Would it be reasonable to expect 200k out of a properly maintained GS350? (Drive-train and body)
Absolutely. Lexus is hands down the most reliable car brand.
2. Are there any common failures? (for example, the AC compressor is almost guaranteed to fail in an S60)
I just ditched my 2008 S60 2.5T for a Lexus certified 2015 GS 350 F Sport. The repair costs I incurred were insane. 800 dollars for a power steering pressure hose because volvo in their infinite wisdom put in such a place that the entire engine, suspension and subframe needed to be removed to replace it. I probably spent thousands in repairs in the 5 years I owned it. The Lexus has been an amazing upgrade and it being Lexus certified gives me a peace of mind. 2 years/unlimited miles bumper to bumper warranty with 161 point inspection done. Also includes 4 service intervals.
3. Is there any mechanical reason to pick RWD/AWD over the other, or is it just personal preference?
Depends on where you live. I live in an area where we do get a fair amount of snow so I chose the AWD. Gas mileage is laughable if you like to have even a little bit of fun. I only drive city, so unfortunately I only get about 19 mpg at best.
4. Just how good is the levinson sound system?
I searched and searched for months. I'd say maybe 5 percent were F Sport AND Mark Levinson. That being said, my stock stereo sounds pretty good as they're still Pioneer speakers. Way better quality than my Volvo ones. You can always upgrade them, so look for other features you may want like F Sport or heated steering wheel.
5. General info you feel i should know.
I will preface this by saying I went through the FAQ post, and I did a search, and i couldn't find exactly what I was looking for.
I have a 2012 Volvo S60 T6 AWD. I love the car, but it has had numerous issues in the last year (electric parking brake, Blindspot monitoring, AC compressor). Its only at 110k miles. Id like to step up to something a little nicer, and a LOT more reliable. The GS350 seems to fit the Bill. I am looking to buy used, probably a 2013 or 14, under 60k miles I have a few questions for owners.
1. Would it be reasonable to expect 200k out of a properly maintained GS350? (Drive-train and body)
Absolutely. Lexus is hands down the most reliable car brand.
2. Are there any common failures? (for example, the AC compressor is almost guaranteed to fail in an S60)
I just ditched my 2008 S60 2.5T for a Lexus certified 2015 GS 350 F Sport. The repair costs I incurred were insane. 800 dollars for a power steering pressure hose because volvo in their infinite wisdom put in such a place that the entire engine, suspension and subframe needed to be removed to replace it. I probably spent thousands in repairs in the 5 years I owned it. The Lexus has been an amazing upgrade and it being Lexus certified gives me a peace of mind. 2 years/unlimited miles bumper to bumper warranty with 161 point inspection done. Also includes 4 service intervals.
3. Is there any mechanical reason to pick RWD/AWD over the other, or is it just personal preference?
Depends on where you live. I live in an area where we do get a fair amount of snow so I chose the AWD. Gas mileage is laughable if you like to have even a little bit of fun. I only drive city, so unfortunately I only get about 19 mpg at best.
4. Just how good is the levinson sound system?
I searched and searched for months. I'd say maybe 5 percent were F Sport AND Mark Levinson. That being said, my stock stereo sounds pretty good as they're still Pioneer speakers. Way better quality than my Volvo ones. You can always upgrade them, so look for other features you may want like F Sport or heated steering wheel.
5. General info you feel i should know.
I absolutely love my GS. Drives incredibly well, is spacious and really nice features. Million times better than my Volvo.
Driver School Candidate
Joined: Mar 2017
Posts: 21
Likes: 5
From: VA
I also had a 2012 S-60 R-design AWD that I traded in for my 2015 GS-350 F sport AWD 18 months ago. I am very happy with the Lexus. And may stay with Lexus in the future. I especially like the driver - car interface (the way the switches work etc.)
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Clark Kent
GS - 3rd Gen (2006-2011)
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Mar 15, 2007 02:14 PM