LStyle

Yeah the guy is in Missouri.
I kept my last car for five years. Here is the pic


I know I will keep this one just as long.

e-man

You know what I love best about your car? Call me crazy, but I love the clean look of a GS WITHOUT tinted windows. I recall you were looking at a millenium silver car with tinted windows, and there's no comparison. My car is alpine silver, and the previous owner had the windows lightly tinted. If and when I get around to it, that's my next project -- to remove the tint. I think it detracts from the car, and, unlike Florida or California, here in Chicago, we really don't need window tint.

LStyle

I drove that Silver GS 430 that I looked at to Columbia to pick up my car, and I didn't like the tint. If you look at the pic of my previous car you will noticed that I had the windows tinted. The Cops didn't like that too much. Do you have problems with authority when it comes to your window tint.

e-man

Lstyle -- no, I have not yet had any problems with the police. Here is a picture of the car. The tint is actually pretty light compared to most others who have tint on this site. I just don't care for the look, especially on a light-colored car:

e-man

Here's a better picture in the sunlight (before I removed the spoiler):

LStyle

It doesn't look too bad. Removing the tint shouldn't be difficult. Just peel it off. Why the hack did you remove the spoiler?

nate579

iTrader: (4)

That's what I want to know? The spoiler really make the car look unique. Especially where I live at, there are very few GS430 the spoiler and 17" rims. Are you planning on putting on a different one?

e-man

I figured you guys would want to know. Here's the story. The first owner had Lexus put on a spoiler after the car arrived at the dealership from Japan. There were 2 problems: (1) Lexus put it on crooked; and (2) they put on an aftermarket spoiler that resembled the OEM, but was really different. The OEM spoiler, like the one on Lstyle's car, sits relatively high on the trunk and extends over the edges of the trunk such that the points of the spoiler extend down the sides of the car and accentuate the lines of the car. This spoiler (in addition to being crooked) sat very low on the trunk and ended abruptly at the edges of the trunk. It totally destroyed the sweeping lines of the car.

As for it being crooked, attached is a picture of the spoiler. If you look closely, you can see that it is closer to the left side of the trunk than the right side (it aligned flush with the left edge of the trunk but was off by about 3/4 of an inch on the right side). Also, one thing that you can't see in the picture is that in addition to being off from left to right, it was also off from front to back (by about 1/2 inch -- it was further forward on the right side than the left side). Again, only I would notice it, but I had to live with it, and it really bugged me (not only because it was crooked, but more because it was a rather cheap looking replica).

Anyway, I found a Lexus dealer near my office that had a 1999 GS400 in alpine silver with no spoiler, and he was willing to trade me and do the swap at no charge (I figured that my trunk was worth more with the spoiler, even if it was aftermarket and crooked), so I did the switch. About one week before swapping it out, I had purchased the OEM spoiler off of another CL member. I figured I would put it on at some point, but after about a week, the spoilerless look really started to grow on me. It's been about 4-5 months now, and I haven't looked back. It's just a matter of personal taste, but I'm 37, married, 2 kids, and the spoilerless look just fits me better. Don't get me wrong -- I like the way the spoiler looks, but it's just not for me.

Anyway, here is a picture of the crooked spoiler. Lstyle, you'll see what I mean in how your spoiler looks a lot better than this one. So, that's my story. Any questions?

chuckb

good score on the trunk trade e. I was reading to see how you filled holes and repainted.

e-man

Thanks, Chuck. You and I are a very rare breed on this site (i.e., the spoilerless breed). Some might say it's less sporty, but I wouldn't agree. I love the clean, unaltered lines of the car. By the way, I like the new grill and skirts. Very nice, understated accents to an already classy car. Nice job. Keep that black car clean.

e-man

LStyle

Ok, now I understand why you removed the spoiler.

GFerg

Nice Max. I'll be making the switch just like you in the next few years too.