hydrazine

What are the pros and cons of the 00-02 GS300 ??

Driven a 330Ci for a couple yrs already, and I don't push it hard anymore. Now considering a swap for the GS straight up, as I was impressed by the overall quality of the car and its reputation for reliability .. it really looks neat too!

I testdrove a GS300 b4 I bought the 330, so I kinda know what I'm getting into. But still got a couple questions:
- Are the GS really so damn reliable? Ppl say they can go yrs with regular servicing w/o problems.
- How's the GS300 realistic MPG or L/100km (I'm in Vancouver Canada)?
- In your opinion, what am I giving up in the 330 and what am I getting in the GS?
- How'd you guys think of the RWD? How's the traction control?
- Are the dealership overall services top notch like ppl say? What are the costs of regular servicing?

Thx !

hydrazine

Here's my ride .. =)

Ice350

iTrader: (1)

I don't own a GS but I believe it's oklay to say what I do know...besides, I'm a little bored at the moment. I know people with both cars so here's my answers to your questions.

-The GS is very much more reliable than any Bimmer. Every car needs service, every car has it's own particular things that need addressing but GS's are very reliable. My Bimmer friends are always taking their cars in for things that may not relate to drivetrain but are reflections of quality control issues.
-Can't answer the MPG question.
-What would you be giving up? The infamous driving characteristics. I say infamous because E46 is said to be less the driving machine than the E36. Nonetheless, E46 is known for driving and handling prowess. You'll have to re-work the suspension to get the same handling from a GS. The GS is a luxury car with a luxury ride.
-My Lexus's has traction so I can comment. We don't have snow in Fl but when it rains, I drive almost the same as I do on dry land. Total confidence, you stick to the road.
-I have mostly great experiences with my dealership. Mostly, I believe this depends on the owner of the dealership and his customer service philosophy. Prices are lower than the Mercedes dealership I used to go to and I believe lower tham BMW. For example, I pay less than $30 for oil changes and need them every 5000 miles. For me that's twice a year in one car and 3 times a year in the other....I ususally do it at 4000 miles.
Hope this helps. Hope the GS guys don't mind me answering for them...I'm sure they will chime in as they see this.

Ishinc

hydrazine welcome to CL!

i have a 99 GS3 and i have over 140k miles and its still going stronger than ever! only regular oil changes, timing belt. the only thing that needed replacing recently was the starter and battery! I think many would say that you are gonna give up some handling when you trade but that can be easily fixed with some suspension mods. Gs300 has a very smooth drivetrain and the traction control has saved me a couple times. you also have the option of turning it off for some extra fun! so far all the experiences i have had with the dealer (not many) has been very nice and professional! I change my own oil, very easy, i think the deal cost about $50. i hope this helps you out a little bit. good luck with your change!

Xanadu350

As with reggie, I really can't answer your questions as I don't own a GS but I do own a recently aquired 98 SC 400 and I do own a 99 E46 328i (orignal owner). There's a reason why I have kept my 328i for over 5 years now, it's just fun to drive. I guess I'm one of the few that have never had any problems with my E46 since 1999. I have found reliability to be excellent in both cars, even though I've only had the SC for a short time. I haven't had to use the Lexus dealer yet for service so I hope it goes great like everyone says, I did use the dealer for the buyers inspection on my SC & that went well.

I have wanted a SC400 ever since 1997 model year. I finally in the last few months picked up a perfect condition low miles SC400. I love both these cars, Lexus & BMW make really nice cars. I don't like the way BMW is going with the newer model styles. It makes me want to keep mine longer.

My 99 328i was the first year for the new E46 and BMW messed with the steering soon after 99 and BMW owners were upset that the steering was too light feeling, they even offered a retro-fit, so glad I didn't have that problem. My steering is totally diff in the SC than the 328i, the SC I can use 2 fingers to turn a corner, my 328 I have to use both hands, you can actually feel the tires grip the road on a corner with the BMW but with the Lexus is much lighter feeling. I'm not putting down either car, I love them both.

Both my cars drive totally different. I love the SC400 for the added luxury, smaller sports car feeling & V8 is very very powerful, as far as handling....reggie said it best "E46 is known for driving and handling prowess" the way the car handles is nice you can really feel the road & I can make turns off the turnpike at 45 mph & it hugs the road. The Lexus doesn't quite handle the same but I still love that car just as much. I have the best of both worlds.

I'm waiting to see if the new GS blows me away enough to trade up in a few years.

