mcaron

Hey guys im currently in the market for a new car and ive always loved VIP inspired cars and i know the GS is a great platform for a VIP car.

I used to have a g35 sedan:




But unfortunately i dozed off at the wheel one night and barely slipped a parked car :/ 4 airbags deployed so the insurance company deemed it totaled. Loved the car so much, thinking about getting another G35 or this lexus gs430

Just a few questions about it. Is the 4.3l engine a good reliable engine? Should i expect problems with it? I know its a gas guzzler, im not looking to do any major engine mods just the usual intake, exhaust, etc. Any specific problems i should look for? I already test drove it and everything felt great, extremely clean car inside and out, engine bay is immaculate. It has 77,000 miles on it, is this considered alot for this engine?

Just any information anyone can give me about this car and engine would be greatly appreciated and make my car shopping alot easier lol I HATE car shopping with a passion, so many great cars that i test drove and cant make up my mind

Thanks so much everyone

cmara2k9

77,000 miles is nothing

mcaron

thank you for the advice, just making sure, seems like not many people have the gs430 and im searching the forums.

Keep the advice coming please. I forgot the add that the car is FULLY loaded with navi, mark levinstien sound system, is basicly has EVERYTHING, and comes with a free set of snow tires

ThomasGS4

iTrader: (19)

These engines are essentially bulletproof.

LexXxtacy

as thomas said the engines are really bullet proof. well treated the car will last a very long time. Ball joints are common thing that will need replacing. i have a few friends who have gs3's and gs4s and they woudlnt think twice if they had to do it all over again. Good luck

ninja6o4

iTrader: (6)

ball joints, door lock actuators, and the ML sub are common failure issues, but not necessarily deal breakers if you really want the car.

reliability wise, it is the expected lexus/toyota quality, I just picked up an 02 last month with the equivalent of 136k miles and it runs just fine.

krispl

Engine and tranny as all said are bulletproof
Front suspension and steering wheel shake at high speed might give you some headache but it's not too bad
Gas mileage I bet you is almost the same as on your G35! What do you get combined MPG on your G35?

GS4_Fiend

iTrader: (22)

Your future issue with these cars would be Suspension related more likely...

sakataj

iTrader: (182)

OP wanna buy a 2001 GS430? i will sell mine...

excluesive

iTrader: (10)

depending on your cash, you can take my built vip car...

http://liberty-vip.com/?p=6256

86k miles on my 01-430. No more ML sub, and all door lock actuators changed, and ball joints changed 15k miles ago along with most of the front suspension.

Justin2JZ

Lol at 77k the car is just getting broken in. The 3UZFE is extremely reliable as with all other Lexus engines. What do you consider a gas guzzler because the mileage is similar to the G35? Mind posting pics?

mcaron

http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail...nal&listType=1

mcaron

and when you guys talk about the ball joints, how often do they need replacement usually? and is it a pretty simple DIY? Im pretty handy when it comes to cars, i was one of the first on the g35driver forums to pull a front axle out and replace the CV boot because of the car being too low

Justin2JZ

Usually they need to be replaced around 90-100k but I doubt they'll need to be replaced since the mileage is low but if you plan on slamming it like your G you might as well replace all of the front suspension components.

mcaron

when you say "all of the front suspension components" what does that mean?

Because with my G35 all i had to do was install coil-overs and SPC A-arms to adjust camber/caster and thats all