rs4drew

Hello Lexus Enthusiasts- My name is Andrew and I have previous owned first gen LS400's and always been an old school car enthusiast and maintenance/repairs for my cars. I am looking to get back into the Lexus scene as I am looking to combine replacing my 03 Camry SE (262,300 miles) and 01 Acura RL (216,000 Miles).

Each car has a stack of service records 2-3 inches thick and both cars run well, but time to thin the herd and find the best of both worlds. I have been looking at 1998-2004 LS400/LS430's, but hard to find enthusiast and clean examples regardless of miles and price.

In my searching, I had happened to stumble across a 2GS 430 with 300,000 miles, enthusiast owned with recent TB service (4th TB Service), new tires and brakes as well as documented suspension work, CAT(s) replaced, tune up, etc.... same owner for a long time and no issues, but the high miles if you call that an issue with a binder full or records and receipts for maintenance and repairs with no expense spared.

I am picking up this car at a reasonable price to myself and the owner, but I have seen it debated in this group that if you have the money, which I do, that one should find a low mileage example, even at twice the price. And while I do understand and appreciated that POV, if one has found a clean and solid and well cared for car, especially a Lexus with the longevity of this highly respected engine and transmission setup, then why not save money and take careful advantage of the previous owners investment into a car being sold with records and receipts to back up and support the ownership and care of any vehicle, but specifically one with a pedigree of the Lexus being a GS430 or LS430, etc....

I do hope I am not coming off naive or ignorant to the facts at hand with this specific car and the purchase of it knowing what I do about it, so why not buy a high mileage Lexus on the relative cheap (and yes I can offered most any car new or used to a certain $$$ limit, but looking for a DD as my fourth car as wife and I each have a Subaru Outback and my BMW E34 is my garage queen), so if I found a great DD Lexus in spite of mileage why not?

Polite comments and feedback are most welcome!

kevin3344

rs4drew

The interior is indeed clean and no viable wear over the years.

RXGS

iTrader: (2)

On GSs especially I'd put condition before mileage. They mechanically pretty stout cars, which is almost unfortunate because 80% of the ones I do see driving around are just hammered cosmetically, but the owners don't care because it rolls down the road fine.

tiguy99

Definitely make sure it has the front end suspension components and timing belt replacement done.

If not, that's gonna be the first thing you'll end up replacing. Also make sure all sensors and VSV are healthy. If those are good, get it up in a lift and check exhaust for leaks/rust etc. Also check the brakes, Master Cylinder and ABS sensors.

Finally make sure the door actuators and heating/AC servos are good. If you get thru all that and the car is in good condition otherwise, go for it. These are the trouble areas for a 2GS based on personal experience

jbtvt

I aim for lower mileage mainly because so few owners change the transmission fluid and once you go junkyard trans you don't know anything about history so might be swapping it again in a few thousand miles. My GS400 was dinged up in a hailstorm and needed some front suspension work but has nav, very good interior although a few paint looking stains on the rear seat, came with newish OEM exhaust cat back, new rear suspension, two good tires, close to $1k spent to replace one fog light at the dealer a few thousand miles before I bought it (?!?!) and 112k miles when bought, for $2800. He was asking $3500. So that's one point of comparison for you. What price are you going to be able to get this one for?

My gripe with some well-serviced vehicles is that people expect to get too much of the money they spent on repairs back, when really maintenance is just a cost of current ownership, not an investment to recoup. Well maintained cars are a definite minority but not a rarity.

rs4drew

Thanks for the input, it is much appreciated. The GS upon additional insight and pictures does have a cracked rear spoiler and the rear bumper is a bit chipped up. Clean Carfax . I'd like to buy it for $2,000-$2,400, if possible.