huss11

MedicalDoc

Nice, very nice.
Do what ever maintenance it may need, i.e., drain and refill/change fluids, belts, hoses, filters,...; check suspension, motor mounts, etc.
For a 20-year-old car it looks, at least from the pics, like it has been kept up.
Personally, I would keep it stock, preferably OEM.
If I had to do something to the car I would get Al alloy wheels and beefier sway bars--mine had a tendency to fishtail somewhat when taking curves fast--. Maybe some LEDs?
Congrats!!

captainva

iTrader: (1)

That looks clean man! Congrats on the purchase!

For exhaust I think you might be happy with the L-Tuned exhaust. It was sold by Lexus and its deeper and throatier but not overly loud. For more power look for an SRT intake with the ECU. For power beyond that you're getting into a lot more money. You could also look at a precision industries 2800 stall torque converter which would make your car faster off the line (it makes the car fast as **** with the higher gearing of an aristo diff). For suspension I would recommend Bilstein B8s and H&R springs if you don't decide to go with coilovers. Its what I have on my GS300. Its firmer but still rides very nicely without being crashy and harsh. I've heard that the Tiens allow you to keep Lexus ride quality too without the roll of the factory stuff but I don't have experience with them.

captainva

iTrader: (1)

This is a good point. A car can only be stock once and some mods are hard to undo.

kevin3344

achadha100

huss11

Thanks, Doc.

Yes I took it to the dealership my son works at and they didn't mention anything about any fluids. The funny thing is is that the car went to the dealership for an oil change 1-2 weeks before so that made me even more confident about the car.

And I was thinking about the sway bars, Doc. My steering wheel is shaking when I am going around 60 mph, but I am pretty sure that it is because the car has been sitting for so long. Haha! I was told that my tires have flat spots on them...and I totally agree. So my goal right now is to find a good set of wheels and tires. I want some that I would not need a drop for them to look good, so that will be a little harder. Any ideas on any good ideas for sway bars, sir?

I was thinking about LED's as well. Do you guys think that LED's would be better? Or HID would be better? Because I do not want to do any wiring, but I want the white look. Thoughts?

Regards,


Huss

Hey Muffinizer,

Thanks for the kind words...I truly love the car. I'm thinking about a certain way to get into the car so I wouldn't rip or tear my seats. Haha!

As far as your ideas on the mods you told me to get...I heard the L-Tuned is nice, but that there is drone when driving. Is that true...? Also, that torque converter sounds maddd expensive. LOL! I wanted headers...but for $700 I do not think that I want to drop that much money on the car.

But for the suspension, I want something that I can adjust and swap to OEM if I did not want the stiffer ride. Do you guys think that I should get the suspension, or would it hinder the OEM look? Also, I just came up with an idea in my head...to get the 17' wheels and drop it just a tad to lessen the wheel gap. I'm sure someone has done this before. Ideas?

That is very true. After hearing your guys thoughts I think that I am going to keep it stock, Of course I will do some other OEM mods on the car, but as far as going all out...I think I would save some money as well if I kept it stock.

Regards,


Hussain Amir

Yes, Kevin. The timing belt was changed a while ago...around 3 years ago. But I plan on driving it for a looong time since it's my daily. Haha.

And for sure, the Nak is actually much better than I thought it would be...at times I have to turn the bass down because it booms so much. Do you know how it compares to the 430s Levinson system?

That is awesome that you still have your car with that many miles on it and it's still running. That is why I did not hesitate on buying this car.

Regards,


Huss

Haha wow...she told me someone else was coming to look at the car and I didn't want to give her any money before I took the car. It all happens for a reason. LOL!

Did you ever find a 400 with a black interior? Or did you decide to just get a 430? Because I know that there are a lot more 430 than there are 400 with the black interior.

Also, my son actually works at a Lexus dealership, so there are not going to be any issues with getting parts or anything for the car. Also, I bought it in to the Lexus service center and the main things that were issues with the car are that the spark plugs and transmission and motor mounts need to be changed, because the car still has the original mounts on it. I also changed the brakes on the car too because they had a tendency to shake reeeaalllly badly when braking...unfortunately the shaking is still there when braking, but I am more than sure that the tires are a part of that issue.

Regards,


Huss

MedicalDoc

huss11,
My baby is a 2002 GS430. I am guessing it is similar to your baby as far as parts and labor.
I started a thread what I did to her this year. It is long, some have implied boring, but informative as far as parts--part numbers and pricing--.
This is the link:
The cost of ownership?. Thanking CL members.
If I can help in any other way please shout out.
MD

achadha100

lextout

NoomJzx

Welcome to the 2GS side, Huss11

Congrats on getting this beautiful car, sir. Nice color combo! Even though it's around 20 years old, it certainly doesn't fall in the category of "lil old skool" by the looks, still.

