RMMGS4

iTrader: (5)

The car may be a 98, but the body style has only been replaced for a little over a year.

From a looks perspective, the body style is timeless and if your car is clean with 2001 tails, it's hard to tell if the car is not a 2005 model.

Some like the 2nd gen over the 3rd gen style too.

NoS

No way! The body of that car will forever have people in awww!

Shawnmack

My GS is a 98 witk over 100k on it had it since FEB everybody at work thinks it's a 03 or 04. Just check on carfax and see what kind maintenance benn done. IT should last you a long time I hope mine will.

LTunedGS3

I have a 1998 GS300 Blk/Ivory that I got second hand in late 2003 and have been very happy with my car. I baby her so much, I think I take better care of her than I do myself!

I try to clean her every week (black cars are so hard to keep clean). With my paint in great condition and the fact that I've changed the tails to the newer style, many people find it hard to believe she's almost 9 years old. This style still looks better than many new cars coming out today. A well maintained version should last for a long time, too.

bmgs400

No just know, but HELL NO. You wont believe how well these cars hold up. The interior and exterior is very high quality. It the car is very clean inside and out, and has good service and not accidents then grab it for about $14k or less; higher if it's showroom perfect condition.

gs4rocks

Even though Lexus is better than any other make on the long run, you have to consider that parts and labor is very expensive for Lexus. It doesn't matter if you can do some repairs yourself and know a shop that you can trust. It's unlikely that main components like engine, tranmission, etc will fail this early for Lexus.

Personally, I don't mind buying old (close to 10 years) more popular cars like Camry and Accord since repairs are cheap, but I wouldn't buy old luxury car without warranty.
I bought my 2000 GS400 when it was 3 years old with certified warranty. In first 1 year of ownership, I have been to the dealer about 10 times for various warranty work which could have costed more than $3000 without warranty. A lot of the times, the problem is not the design of the car, but the fault of the previous owner abusing and not taking care of the car.

Used Luxury car + No Warranty = Big risk.
BTW, warranty does not cover if the problem is caused by accident, so you still need close inspection before buying.