Thanks for all your help guys, I was definitely able to make a informed purchase and couldn't be happier. I went yesterday to pick up 2 ES 350s because I was buying one for my mother in law and one for myself as a work/commute car. To make a long story short, once I saw the GS350, I knew that I had to have it! I ended up getting a ES350 w/nav in pearl white/beige for my mother inlaw and a GS350 meteor silver/black w/nav and ML for myself.

I had never even considered the GS but after the test drive I was sold. I did not know that the GS350 had the same performance as the GS430 for $10k less! The best part is that the ES350 got 27.9 mpg on the 100+ mile drive home @ 75-80mph and my GS350 got 27.6 mpg. The power delivery is smooth and snappy. Handling is great but you definitely give up some smoothness. There is so much overlap between this car and my 745Li that I am starting to think that the 7's days are numbered. I definitely don't need the GS and the 7.

Things I don't like about the car. Bluetooth!!!!! It won't sync with my Cingular 8125. It does sync with my RAZR but when I leave the car and return, it won't re-sync despite being in auto mode. Does the same thing in the ES. It also won't transfer the entire phone book like my Mercedes bluetooth does and it appears that you have to do each contact individually. What's up with that?!?!?!

I installed Sirius when I got home and it was very simple. No aux/mp3 input but with a cassette adapter and clever wiring, it's nearly invisible. I will post pics if anyone is interested.

Once again, thanks for the info and help. Now if anyone could tell me how to do the DVD hack on the 07 GS350. They changed one of the harnesses from the '06 model and the 450h.

In case anyone is wondering, I bought the car for my mother in law because she lives with us and helps watch the kids. She takes them to/from school, swim lessons, golf lessons, tennis lessons, etc. We have gone through 6 live in nannies and had problems with all of them. I bought her a 2005 Camry XLE V6 last year and she really liked it until her church "buddies" said things like, "Why did they get you the top of the line Toyota Camry instead of a Lexus?", "If your son in law is doing so well, why didn't he just get you a nicer car?" This is coming from old ladies that don't even have cars!?!?! To make a long story short, I couldn't care less what those old bags say, but I wanted to make sure that my mother in law knows how much our family appreciates her. She had no idea she was getting a car when we went to the dealership yesterday. I had her help me choose a color for my car and once my wife and I figured out what she would choose for herself, we said. "Glad you like the color because this car is for you!" This morning, she said that she couldn't sleep last night because the car was so nice and gave me a big thank you. She left for church about an hour ago in her new ES!

 

you are rich. all your cars are almost luxury cars.
u got pm.

 

Congratulations, hope you enjoy your new car.

And your own mother didn't raise an idiot to have gifted your mother in law with a brand new car.<G>

Smart man for sure. There will be much peace and harmony in the home.

And the old biddies were just jealous of the last one so came up with what they did, now they will be seething with it.

 

So how does your mother feel about you buying cars for your mother-in-law?

Congrats on the cars....all of them.

 

ok..... whats the secrt what do you sell

 

Novocaine!
Might have to fit in a few extra patients this month to cover the cost of the 2nd Lex....hehe.

 

BTW, I finally got the GS to sync with my Cingular 8125. I had a 3rd party bluetooth extension installed on my PDA phone because it wouldn't load the phone book into my GL450. It didn't work anyways so once I uninstalled the software, it sync'd up with the GS flawlessly.

 

All I have to say is WOW! You have more money sitting there in cars than I paid for my house....well, ten years ago.

Congrats to you and your mother-in-law.

 

congrats, yes the GS430 is a bit outside of the value when compared to the GS350 but wait until the GS460 replaces it in spring 07, GS350 will be the biggest seller of course, this engine far more than enough for normal drivers

 

I should have been a dentist/oral surgeon!

Congrats! Those are some beautiful cars!

 

i bet her friends complain that she got the lowly ES while you got the GS... haha!

good stuff though. congrats.

 

I told her that if that happens, I will personally go to her church and pimp slap the whole lot of them!

 

wow man you must have made your salespersons week! i bought my car from a salesman named tim i think. extremely impressive collection of cars. i dont know how you can handle that many in one driveway it must be a nightmare getting the one u want out. are you a dentist in orange county?

 

That GS350 is one heck of a deal. GS430 owners must be kind of peeved at the switch up.

 

Actually, right now it's a royal pain in the butt getting a car out. I actually have one more car that is not in my sig. I have a 2005 Camry XLE V6 that I bought for my mother in law last year. I am going to ship it to Chicago to my father in law (divorced) but until then, it takes up a spot in the garage. It's been really tough juggling all of the cars the past couple of days.

With all of the discounts various discounts, about $2900/year.