New guy, need advice on buying a GS400
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New guy, need advice on buying a GS400
Hi all. My wife and I are looking to buy a 1998 to 2000 GS400 and we're hoping to get some advice from you folks on a couple that we saw for sale online.
The first one is a silver 1998 with 191,000 miles, navigation, interior looks good. The only bad thing is it might have had a minor fender bender in the front end. When I called the salesman yesterday he said the front bumper has some scratches and it looks like the hood doesn't line up properly with the headlights. They're asking $4999.
The second one is a black 1998 with 268,000 miles, no navigation, interior looks good also. This one doesn't appear to have any body damage. Black is my wife's favorite vehicle color but she thinks the miles are a little high. Asking price for this one is also $4999.
I didn't post links to the pages because I didn't know if it was allowed. Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thank you and have a good night.
The first one is a silver 1998 with 191,000 miles, navigation, interior looks good. The only bad thing is it might have had a minor fender bender in the front end. When I called the salesman yesterday he said the front bumper has some scratches and it looks like the hood doesn't line up properly with the headlights. They're asking $4999.
The second one is a black 1998 with 268,000 miles, no navigation, interior looks good also. This one doesn't appear to have any body damage. Black is my wife's favorite vehicle color but she thinks the miles are a little high. Asking price for this one is also $4999.
I didn't post links to the pages because I didn't know if it was allowed. Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thank you and have a good night.
#2
try and see if you can get a carfax on the silver one? are you only looking to get a gs400? might i suggest a gs300 or even a gs430? just saying theres quite a bit of options and you might find a better one per say
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I can call the guy tomorrow and see if he has the carfax for it. The black GS has a clean carfax. I would also consider a 430, but not really looking for a 300. I haven't even looked for a 430 yet. Thanks.
Edit: Forgot to ask, is 268,000 a lot of miles for these engines? Or do they usually last a lot longer than 300K?
Edit: Forgot to ask, is 268,000 a lot of miles for these engines? Or do they usually last a lot longer than 300K?
Last edited by gumbo48; 10-25-12 at 12:11 AM.
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268000 is a lot for any engine but it depends on what you consider a lot longer than 300k. Are you looking to put another 100k, 200k or 300k on the engine. Also remember that the engine isn't the only thing that has been used during all those miles. Transmission, suspension and all the other eletrical components have to be considered also. My GS has 272k. I just had a engine rebuild so I expect to get another 200k minimum out of my engine but I also do expect other things to start to go out in the mean time. I have a rear door lock that is starting to act funny and my suspension could use some work so there are many factors to consider when purchasing a high mileage car.
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#8
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Both those cars have way too many miles. Try getting something under 140k. I've seen plenty of GS300s under that mileage for under $8,000. Keep looking around. Don't settle for less. Get you something nice my friend. Problem free. Just regular maintenance.
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As the others have already said, probably best to keep looking. I looked for about 4 months this year before I purchased a gs400. I was originally looking in the $5-6k range also, but ended up spending a bit more for a much lower mileage and far better condition car.