scottmyers

Well people, I have been a 2006 GS owner for the past nine months. I've been on the board almost daily during that time. All I can say is "Man, what an experience".

Currently I'm on my second 06 GS. The problems have been absolutely ridiculous. Dashboard creeks and pops that the dealer cannot fix, two transmissions in less than 2000 miles, and few other things, that are in my opinion design flaws. So for one last attempt at owning a Lexus, the dealer is walking me out of my second GS into the new ES350. I test drove the car the other day and am quite blown away. The ride, the room, and the technology is way above the current GS. Not the Hybrid, just the GS300. Not to mention all this for a much more reasonable price tag. I'm sure in October when they update the things in the GS, it will surely be a better car than it is now.

I'll post pictures when it arrives. From what I'm reading on this board, most of you ES350 owners are quite satisfied with your new car. Can't wait.

PhilipMSPT

iTrader: (5)

I'm sorry to hear about the GS. I love the GS but would hate all that misfortune to happen.

The ES is a pleaser. I hope your luck changes for the better. Although it's FWD, you can't go wrong with it. You'll still have the same luxury and comfort of the GS (the GS in general, not the one that pooped out on you).

Trexus

Sorry to hear about your 2006 GS. I wish you the best with the ES 350. For the most past Lexus is a great car. I have a 1996 ES 300 with over 255K miles and it runs great. I still have the same engine and transmission. I want to see how far I can take it...

CGLex07

Welcome scottmyers and sorry to hear about all the problems. The ES350 will not disappoint, I assure you.

CG

dp5

I just purchased an 07 ES to replace my previous ES. I have been extremely satisfied with both. I've been reading the GS board because I was trying to decide whether to purchase a GS or another ES and I've followed your saga. Your whole experience has been very atypical for Lexus and I'm sorry that you have had to endure it. I have 800 miles on my ES and can tell you that the car has performed flawlessly. No squeaks, rattles or problems to date. The technology is slightly superior to what you experienced with the GS due to the updated bluetooth and Nav. You will give up a little bit in performance but I think that you will find the cars remarkable similar during your day-to-day driving. I wish you the best of luck with your ES.

INHOCJP

So you're going from one first year model car to another first year model car? Just curious, what makes you think the the ES is going to be magically more reliable than the GS?

In any event, hope the ES treats you right. It's very nice.

scottmyers

Good question. I don't think its magic at all, just the extra time needed to get things right.

I've done a lot of research, and I mean A LOT after the experience I had with the two GS's. Yes the GS is a first model year redesign, so was the IS and now the ES. The issues I have had were mainly what I would call design issues. The creaking and popping was just the most obnoxious thing. The dealer basically could not fix it. So I started test driving other GS's on the lot and other GS's from other dealers. They all did it. Even the first GS I had for four months to the next one I took delivery of experienced it. The seats are really not comfortable at all, the fuel door leaves a white drip mark after every wash (impossible to get off the paint), there is a molding defect in the dash over the passenger air bag, the ML audio does not play MP3s, there is no aux audio jack, the Nav is the old Gen 4 version, no voice dialing with the bluetooth system and after two transmissions I had had enough. Looks like the transmission issues were due to a incorrectly installed gasket from the factory resulting in some kind of oil leak. They tore the car apart trying to fix it. At that point I wasn't going to take the car back with hope that it would work as new. Not to mention, all I had was 2000 miles on the car. I will say, the Lexus of Orlando dealership has by far the most impressive customer service I have ever dealt with. Just the best.

My friend bought the new IS350 when it came out and it hasn't had a single issue. After test driving the new ES for a very extended ride, it appears to exhibit none of the GS issues. From what I'm reading it sounds like the ES is an exceptional car. Read some posts on the GS board, lots of issues. I think Lexus has had time to get the newer things right in the later releases of these new vehicles. I honestly don't believe the GS was ready for production. Remember, all these new things you are enjoying on the ES were brand new for the GS redesign that was introduced just last year. I bet the new GS 350 coming in Oct will be much better.

So yes, I'm taking a chance on the ES, but its that or live with the unacceptable issues of the current GS. We will see.

<VENOM>

What factory is the 06 GS 300 made in

e-man

Hey Scott. I've been following your issues over on the 3GS forum. All I can say is that you definitely made a great move. I really think you're going to love the ES. I am a 2GS owner, and my next car will most likely be an ES350. Don't get me wrong, I think the 3GS is a nice car, but there are so many people that are having issues (granted, they are minor annoying issues, but for $50k, Lexus should have made sure that these issues were not present before coming to market). For what it's worth, I do believe they'll have everything ironed out by the time the 07 GS350 comes out.

jeffofla

CGLex07, I like your signature banner.

S L I C K

The greatest factory in the world ( Tahara, Japan )!

Rockville

you've had. I too followed your frustration and I'm glad you are philosophical and trying out the ES350. Snap..Crackle..and Pop were issues with quite a few of the early GS production. I don't really hear those complaints anymore. Yours is the first transmission problem I've heard of but we sell mainly AWD GS's in the Eastern Region and they have a slightly different transmission design. The ES will definitely be quieter and roomier. I hope you find your dream car, Scott....

Bernie AKA Rock