ctmpwrdcam

Hello, this is my first post. Last night I drove my friends gs 430 that he is selling. it has 88,000 miles on it and its a 01. I think i can pick it up well under blue book but a few things worried me. Is the timing belt and water pump going to need changed at 90,000 miles? Also, the breaks felt soft, is this normal for a gs? The car is fast and beautiful, if i can afford the insurance and these two mentioned things are not a big deal, i think it will be in my driveway before Christmas

Thanks
Sean

Ronsully

The timing belt is a maintainence item so that shouldn't sway you in picking up the car. Especially if you are gettting it for a steal.

ctmpwrdcam

but when should it be changed i guess is a better way to ask the question

DaveGS4

iTrader: (2)

Welcome Sean.

Yes, the soft brake feel is a commonly reported issue for GS owners, but don't let it fool you. The GS4 can stop better than most cars in its class and better than many other sports cars.

The soft pedal feel can be helped with some stainless steel brake lines (I'd advise doing performance pads and DOT 5 synthetic fluid at the same time). Or upgrade your brakes to another OEM solution like Supra TT brakes or big brake kit from Stoptech, Brembo, Endless, Rotora, etc.

TexasGS

Just buy it! You will not be disappointed. The timing belt and water pump will need to be replaced but that shouldn't stop you from buying the car. The brakes are a bit soft but they do a fine job of stopping. Once you buy the car, and you hang out here on the CL site for any amount of time, you will be modding the car anyway . I came to this site just to find out about an issue I had with my trunk, now the modding has become an addiction .

ctmpwrdcam

Ive already looked around, thats why i do not want to be stuck with something that needs alot of money in mantinace, i just can not afford that and mods.

If the soft brakes are commin like you say, im not going to worry about it. I did look at everything else that people on here said were issues with the gen 2's, but I did not notice any of them. Now, just have to figure out if I can afford insurance and the payments.

IAGS400

I was floored at the cost of insurance. My 1998 GS400 was more than a 2004 Suburban or 2006 Silverado.

ctmpwrdcam

That does worry me, espeically sense i am under 25.

ctmpwrdcam

To my superize my insurance will not go up that much over my current car, even switching to FULL coverage. I am going to run the vin and see what maintanace has been performed. I want to make sure everything is covered so i have a year or two free of large maintanace issues. I am also going to look through the thread's and see what major issues i need to be aware of before i purchase the car.

Thanks

DaveGS4

iTrader: (2)

Here you go... common problems samples courtesy of the search feature and FAQ

Moisture in Healights
Low/rough Idle Issue
Door Actuator Problems
Dash Rattle
Sunroof Rattle
Vibration at Highway Speed


https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...400+Rough+Idle
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...=Door+Actuator
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...ht=Dash+Rattle
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...Sunroof+Rattle
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...GS400+low+idle
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...light+Moisture
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...s400+Vibration

ctmpwrdcam

Thats what i was going to do tomorrow. Thanks alot.

those, while expensive to fix, seem livable for a while. I was thinking more like motor, tranny or break issues. Things that need to be fixed or it can be dangerous...not just annoying.

GWELEX

Just got in from the local lexus dealer. I had an oil change today and spoke with the head mechanic concerning timing belts. He said Lexus officially recommends changing them at 60K, he personally recommends 90K and has changed them out on vehicles that have gone 120K and they still looked pretty good. So it's entirely up to you as to when to change them out, they are not going to go "SNAP" at 60k.. Myself, I'll probably change them at about 75K intervals.