Dflores

Hey, so I've been looking to buy my first car as I'm leaving for college (2.5 hours). I went to an auto shop that repairs wrecked/auctioned/unwanted cars and one of them was a GS300 2001 108k miles wine red for 4,500$. I don't think I'll bring the car for my first year of college but I will eventually do you think I'd be able to handle going to Madison WI to Chicago? Would it last me 5+ years without any major problems? Is it reliable? How bad is the gas mileage? My stepdad says it's a good car but I'm paying for the brand because I can get a newer corolla for the same amount. But idk I have the money for it, which is why I want it and idc that I'm paying for the brand it looks good asf.

firelizard

iTrader: (1)

Your stepdad is vastly underestimating the disparity between a Lexus GS and a Toyota Corolla.
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That said, depending how much newer of a Corolla you're looking at, maybe that newness outweighs the cool-factor and high initial build quality of the Lexus.

We can't vouch for the car's condition unseen, but if it's actually worth $4,500, the GS should easily handle a trip between Madison and Chicago and many more. These cars can last well over 250,000mi with proper maintenance.

However, if they develop electrical issues they can be frustrating to diagnose and repair. And OEM Lexus parts are still often quite expensive if they're unique to Lexus models.

Also, the fuel economy is quite poor. It was rated at 20mpg combined when new, but depending on the individual car it can be quite a lot worse. The highway mileage helps the average look better, thanks to the 5-speed transmission. City consumption is significantly worse compared to highway.

JaySco

Firelizard pretty much nailed it all the way around. Not much left to add.

dwoods801

The fathers of the world are directly responsible for the extraordinary high resale value of old Corollas. If You find s good Corolla with 108k miles, an automatic transmission, and air conditioning and you’ll also find a minimum asking price of $8000. They will return a little better fuel mileage than the GS300, you’ll be giving up a lot of comfort and safety.
So you know yourself and the condition of the vehicles better than we do? Do you want the least expensive vehicle for driving back and forth to college? Or do you enjoy driving in comfort and convenience? Also the Lexus is probably going to be a safer vehicle?
Keep in mind the Lexus is rear wheel drive, so a good set of snow tires will make a big improvement in the winter.
Whatever you do, make sure you get a pre purchase inspection done before buying a 20 year old vehicle, if you aren’t sure your looking at.

AlphaJZS

iTrader: (2)

Looks can be deceiving. 2001 GS3 can have a variety of "little things" that can make a college student frustrated. Timing belt been done? Still on its original radiator? Is it burning oil? VVTI solenoid been replaced? Control arms bushings are probably worn. Door lock actuators all work? Radio volume **** still working like it should? is it hesitating when applying the accelerator? An 01 can be reliable but only if the previous owners took care of it.

dwoods801

108,000 miles? It sure looks extremely clean! Obviously it needs to be checked out before purchasing but that sure looks like a good deal to me. If it was as good as it looks in that photo, I would say you found yourself a lot of car for the least amount of money possible. Post some more photos, the engine, undercarriage, interior, and see if you can find why this shop has it? Do they know any of the history? Is there a carfax? Has it got a recent emissions test and a safety inspection? I hate to tell you to get it and then find it’s a salvage title and the mileage is unknown and it’s smoking really bad, but if it doesn’t have any of those issues, you might want to go get it before somebody else does.

Dflores

I had it quickly inspected by a mechanic the title is clean, and the transmission and engine look good according to the mechanic. It was in an accident they replaced the right fender and hood but nothing with the engine. AC and heater work I didn't check the radio. The locks don't work but they said they'd fix it if I get it. We've got two cars before from the same mechanic 2006 Toyota Corolla back in 2016 for 6k and a buick enclave for 12k 2011 in 2018. Both turned out well but they were both in an accident as well but just cosmetic damages.

It's pretty dirty tbh

Dflores

I replied to another message with a photo of under the hood here's the interior everything is clean (except maybe the driver seat you can see a little wear). I took it to a mechanic they said it looked clean didn't have it fully inspected though just the engine and transmission.

I took bad photos lol I didn't expect to get so many replies on this website

dwoods801

it's kinda hard to give you an opinion about a specific vehicles life expectancy and give a opinion on if it's the better option. Compared to a yet to be found Corolla. So theonly advice I can offer is to make sure you find someone you trust to inspect any candidate before you buy it. It's always hard to find good cars for under $5,000. You want to start with a vehicle that has the least amount of repairs pending, even if you have to take it Discount Tire or something, most shops offer a prepurchase inspection for a low price. Hoping to do any repairs if you purchase it.

BorderGuy

A comment on mileage: 80% of my driving is 60-80mph, the rest is city traffic, and I get 24-26 mpg. It has 185,000 miles and seems to run very well. Oil consumption is a quart per 2,000 miles. I also have a 2009 Corolla that gets 36mpg the way I drive, but my old bones love the comfort of the GS300.

jefthim

My advise - look for a used RX350. The 3.5 V6 in them are solid and would likely have less maintenance.