Raven01750

Greetings and Salutations everyone. As the thread suggest, I am not a GS owner. I am the owner of a 2002 SC430. Absolutely LUV the car. But enough about that. I am looking for a second car. My oldest son is moving off to college and taking my second car with him. That is the Acura RSX Type S. Another fun car. Another 2002 Model. For "me", I really like the 3UZ 4.3L with the Five Speed Auto. I am familiar with it and it's bullet proof. The comfort and styling is exceptional too. But I have been searching for an LS430 as a backup too. Again, something reliable, easy to maintain and ownership cost is low if you do your own maintenance. I have been looking for weeks and have looked at ES's, LS's, even Honda's and Acura's etc., but somehow I completely missed the GS Series. (Sorry, LOL) Then I saw one that it came with the 4.3 and my ears perked up. Started digging and found that it actually came in a variety of combinations of power plants. Four to be exact. Considered looking for the 460 but passed. 3rd Gen, different engine and more expensive. Registration, Insurance, etc. My guess is that the main differences in the 2nd and 3rd gen is suspension and minor cosmetic upgrades, headlights, stereo. Stuff like that like they did with the SC430 in 06-10. Very subtle. Not even sure it was necessary to be honest. Five speed Automatic to six speed. Can't feel my five speed shift now. Don't think I would really notice the difference with an additional gear. But needed overall I guess for marketing. But, as I said, I just started looking.

One thing that became obviously apparent is that a GS430 is scarcer than hens teeth. And me being me, I don't want someone else's garage queen. I like them raw and slightly abused so I can argue with them and break down each problem fixing it up as I go along. I learn way more that way. And when she's to my satisfaction, a true sense of pride and accomplishment!

In the SC forum I have made it to "Instructor". I might be a "Rookie driver" here! I try to be as helpful as I can and I know this forum will be the same. Lots of great people who love their cars and are always willing to help.

So, my question is, "how do I find a nice used GS430? I'm in San Diego, CA. I see ONE posted on one of our local sites. More up in the LA area but that's quite the drive to go and they are asking top dollar. The one local is nice, priced right too. But it's Black on Black. I was hoping to get a lighter colored interior. My SC has the "Saddle" color on Midnight Pine Pearl. Love the color shift from day to night. Do you have the color combo's available for the different years posted somewhere? I didn't see it in the "Stickies" but again, just became committed enough to bother you guys. I know patients is a virtue. I check the adds every day and know what has been out there for too long. Any tips from this great community would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance everyone.

Paul

jefthim

I would not close off the GS400 as an option. I have owned a 98 GS400, 03 GS300, 01 GS430, and now have a 99 GS400. There are only slight difference between the 3UZ and 1UZ motors...some might even say the 1UZ is more responsive. Either way you will get a better car than MOST anything you can get brand new.

As far as interior colors in a GS I have only seen Black or Tan spanning all years. Most of the cars Black, Blue, White, Gold, Silver, and Red will have the tan interior. Black is less common but I have seen it on most of the colors but less often than tan.

Most of these cars on the market are pretty raw but if you can find one that has been fairly well maintained you should be in good shape.

OC is not far from San Diego but this one has been on the market for over a month.
https://www.zeemotorsinc.com/used/or...bl69s030011574
You can also find pics of it on autotrader.

I would recommend creating an account on autotrader and saving a search for a LS, GS, or whatever else you desire. Once you save the search you it will notify you of anything new meeting that criteria.

You can also try this site that will search lots of other sites: https://www.autotempest.com/

Raven01750

Outstanding. Thank you. Your absolutely right about everything. The 3UZ does have that lag. Just part of the original ECM programming that mysteriously never got fixed by Lexus. And the 400 is still a great solid engine. I will certainly take that into consideration.
I am 63 YO almost. I have had a Toyota or Lexus in my drive since 1986. My GF needed a car so I gifted them my 1998 LS400 which is still running fine. I have had an RX, LS, SC, MR2, Camry and a Chevy and Ford truck fell in there somewhere along the way too. Mistakes I wont repeat. 🤣 Let me get setup with my searches and hopefully I can find the right beast. 😁

Paul

Raven01750

You see one like this priced this low, makes me go...Why? Granted, there is front bumper, passenger side damage. But are parts that expensive or just impossible to find? Like I said earlier, I'm not really looking for a car this new but I'm also not an idiot Why would they price this so low? More of a what should I be looking out for on a vehicle like this? I can tell I opened a can because of the various engines, options etc. Thanks.

https://losangeles.craigslist.org/an...527857053.html

Paul

jefthim

Request the VIN and run a CarFax - that might shed more light on the car's history and value. Personally when selling, providing the VIN is a must and if a seller isn't upfront in providing it, then that is a red flag for me. I know for a fact that CL has a non-required field that allows the seller to post the VIN as part of the ad. Most dealerships post the VIN of the car on their website.

