Need Opinions on GS300
04-19-14, 08:56 PM
#16
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To be honest, your expectations are a little too high to be satisfied.
It is going to be tough to find a 10+ year vehicle with the documentation requirements you are talking about.
This one is actually really really good that you have 10years of dealer records until 2010. Most would come with nothing since by this time there is more than 1 owner.
It is also easy that even with full service records and everything up to date, there will be problems or unforeseen problems and you will blame the previous owners (when they actually didn't do anything abusive).
So you should just decide if you like the car. and are willing to put up with an old car.
Then, you need to decide independently if the car is mechanically sound or set aside a budget for repairs.
While records are nice to have, they are not the whole story. So if you want to pony up for it, you can ask to pay for a inspection at a trusted shop to see what they think.
If you need reliability, you need to change your parameters and buy a newer car, with less wear, and potentially still has a CPO or warranty. Even if this means you are going with something less cool
It is going to be tough to find a 10+ year vehicle with the documentation requirements you are talking about.
This one is actually really really good that you have 10years of dealer records until 2010. Most would come with nothing since by this time there is more than 1 owner.
It is also easy that even with full service records and everything up to date, there will be problems or unforeseen problems and you will blame the previous owners (when they actually didn't do anything abusive).
So you should just decide if you like the car. and are willing to put up with an old car.
Then, you need to decide independently if the car is mechanically sound or set aside a budget for repairs.
While records are nice to have, they are not the whole story. So if you want to pony up for it, you can ask to pay for a inspection at a trusted shop to see what they think.
If you need reliability, you need to change your parameters and buy a newer car, with less wear, and potentially still has a CPO or warranty. Even if this means you are going with something less cool
04-19-14, 09:00 PM
#17
A full inspection cannot be done during a test drive, they usually need to get the car on a lift to do really inspect it. But perhaps a mechanic can give a quick inspection just by looking at it.
But there's the flipside too, do you know of the mechanic who will just come out to the field with you to do car inspections, rather then them working out of their shop? They're going to think you're kidnappers. How much are they going to charge you for that premium inspection service where he has to go out to your random meeting point.
If that is your deal-breaker point, then you let it go as being too much of a hassle (for both parties, as he's out of a car while they do the inspection) and keep looking.
But if it's because he thinks your mechanic is shady and is going to mess up the car, then you offer to do the inspection at a dealer (toyota or lexus) which has the manufacturer behind them and plays no sides and he shouldn't have a problem with that-especially if you're the one paying the bill and you let him keep a copy of the inspection report.
But there's the flipside too, do you know of the mechanic who will just come out to the field with you to do car inspections, rather then them working out of their shop? They're going to think you're kidnappers. How much are they going to charge you for that premium inspection service where he has to go out to your random meeting point.
If that is your deal-breaker point, then you let it go as being too much of a hassle (for both parties, as he's out of a car while they do the inspection) and keep looking.
But if it's because he thinks your mechanic is shady and is going to mess up the car, then you offer to do the inspection at a dealer (toyota or lexus) which has the manufacturer behind them and plays no sides and he shouldn't have a problem with that-especially if you're the one paying the bill and you let him keep a copy of the inspection report.
04-19-14, 09:12 PM
#18
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A full inspection cannot be done during a test drive, they usually need to get the car on a lift to do really inspect it. But perhaps a mechanic can give a quick inspection just by looking at it.
But there's the flipside too, do you know of the mechanic who will just come out to the field with you to do car inspections, rather then them working out of their shop? They're going to think you're kidnappers. How much are they going to charge you for that premium inspection service.
If that is your deal-breaker point, then you let it go as being too much of a hassle (for both parties, as he's out of a car while they do the inspection) and keep looking.
But if it's because he thinks your mechanic is shady and is going to mess up the car, then you offer to do the inspection at a dealer (toyota or lexus) which has the manufacturer behind them and plays no sides and he shouldn't have a problem with that-especially if you're the one paying the bill and you let him keep a copy of the inspection report.
But there's the flipside too, do you know of the mechanic who will just come out to the field with you to do car inspections, rather then them working out of their shop? They're going to think you're kidnappers. How much are they going to charge you for that premium inspection service.
