Hi! I am a newbie here. I am shopping for a 2001 GS 300 or GS 430. The options on both cars are about the same. Does the V8 worth the extra money? I mean the 0-60 is 5.8 vs. 7.8. But can I really feel that?? I like the E-shift; I also like perforated leather. Can someone share your owner’s experience?

Thanks in advance.

 

I cant' tell you what's the feeling on the GS V6 and V8. But what I can tell you is that the feeling of driving my dad's V8 GX470 is a lot better than my V6 RX300. Why dont you just go and test drive both of them? But just one thing for sure, You and I live in California and with the high gas prices a V8 drinks a lot of gas, but then on the bright side, u get more power. The V6, it will provide good enough horsepower. But it's only a 2 second difference between V6 and V8.

Well here's my Opinon:

If I were u, I get the V8 GS430, I prefer Performance over conservation. Same for RX, if RX existed with V8, i'll definately will go with the V8.

Good Luck in finding your new GS

 

yes you can. feel the difference!

I have a 99 GS300 and a 2001 LS430. the 430 engine is shared between the GS and LS. and boi do I feel the difference! the V8 is very very quiet and smooth at idle while it has a very nice growl at WOT. The 300 is "just ok" for me. But if you are talking about gas mileage.... I dont know why but my LS eats less gas than my GS. yep. a full tank of $50 on the LS V8 lasts 1 week and 1 day (7-8 days). The GS I6 eats a full tank of $37 every 2-3 days. I travel the same distance with both.

 

Can you feel the difference??? That's like asking can you tell the difference between night and day. Not only can you feel the difference from a stop, but also on the highway when you want to accelerate and pass someone, the GS just picks up and flies. Especially more so if you do a popular mod of upgrading the Torque Converter (which you cannot do on the GS300 by the way).

Drive both and I guarantee you will pick the GS400/430. The e-shift feature is however only available on pre - 01 GS's. In 01, the GS400 was changed to the GS430. Same power, more torque (but not any faster than the GS400).

Not sure about the perforated leather option on a GS400 (it probably is not available on the GS400). I have a 99 GS400 and it brings a very big smile to my face every single time I take it out.

 

Hameed im shocked

its the LSD mod that people dont do on the GS300

but ive got your back

 

I was in the same boat a couple of months ago and ended up with a GS300, partially because I couldn't find a 430 in the color, condition, and price I wanted.

The GS300 is geared a lot lower than the 430. This means it actually feels pretty close to the 430 in normal driving. Of course if you floor it the 430 will blow away the 300, but you would be surprised how the 300 feels pretty good normally. I drove two 300's and two 430's before I bought. The first gear on the 300 is almost too low, it will shift into second at about 5mph. But it does give the car a surprising amount of take off from a stop for a 3.0 inline 6.

One thing I didn't like about the 430 is that it seems to shift into 5th very quickly, it upshifts three gears within about 10mph when you are accelerating. I guess this is done for economy, but to me it was irritating to have it shift so much. It also seemed to hold 5th too long, so you had to really punch the gas to have it shift down. Maybe this was just the way the two 430's I drove were.

If you drive a lot of high speed driving I would get a 430 just for the gearing factor. The 300 is reving about 3k+ at 70 and I think the 430 is more around 2500. Again, the 300 is geared very low. I take backroads to work so I almost never hit 60 so for me it is rarely an issue.

At the end of the day you need to ask yourself how you drive. As I said most of my driving is on back roads at 35-55 mph, so the extra power of the 430 just wasn't needed. And the 300 feels pleanty decent at normal driving and normal speeds. If you will be blazing the interstates get a 430.

BTW you won't get perforated leather even in a 430 if you are looking at 2001. That feature didn't come out until 2002 I believe.

 

i had a 00 gs300 and then bought a 01 gs430... if you arent plannin on doing any major performance mods i would DEF.. get a 430

 

99 - 00 Platinum Edition GS400s get perforated leather. I'm not sure for 01+ GS430s. But I think it's an option.

