Hey, I need some advice!

My mom had a 2010 Lexus ES and it was recently totaled at 120k miles. It was a fantastic car but, 2 weeks prior to the total we had the cv joints and suspension parts replaced for a total of $1200 from the dealer.

Now we're looking to buy a CPO 2015 ES or GS 350. She test drove the GS and loved it. It was much more sporty than the ES and the gas pedal seemed a lot heavier (is this normal?). However, I'm looking online and I see:

Price per OEM Lower control listed below from most expensive to least expensive.

• LEXUS GS350 $540.83 PART NUMBER: 4864030300
• LEXUS LS430 $307.07 PART NUMBER 4864050050
• LEXUS IS350 $307.10 PART NUMBER: 4862030290
• LEXUS ES350 $192.77 PART NUMBER: 4806933060

Are GS suspension parts usually a lot more expensive than for the ES or are all the parts in general just more expensive? I expect services to cost around the same and I'm really hoping that the GS is as reliable as the ES since this is a car we plan on driving until it breaks down years from now. (If the 2010 ES didn't total then we would have driven that thing for another like 10 years). My dad doesn't like to have to worry about paying for repairs later on, hence why we only purchase Toyota/Lexus.

Should we expect a big price difference in repairs or maintenance/ service costs or anything else since the GS is a much more expensive car?

Thanks much. New to the forum.

 

 

We're looking at a non F sport since it is closer to our price range. Just looking for one with BSM and heated/cooled seats. So I'm guessing that might be the lux package. Also, just trying to compare within the brand. If the parts are not more expensive overall, then I think I can convince my dad to go for the GS. Otherwise, I'm guessing ES is more practical and affordable (price-wise).

 

If you vote yes for the poll, please let me know what kind of parts are more expensive for the GS!

 

I voted 'No' because you are not considering the F-Sport. Since you are comparing maintenance/repair costs between a non-F-Sport GS and an ES, then I'd say the difference is very minimal. As you may already know the F-Sport GS will cost more to maintain/repair versus the non-F-Sport because of the likelihood of dealing with brake pads and rotors (and brake dust from a washing/cleaning standpoint), and maybe dealing with the adaptive struts, as well as the tires due to staggered fitment. Otherwise, the two GS 350s are primarily the same from a maintenance/repair standpoint. There shouldn't be much difference is maintaining/repairing a non-F-Sport GS 350 versus the ES 350 in my opinion.

 

I voted no as a non F Sport GS350 and ES350 share a bunch in common from the parts bin--from the navigation and infotainment, speedometers and sensors like BSM/parking. Drivetrain, tuning and overall feel are the biggest differences (along with the better fit and finish on the GS).

I can't imagine too much difference between the two in terms of standard maintenance...although maybe someone who has owned both cars at the same time can shed some light...

 

I doubt the GS is more expensive to repair/maintain then the ES or the difference is negligible, both are very reliable, GS may be more reliable looking at CR data. Dealership is going to be expensive with both if there are problems. If you get a AWD GS you will have to change differential fluid where ES does not have AWD but it does not cost much especially if you just do it yourself. GS will get worse fuel economy then ES, that is probably the biggest expense of a GS over a ES, GS may cost more to insure too but I don't think any of that will equal a lot over a ES or any kind of big penalty.

You don't need a lux package to get BSM and heated/cooled seats, most GS's come with heated/cooled seats(lux just gets you rear heated seats if you also get that heated rear seat option package), pretty sure BSM is pretty common too in GS's. Lux package is extremely rare, you will likely have to do some traveling to find a used one which I had to do to get mine.

A LS460 is a totally different story, it will be significantly more expensive to keep up and repair then a GS or ES.

 

The GS has aluminum control arms which is more expensive to replace than the steel based components on most vehicles. You just happened to look at a comparison where the materials are more premium in the GS.
These types of components should last the life of the car unless you have an accident, go off the road, etc, which sounds like what happened to the ES.

