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So I’ve been looking for quite some time for a low mileage Lexus GS. I finally found one out of Georgia that I’m very interested in purchasing. It has 38xxx miles, 2 owner and it’s a 430 instead of the 300. The gentleman originally wanted 11K for it, I offered 9500. He wrote me back and said he would accept the offer if he was able to keep the rims that were on the car. I than told him I would like to keep the rims. I he said he would take 10K with how the car sat. We agreed and have been talking since than. At first I was skeptical of the miles until he sent me the Carfax, and it stated it was from California. Emissions testing done when needed so they wrote mileage down. The guy has all maintenance records that the older gentleman had and the ones he currently has. I know that the reliability is their but my question is would the price tag that he wants be worth it for a 18year old car. I’ve ran across a few with 120K plus that’s stock and some mildy modded from anywhere from 6-8K but never that low of mileage and have everything coincide with the CarFax.
Thanks for taking your time and reading. Greatly appreciate anyone’s opinion esp seasoned owners
Honestly low mileage doesn't mean anything for an almost 20 year old car with outdated technology ....thus the premium isn't warranted. Only die hard enthusiasts of the brand will get a hard on. If you get in an accident, the insurance company will total it out and I guarantee you won't get $10k back. If you decide to purchased, get ready to shell out $1k plus for the timing belt, water pump, lbj's and crank/cam seals replacement. $11k for a 18 year old car...no way...even though it's a "rare" 430.
Don't make the mistake I made by buying a low mileage 2GS. I paid a premium in 2011 for a care that's barely worth $3-4K by KBB's standards.
enter the vin number into Lexus drivers. com to pull up the maintenance records done at Lexus.
It's definitely possible to find a low mileage 2GS. I saw a GS300 on Craigslist recently with 45k and decided to give the person a call. The lady said it was her elderly fathers who seldom drove it and after he passed they drove it from FL to NC. It was all original. I decided to pass because I don't need another car but it was a gem.
A 2GS is all about the maintenance history, so you'll want to be sure the TB/WP has been done as well as regular fluid changes. These cars are unbelievably reliable but they do break down. Be sure and budget something for the inevitable surprises...it is an almost 20yr old car. Other than that it looks good and if I were in the market I would seriously consider purchasing it.
Honestly low mileage doesn't mean anything for an almost 20 year old car with outdated technology ....thus the premium isn't warranted. Only die hard enthusiasts of the brand will get a hard on. If you get in an accident, the insurance company will total it out and I guarantee you won't get $10k back. If you decide to purchased, get ready to shell out $1k plus for the timing belt, water pump, lbj's and crank/cam seals replacement. $11k for a 18 year old car...no way...even though it's a "rare" 430.
Don't make the mistake I made by buying a low mileage 2GS. I paid a premium in 2011 for a care that's barely worth $3-4K by KBB's standards.
enter the vin number into Lexus drivers. com to pull up the maintenance records done at Lexus.
The TB and WP was replaced at 37180 miles And he stated he had more maintenance records. He sent me a picture of a few that he and the original owner had. I guess this is an impulse buy since I’ve been looking for a 2GS for along time. The outdated technology is a good debate. You definitely opened my eyes to a couple things I wasn’t thinking about or aware of for the most part. Can’t say ima die hard enthusiasts, but I do like the Lexus brand but they can be a lil expensive. I also have a 2007 Lexus is250 also that’s the DD so I kno the costs of owning one. Guess I’ll get over the “WANT” factor over the “NEED” factor. 10K is a lot and would look better collecting interest than waisting and if waisted atleast waisted on something newer
It's definitely possible to find a low mileage 2GS. I saw a GS300 on Craigslist recently with 45k and decided to give the person a call. The lady said it was her elderly fathers who seldom drove it and after he passed they drove it from FL to NC. It was all original. I decided to pass because I don't need another car but it was a gem.
A 2GS is all about the maintenance history, so you'll want to be sure the TB/WP has been done as well as regular fluid changes. These cars are unbelievably reliable but they do break down. Be sure and budget something for the inevitable surprises...it is an almost 20yr old car. Other than that it looks good and if I were in the market I would seriously consider purchasing it.
I have a 2015 Q50 AWD Premium so I don’t really need this car nor was I in the market but just something I’ve wanted
There is something to be said for buying something you've always wanted just for the heck of it. And a 2GS is a great car to own. We didn't need our SC430 but we purchased it because we've always wanted one. And we love taking it out on the town and putting the top down on nice days. Hard to believe the car is 17 years old now because people still stare as if it were new.
I saw this car for sale on Facebook. What are your plans for this car if you should buy it?
