Topsupra

I am looking at a 93 GS 300 with 74,000 and I have noticed #2 problems so far:

1. The speedo and tach do not work although they do light up, they dont funtion but odometer
appears to work fine.

2. Also both drivers and passanger power seats dont work properly, they do hum showing
that the motors are functioning. It appears there is somthing wrong with the alignment
or track.

are these common problems in the 1st gen GS300's?.....Has anyone else experienced these problems?....Any help will be apprecited...Thanks...Jay.S

BlackoutGS

i bought my 1st gen about 5 mo. ago, with 88k miles, and i have not seen any of those problems. Both of my power seats adjust fine and the gauges (although one backlight just went out) work fine.

good luck in grasping the gen. 1 GS.

johnee78

iTrader: (4)

First welcome to Clublexus..
1. This can be fixed and if it doesn't I would be concerned about the actual mileage..
One of our vendors does cluster repair..

2. It is a common problem with the seats in the first gen especially here in florida..Since it is very humid at times the plastic gear gets worn and eventually strips out, which is why your seat motor is still working and the seat doesn't move forward or backwards..Luckly , Lexus recognized the problem and has started offering a stronger replacement gear thats around $100.00 and the dealership can install it ..Im not sure how long or how much it costs to install , but its much cheaper than buying a new seat bottom assembly which normally cost around 850.00..

Aside from those items you may want to check the motor for any oil leaks, around the valve covers and the distributor..Check to see if the rack & pinion are leaking or any oil on the bottom of the car..Check your hood and trunk shocks.Make sure that the sunroof & windows all work properly..Look on the spark plug wires and check to see what date is on them so that you have an idea as to when the last tune up was done, if any..Check the radiator and see if the coolant is red or green or any traces of rust..If it is red , then it was serviced at the dealership and if it is green you may want to have that looked into..And lastly check your interior for water stains.If there are any this may indicate a leak some where..

These cars are very reliable and as long as you maintain the car it will run forever ..If you do buy it just remember that maintanence may cost at times but once you do it right your car will be trouble free and last you along as you want it too..My car just hit 162,000 and it still runs like a new car , but I also maintain mine and do pre-maintanence..This has been the best car I have ever owned..

Hope this helps and good luck wit hthe purchase..

GoldGS3

iTrader: (1)

if you follow johnee78's suggestion, i think you will find a nice 1st gen gs.

my 94 gs300 has +303K miles and running great. make sure to follow regular maitenance-schedule.

good luck.

Topsupra

Thanks John for the reply, are you fairly certain about the power seat issue?......Also do you know which vendor will do the cluster repair and also any idea of how much it will cost?... As for any other problems this is what I have seen so far:

1. Trunk and Hood shocks no longer work
2. I have to replace one rear tire since it had a rip in the side wall (currently Lex is on the
spare)
3. Headlights are faded
4. Radio dosent get reception although antanna works fine ( I figured radio antanna
plug wasnt
connected to the radio)
5. Cluster dosent funtion although it lights up (as mentioned above)
6. Power seat issue (as mentioned above)
7. Wood surounding the transmission area needs to be replaced (appears somone pealed
off half of the wood sticker)

The interior is in good condtion I would rate it on a 1-10 scale = 7 or 8 (no rips)

The exterior is in good condtion I would rate it on a 1-10 scale = 7
There is no fade on the paint but there is a little fade on the top of the lower body molding and drivers side of the moulding has a scratch all the way on the side, so I figured I have to paint the lower molding on the entire car.

The car dosent appear to be in any accidents all the fenders still have there vin#'s, the car appears to be all orginal for the most part, just needs a little TLC to be 100%.... So what do you think a fair price would be, considering the rapairs? I just dont want to buy it and find out later I have to dump alot of money into it....So far I have narrowed down my choices to this 1993 GS300 or a mint condtion 1992 Acura Legend, I need to buy one or the other this week....Any feedback would be great....

CTgs300

buy mine!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Topsupra

BUMP

Theres gota be someone else who might have this info??........

turbogs300

Everything you mentioned is cosmetic and could be fixed relatively cheap, if you do it yourself. You haven't told us anything important like the condition of the motor and transmission.

Topsupra

Motor and transmission appear to be in great condtion, only thing wrong is the what I mentioned above.....What do you think would be a fair price?...Also Im not sure if I mentioned this but the the car is Silver with gray leather.....Thanks...Jay.S

turbogs300

I d offer $4500 and maybe go up to a max of $6000

mkiiisupra

I think I overpayed for mine. 94 with 118,xxx. Needed new dist o-ring, plugs, wires, cap, rotor, rear pads, back of passenger seat came off (the clips holding it on broke), been repainted on the rear 3/4 panels and the shop didnt do that great of a job. Previous owner had a system in and took it out when he traded the car in, so I was left with a non working aftermarket headunit, no 12 disc changer, no factory amp. Factory sub was still there and the speakers worked. I payed 8.5 for it.

Almost have it running like a new car. I've put in new cap, rotor, plugs, wires, dist o-ring, VC gasket, new TPS, cleaned TB, power steering system flush, brake system flush, new rear pads, rear rotors resurfaced, new headunit.

I've also done alot of detailing to it. Polished up the exhaust tips, wetsanded and polished headlights/fogs, conditioned leather, washed carpets, cleaned all the leather.

Just need to replace the rotors, get an amp, and upgrading front speakers then It will be up to my standards. Neighbors friend is cutting me a deal on a paintjob since he has a booth at his house and does sidejobs. Has been a painter for 9 years.

Sounds like your car has quite a few problmes like mine did, but theyre all pretty much cheap. Most expensive thing sounds like the wood grain (500$ for OEM piece), and new tires. Hood struts are a couple hundred brand new from Lexus. Headlights can be cleaned up at home for the price of sandpaper and plastic polish. Radio doesnt sound like too big of a problem, ecspecially if you plan on upgrading the sound system, whether it be subtle or extensive.

Has low mileage and will last you a long time if you treat it right. TurboGS300 said 4.5-6, based off the looking around I've done, that seems near impossible to get, but I guess it just depends on the seller and area your in and everything. For a 74k motor and a pretty decent rolling chassis and good condition interior, Id say you'd be lucky to get it for 6k. Lookin more around 7-8/9. All the ones I've seen at dealerships, online, papers, etc. Have been around 10-12k. They usually end up having high mileage too (150-200+). Depends how much work you care about putting into it to get it back to par.

Call Lexus, get some prices for parts, take it back to the seller and negotiate. You should also have it checked out by a mechanic pre-purchase. Checking carfax would be good too.

ocean350

for me, i would stay away from such an old car.
save more money and get a newer one.
lexus make good cars, but dont risk ur money on an old car.
lexus do have very good warranty program and the dealership usually honor their warranty without asking any question.
for used lexus, try to get one with an existing warranty since it's not cheap to fix any lexus.

cheers,
-James