Hi all, I have a ES350 and it is suffering from all the common ES problems such as a knock when cold and a transmission flare. It has 1500 miles on it and I have lost confidence in it and am considering a buy back and getting a GS350 rwd. Could you all give me some feedback on the GS and any problems I could expect on it and your experience with it. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. My ES is a UL so I want a loaded one and would appreciate input on any problem areas. Thanks in advance.

RJ

 

None So Far...knock On Wood...just Got It Serviced Yesterday And All Seem Fine...running On 20's And Lowered...and I'm Still Driving A Lexus...mine Is Also Fully Loaded...not One Option Missing...and I Hacked The Dvd/navi Too..

Go For It...

 

I love my GS350 and recommend it to everyone. Funny thing is, the ES350 was the car I considered buying before the GS, but saw the major headaches people were having (and that was 7 months ago) and decided it was not for me. So glad I didn't cause the GS is a keeper.

 

all the newer v6 lexus cars have the diesel sound.
Because the cabin is quieter than most, you can hear the ticking of the engine if you sit idle at a stoplight.

I haven't had the car long enough, but i hope they tightened the interior panels and got rid of the rattles that sank Lexus to 5th place.

 

Get the 450h, it is absolutely silent at stop lights, and has that delicious electric "swoooooosh" sound when accelerating and braking (but still have a mean grunt when opened wide...), it really sound like a Sci-Fi movie...

 

Is this for real. I just cannot believe they all make that much noise. I have had 50 new cars in the past 46 years and I sold new cars for 25 years and I never hear anything like this. Don't get me wrong. I am not calling you a liar, I am just shocked. Oh, well at least GS350 isn't having trany flare. I had my 07 Acura totaled by a truck hitting us broadside and It was bulletproof, so to speak. Went to the lexus because it has been rated to high for so long and had even more air bags and a better front side impact rating than my TL. Features on the ES are great but the trans. is is a dealbreaker for me. I am willing to give Lexus another chance, but not with a ES. If I had taken more time after the accident I would have bought the GS to begin with. Thanks for the info, however. I still think I will be getting into a buyback with in a couple of months from what I have seen and if so I will be on this forum a lot more. I am lurking here now to find out more. Thanks to all for the feedback

 

FWIW.. Uncle Sam (I forget which government agency) just gave the Acura RL (not the TL) the highest ratings for front, side and I think rear impact. GS has not yet been tested.

 

The Rl has never been a good seller. They discount a lot, usually thru money to the dealer. I drove one for a day and it was ok but the NAV screen is not touch and I really do like the touch screen. The TL had the second highest possible rating but the ES had the top. I would hope the GS is pretty safe. You get a little paranoid after an accident like that. The Acura dealer was great and I was a little concerned switching but the Lexus dealer in Tulsa seems about the same. Loaned me a 07 ES and washed my car then thru. I will pick it up tomorrow and see how it goes, but they flashed it and I have not seen much success with that. Will keep all updated, and thanks again for the input. I think Lexus will be open to a buypack if I switch to a GS instead of just taking the money and going to another brand.

 

Yeah the local dealership is discounting 5k for the RL.

They told me "with these 50k cars, it's hard to move them." while the Lexus dealership are selling the GS pretty well. I think it's the car.

 

TL makes up about half the sales for Acura.

 

The RL is just a marketing fiasco. Does not have much more space than a TL, is grossly underpowered especially with the SH-AWD, and way overpriced for what it offers. Acura aimed at the LS and wound up hitting below the GS. All things equal, I'd rather have a GS (350 or 430) over the RL.

The 'diesel sound' is a characteristic of direct injection and is not on all Lexus V6s - it's more like a loud ticking sound and usually occurs upon startup when the engine is cold. Frankly, I don't let it bother me, it's a tradeoff on the 2GR-FSE engine - how else can you crank 300+ hp and still achieve 29 mpg on a NA stock factory engine ?!?!? If the ticking sound really bothers you, get the GS430, but mileage and price will be the tradeoff for getting the V8 . . .

 

Worse of all (I actually seriously looked at the RL) is that the RL looks ridiculously like the '04-'05 Accord. I mean from a distance you can't tell them apart...

 

Been there went through it all. My ES350 UL had problems also but on the second ES350 which had the same problem I wasn’t going to wait around and go through the process again. I bought my way out of it and purchased the show room GS350 on 20’s in March 07. No problems with GS due to the fact it’s a real Lexus, totally a different car than ES. I to went car shopping and looked at the RL but that car is out dated and a piece of do-do, the M-35 is much better. But I really wanted to stay with Lexus because I got spoiled over the way they treat you at the dealership or service center with ham & cheese croissant, zillion kinds of coffee, TV’s every were while your waiting for your car to be washed. You got to love it.

 

Hmmm. I think there's a coffee pot at my dealership. No food that I have ever seen. They just put a flat screen on the wall.

 

To the RL comment:
Let's not forget that the Acura RL is Honda Legend overseas... Of course it's going to look like an Accord. I also looked at the RL as well and I agree that it's underpowered, but what really pushed me away was their quality of material, it just doesn't quite compare to that found on a Lexus.

As for the ES not being a "real Lexus"... They're still the same company manufactured from the same factory...

Lastly, the dealership here has multiple TV's, fridge full of juice/water/soda, newspapers/magazine, fresh fruits and snacks, and wireless internet!!!