ricapito

I have a 1998 GS400 with 67k miles on it. For the next 18 months I need to minimize my financial exposure on any car as I will not be working. I can pick up some brand new fully warranted to 50k little s-box like a Mazda3 for less money than this is worth (yes, I know, apples to oranges), however I would prefer to keep this. I already put the dreaded $1100 starter in it. What else are they known for? Sensors? ABS? Front end work? At what mileage? Advice in general?

Thanks

UDel

-Power door lock actuators are a known common design defect that was never adressed, they cost around $500-700 each to fix. Happens to pretty much any year and mileage.
-Moisture in the headlights are another notorious defect that is common to the 2nd Gen GS, I have seen this on most GS I have looked at. Expensive for dealership to fix but there are some other methods other members have tried.
-Rattles and squeeks in moonroof as well as front of dash/window area are kind of common but some can be fixed with felt.
-Rough/low Idle is another common problem with the GS that can unfortunately lead to the car dying when stopped at a light or in traffic. It is very noticeable when the AC and lights are not on. I don't know if it has been found what exactly causes this but people have replaced throttles, idle motors, sensors, sometimes it works other times it does not. It can be very expensive to fix.
-Suspension issues like creeks, groans, rattles, vibration in steering wheels that can signal problems that can end up costing thousands to fix and replace.

These are some of the more common problems that occur in the 2nd gen GS and they can happen in any year and mileage. Unfortunately they are extremely expensive to fix. Some people luckily don't experience any of these problems with their cars but it seems many do have at least 1 or a few of these problems, including me. Use the search feature and you will find more information on these problems as well as some I may not have listed. Some people think the older models may be a little better built then some recent years so it may be good that yours is a little older. If you can't afford high repair bills you may want to think about something a little less expensive because parts and work on this car are ridiculously high. I am sorry about you having to replace your starter, guess you now know that is another common issue on this car. I wish Toyota/Lexus would address these problems because I do not think that owners should have to pay the ridiculously high prices to get these known common defects/issues fixed once their warranty runs out and they should not be happening on cars of this price range especially on 2000+ models from a brand like Lexus. Good Luck

ricapito

Fantastic and thoughtful response. I will look into/research these items. I truly appreciate it.

Bryan