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2013 Common Problems, Resale, Rare Luxury Package?
Good morning!
sorry to bundle three seemingly unrelated questions but in short I’ve been eyeing. 2013/14 GS350 as my next purchase. I currently have a 04 RX330 and recently sold an IS250.
Maybe i I got very lucky but my 2004 RX (150k miles) is like a new car. Drives amazing, minimal wear on drivers seat. Paint still shines. Was in a front end deer accident so front headlights replaced (crystal clear lenses).
In short I feel the Lexus has held up quality and material wise better than any older Acura I’ve ever seen (having come from a long line of Acura’s).
Does a 2013 GS have any inherent common mechanical problems? I know a lot of other model threads have sticky “common problem” threads. Just today a thread mentions the weaker resale on a gs350, is it just a numbers game or are there problems with the car in general that has pushed down resale values?
Lastly, I’m ideally looking for a luxury and cold weather package and would love to have LKA and adaptive cruise. These features were on a new RX350 loaner I had and the cruise system was amazing.
Is this exceptionally rare? Out of about 200 cars within 100 miles of me in NY none had adaptive cruise. More surprisingly not a one had a wood wheel which I believe is the indicator for having the luxury package.
No major problems to note, a few rattles here and there but overall solid cars.
Luxury packages are hard but not impossible to find and the wood wheel is the quickest way to spot one. Adaptive cruise with LKA or night vision will be almost impossible as they were very rare options in those years. You would have better luck finding them if you moved up to 2015 - 2016.
Thanks Jeevz! That's kind of what I suspected about the LKA. That was cutting-edge in 2013 especially.
Unfortunately the 2015/16's are still a bit out my price range, but maybe I'll hold off another year. I'm in no immediate rush to replace!
Thanks for confirming the wood-wheel / lux package.
I had the same problem as you as I wanted all of these features.
The quickest way to tell it if has luxury package is the WHEELS not the steering wheel.
Base Model (split spoke wheels):
Luxury Package:
These wheels are specific to the luxury package.
I will tell you that when I was looking for the same features you were looking for there were 2 in the entire country. I am also from NY and was trying to work a deal on one in California as that was the nearest one to us with those features.
In the end, I dropped a few features and got a great, like-new car out of Vermont.
The '13 is a very reliable car - minor issues here and there (i've experienced the following: sunroof/moonroof rattle/noise, leather seat needed to be refinished, out of round OEM wheels; AWD whining noise). All were addressed either by me, a local shop or at the Lexus dealership under warranty.
None of the issues i've faced thus far have left me stranded or were "major" in any way in my opinion.
I have had no problems with the '14 GS w/Lux. No LKA or Night Vision. Options I most like about it:
Adaptive Suspension and Sport+ mode - almost exact to F-Sport.
18 Way seats
Power Trunk - Not a Lux Pkg item.
Adaptive Headlights
Blind Spot Monitoring with cross traffic
Ventilated seats
Lux pkg feature not necessarily needed:
Rear Seat controls - Cool to have but rarely have anyone in back seat and even if I do, people usually don't use them.
Rear window power sunshade
friscochryslerjeepdodgeram.com has one with radar, eye monitoring system, and night vision but no LKA. This car has no parking sensors which is strange to have all these rare features but the sensors.
I had the same problem as you as I wanted all of these features.
The quickest way to tell it if has luxury package is the WHEELS not the steering wheel.
Base Model (split spoke wheels):
Luxury Package:
These wheels are specific to the luxury package.
I will tell you that when I was looking for the same features you were looking for there were 2 in the entire country. I am also from NY and was trying to work a deal on one in California as that was the nearest one to us with those features.
In the end, I dropped a few features and got a great, like-new car out of Vermont.
my '13 lux pkg came with the base wheels...which i prefer more anyways. not sure if it was changed by the previous owner or not.
love the wood over the f-sport aluminum.
When I bought my 13 GS, it had to be a special order, for which I waited 4 months! The PCS/radar cruise was not available on the lot, or in the pipeline. I contacted Lexus HQ in California, and they confirmed that the only ones out there with that option were special orders. Today, most of this safety stuff that I paid $$$$ for is standard equipment - the PCS/radar cruise alone was a $3000 option, as I recall. I added everything else I wanted - no compromise. Five years later, I know I made the right choice...and I'm in no hurry to trade up. The car has been running like a charm, and all I've had to do is the scheduled maintenance.
Good luck finding the car you want. If money is tight, let someone else pay for the early years depreciation, and enjoy a safe and reliable car that's a joy to drive, albeit without the latest tech and new car smell. <g>
I wanted a 2013+ 450h with luxury package for under $30k. For the 2 months I looked there literally was only maybe 10 cars in dealerships across the United States.
I had to compromise, had I been more patient maybe I would have found it, the hybrids are very rare.
I settled for a Liquid Platinum 2013 GS 450h with 64k miles, factory paint protection(a must 64k miles and the bumper is pristine), blind spot, cold weather package, and Mark Levinson.
The car was in excellent condition, looked like new inside and out. I paid 28k out the door in February. I paid in full so no fees or loan interest. I flew from Alexandria, Virginia to Atlanta Georgia to finalize the sale and pick the car up from a Toyota dealership. Then drove it back to Virginia.
I found a original bamboo steering wheel and bamboo rear vent garnish that I scored for a great price and installed. After selling the original leather wheel the upgrade cost was $300.
Recently bought the Bi-led adaptive headlights on eBay for a great deal, plan on installing it in the spring. Once I make the swap and sell the factory headlights the upgrade cost will be around $800.
Current bought the 2014+ side mirror and switch to find out if we can upgrade.
I wish I had dynamic cruise control and 18 way power adjustable semi-aniline front seats, Where there is a will there is a way and I enjoy doing the upgrades myself. I will probably will never have the dynamic cruise control, but may find an affordable flaxen 18 way adjustable seats.
The 2013 does not have:
Power Trunk
Power folding side mirrors
Auto heated/ventilated front seats
However if you look for a used one you can get a great deal on them.
10-17-17, 06:29 AM
2013 Common Problems, Resale, Rare Luxury Package?