If that is your deal-breaker point, then you let it go as being too much of a hassle (for both parties, as he's out of a car while they do the inspection) and keep looking.
But if it's because he thinks your mechanic is shady and is going to mess up the car, then you offer to do the inspection at a dealer (toyota or lexus) which has the manufacturer behind them and plays no sides and he shouldn't have a problem with that-especially if you're the one paying the bill and you let him keep a copy of the inspection report.
I do not know of a mechanic that I can bring with me to inspect the vehicle. Which is why i preferred to bring it to a shop to inspect it. At a Toyota/Lexus dealer a vehicle inspection could cost between 100-200 dollars. The downside to this is that the dealers are located in Grand Rapids which is 30 minutes away from his city that he lives in. But since the seller is not comfortable with that idea I have to respect his decision. Before i plan on purchasing a used vehicle I always want it on the lift to be inspected. So to me, this is a deal breaking point.
I do wish the seller luck on selling the vehicle but I just do not feel comfortable enough without a pre purchase inspection.
Thanks for your response raytseng, I really do appreciate your input along with everyone that had responded to the thread.
04-19-14, 09:48 PM
#19
Fast-forward to now. The car has 183K miles on it. I joined this forum few months ago and learned more about this car in this short time then I ever imagined. One thing I realized, these cars a bullet-proof. With the exception of a few critical areas like the ball joints, you have to really dog these cars out to destroy them. I didn't change the timing belt on mine until 182k. Even then it didn't like it needed. I am about to change the LBJ and tie rod ends. Steering is still tight. I'm just changing as a precautionary measure.
Even if those who owned it during the time you don't have records for didn't take care of it, you've got 10 years of solid maintenance. Even if they dogged it out, these are pretty tough motors. If it were me, I would pull the valve covers (expect the gaskets to be leaking) and see how much sludge and varnish (if any) is on the top end of the motor. If it looks clean, I would think they took care of it. Check the color of the tranny fluid and the coolant.If they have been using Toyota fluids both should be red. If the tranny fluid is dark red, brown or black it means the fluid is old and/or burned. And of course, check the oil.
Since there is no indication that the timing belt has been changed, you can expect to do that. In fact, do the whole 90k service, including the water pump, the cam seals, crank seal, and tensioner. Also, the valve cover gaskets, plugs, and wires are probably due. And please change the LBJs. If you can get a good price and it drives out ok and it passes these test I'd provision for these additional expenses and then go for it.
04-19-14, 10:06 PM
#20
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Hey Ttaylor, thanks for the response. I am glad that your purchase turned out well 
I had set aside money for those maintenance items including LBJ, Water Pump and Timing Belt and knew coming into the 2GS world these would be the minor inconveniences.
After reading all of these comments, its hard for me to decide what to do. A part of me says that i should walk away because of the hassle for both parties involved but a part of me is saying I should test/view the vehicle before i make my decision.
Perhaps I will ask the owner to reconsider his opinion about the Pre-Purchase Inspection at Lexus/Toyota. Even though it may be time consuming for both parties involved, if the results turn out well then it may even be in his favor for negotiation of prices and he gets a free report on his vehicle?.
This would help me feel more at ease with the vehicle. And from their I can make the decision on whether or not to purchase it.
I hate having to flip between decisions but with so many helpful replies its hard to know what to do.
I had set aside money for those maintenance items including LBJ, Water Pump and Timing Belt and knew coming into the 2GS world these would be the minor inconveniences.
After reading all of these comments, its hard for me to decide what to do. A part of me says that i should walk away because of the hassle for both parties involved but a part of me is saying I should test/view the vehicle before i make my decision.
Perhaps I will ask the owner to reconsider his opinion about the Pre-Purchase Inspection at Lexus/Toyota. Even though it may be time consuming for both parties involved, if the results turn out well then it may even be in his favor for negotiation of prices and he gets a free report on his vehicle?.
This would help me feel more at ease with the vehicle. And from their I can make the decision on whether or not to purchase it.
I hate having to flip between decisions but with so many helpful replies its hard to know what to do.
Last edited by VKGS300; 04-19-14 at 10:16 PM.
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