austinGS

Only thing you should know is, you will enjoy the ride every time you get into the car. Go for it and enjoy!

Raptor.1

The 430 has more torque and because of the V-8 the car feels more stable and balanced. I got my car the summer of 05' and still drive it today. There never has been a recall for this engine in both second and third generation GS 430's. I had two 2nd gen GS's; the first one was a 98’ 300 then in 01’ I got a 430 and after moving to the 430 I knew I would never look back, the 430 truly feels that much better.

As far as the rattles go...
I was very persistent the first year I got the 3rd gen and things were finally cleaned up after about a year and a half. Providing you have a smart Lexus group they should be able to clean anything up if it hasn't been already been done for you. If you got any rattles or ticks take it to Lexus, just pay attention to where they are coming from in detail; for example know how to make it tick "temperature, speed, surface, etc” and make it tick in front of them; that way they have no excuse for not fixing it. Lexus is all about perfection and they will get it right.

Good luck and enjoy~ I know you will.

92sc300nj

iTrader: (1)

this is a great car! hey if you get bored of it keep me in mind.. ill get it from you

I8ABMR

keep an eye out for dash rattles, sunroof rattles, and console creaks. My service advisor has admitted to me , now that I drive an LS460, that the GS is the worst Lexus for rattles and noise in his many years of experience. The 430 will have worse gas mileage than the V6 and will not be any faster I dont think. With my G35 and my GS350 I used to make excuses to defend the less than stellar quality and reliability of the car. With the LS there are no excuses made. You sure you dont want an LS430 or LS460??

JBasco20

iTrader: (1)

I'm really curious why everyone thinks the V8 gets bad gas mileage??? I get 26.5 MPG on the Highway in my 430 and 18 MPG in town.... The 4.3L V8 is silky smooth and is going to be faster off the line where the power counts...

bigblack06

iTrader: (20)

Wow really how when and where, when I drove my GS430 used to get 15.9 MPG and highway was 18 MPG you must have been babying that pedal or your car really is that good but then again i'm comparing apples and oranges, unless the 2GS and 3GS had same gas mileage.

twylie

iTrader: (3)

agree. I regularly get 25 on hwy and rarely less than 20-21 in mixed around town in my 430. I don't leadfoot it but don't baby it either.

JBasco20

iTrader: (1)

i think 2GS was 5speed tranny and 3GS is 6speed....

Lexus88

Just picked up the car today and i'm lovin it... i really wish they would have put the gen 5 navi in this one though... the gen 4 navi looks so ugly compared to it... i think i just killed the battery too... i was messing around with stuff like the navi and sound system in my garage with the engine off...

BinaryJay

Take a look at your battery. If it has that "eye" on the top, and a clear window on the front of it it is the original panasonic battery that was installed at the factory in Japan. You can't buy them here, at least not for a price that anybody in their right minds would pay. That means, it's at least 5 years old and likely only has enough reserve capacity left to get the car started and should probably be replaced.

Those batteries are troopers though. It's a shame the OEM replacements are not nearly as quality. I had the same problem when I bought the car, accessories and stuff drained the battery fast but that original battery kept the car starting for a year and a half before I decided to replace it to eliminate it as the cause of my HID kit not firing up reliably despite my wiring it directly to the battery via relay harnesses (it also suffered from low tested CCAs).

daudi81

I love mine. I live in UTAH where it's cold 9-10 months out of the year and I do not have rattle problems.

I much prefer the 430 to the 350. I think the v6 is slightly slower - but in real world driving, the 430 V8 feels much stronger and smoother. Peddle to the metal 0-60, you're probably looking at similar times, but who goes around doing that all day? A friend of mine has an 08 GS350 and also admits my 430 feels stronger and SMOOTHER putting around town and passing on the highway.

As for gas mileage - I get 26-28mpg on the highway going 70-80mph. 18-22mpg in city depending on how I'm driving. Not sure how the 350 is but it can't be that much better in gas mileage.

LexFather

That is his opinion. We have seen the vocal people on this forum and there are countless very happy owners with minimal problems. Unhappy people tend to vent on forums.

No car is perfect, the GS is going to still be one of the highest quality cars you can buy.

I've had a rattle in every Lexus I've owned since 1996. I drive all sorts of new cars and you can hear a rattle many times.

What people need to understand if they asked for sportier cars (Lexus) and low profile tires and this is simply some of the repercussions.

You don't like rattles or harshness, buy a 1991 LS 400 with 65 series tires and 15 inch wheels

Lexus88

i think i'm starting to hear the rattles now... doesn't really bother me... it's minimal... when i have the music on i can't really hear anything

daudi81

Yea I've owned many cars, both sporty and not - it seems the sporty cars tend to get the rattles. Not that the GS is "sporty" compared to a real sports car - but compared to an older first or second gen Lexus (LS or GS), the suspensions are much stiffer and feel much more "sporty" in my opinion. I don't get many rattles in my 06 GS, if at all, but that could mean I'm more tolerant to things like that - and I listen to my music loud =)

gsexy300

Arrrgggh I hate reading posts like this because my GS 300 awd does no better. How on earth can I be getting the same mileage with 2 fewer cylinders and 1.3 liters less displacement?? Just because of the AWD? And I really do drive gently, and even try to avoid coming to a dead stop, as I know that moving a 3700lb car from 0 is always going to use a lot of gas. And the GS 430 even weighs more!

and honestly I dont think I've ever even done 20-21 city. Really its more like 18, and the more stop/go I do the lower it plummets.