Gotcha350

I thought that there was only like a $7k difference between the top of the line ES and GS AWD fully loaded. When I bought my GS 350 last month I was walking through the lot and stumbled across a ES with a price tag of $46K I didn't think they went that high until I noticed it had the Ultra-Luxury package.

slk_dds

Man, whenever I see picture of SUPRA... always make me upset!!!

I missed my SUPRA TT (550WHP)!!!

RudeDoggy

OP is from BC (Canada) so prices up here are way different. For what I paid for my 08 GS350AWD, I could have bought one in the US (at full MSRP) plus a brand new Corolla (at full MSRP) with money left over to spare. Our MSRP for 08 GS350 AWD with nav/ML is $64,000 or so.

OP, there is quite a price premium on the GS but I think it is a different beast from the ES. The AWD version I believe has a 30/70 front/rear bias so it will feel closer to a RWD car than say a car with symmetrical AWD (e.g. Subarus) whereas the ES is a FWD car.

If you're buying the car cash, you could always look into buying it in Seattle. You could save quite a bit of money (approx. $15k or so even including 6.1% duties and various other fees to get it spec'd for Canada). I'm leasing mine so I had to get mine here....

My 1st SUV

I have driven both and couldn't really tell the difference on a 15 minute drive in town and over a bridge. There was no highway to test it on.

Of course this is a guy who has gone from a Celica to a Previa to a RX (wife is driving that now) so my sense of performance and handling is not as fine tuned as the rest of you guys anymore.

Looking for the AWD over the RWD due to snow and rain here. Stupid Canadian version comes with summer tires, so I gotta buy snow tires also...

The GS is $72K including all taxes and the ES is $55K in Canadian dollars (almost at par with $US). This is with all manufacturer and dealer discounts from the sales manager, as I am paying cash.

I have been searching the internet for GS350 AWD in Washington state or Oregon for the last few months and they are hard to come by (especially in black/black). I have also had a few brokers check the auctions for me in the States. You don't save too much buying the ES but you can save some money bringing up the GS, if you are prepared to deal with the paperwork and time. Also US franchises can't sell a brand new Lexus to Canadians. I have tried with all the dealers.

Also any GS ordered in Canada will take 2 months to deliver, so I might as well wait for the 2009 model to come in October. Manager advised not very many changes but no guarantees on the pricing... Prices could go down as the economy in Canada is now almost as bad as the states.

I regret not buying an older GS430 that I tested 6 months ago...Then I could
just delay my purchase decision for another year...

Oh well such is life.

The G Man

My 1st SUV, like I said earlier, if you cant tell the difference between the ES and the GS on a test drive when it comes to handling and power, then you should not pay the premium fo the GS. $12000 is way too much to pay for just AWD. I wonder if the 2009 ES will offer AWD.

drpepper

No doubt. And if you don't subjectively find an appreciable difference GS to ES, I think you ought to really figure out where you draw the line and test drive a Camry (maybe an Avalon too).

The ES and Camry are the same car. The ES interior is not matched at any trim level on the Camry though, that's the difference. If you really do like the interior look and feel of the ES over the Camry

Yang1815

iTrader: (1)

Yeah I agree with drpepper and The G Man... If you can't tell the difference between a GS and ES, Camry and Avalon should be seriously considered as well.

Joeb427

iTrader: (1)

The differences between a ES and IS aren't even close.
Both exterior and especially the interior is nicer on the GS.The GS handles better but the ES has a softer ride.
30 more horses in the GS and a AWD option.

sonikbo0m

I have the GS 350AWD and sorry to say I like the drive in the ES better. Just had the ES loaner for a week due to the engine noise on start-up. Dealer changed the cams but that's another thread.
The ES drives more smoothly over bumps and the steering wheel is definitely more stiff. I constantly have to fight to keep my wheel straight when driving the GS, even on the highway. Maybe this is due to the height of the AWD and it's suspension. Gas in the ES is a hell lot better. Interior is not as nice and the exterior is definitely not sexy as the GS, but the ES looks alot better than the previous generation.

The G Man

Sonikboom, If your GS drifts on the highway, there is something else wrong with your GS. The GS is one heck of a highway sedan, much better than the ES. If you wanted a smooth ride, you should have bought an ES or the LS. One really need to do their homework b 4 buying a 50 thousand dollar car. I mean you dont buy a Rolls Royce and complain about the handling, do you?

Yang1815

iTrader: (1)

he probably would.

RudeDoggy

If you're buying your car cash in Canada, definitely look into carcostcanada.com (if you haven't already). I don't see why you couldn't negotiate an 08 GS350 AWD with ML for less than $60k before taxes (I know I did and that was back in April). My obsidian on black GS350 AWD was already on their lot so I was able to get it immediately (I initially wanted a different colour but didn't want to wait 2 months).

P.S. They really changed the MSRPs on the GS350 (AWD). Back in April the AWD was only like $1100 more than the RWD. Probably different "standard features."