Repair costs, yes I think the GS would be more than the ES. Fewer cars out there, more premium components. But only slightly so, and at the price range of Lexus, this shouldn't even cross your mind. However, I don't think repair costs will high in either car unless she is constantly hitting or running over things, or neglecting the car.

Maintenance costs are similar although I bet she'll go through tires and brakes quicker on the GS as they are more performance oriented.

 

The more expensive the car, the more expensive the potential repairs. The ES is basically a Camry/Avalon, and parts are really cheap...with the GS parts are going to be more expensive...GS is direct injection, ES is just port injection, GS is going to be more expensive overall to maintain yes.

 

Uh... Not sure if you have actually taken apart your GS extensively but I have. I can tell you that a majority of the components are Toyota branded and are quite inexpensive. There are a few components that will cost more expensive than an ES but it's not THAT much of a difference. As others have said, the difference is negligible in the grand scheme of things.

EDIT: Also depends on the trim. F Sport will be more expensive no matter which way you look at it. But the other items trims should even out.

 

ALL the components are Toyota brand. The car is a Toyota. The point is the parts aren't shared with a Toyota branded vehicle the way they are on the ES, many parts for the ES you'll likely be able to find at a PepBoys which may not be the case for the GS. The GS has high pressure fuel rails, etc...depending on trim has adaptive dampers, so on and so forth.

The car overall is going to cost more to maintain than an ES, I stand by that having owned both.

 

There is a conundrum here.

If we assume all GS parts are Toyota (as in a Camry), then why does the GS cost so much more? Is Lexus stealing money from its customers in plain sight?

If we assume that Lexus is not stealing money, that implies it is putting that money to work in the GS by putting more parts or higher quality parts or parts that require more labor than that in a Camry. If that is true and given that any part can malfunction over time, maintaining a GS is more costly than maintaining a Camry or ES.

In general, maintaining a higher priced vehicle is more expensive than maintaining a lower priced vehicle, assuming the higher-priced vehicle manufacturer is not in the business of stealing money from its customers. However, there is an exception. If a substantial amount of funds is spent by a manufacturer in research (i.e. developing new technology) that helps to develop a simpler vehicle, the maintenance of the vehicle might be lower even though its MSRP is higher. The MSRP will be high to compensate for the cost of research. A glaring example is an electric vehicle which is often simpler than a traditional vehicle and hence requires less maintenance but its MSRP is higher to compensate for the cost of research. However, this exception does not apply to the GS vs. ES maintenance cost.

 

ES is Front Wheel Drive correct - GS is Rear Wheel Drive. I would make sure your mom and dad understand that.
If your mom freaks out about handling characteristics, or the way the car handles in the rain it could be a deal breaker.
In my younger years I never wanted RWD because the back-end would "spin out". Everything now days with the nanny-traction control doesn't allow that, but I think it's worth noting.
I see you're in FL, so I wouldn't guess you're exposed to snow like we are.

 

IMHO a GS will be incrementally more costly to fix vs an ES but it's best not to go crazy thinking about it, we're not talking BMW or Mercedes parts here. Consumables such as brakes and tires will cost more just because of the size.

There are some things that are a huge win on a GS though, like changing the spark plugs... that's practically an hour job on a GS, on an ES its likely 3 times as long because the motor is mounted the wrong way. But that you only do every 100K or so depending on taste.

If TCO is a bullet point the ES wins because of the gas deal (it costs less to fuel and operate, way less sometimes because of not needing premium, and much better fuel economy by at least 5 mpg) and the tires and brakes are somewhat cheaper, depending on tire size.

Fretting about suspension parts? meh. I've never heard someone say "I dumped my 4GS because the repairs got to be too absurd". Generally speaking once someone gets one of these cars, and they like it, they are loathe to get rid of it... and most of the people that dump these cars are only doing so to upgrade / get something faster.

-Mike

 

Agreed, we're not talking an enormous difference, but the GS will cost more.

They're young yet. Give it time.