Something I've been wanting to do for sometime now for my 99 Lexus gs300, but I've been putting it off cause I don't know where i should start first, what to upgrade, what parts I should do, what kind to get, etc.. I've scoured a ****ton of forums, websites, even talk to a buddy whom is knowledgeable about this but I didn't want to ask him about every little thing. So if you have any good advice or know where I should look for performance upgrades lmk please.

 

Well, what do you want?

If you've actually done the research that you say you've done, you know that there's a DIY post for pretty much every modification anyone has ever done to a GS300.

So what do you want?

 

Pick a goal for the car. A power number, a certain body look you are after, whatever it is, and do it right the first time. Otherwise you waste time and money. If you are after any kind of power, don't mess around with intake and exhaust mods etc. They are pretty useless and will be ditched as soon as you go turbo or engine swap. If you just want a VIP GS, you have several directions you can go. If you are a high roller, invest in an air suspension, then build on that. If not, rims and coil-overs are the usual place to start. If you want a sexy body, just get the widebody kit or whatever you're into and have it done and painted. Don't buy little lips and stick on spoilers and have the car look less than satisfying. Same for the engine. If you have the money, start with a GTE swap. If you're like me and find yourself going "all in" on a project, you are saving yourself money and headache as expensive as the GTE swap seems up front. I wish I would have, but I went turbo on my 98 and now have a blown engine and slipping trans I'm rebuilding with parts that cost more than a GTE block would have. Now driving a beat up POS 97 200sx while I do this. Which is the opposite of baler. Not fun. Do it right or don't do it at all.

 

Yep - depends on where you want to go. Regardless as to your direction, making the car comfortable and reliable is a good starting point. The things that come to mind would be fixing the oil leaks and getting the timing belt changed unless someone has already done that. The suspension, unless someone has done it already, will likely be in need of hundreds of dollars worth of updating - from clear safety issues like front balljoints, to worn, torn, and frozen bushings that make alignment difficult to correct. If the actuators on the locks haven't been addressed, that's a good spot to invest a little time and money. Same with your HVAC controls - those actuators do fail - commonly on passenger side - and so fixing those is some tedious but warranted duty for comfort. Regardless as to your build direction, most anyone can appreciate these things being in good working order.