wdgantlles

Howdy y'all!

I drive around 2 hours a day (about 60 miles) in varying traffic and speeds. Roughly 15k miles a year. I don't mind a slightly firmer/sportier ride but would like some decent seats and isolation. I currently drive a very non-lux 2012 Mazda6 base no option so literally anything in the class that I am looking at is an upgrade. The Mazda is a great and reliable car but supremely boring and the 4 cyl is quite underpowered. Time for an upgrade!

Looking at the GS350. Actually I'm looking at a whole bunch of cars: New Dodge Charger R/T, CPO 535i MSport, CPO E350 Sport, CPO GS350 F-Sport

All have about the same power to weight, all are RWD.

I like the Charger and the hemi, but have serious concerns about how well the Dodge will hold up, how well FCA will be around, and the interior while much improved over previous gens looks like it was drawn up by a middle schooler.

The 5-series and the E350 are both nice. The Mercedes seems to depreciate like a rock, the BMW has the "bmw stigma" attached to it, and both have expensive parts once out of warranty. I've also considered a 550i MSport but from all my research BMW can't seem to make a V8 that won't destroy itself.

The GS350 seems to fix the German reliability and cost of maintenance issue, and the interior is way nicer than the Dodge.

I'd most likely be looking at the 2013 models. Is the battery issue taken care of? Have all the cars that needed new ECUs been upgraded? 3 years and 30k miles into it's life I'd assume that problem has been sorted.

Any other major issues with the GS to worry about?

Is F-sport worth it? What about ML sound?

Thanks in advance!

Davenlei

iTrader: (1)

I have a 2013. What ECU issue are you talking about.

islandbeef

Battery issue?

Where did you hear of this? Did some BMW fanboy talk smack?

bigblack06

iTrader: (20)

I think the F-Sport is worth it compared to the other vehicles you are looking at, the BMW maybe your only contender. The battery issue is a hit or miss meaning you may have it or you may not but it usually occurred within the couple of miles of ownership from new. In terms of the ECU issue I have not heard of this and don't believe there is an issue with the ecu.

wdgantlles

The ecu issue that I read about was related to the battery drain. It was called the gateway ecu I read about it in the battery drain thread. Sounds like that is a non issue at this point.

wdgantlles

No it was the 13 page thread on CL that mentioned it.

And yes the cpo Msport 535i is probably the closest real competitor but every friend of mine that has a BMW has mentioned that out of warranty repairs (even when DIY) are expensive.

jjscsix

There was a battery issue....do a search. I think it was a pretty minor issue related to the factory Panasonic (I think) battery going bad and costing a fortune if not covered under warranty. Solution is to replace it with an aftermarket battery. But I think it was only a problem for a very few number and would not be concerned with it. Mine went dead when we were gone for a week, but it never did I again and we never replaced it.

wdgantlles

Thanks for the update. Yes the Panasonic battery replacement cost I read about was crazy! I have a huge Interstate in my wife's truck (fully loaded expedition el limited) that only cost $150.

What about the Mark Levinson system? Is it worth seeking one out versus the standard system?

Anyone have any 4th gen GS regrets?

Sevn86

If your looking at getting the GS then make sure it's an Fsport or Luxury model. I don't have regrets but if I could turn back time I would have gone with either those two and not the premium version I have.

AJLex19

The most reliable car of the bunch is going to be the GS. The BMW is definitely the other primary contender. Sounds like you've already done your research - it will come down to your most important criteria (whether its reliability, cost, looks, options etc.)

I've seen a few Lux equipped '13 GS's hitting the certified used market for low $30s. That would be the version of the GS i'd get if i was shopping today since the value proposition is high (Lux equipped 4GS's include the SPORT+ mode found in the F-Sport but have lots of extra goodies: https://www.clublexus.com/forums/gs-...vs-luxury.html)

Petrolhead

wdgantlles, If I were you I would look through forums of all of the vehicles that you are considering. They all probably have some quirks. The Remote Start fiasco with the GS is an issue for me. I have a GS350 F-sport. It is a sporty sedan with good features. Things that could be improved: Driver Legroom (width), The enfotainment system, annoying diesel-like ticking from the engine at idle, less than average city MPG.
Other than those things, I love my car. It is beautiful, it's pretty quick, and It's a Lexus. (Probably will out last me) I have a 2013 CPO vehicle and I have never had an issue with my battery or ECU. From what I have read, you may want to go for a 2014 because the 2013's were left out on some nice system updates.

My experience at the Lexus Service department (North Austin, Tx) is unbelievable. It's like a high end coffee bar. Huge seating area, large coffee bar area, all very nicely decorated. I think some folks bring their cars in just to hang out it is so nice.

I too was interested in the BMW 535i Msport, and a Dodge Challenger, but the color and feature combinations I wanted were not available for several months so I moved on.

Good luck in your car search selection

lamikela1

I have a luxury version GS350 with ML that I just purchased. I was also looking at the F-Sport and a Camaro SS that I narrowed down after looking over BMW, Acura, and Infiniti. Boy am I glad I got the GS.

I had 2 ES's before this and both were excellent cars but this GS is a big step above. Isolation and seat comfort are superb and the car is smooth as glass. I have the ML audio and while it's not going to knock you out of the seat it is a very good OEM audio system as compared to other premium systems that I have had in the past. Of course it won't come anywhere near my custom JL audio system in my truck. If you do pick the GS I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

BTW, it was the most expensive choice over the other cars by a significant amount but it's worth every penny. I picked mine up at Sterling McCall Lexus in Houston. They really treat their customers well.

zerocypher

I was in a similar situation shopping for a mid-size sedan. The CPO 535i M sport was a runner up but didn't want to deal with the maintenance (coming from a 335i). I chose the GS350 for reliability and getting the most features for a comparable price. Another car I didn't consider until afterwards would be the Infiniti Q50 sport- more power for about the same price but a little less reliable (according to JD Power). Overall, I'm really satisfied with my CPO 2013 GS350 F-Sport with ML and heads up. You should compare between the 2013 and 2014 (6-speed vs 8-speed, XM weather/traffic updates vs HD radio updates, etc).

There are plenty of options to pick from if you're in the DFW area.

mrkwinning

GS is the best bang for your buck. If I could go back, I would of bought a Lamborghini. Haha

wdgantlles

Cool I'm in Austin good to hear! Sounds like a lot of people narrow down the same cars...not. Whole lot of midsize 300+ hp rwd choices.