Advice - What to look for in Used GS450h
 

Welcome! The gs450h is a fantastic performance sedan that is often overlooked so I applaud your decision to look at it. I apologize in advance for my jumbled response.

Gen 3 GS450h...look for an 08 or newer. It isn't for the reliability but more for the creature comforts. 08 brought an updated bluetooth system so you can stream music from your phone. 08 is also when the front bumper and grill changed. You should see the hybrid specific grill on 08+ cars. 2010 and above will come with hybrid specific lighting(blue tint) and hybrid tail lights (clear and red vs all red), different hybrid specific wheels(5 spoke vs split spoke). 2011 gets rid of the "Lexus" badge on the lower left of the trunk. Gen 3 is actually faster than gen 4 due to the use of the non Atkinson motor. The newer generation 450h's have the Atkinson cycle motor.
The one option I wish I had was the APSSS or the active power suspension stabilizer system (active sway bars). You will know a car is equipped with this if you look in the spare tire well. If there is a 12v battery and no spare, the car has the active sway bar system. I went ahead and installed f-sport sway bars to "match" the performance of the active system. It is probably unnoticeable unless you drive like a madman.
Laser cruise control and a couple other items were put on fully loaded cars. I personally have a base model 2011 450h and those small features are the only thing I am missing, but it hasn't affected how I feel about the car.

As far as defects...I really haven't experienced any except for a creaky dash? I am nitpicking. Luggage space. The trunk is quite small for a sedan...but worth the trade-off for performance.

Mileage does seem to have an effect on the hybrid battery. I am currently at 100K and do notice that I can only charge up to 78 or so percent of the hybrid battery. (I have an obd2 reader from Blitz that shows me more detailed information while driving). Hybrid warranty is 9 years or 100k, whichever comes first, so most of the cars will be out of warranty now. The battery replacement cost I have seen at around 3000-6000 dollars depending on dealer. If my systems fail I will be replacing the battery and whatever components. The car is too special to sell.

Expect mpg to be anywhere from 23-27mpg. I am seeing 24-25 consistently with mixed city hwy driving. Freeway cruising is where this car shines! The CVT keeps the revs around 1300rpm (at any speed) so it is quiet at cruise (obd2 reader confirms this as there is no tachometer in the car).

The car is rare, so if you get one, feel special too!
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/hyb...of-energy.html

No problem at all! I think this car is a gem that is often overlooked. The 4th gen does bring better gas mileage, but the power train is the same as an rx450h. 2GR-FKE. That means it is Atkinson cycle. It is also slower than the 2GR-FSE in the third gen. The third gen GS450h is the fastest most performance orientated gs hybrid. Probably won't notice the difference in speed unless lined up next to each other. (speed limit cut at 132...probably a good idea seeing how smooth and quick it is).

I think the big plus for the 4th gen gs450h is probably the trunk space. Oh yeah and all the updated bells and whistles like blind spot monitoring, huge in dash navigation screen etc. At the end of the day you need to pick what will fit you more. I bet those extra bells and whistles will be nice in a daily driver.

Let us know what you pick!

i have gs450h 2008, cannot stream music. aux only, phone though connects via bluetooth

Agreed. If there is a way to BT stream audio, let me know!

There is a few of missleading information. Bt streaming and hybrid grill is only avaiable after 2010+ year model. But blue tint on lexus badge is standard in hybrid models since launch and every hybrid model should have them. Also as a corkie feature, into some markets hybrid models were sold with Samsonite luggage cases which match trunk space perfectly.

Yeah I figured some of that was wrong. I just purchased an 09 with 60k miles, pretty happy about it. What's your experience on battery healthy/timeframe due to low miles but still 10 years old?