The only way the price premium of a low mileage example like this would be worth it is if you also intend to keep it in the same condition, not modify it, and almost never drive it. Even then, the argument about paying this much money on outdated technology is a good one because my impulse would be to upgrade things immediately which means spending even more money. That's just me though.
I paid $9500 for my GS400 in 2011 with 123K in excellent condition except both bumpers, all maintenance records were included, and it was garage kept in Florida. Even then, I thought I overpaid by up to $1000, rare color "tax" notwithstanding.
I saw this car for sale on Facebook. What are your plans for this car if you should buy it?
The only way the price premium of a low mileage example like this would be worth it is if you also intend to keep it in the same condition, not modify it, and almost never drive it. Even then, the argument about paying this much money on outdated technology is a good one because my impulse would be to upgrade things immediately which means spending even more money. That's just me though.
I paid $9500 for my GS400 in 2011 with 123K in excellent condition except both bumpers, all maintenance records were included, and it was garage kept in Florida. Even then, I thought I overpaid by up to $1000, rare color "tax" notwithstanding.
Yes that’s where I found it. On a Lexus is300/GS group page. I was thinking of keeping it exactly how it looks just adding little things like a lip kit and system maybe some wider wheels but everything else I would’be kept the same. Only thing is I wanted to drive the car as a DD and sell my 2003 Honda Accord since I don’t drive it at all anymore. Just sits at my boys mechanic shop
I saw it in a different group, and although people weren't saying anything to cause an admin to shut down the post, there were some "haha" reactions to it which I presume was due to the asking price. It looks good, and perhaps too good for a DD. I'm not convinced that it should fetch $10K unless it's absolutely everything a buyer would want...and practically no 18-year-old car is "everything" in 2019.
At first I thought that seemed high. But you can't replicate low mileage. Everything about the car is less worn than most 3 year old cars. Here is a listing for a 2010 Toyota Corolla with 42xxx miles. What would you rather buy with your 10k? If you want to relive the late 2000s when this car would have been worth 3 times this price, this is the car for you. The caveat: it's a 20 year old model, so you get 20 year old tech. It holds up really well compared to the other cars you would get for 10k though.
At first I thought that seemed high. But you can't replicate low mileage. Everything about the car is less worn than most 3 year old cars. Here is a listing for a 2010 Toyota Corolla with 42xxx miles. What would you rather buy with your 10k? If you want to relive the late 2000s when this car would have been worth 3 times this price, this is the car for you. The caveat: it's a 20 year old model, so you get 20 year old tech. It holds up really well compared to the other cars you would get for 10k though.
Why would he want to relive 2001? We're approaching 2020 lol! This generation isn't the golden era of classic muscle cars...hell it isn't on par with the Toyota Supra. If the car was priced between $5-7k, that would be a better deal. Spending over $10k for this car is beyond silly in my opinion. Who cares if it has low mileage...will you acquire full coverage insurance for a 20 year old car? You could, but be prepared to pay a premium for an old car. If the car is involved in an accident, the insurance company WILL total the car out. What are your options at that point? Fight for every penny you think it's worth or buy the car back and live with a salvage title?
I made that mistake in 2011. Wasted/Overpaid by $4k to purchase my GS3 with low mileage when I should've purchased a well maintained, highway mileage GS and SAVED the $4k.
1. These are among the most reliable cars made with the Lexus marque. Because of that, a low mileage one (to me) is more of a novelty and maybe even a collector's item if you're a real hardcore brand enthusiast. That means there's no reason to pay the premium for a low mileage one if your plan is to make it a daily driver. A well-maintained example with 150K will be just as reliable.
2. To go with Saiyan's point about insurance, the only way to get around that value discrepancy would be to put this car on agreed value insurance, but that automatically means you're treating it as a collector/hobby car and accept the usage restrictions that come with it.
3. If mileage hasn't deteriorated some parts that would otherwise be due for replacement now, age will have. Sure, the current owner has done maintenance, but I wouldn't consider a car of this age to be an instant drive and (mostly) forget proposition for the next X number of miles like a newer car.
These are just a few things to keep in mind. If residual value isn't a concern and you just want a really clean, low mileage, stock-other-than-wheels GS430, then sure. It's just not a great value, especially for a daily driver.
We can't decide for you OP we can only give our opinion. All I know is if something happened to my 2GS I'm going to look for the best kept one I can find and buy it! And all my friends know I really, really want an IS-F bad, lol, but even if I buy one I'm going to keep my GS400 in the garage. It's not for sale. After 20 yrs it's like a part of the family now. Even with 232,000 miles I can't believe how well it drives and how little problems it gives me. It's just a fun car to own. Someone came up to me recently at a gas station and lamented that he sold his years ago and has missed it ever since. I'm not going to make that mistake.
01-03-19, 09:02 AM
HELP.. 2001 Lexus GS430
