ferix

What age group do u think is the 2006 GS targetted towards?
Would the 2006 GS owners here care to share their age

ktiger

"Potential buyers of the GS 430 will need deep pockets. Target market is the 40-something with a household income north of $150K -- no doubt the same people who, unlike me, can actually afford to stay at the Aerie Resort. But this is where the going gets tough for Lexus: This is exactly the same buyer that the German luxury car companies have drawn a bead on. So why would this unnamed high roller buy a GS 430 instead of a BMW 545i, Mercedes E500 or Audi A6 4.2? The GS will be far less common in fancy-restaurant parking lots, at least for a while. Another unique point is VDIM, which represents a revolution in electronically-assisted active safety and performance handling. According to GS chief engineer Miyoshi-san, VDIM also has another more subtle purpose: It is intended to help establish Autobahn credibility for the entire GS line."

The above quote was taken from a review at 'cars.about.com'.

GS3rdwow

My take on it is this.... I am 23 and I would love to buy a car like this than a 3 series bmw or a ny mini compact sedan. I want luxury and high performance fused in my driving experience. I know many other Adults 21-28 who are crazy about the new GS and are owners of second generation GS models. It is suffice to say that many of these people in this age group that I know, do not make 100K salaries. The average cost of a gen 2 GS (430 and 300's , loaded to semiloaded ) is about $45K. The avg cost for a gen 3 GS is about 49K and even though the price is higher, the young market buyers in this age group are after cars liek this. I dont know if lexus has targeted these indivduals or not. But I do know these individuals want cars as such and are paying for such a car regardless if they make enough to afford it or not. I make about 40K a year and I would LOVE to own a new GS or a new RL. The target group as a whole may be people 30-45 years of age, because these people tend to be well established with deep pockets and also are mature in terms of conceptualizing a passionate vehicle that demands appeal, and performance. Well so do the younger buyers who are between 21-28. They are also mature enough to understand what an "ultimate driving machine is", and they will purchase it even if analysis shows it to be illogical for purchasing decisions based on household income levels. A superb car is always goign to be a superb car, not in terms of just the people it is targeted for, but the public at large who understand what the vehicle is truly about and the image it portrays to buyers. If i were to market this product, I probably would target this vehicle to people 26 -40. But this vehicle also attracts buyers in early to late 20's and when they do reach the mid 20s age (25, 26) - they will be very eager to own one of these beauties.

lexguynj

I am turning 32 this year and although I am considered old on this forum, I still want something sporty. The IS is too small for a family, the GS300 doesn't really do it for me, however the GS430 just leaves me drooling! However the GS430 has a high price tag which bumps out the majority of the younger crowd who love it.

I was test driving both vehicles last weekend and most of the people test driving the new GS300 were in their 40s and 50s, nice couples, just older couples that probably wanted something different than your run of the mill ES330.

Plus leasing these days can often get you an incredibly nice ride!

jwaters

I always laugh at target demographics for upscale cars. I'm sure that many people who will buy the GS will "fit the mold", but everybody is different. I think as a whole many people who surf the net and post on message boards such as this tend to be younger. This is likely reflected in the lower than average median age of Lexus owners on ClubLexus.

As for me, I'll be 27 in May. I make a good amount of money, but not yet a six figure salary. I have no children, no outstanding school loans/credit card bills and I don't drink alcohol, smoke or go on lavish vacations. Due to those factors, I feel that spending a little more on my car purchases is okay. To me a car is more than an appliance used for getting from point A to point B. Cars are a passion of mine; I'm a car enthusiast and I enjoy driving and owning a nice vehicle.

my06GS300

51 years young!

soon2benags4

I am 31 years old.

frebay

40yrold age group?! man, i'm 24 and i think the car fits me perfectly.

lexuslover

28. one of the reasons i love lexus so much is b/c of the value over bmw/mb v8 counterparts.

lexus makes it so much more affordable to capture the younger market of luxury-seekers. otherwise, you have to settle for a bmw 3 series or c-class mb, which is a major step down imho. it's smart for any car company to have affordable cars for the younger market to build your brand loyalty as you get older. and that's exactly what has happened in the last decade with the explosion of 3 series/c-class/IS,GS, etc. you get them young, and you treat them right (both the car and the dealers), and they will stay with you again and again, each time upgrading as their income grows.

LexFather

Target age group is marketing mumbo jumbo. Honestly is Lexus sold 100k GSs to 16 year olds or to 100 year olds, they wouldn't mind to much. Just they would say "we missed our target match".

Case in point, the ugly Honda Element, Honda made it and targeted it towards young makes in the 20s. The car sells well to be so ugly and the avg age is 45, 20 years older what they aimed for. But it sells.
I've seen every demographic and age in any car. I saw someone over 70 in a new M45 sport, I am sure he is not the target age, but they are happy to sell.

LEXTricity

I was 24 when I bought my GS in 2001. Where I live in South Florida about 90% of GS drivers are 55+(I always look who is driving). Everyone I know thinks I should apply for honorary AARP membership due to owning my car......... But my rims and tint make it look hot!

Rockville

It is really not a function of age but discretionary income. If someone is successful at a young age they will buy toys that fulfill their desires. If someone is older and they don't have the money they will buy the best car they can within their budget. I have some very successful Physicians and they are driving 1992 LS400's! They have children in college and a lot of expenses in the household and are now getting around to treating themselves to a new car. The small service business owners will buy a lot of newer cars. They might have a cleaning company and employ a lot of Hispanic workers buy they have a love of cars and spend the money on them. I think 30's would be pretty young for this price range yet there are always exceptions like Frebay in his 20's. I am more curious about the IS250/350 because I think that car will have a broad band of buyers in age and income. Some will be attracted by its looks and performance. Others by its size and price. It should be our top selling sedan in the future. The ES is getting bigger and if the new Avalon is a trend then the ES350 will be supersized. Have you ever priced out a 7 series pretty loaded? Yet there are a lot of them out on the street. It is all relative to income level. It used to be you were rich if you were worth a Million Dollars. Most people's homes are approaching that value around here. A new townhouse will cost 500K and higher in our area. I need a printing press or something........

DrComputer

I'm 34 and a new 06 GS430 owner. I was 24 when I bought my first Lexus (an ES300) and was 30 when I bought my LS430. As other people have said, age is but a number. Once I bought my first Lexus I was hooked. I will probably only ever own a Lexus as my primary car. I do have the Mazda RX8 as a fun toy car.

looknow12

I'm 34 also so you can do the math with my other lex's. SC was 26.

Si2See

I'm only 19 and have a 98 Gs300, but can't afford the new gs yet I'll have to wait a year until I can find one with 30k miles on it. It is very nice, but not worth working only to own an awsome car but not have money for doing anything else i want to do like I do now.