kwamdoo74

I've been looking for an '01-'03 GS 430 for a few months now and haven't been able to find what I'm looking for. I am looking for one that is either black, blue, red or silver on the exterior with a black interior. So far, all the cars that I have seen have leather seats that are in terrible condition or the price of the vehicle is a lot higher than what it should be listed for considering the miles. I've expanded my search on autotrader, car.com and craigslist to reach as far as the midwest. The problem with that is that I've seen cars that meet the criteria that I am looking for but I am unable to see the vehicles in person until I go to buy it. I'm even going to a dealers auction this Thursday in Pennsylvania to find a car. My old car has been sold and I don't want to just get anything, I want a GS430. My buddy who is taking me to the auction has a friend who is selling his Blue '04 Infiniti M45 with tan interior for $18k. Here is the car's rundown:

15200 miles
V8 4.5L engine
Blue with tan leather interior
HID lights
Automatic transmission(tiptronic)
Alloy rims
Memory seats
Heated seats
Leather steering
Telescopic steering
Power mirrors/locks/windows/seats/trunk
Sunroof
On board computer
ABS brakes
Wood kid
Fog lamps
Reverse auto mirrors
Navigation system
6 CD on dashboard/radio/satellite radio/cassette
BOSE premium audio system
AC with rear vents
Alarm/key less entry
Cruise control
Stereo controls on steering

I'm really trying to stay patient and not cave in, but i'll be without a car in a week and will have to share my fiancee's car to get to and from class and work. Any suggestions and feedback would be greatly appreciated.

BLAZE

iTrader: (2)

If you can travel around the 5 boroughs or conn., visit carbuyersmarket.com or better yet u can pick up the publication at new's stands. There are a lot more car's in the paper that don't show up online. I waited at least 6 or so month's untill i found the right gs. It was hard but well worth it. Don't give in, cause as soon as u do then u will regret it. Good luck

kwamdoo74

I've been checking the local publications and I haven't had any success with that yet. Now with NY, I am very skeptical about the cars up there because of the constant stop and go traffic and road conditions. I've done a few carfax reports on a few cars up there and they've come up as garbage. The few that haven't had problems have already been purchased and haven't been taken offline. I'll check that website you suggested to see if I can find anything. The probelm is that I have the financing right now that extended until the middle of February and I don't want to have to reapply. But if I need to, then that's what i'll have to do. I've heard of people waiting months before they purchased the car they really wanted so I guess I need to be patient.

tmf2004

iTrader: (15)

I know it took me months to find the right GS for the right price. I think if you stop looking for a few weeks the one you want may pop up. If you look everyday like i did nothing changes. Be patient and it will come... LOL GL

T

AUGuy21

Kwam,

I'm in the exact same position, but looking for a different color combo. I've only been looking for 2 weeks and have found some promising ones, but have decided to pass. I do believe it will take longer to find one you want if you're not willing to expand your search nationwide and have it shipped to you. Here in the deep south (Alabama), loaded GS430's are a very rare find. I've decided I will buy one sight unseen and feel comfortable doing that if I am given enough information from the buyer. I know there's a risk in that but my '99 GS300 was bought the same way and I've had very few surprises. So, you're not the only one out there in that position.

kwamdoo74

Thanks guys for all the encouraging words. I'm just getting frustrated because I keep reading on here about how people are finding their GS430's. It just seems like i'm not having any type of luck but I guess more people have gone through what i'm going through right now than it seems. I've expanded the search so that it would be at the most a 10 hour drive to get the car back home if I flew out to get it. Buying one sight unseen is a possibility, but I plan on using this car as a daily driver. The auction is on Thursday, so I will try to see if I can find one there if I don't see buy one before then.

txcoupe

FYI. The ones at the Penn auction seem a little rough. Most of them have had some repair/paintwork done. Hopefully you are going with a friend who can pull up the info prior to you heading out to the auction. Good Luck.

LXotic

patience is the key!!

kwamdoo74

I've got carfax for the month so i've been running VIN#'s like crazy. I get a list of the cars prior to the date of the auction as well, so I hope I find something worth while. It's the Manhiem(sp?) auction. I'm not sure if that's the same one though.

GWELEX

I noticed eBay wasn't part of your search criteria. I bought my car there and had it shipped up to Alaska. I had a 3rd party inspection done prior to the Buy it Now. The seller had no problems with this being done. If the seller does object then perhaps that's a car you should steer away from. Currently there is a loaded '01 dark blue 430 located in NJ with black interior, 43K on the clock for 24K. The inspection cost me $100 but was worth every penny. Problem is this auction ends today, point is eBay can be a good place to buy.

FlavesLex

iTrader: (1)

Stay patient and it shall come... Your friends M45 sounds like a good deal, but it's not what you're looking for. "Good things come to those who wait"

csq860

I second that, many people don't realize that ebay is the number one seller of used cars in the country, by far. Do your homework and by all means have an inspection done (preferably by a Lexus dealer) prior to buying, but it can be a great resource and you won't find a larger selection anywhere else.

txcoupe

Yes it's Manheim. You can pull up the veh info and condition report which will document things like tire wear, condition, prev repair, PDR, cracked windshield,etc with a few pics.

uplusd

Don't lose your patience and end up regretting your purchase. Also if you want someone to inspect a car that you can't try carchex.com. It's like $99 for them to go to the car and perform a 155 point inspection with results posted online for you.

YeShrug

I flew to Tennessee and drove 15 hours back after search for a few months. whats a few more hours to find your dream car that you'll have for years?

Do not settle for something. You might not even want a GS that bad if youre considering a whole other model of vehichle. I got VERY detailed pictures of the minor imperfections on the car and would definitely do the nationwide search again.