jondele

hey guys, im debating whether i should get a new ES 350 or used GS.

Whats the best model year for both cars? anything different between last years ES and this years? new GS is outta my price range, which is why im thinking of getting used...

any input is appreciated

rominl

iTrader: (4)

the es350 is straight out of my consideration period. sorry but i still think that car has quite some design issues, not to mention the degraded quality, and fundamentally that car isn't fun at all

for the gs, i say gs350 is a good pick if you are staying with v6

twister

Questions about ES350 better to be asked in their forum, but as a former ES350 owner who went through 2 replaced transmissions when I bought the car new in 2006 - I'm not a fan of that car lol!! Since you are considering new ES350, I think issues with tranny (the same as Camry) have been fixed. With 3GS, as romini mentioned above, go with '07 GS350 model. You get a more powerful v6 in comparison to GS300, and second year '07 models took care of a lot of rattling issues. You do get some occasional squeaking at low temperature, but its not as sever as original '06 3GS. You can read more about it while searching on this forum.

In general, keep in mind these are two different cars. With ES you will get a soft ride, bigger interior and trunk, but also numb steering, horrible body lean, and drive feeling of being completely disconnected from the road (typical Camry ride). GS, although not a bimmer, has a sportier ride, more power, better performance and handling, and all around more fun and spirited ride. Test drive both to see the difference. I had my 3GS for 2 years and still looking forward every morning to drive this car.

Good luck!!!

beachfront

I think we need more info..

Is your goal just to have a Lexus or family trips, etc etc...Or do you want a sportscar...

To me these are 2 very different models and one look at the inside of the ES would do the trick for me. I had one as a loaner and thought the car was basically neglected for the interior styling (unless I got a stripped down model).

To each his own but I love the GS. At the same time if I had 3 kids or was a bit older, I could see myself having issues with the GS in terms of space and climbing in and out ...

Gojirra99

For reasons mentioned above, I will get GS over the ES without question, unless you always have very tall rear seat passengers.

ES is FWD, so it can be a better choice in climates where you have snow in the winter, but probably not in ca.

drpepper

Just to relate an experience.

CPO 06 GS430 purchased in April--I just had my first periodic service done and and got an ES350 as a loaner. It was pretty much brand new (something like 1,500 miles), so not at all beat up.

I had given brief consideration to the ES when I was buying, but didn't go too far with the idea.

As I drove the ES for the day, I specifically considered it in "what could have been" terms. While it's a nice car...good looking and interior trim that can't be matched at any level in the Camry, I decided that while I'm sure I would have generically been "happy" with an ES, I would not have gotten the same level of satisfaction had I gone that way.

Most striking was when I got back into my GS and drove away, it just felt so much better to me in every aspect (well, with the one exception of the GPS screen resolution). Getting back into my car was a huge Aaaaaaaahhhhh! From the moment my butt hit the seat and I hear the soft thud of the door closing, it felt like home. The feel of the wheel, the sound, the torque, the dash/gauges, taking that first ramp to the Interstate...I just soaked it all in and thought "I love this car!"

Go test drive, test drive, test drive.

GS300Rich

For me just from the exterior aesthetics I would absolutely pick the GS over ES.

whlkev

the choice would be GS or something else, ES will never be a car I'd considered driving

leave it as the loaner

ecount00

certainly ES owners didn't see it like this but I'd probably have gotten a loaded up camry or avalon instead of an ES. I agree with above, GS or something else.

vietdeluxx

iTrader: (2)

Depends what you want... family car or sports sedan? If you want a more sporty look and feel while you are driving than the GS.

jondele

well im lookin for a family car, i just had my first baby and we need another car. curretnly we're using a nissan murano, but daddy needs his own ride!!

will the GS be roomy enough for the baby?

i do think the ES is a lot like a camry, but the interior beats the camry. so i started to look into the GS

gizmo7718

I have an 18 month old and one on the way. My wife and I considered getting either a Camry or GS350. This would be our daily driver, we carpool and commute with the kid. The practical, money-saving thing to do would be to get the Camry. But since this would be my wife's car, I wanted to get her something she would thorougly enjoy for years to come. We took the leap and got a used 07 GS350, fully loaded, 10K miles. This car is a thing of beauty and like the previous poster said, we look forward to driving it every morning. I doubt we'd have the same exuberance with the Camry. Yes, the trunk space is not very big and seating 5 adults is tough, especially for the rear middle seat. But if you don't mind those things and if you can afford the GS, do it. You won't regret it.
By the way, we didn't even consider the ES. If we were going to go that route, we would have just gotten a loaded Camry.

passnu2

iTrader: (33)

jondele I just picked up a CPO 06 GS430 and its perfect for the family IMO. Since I have a sport utility that my wife drives we have more then enough between the two. Seems like you would have a similar situation. I have no trouble getting the car seat in and out of the middle/center of the backseat. There is enough room in the back for our new born and my older son.

g/l in your search! and congrads on the new addition to the family

jr1966

Since I just got my '06 GS300 a couple of weeks ago and the Electric Power Steering gave out on me and still waiting for warranty parts to come in, I was given an '08 ES350 as a loaner. Therefore, I think I am in the position to contribute my opinion between these 2 cars. But please keep in mind that my comparison to the ES350 is an '06 GS300, not a GS350 nor a GS430.

My opinion is the GS300 is softer in all aspects of ride and handling with lots more body roll than the ES350. I felt the ES350 to be the sportier car in terms of subjective feel, as it is physically smaller, lighter (?), more tossable, despite it being FWD. Steering feel is a lot better in the ES. I feel a bit more disconnected with the road in the GS. The GS is floatier and has a bigger feel. But when it comes to luxury feel, the GS wins. Trunk size seems similar, more interior space in the ES.

Still having my BMWs, I felt both Lexuses to be really soft and disconnected from the road. However, I love my GS much more than the ES due to the fact that I see Lexus as a luxury car more than a sports sedan and the GS delivers luxury much more than the ES.

Interior styling of the ES is bad. I prefer the Camry interior (with Luxury & Leather options) over the ES. The quality of the glovebox and the small pull-out door on the driver's side to be of really poor quality.

Definitely!

GS is roomy enough for the baby. Interior-wise against the Camry, see my post above. GS interior definitely way much better than the ES in terms of quality and design.

twister

Regarding baby room - got 8 month old and 3.5 year old in the back, plenty of room For a daily family commute its perfect, for longe fully loaded trips - we take my wife's Highlander.

Regarding ES350 being sportier with a better steering and less body roll You either got some TRD-tricked out ES350 or your GS300 is really that bad I drove ES350 for 4.5 month (1.5 of which was driving other ES350 loaners while they were replacing/fixing my tranny). That body roll was so bad, I had to slow down to 30mph at a lot of turns; and on a highway I completely didn't feel the road - felt like I was floating. Soft and comfy ride - yeah, fun to drive - yawn. Don't get me wrong, you will still get body roll with GS350 but I can take the same turns now at 40-45mph