AWay

My mom is trading in her car for a 04 TL, and the dealer is giving here about 10,000 for it. It is a 00 GS 300 Platinum with 130k miles. She drives over 100 miles every day to work, so her work cars always have ridiculous amounts of miles on them.

My concern is if I pick it up from her for, but much longer does it really have on it? I don't want it to start having crazy problems and being more of a hassle. I have a 02 330i and a 04 S2000 right now, both paid for, but am considering getting rid of both and picking this up for 10k and having more money for a house. (buying one in about a year)

Back to the question at hand though. It obviously makes sense financially to get it, but I really don't want to get rid of my other perfectly good cars for this if it's gonna be a PITA. Still looks and drives like it's new though, it simply has tons of miles from all the commuting.

If someone can just gives me a heads up of how these cars work with higher mileage, that would be great.

I figure I would throw some snow tires on those 16's, and grab a set of 18" superleggera's the rest of the time and have a great car for all seasons for under $13k.

TIA

Johnny Mo

Way too many miles for me, but you have the inside track on the car...does you rmom take care of the car or does she beat on it. If you know the car is taken care of well than go for it, your only issue will be that you will most likely not be able to get any sort of after-market extended warranty and the car will not go as a CPO with that many miles. If the dealer is willing to CPO the car have her trade it in so she gets the tax credit on the new car, and then pre-negotiate with the dealer that you will buy it for the 10k plus the certification fee (which'll be about $900).

AWay

Well she's trading it in on an Acura TL, so I don't think they can CPO it. I was thinking of doing that kind of dealer trade where she trades it, saves tax and I buy it right there. (Done this before myself)

I was mostly concerned with the problems that can present themselves with this kind of mileage. I know the car was well taken care of, always serviced at her dealer regularly. Like I said it looks and drives brand new, just happens to be that she drives all these miles every day mostly in a straight line on the highway. kind of sucks.

I'm gonna think it over more.

D2-AUTOSPORT

To be honest with you, if the car is in the good condition you say it is, I would pick it up. These engines are very reliable, and have longevity that will make your head spin. For 10k I think its a great deal, just have a mechanic give a nice look and post pics when you buy it.

Oh yeah, trust me, it you get it and start coming around here more often, you will add a whole hell of alot more than just wheels!!

Good luck man

lexusk8

I agree with what Derrick says. Lexus engines are one of the most durable around, and if properly taken care of on a frequent basis, you can guarantee they will last as long as you own the car. I picked up an '01 ES300 about 7 months ago that had 64K miles at that time (all highway driven, originally used as a business/corporate vehicle). A lot of miles on the ES, but less wear and tear in the engine area; that's what's more important to know

Maintenance should be prioritized much more than mods if the car is to be kept for at least a year, though mods on a Lex are always nice...

squarehat

I think there's a mileage cap on CPO status somewhere between 60-70K, because I remember the salesman telling me my ES would have met CPO if not for mileage restrictions.

Edit: Looked it up, mileage cap is at 60K. http://www.lexus.com/cpo/benefits/pr...omparison.html

AWay

Yeah still gonna have to give this a little time.

The GS is nice and all, but I would need to add those 18's, I would like xenons, and it's got all those miles. But would net me 20k in my pocket after I sold my 330i.

OR keep my 330, it's 2 years newer, xenons, nice wheels, and basically everything I need, but giveup the opportunity to put 20k in my pocket.

I just need to think what i actually NEED a car for. For looking good and feeling fast or as a mode of transportation...

I do a bunch of real racing, so it's not like I need to get my kicks out on the street.

We'll see.

Thanks for all the help guys!

D2-AUTOSPORT

Trust me bud, you would be making a very wise choice going with the Lexus. Although it has high mileage, if the car is good condition it would not matter. You are the only person that knows your mileage when your baby is parked at the curb! And you will still maintain a prestigious luxury vehicle (some may think you upgraded since the GS is bigger!).

Plus you could dump 5k in mods in the GS and still have 15k in your pocket. I wish you and your mom would have been around a few weeks ago!! I'd be driving that car right down to SRT as we speak!! LOL

Do what you think is best man, just my .02

kam1996

you are buying a toyota engine wit 130K on it..I know of people with toyota engines still running at 200K without major problems. As far as rest of electronics and options on the car that make it a lexus instead of a toyota, they are all just 4 yrs old..so you are good

squarehat

I agree completely with D. Mileage shouldn't be an issue, especially since you know that the car has been maintained on schedule (I'm assuming the timing belt has been changed around 90K). Furthermore, doing most of the mileage at highway speeds means the transmission doesn't have the wear of a 130K mile car driven mostly in stop-and-go traffic.
Now that the reliability is established, it's time to address style and comfort. I agree that the E46 3-Series is an absolutely beautiful car, especially the exterior. The GS isn't bad looking, either, and the Platinums have an even nicer interior than the average GS. Like D mentioned, most people would consider the car a step up...the GS300 competes against the larger 530i.
Finally, peformance/handling... Switching out the power steering ECU to a L-Tuned ECU will help give you the tighter steering feel that BMW's have (as a former E36 3 Series owner, I know how great BMW steering feel is).