When I purchased my GS4, I test drove over 10 - 15 vehicles. Some were GS3s. Can you tell the difference? Hells yeah.

But let me be honest. If you drive normal, there is no difference. But when you get a little agressive, then yes, the torque of the GS4 really puts you back in your seat.

95% of the time, I accelerate like a grandma (less wear & tear on the car AND unnecessary waste of fuel) off redlights & stop signs. So for me a GS3 would suffice. I noticed that if there's a car next to me, they usually get ahead of me. That's the way I've been driving all my life. Some would say that's such a waste for a GS4. But let me drive the way I do, and you drive the way you want. I remember when I was younger, I drove an old Camry. I remember seeing lots of high HP cars (Vettes, Vipers, M cars, AMG cars) driving soooooooooo slow. Each time I would pass one, I would say to myself "what a freaking waste of a car, if I had one of those, I would drive it the way it was meant to be driven." Now I guess I understand.

The only reason I got the GS4 is because I like the feeling of knowing the power is there when I need it. Do I really need it driving around the City? Not really. I take it real slow & easy. But I'm glad I have a GS4 because the power is there when I need/want it.

 

Duh-430

 

this is not even a comparion. yes they look about the same, and featurewise they are also about the same and the 430 even lacks the eshift. but the 430 will blow away the 300 any day. seriously, i would get the 430 any day without a second thought. the 300 is nice, but it's no where close to the 430. the 430 is insane with the v8. the pick up power is just massive, and the ride is sooooo smooth. get the v8 if you have the money, you will never regret

 

If money is not an issue, then the 430. If it is an issue, the 430 will NOT blow away the 300 like everyone keeps saying. I'm frankly tired of hearing it. Yes, if you stomp it or at higher speeds, the I6 will be no match for the V8. I'm not unrealistic. For daily driving without trying to punch the car at every light, the 300 is more than enough for many drivers. The gearing on the 300 will make it a very capable car. I have had multiple 400 owners drive my car and was pleasantly surprised by the responsiveness in city street driving. If you feel like you may need to prove yourself at every light, however, the 300 may not be enough.

People with 4x0s that have upgraded the LSD and TC are different. Because of these two mods, the 430 WILL blow away the 300 every tiime. Still, you have to remember that not everyone will or will want to do these mods. You guys who have upgraded this may have gotten used to this and have forgotten why you went with these mods in the first place.

I will not disagree with anyone that the 4x0 is a very nice complete package car with power and styling. The styling is a given sice both cars are the same. WIth the SD versions, the 300s actually have an advantage Just my opinion. The only thing left is power. If you want NA, never plan on FI, and can squeeze out the money, get the 430. If any of these are an issue (remote chance of FI or money is an issue), test drive the 300 to see if it meets your driving needs. The V8 is very alluring but balance that with your other needs/issues.

 

what type of car person are you? if u like going fast and are into turbos and heavy engine modding than a gs3 is the perfect base to start from. if u want strong ,fast from the door than a 400/430. the gs3 isn't slow , its a quick car but doesn't have the power once it running like the 400/430..i personally would do the 300 for what i like and am going to do but others like the base fast as is without touching too much. it depends on you man....good luck

on a side note i rather get a 400 instead of a 430. its actually a lil' faster since the 430 was tweaked with a little to get better emissions plus u get the e-shift on a 98-00 400...

 

I agree

When I test drove, and drove the car the way I would drive it around the City, there really isn't that much of a difference between the 300 vs 400.

 

Stanford,

Welcome to ClubLexus! As you can imagine, you aren't the first person to come across this question. The search tool on our forum will give you lots of insight with no waiting.

I had many of the threads saved for a FAQ I'm putting up, they were found looking for 'which GS300 GS400', the top few I found with 'which GS300 GS430'

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Dave, I belive that's #7 from the 10 commandments