Raven01750

Yea. No mention of TB etc. And yep. You can't really research a purchase without the VIN.
I will apply a warning to one of my favorite apps. The free CarFax app for Android, Apple etc. I use it for all my personal vehicles as well as research too. Plug in a VIN, answer a few questions and voila, any history of vehicle maintenance performed by a CarFax member is displayed.
BUT, I have found recently (since I am looking) that somehow, a fake "Self Reporting" of vehicle maintenance can be entered in the record. I know they're fake. One self report was an oil change and rotation of a vehicle two months ago, that had been PNO'ed for two years. I personally know the owners and verified it as a false report. Love the app. But something hanky is going on. Lexus Owners is my other source.

Paul

ThomasGS4

iTrader: (19)

Hey, welcome to the GS side of the forum. A GS430 would be a great purchase and should feel quite familiar to your SC given that they share quite a bit of suspension components, let alone the drivetrain. If you aren't in a huge hurry to fill that spot, be patient - the right GS430 will come along.

Also, I would stick with the '01-05 GS430 if you're wanting reliability and that "old Lexus" feel, and this is coming from a guy that has owned two '08 GS460s. The '06-07 GS430s aren't built quite as well and have pricier components that can go out (I.e. electronic brake actuator.)

DMPesso

I agree with Thomas. The SC430 will feel similar to the 01-05 GS430. Like JeffT said, you should maybe even try to find a GS400. I’ve had a 430 and 2 400s and the 400 is more performance oriented then the 430 which has a more refined ride. I love the 400 way more then the 430, only thing I miss is the steering wheel audio controls on the 430. Other then that driving the 400 makes up for it. The 06+ GS430 looks nice but the quality went to **** on the 3rd gen GS. It’s not the same tank like ride, smoothness and reliability as the 2GS. The plastic and leather in the interior feels extremely cheap compared to the 2GS. California has a lot of 2GS, probably more then any other state. You shouldn’t have any problem finding a clean one out there!

Raven01750

Thank You everyone. It was nothing specific. Just more of a feeling that some just weren't quite as happy with the later years. Not that any of them are bad. Because they're not.

I was on my way into work this AM., In the SC and was struck with absolute awe (again) at what a fantastic vehicle the 400 and 430's are. I never got over the fact that the speedometer needle etc., on the LS400 is actually a florescent lamp just like in the overhead lighting in your office. Just wayyy smaller and way more cool. These vehicles just continue to blow me away with the engineering.
Thanks for the assist everyone.
The GS430 I posted about earlier was reported "Sold" when I inquired about the VIN number. No hurry. Your right. The right will come along. 😁

Paul

Raven01750

Found a 1999 GS400 with 110k miles. Some damage to the bumper and drivers fender. White with tan interior. $1200.00. Sent the "is this available" message. The picture had the plate visible, but no VIN. So, I ran the Plate. The odometer had been rolled back from just over 200k miles to it's new recorded mileage of 110k. The owner is still trying to pass it off as a 110k mile Lexus. 🤯🤪😁 I just dont know about people some times. Keep looking.

Paul

skysecond

This happened similarly to me. It's so unnecessary to lie on mileage. I was trying to buy a MDX before my GS300 last week. There was a 30k difference between posted odometer and Carfax record. And the guy tried to sell the car by advertising the lower one (3 years ago odometer read). And even crazier, he wanted a deal based on the lower mileage and kept saying his car ran like new. I pissed him off with an ugly offer and walked away.

Raven01750

LOL. That's Funny. If I could leave a comment on the sellers ad I would. But, reality is, it's buyer beware out here. ;-)

Paul

DMPesso

for $1200 I wouldn’t have even bothered to look twice at it you know something’s wrong. A good condition GS4 with under 150k miles goes for $4000-$6000 now and days.

Raven01750

True. Too good to be true is usually to good to be true. And I did expect something to be wrong. It's just "what"? Sometimes you find a pearl in the sand. ;-) Still looking though. Still a rare sight. Did see a beautiful LS430 this AM at a very reasonable price. Just not what i am looking for now.

Paul

DMPesso

True. You can get lucky if someone wants a quick sale. I considered the LS430 a while back since its one of the most reliable sedans ever but its not nearly as fun to drive as the GS400. When the GS400 was made it was the fastest sedan in the world for a while until bmw came out with the E39 M5 and destroyed it lol. It was designed to take out the bmw 540 and they did an excellent job. That’s why it feels so much different then the GS430 which is more refined and is an ultra low emissions vehicle so its not going to feel as fast. Not having a throttle cable doesn’t help it either.