SaiyanGS3

iTrader: (8)

Hello to all. I'm looking at purchasing a lexus gs300 (98-03) model now. I'm looking for a good luxury car that I can pay cash for. I've been to this site hear and there in the past but I plan on being permanent now. This site has a lot of information like the forum that I'm currently a member of NICO. I own a Infiniti. My car was totaled two weeks ago after the deadly tornadoes came through AL so I'm looking to purchase my first love now. I have to get used to this search on this site since it's different from NICO. I have a few questions to ask you experts.

The 98-05, in terms of reliability, they are pretty much the same right? I haven't really heard anything bad about them. After doing some reading, it looks like I should look to see if the ball joints were replaced? Since I'm going for a used GS model, which year(s) should I target and are there really any problem areas to look for?

Timing chain/belt, after reading, all 98-05 GS300 have Timing belts right? The 06-up are chains? At least that's what I read in one post.

I search the site for FSM and owner manuals, but I didn't see any. There has to be a link to a pdf here somewhere. I'm trying to get a view of the maintenance manual.

Thanks for your help. Like I stated earlier, I plan on being here for the long haul, not a post, get my answer and leave. I'm a huge contributor on the Nico forum so hopefully I can get some info here. I'm a "noob" on this but not a noob in general lol.

1sWt2GS

iTrader: (6)

for search button .

i dont know what infiniti model you came from but I had a G35 prior (g35driver) and some comparisons were the G was defintely a lot faster and more sportier, turned more heads

lexus is a lot more comfortable smooth ride and more subtle

sucky thing is both drink so much gas! the g35 had 300 and drinks the same if not less than my 2gs does now

reliability with lexus shouldnt be a problem unless the previous owner just did not care about the car at all and didnt do tune ups, etc.

SaiyanGS3

iTrader: (8)

I'm sorry. I had the flagship car, the Q45. It drinks a lot of gas, so I'm looking for the V6 car I've always been in love with. I figured reliability wasn't a bad thing. I'll make sure to try to purchase for a private owner who kept up with the maintenance records. I can do oil changes and tranny fluid changes myself. I looked at something earlier, it looks like there is some type of special tool to take the oil filter off after you take that cover off?

1sWt2GS

iTrader: (6)

the oil filters pretty easy to get to and change, heck its easier than my moms camry

SaiyanGS3

iTrader: (8)

Thanks for your help man. Is there any type of link here to the factory service manuals or owner manuals. I see that the V6 engine takes like 5.8qts of oil!! That's crazy. My 4.1L V8 took 5.3 qts.

1sWt2GS

iTrader: (6)

heres a bunch of DIY's that you can do yourself

some of the pics are outdated but theres still text

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/gs-...ou-search.html

billbillw

BTW, its in inline-6 (I-6), not a V-6. 6 quarts about average on a modern 6/8 cylinder gas engine. Many are well above that (9.5q on a Pontiac G8 GT)

kamlung

iTrader: (8)

welcome to the forums and good luck with your search...

2GS should only be timing belts...

i never understood why the GS3 took 1q more oil than the GS4...

1sWt2GS

iTrader: (6)

^ and drinks the same amount of gas but so much slower

billbillw

What? With filter changes, its 5.5q for the GS4 .vs. 5.7q for the GS3. Hardly a full quart.

bretzke

I bought my 2000 Spectra Blue GS400 a year and a half ago. It had more miles than I wanted (130K), but all the maintenance had been documented by the previous owner. Timing belt done, 120K service done at the Lexus dealer, etc. I found others cheaper and with less miles, but no service documentation which to me was a little scary on a car with 100K plus miles.

Good luck - I've enjoyed mine. Not many Spectra Blue's out there.

ThomasGS4

iTrader: (19)

Back in December of 2009, I purchased my Black on Black '98 GS400 after trading in my '94 SC400. The car was a "Bargain Select Vehicle" at Sewell Lexus, so it hadn't received inspection of any sort due to it's age and price. The car had complete documentation and had been meticulously maintained by it's **** previous owners, so I went ahead and jumped on it. The thing that made me laugh was when I read that the fog lights had been replaced because the previous owner thought they were looking "old!" Someone obviously loved this car.

Be sure to come back here with a few worthy candidates for us to take a look at!

SaiyanGS3

iTrader: (8)

Thanks for all of the replies guys. I've been doing a lot of reading since I've joined. I plan on locking something down in the next two weeks. After reading that the GS3 drinks the same amount of gas as the GS4, I'm going to look for a GS4. More power plus the sporty 17" rims are my speed. Once I get my final list of cars, I will definitely post here to hear you all opinions! I'm already in love with this site. I just wish the manual was a little more clear to read in the link someone posted earlier. The Supra's factory service manual (fsm) is very clear.

SaiyanGS3

iTrader: (8)

Whatever I get, I plan on replacing all of the fluids so I can have my own maintenance baseline. What tranny fluid is everyone using? The Toyota T-IV? I read on here that Dex-VI isn't approved for this tranny.

SaiyanGS3

iTrader: (8)

After reading, so far it looks like the immediate thing you need to replace is the timing belt and the lower ball joints. Tie rods too since you will be in the area. How about the upper ball joints, are they giving you all big problems like the lower?