Hi, for my NEXT replacement car was considering looking at "latest year" gs350's coz that should be satisfactory for me.

Do y'all have any other suggestions (i.e. gs400, gs430, etc) including model years?

 

Well, you're in the 2nd gen GS forum....
From 2000 they got a new grill and rear lights.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lexus_...-07-24)_02.jpg
Shift buttons on the GS300 (I use them acutally to shift down)

 

It really is. The story behind the LS400 is amazing. There was no budget in trying to build the best car in the world and they succeeded. That same quality carries over to the GS for the most part. Especially the GS400 because it’s the same 1UZ engine the LS400 had which in my opinion is the best engine Toyota ever made. That V8 is legendary and can go 500,000 miles on the original transmission. I am not saying this because I have a GS400 because I’ve had a GS300, GS430 and 2 GS400s over the past 12 years, so I know the ins and outs of these cars. When they made the GS400 it was to take out the BMW 540 and it was the fastest automatic sedan in the world at the time, so that same level of attention to detail and passion went into the GS when it was created. The GS300 is practically the same car minus what’s under the hood and that inline 6 has its own legendary status as well.

if you care to read:

https://newsroom.lexus.eu/the-engineering-revolution-how-toyota-made-the-best-car-in-the-world/

 

THANKS - that helps for deciding on my NEXT Replacement Car... Do you have any more GS Models suggestions?

PS >>> don't want the 300 again, however DO WANT similar combination of strong reliability + service + luxury + performance + value.

 

I just read they also were able to do this since Japan had weak currency at the time. They sold a car here for let’s say 50k which would yield them 80-100k since our currency was stronger. Compare that to German cars who actually had strong currency and couldn’t put as much of the money into building a quality car. So in reality we got lucky because we got a 80-100k car for only 40-50k. Gotta love the genius Japanese engineers at the time.

to answer your question I would choose a clean GS4. If you value performance over luxury get a GS400 because the GS430 is more like the LS, more refined. The 430 has the electronic throttle so it’s not as peppy and responsive compared to the GS400 but honestly you wouldn’t know unless you’ve owned both. When I went from the GS300 to a GS430 it felt like a COMPLETELY different car with so much power. The GS400 IMO is still the best v8 sedan out right now because where are you even getting a reliable v8 sedan? No where. The 3rd gen GS is honestly hot garbage compared to the 2GS. They made a 2006 GS430 for one year, it looks nice and all but the interior is so cheap compared to the 2nd gen I could never bring myself to buy it. However the 4th gen GS has amazing interior quality but the transmission isn’t that good and it is missing that V8. I’ll give you an example. I sold my GS430 to my friend who is a mechanic and he never understood why I loved the GS so much he was always an Infiniti guy. He had a 2014 infinity so we’re talking 13 years newer. After some time with the GS430 I sold him he got rid of his Infiniti and fell in love with the GS. He admitted nothing rides like the V8 GS. Fast forward some time he decided to upgrade to the 2017 GS350 F sport. After a few months he absolutely hated the car and missed the GS430. Besides missing the V8 the newer ones just don’t have that solid tank feel and the transmission isn’t as good and had lots of little problems. Just a boring car compared to the GS4. So that’s two people me and him who both had new 2017 Lexus F sports I had an RX he had the GS and we both went back to the GS4. The GS4 is legit the quality of a 100k car. I highly suggest you find a clean one you won’t regret it. If you want to have something newer the 2013 GS is still a great car, just not that great IMO once you’re used to the V8 in the GS4

this video is really good:

https://www.clublexus.com/articles/the-story-behind-the-lexus-ls400-video/

 

^^^ hear what you're sayin but still think i want to "FIRST" test drive some "latest possible model years & CLEAN" 350s.

 

coming from a gs300 your going to love it. Get the 2013+ GS350.

 

393,000 and still rolling strong replaced transmission, 3 door actuators as power locks had failed had a oil leak that had Hennesy Lexus Atlanta repair as I have no auto mechanic skills… Lexus makes a great vehicle my 07 LS460 hit 304,000 recently

 

That’s truly amazing. 400,000 miles on original engine. Some even have original tranny at that mileage. When did the trans go out? Any reason? We’re fluids drained and filled every 30k?

 

ya don't wanna: a) pay a small fortune to fix actuator issues, nor b) attempt it myself.

 

hi, this might a be dumb, stupid, possibly moot question, but i can't find any good info online...

If a tire gets flat down to the rim, & car is parked for 8+ months, is it OK just to pump back up & drive?

TIA

 

As long as you didn’t drive on the rim it should be fine but you’ll know once you put air in the tire if the rim is bent or the tire is no good the air will come out slowly.

 

Hi, is the Timing Belt pretty much the most important belt? Also, it's deep inside which makes for a pretty expensive swap correct?

Also, how often do you change the belt that's right at the front of the engine - i THINK this is the Serpentine Belt?

 

Yes it’s expensive at least on the GS400/430 I know it’s almost a $1000 job with the water pump. Luckily all the GS’s I bought I’ve always made sure the previous owner did it. Not a good sign on how well they took care of the car if it’s over 100k miles and an almost 20 year old car and it was never done. It’s nothing to joke around with my friend has a Toyota 4Runner with 120k with the V8 and he said his timing belt looked fine no cracks and it just broke on him a few weeks ago when he was driving one day. He had to get a new engine basically.

Yea the serpentine belt I’ve only ever changed once it started to squeak. Other then that I’m not sure if you need to change it until it actually goes bad. It’s not like the timing belt it’s easy

 

I’ve decided to go ahead with the timing belt job. Have 2 quotes and one is 300$ more. One reason is they are using genuine Lexus coolant for $55 a gallon. Is this really necessary? Is a global pink coolant sufficient? Anyone ah e a thought?