There is no GS250, but there is a GS200t. You can't take an experience with a base model loaner as indicative of the model. I had a well loaded GS350 luxury model, every bit worthy of being a Lexus. Better seats than my LS460, better leather material than my LS460, more features than the LS too. Driving experience no contest just in that I prefer a ride biased car, but I could understand why somebody would choose a GS over an LS, much sportier and more fun to drive. The ES too is a nice car when you consider the cost...you could buy two for the cost of one LS460.

If buying used anyways, I'd get the LS. Only way I would choose an ES over an LS is if I was comparing a new ES to a used LS, then I would buy (and did, twice) the ES because its new.

 

An LS vs and ES? I would choose the Old LS all day, having a v8 that is super smooth is a whole new world compared to a front wheel drive detuned es350. The most common replacement is the control arms that dont last, but that is small trade off for a really big car that can seat 5 and is really comfortable. My dream car is the LS460L. i dont even had kids like that, but i have tall family members, and when we get together i would be nice to have the ability to fit everyone with no complaints.

 

Gotta say, I'm an LS owner and ya'll are starting to even scare me off a LS460 a little. I've been trying to keep up with the LS460 because my plan was to drive my LS430 for another 2 - 3 years and then maybe step up to a 2013+ LS460 once the prices start dropping into the mid-upper 20's. With all the talk of expensive parts and seeing some of the issues posted here lately, I'm a little more concerned about doing that now. I'm 90% a DIY guy but with the LS430 there hasn't been all that much to deal with. I think the hardest thing for me so far was replacing my door lock actuators and after the 2nd one I had it down pretty good. I'm hoping the 460 doesn't really have that many issues.

To the OP, I'll tell you that I only started driving an LS because a friend of mine bought a Tesla a couple years ago and sold me his '04 LS430 for $9,500. He was the original owner, had it fully maintained at Lexus, and it was in great shape so I bought it even though I kind of considered it a grampa car at the time. Well, after a few months of driving it I was hooked, grampa car or not. The drive-ability, comfort, and room won me over. I just recently had to buy another LS because a hail storm totaled my '04. It wasn't a question that I wasn't going to buy another LS. I'm 6' 5", 280 lbs and this is one of the only cars I've been able to fit into with 3 other adults and never had to move my seat at all (can't imagine what it would be like with the room of a 460L). I've become a dedicated Lexus owner and will probably be driving one for many years to come.

I've never driven and ES so I can't give you a good comparison. I do think you've made the correct first step and that is to come here and find out as much as you can about both the LS and ES. Obviously you need to try to drive an LS if you can but just be forewarned, you may kick the ES to the curb. Also, no matter if you get the ES or LS, start looking for a recommended local mechanic that can work on and maintain your Lexus.

Good Luck!

 

There is absolutely no reason to be afraid of the LS460 lol. It's the most reliable flagship luxury sedan you can buy, but it is going to be overall more expensive to maintain than an ES, your LS430 will be also.

What I try to dissuade people from doing is buying a used LS, or any other used luxury car and expecting a 5+ year old example to be just as reliable and cheap to run as a new $25,000 or cheaper car. The ES is attractive from the standpoint that under its skin it IS a Camry/Avalon and thus parts are cheaper, etc.

The point is ANY car will have repair needs as it ages, and if you buy an older LS vs a new or newer ES you have to understand those costs may come sooner and be more costly.

Like on the LS400 forum there's a guy *****ing because his door handle broke, "these things are supposed to be reliable, poorly made blah blah blah". Well, your car is 18 years old...an 18 year old car is not "poorly made" when something breaks.

 

Don't be scared, just understand that newer cars are going to have more and more technology in them and be more expensive to fix. It's going to be that way with virtually any upper tier or luxury brand. When I bought my 430 (in 2008), I was scared of the navigation screen controlling things like the AC, etc. so I opted for one without it. Now I can't avoid stuff like that and have just accepted that there are going to be things that go wrong and they'll be more expensive than in my 430 or 400. Sounds like you and I are pretty similar in buying these cars used and out of warranty. I did enough research before pulling the trigger on my '10 460 to feel comfortable with what may go wrong. And I figure I'll never have to replace the timing belt, so I'm saving some cash every 90k anyway that can be put towards any other repair.

I agree with Steve that the ES would be less expensive to maintain/repair than an LS because it shares many of the "guts" with other Toyota vehicles. I used that thought process in my late teens and early 20's when I was a Nissan fan- their 3.0 V6 engine was shared across virtually every car, truck and minivan they made, so engine parts were widely available and inexpensive and most of their techs were really in-tune with understanding the engine. We also bought an LX570 for similar reasons...it's a Land Cruiser with a Lexus badge (and BTW we traded in a GX which is effectively a V8 4Runner!).

To the OP, I would get the LS over the ES. I prefer a V8 and like having the extra room found in the LS. I like the ES and GS for what they are (prefer the GS more because it offers a unique driving experience), but I just like to float down the road in silence and therefore the LS is right up my alley. My mother-in-law has had 3 generations of ES' that she always buys brand new and they just don't do much for me. I would take an old LS over a new ES, but I am different than some/most in the fact that I don't mind having an older car.

Good luck in your choice!