Since fixing and upgrading things on these cars are easy and inexpensive, you don't have to worry about all the tiny things. Just a routine little check up before driving would be fine. As far as the exhaust mods go, it all depends on personal preference. In most cases, muffler delete/straight piping is the culprit behind highway drone so keep it as your last option as it only makes the sound loud and crispy (which is definitely not my cup of tea). I'm deeper and throatier but not so loud exhaust kind of person so i like borla more than anything because you only hear it when you step on gas/floor it. There are tons of videos on youtube showing 2GS exhaust setups so you can decide according to your own taste, or just to have an idea you can do the resonator delete to begin with.

If this car is not your budget build type of thing and you're looking for extreme comfort or atleast stock ride quality then go for air suspension kit. You don't have to worry about the driveways and everyday hassle of lowering and lifting your car. everything is one button away. If not, then go for anything among D2, BC, Tein, KW and JIC coilovers(talking with experience) Go only for JIC if you're really really looking for stiff ride. I had those with 19's and never have i ever experienced that kind of ride haha, D2 and BC, on the other hand, are very good quality coilovers. not too stiff, not too soft. Had them with my 18's and the ride was decent enough even on scraping pavements and speed humps level. Branded lowering springs like H&R will cost you almost the same, will ride almost the same and are cheaper to maintain in the long run.

There's no harm in driving these cars completely stock but just imagine, these cars are 20 years old and still somehow manage to keep up with newer cars today so why not add something which will enhance the beauty of your car. Plus, i think of cars as the extension of your personality. Everybody likes to keep his/her car according to his/her liking and i respect all of them. Currently, my GS400 is my daily and love every bit, every piece of that car to death. Lexus has always maintained it's quality of producing good cars. These cars tend to live longer and age with you if you take good care of them.

Hope that answered all your questions.

huss11

Hey NoomJzx,

Thanks for the kind words. Haha! I for sure love my car and think I have made a great decision. I hope and believe as well that my car will last a very long time too.

I actually have been looking at the post you made earlier and defintely will consider swtiching it up a little bit. I think what I am going to do is just get the suspension and maybe add an intake. I wanted to upgrade the ECU, but I haven't heard anything about the reliability and there really isn't anyone in NC who can help me out with it....

I was thinking about getting coilovers, and then I saw the price so I decided to look at springs to get a good shock/ spring combo. But I wanted a decent drop as well...which none of the springs I found can do, so I looked back at some coilovers and came across Tein. Their coils are very cheap and after some research, I heard that some forum members have good experience with the brand. I also wanted to get used ones, but nobody was selling them in my area and I did not want to take a chance without any warranty or if something goes wrong. But what do you think about the Tein coilovers, sir?

And yessir, the car is fairly old...so some things would have to be changed. Haha...what mods have you done to your car?

Regards,


Huss

MedicalDoc

huss11,
I wouldn't worry that ur car is 20 years old. Barring rust, frame issues, major mechanical problems etc, they will last for a very long time, with good care.
Heck, my wife is older and I am keeping her. I just wish I could find OEM parts for her.
Where in NC are u? My wife and I will be going to Boone in a couple of weeks. If u r close maybe we can meet and exchange GS experiences.
MD

huss11

Hey Doc,

Very true. And I have no doubt that it will last for another 20 years. HAHAHAHA very well said, MD.

And I am actually in the Huntersville area, around 25 minutes from downtown Charlotte. Boone is much more north than we are...but I think you guys would have to pass through NC in order to get to Boone. If that is the case we should definitely meet up.

Besides the sway bars, Doc, is your suspension upgraded with coilovers or springs?

Regards,


Huss

MedicalDoc

Huss,
Yes we do. We take I-77 north up to 421 and make a left. We go there 2-3 times a year to escape the SC heat.
I don't know if you read the link I sent you, number 8 above. If you haven't, since it is long, skip to posts 7 & 9 and you will see what I did this year. I am not sure if our cars share those parts but it will give you a good idea about pricing, plus I included part description and numbers.
I kept everything OEM. It has been over 3 months and I am enjoying her more than ever.
I have all the time in the world so if you need some help, I'll be glad to .
I will PM you my number later, after I finish mowing. I'm taking advantage that it's not raining now.
MD