TLW

i love the traction control

it has saved me numerous times granted some times when you want to have fun

it kicks a little early

but when i first came on here i read a post from Sicklex

and he said do not drive with VSC off in the rain

and i can testify to that

words to remember

good luck and welcome to Club Lexus

-johnny-

jtanoyo1

Let's compare this on a stock vs stock basis:

1. GS300 will seem slower and clumsy compared to your 330ci. It's comparing a big luxo sedan against a sporty coupe. So, that's the immediate difference you will notice.

2. Stock suspension on a GS sucks, while the BMW is world famous for its handling. Nothing a simple suspension upgrade can't fix.

3. You're also moving away from the no-bull, no-frills german engineering at its finest to a Japanese brand famous for its creature comforts. The first thing you will notice is that our seats are much nicer, wider, softer and our options are endless compared to your BMW.

4. However, you will lose much of the road feedback that you have enjoyed with your 330ci these past years. Again, this is a simple fix with an upgraded steering ecu (cheapy $100 mod) and probably upgraded sways, etc.

svt5150

My girlfriend has a 02 330ci and it is nice. I have a gs400 and drove a gs3 before I got my 400. It is hard to compare the two. A sport coupe and a luxury car. I would go with the Lexus for reliability and aftermarket... Plus it just looks better

rominl

iTrader: (4)

people already said it, i will just throw in my last 2 cents.

if you talk about performance, the 330ci will complete blow away the gs300. handling the 300ci is awesome. speed it's really fast, the gs300 won't even get close.

however, it's a 2 door, not convinient if you ask me. also, reliability of lexus is just superior, the bmw is just no match no matter how you put it

mikeyboy

I'm a big *** dude and the my 528 was one small *** car, so i can't even imagine the 330i. The GS is so damn comfortable it's not even funny. I'd take my GS300 over my 98 528i ANY day. You feel more like a sportster when you drive the BMW but when you drive the LEXUS you feel like a million bucks.

hydrazine

thanx Ishinc, nice to be here. thanx for the replies !

sounds like you guys really never had quality issues? any easily broken pieces, etc ? my buddy named me 10 probs off his head for his C320 in 2 yrs .. i've had abt 5-7 minor ones myself.

how's the traction control in rain ? what tires do you guys run on ?

i know i'm giving up a sports coupe for a lux sedan .. but the GS is supposed to have a bit of sportiness in it too. how'd you guys think of the sportiness of the GS as a luxury sedan ?

how's the VVTi ? do the early models have it ? is it something similar to a VTEC or does the GS3 (or even the 400) have a flat torque curve like the 3 series ?

how about the e-shift and auto .. is the e-shift smooth and quick? how about the auto, is it dull or does it respond quick when you start pushing it ?

jtanoyo1- what's the steering ecu about ??

rominl

iTrader: (4)

ok honestly on my gs4, with all the stiff suspension mods i got, i had the following complaints over the yrs

1) sunroof rattle, very common problem, fixed
2) front dash rattle, very rare, comes on sometimes ok, still not sure where
3) driver seat squeak when using the power adjustment, fixed by wd40
4) one blew dome light, aftermarket

that's it.... oh, if anything

5) the car is too quiet sometimes i am not sure if it's on or not
6) make myself sleepy when driving coz' it's too comfortable

RRocket

The GS is a very sporty SEDAN. If I recall, the GS400 did 0.87G on the skidpad, which is quite good. Braking was equally doog from 60. Not as sure about the GS..but here's the nice part. When you mod the engine of the GS, it won't break. As the BMW guys what happens when they mod their engines...KAPOW!! I've seen it....And yes..the GS REALLY is that reliable....

psukhu

I have both 325 and a GS300, so here's my take.

-My passengers love the GS because of thelarger interior and smooter ride.

-GS drives like a boat compared to the BMW, but still drives better than many large American sedans.

-The GS is cheaper to drive. I don't mind racking up the miles on the GS.

-The BMW is more fun to drive

-The BMW tends to fishtail pretty easily. (maybe cause mine is a manual) The GS has to be pushed much harder to fishtail.

-Baby seat really takes up a lot of space in the BMW.

-My wife says the GS is too big and she doesn't like driving it.

hydrazine

wow, i'd love to have that kind of reliability. are there any commonly known probs or tech bulletins on the GS that i should know about?

i'm just recalling my testdrive a couple yrs back. is the windnoise really so low ? as for quiet, i once sat into a camry and my uncle just shift to D and go .. i was like, don't you need to start the damn thing?? .. neat stuff. i do enjoy my engine rite now humph tho. =P

will passengers fly all over the place when you go cornering ? or is it still pretty much okay ?

once again, what kinda MPG or L/100km do you guys do ??

thanx all !