LexusGSboy

First time poster - appologies up front if I'm posting in the wrong place or missed anything about this - I did a quick search and didn't see anything.

I'm looking at getting a Certified GS - probably a 2015, 2016 or 2017. I've driven a bunch AWD, RWD, all years from 2013-2017.

What I've figured out is that I need an F Sport Package or the luxury package because of the driver seat. I'm a bit tall and I need a seat that has the front extension for extra support under my legs (I'm not sure exactly what it's called).

Of the two packages I think I prefer the Luxury package. I enjoy driving but I don't know that I could fully appreciate the different suspension and steering.

The luxury package seems to be a bit of a unicorn in either AWD or RWD. I'm likely doing the AWD - roads here are often wet and with my work I need to get places in the snow no matter what.

Does anyone know how common the the Luxury package is? It seems like many are F Sport and the rest are Base Model with some nice accessories but no Luxury Package. I've looked at many different sites with GSs for sale in general - both certified and non certified and I've only seen one or two across the entire US.

I'm debating whether to try to find an AWD with Luxury Package but if it's going to take quite a bit of time to find one I'll likely go with an F Sport.

Thanks in advance!

OUT FOX EM

I managed to score an AWD Luxury just a couple of months ago, so they're out there. After having owned both the F-Sport and the Luxury, I definitely recommend the Luxury. The easiest way to spot them is by their wheels. There's not really a foolproof method to quickly and easily find them. You pretty much just have to narrow down your search results to what you want (year, color, price, etc.) and then scroll through the listings to find the Lux models by the wheels. With that said, I would go 2016-2017 because of the upgrades that came along with the 2016 facelift. You really can't go wrong either way, but if you can hold out and wait for the unicorn, I think it's worth it.

And welcome to Club Lexus!

rj4510

Luxury package has gloss interior trim, so if someone changed the wheels, you could alternatively tell by the glossy wood trim.

some areas have far more than others, but they are tougher to come by. Most GS are F Sport, say 70%. The next is standard at like 25%, which leaves about 5% for Lux package. Those aren’t scientific numbers, just a rough count of what would show up in my searches.

jonathancl

Yeah they're rare. It took me a while to find a Lux in the colors I wanted, and I had to get it from several states away and pay a little extra.

But I am so glad: I love my extra Lux features, esp the turning headlights.

LexusGSboy

Thanks for the info! I wanted to make sure I was correct in my observation that they were a bit tough to find. I think the interior trim of the Gray Sapele Wood w/Aluminum is very nice. The Naguri Aluminum from 16+ is fine, although I like the Striated Aluminum of the 13-15.

They are definitely hard to search for because so many posts either get it wrong and put Luxury Package when they mean Premium Package or the listing just has Luxury to describe the car or it's a Luxury Package but they don't realize. I've definitely gotten good at looking for all the little clues like the wheels, like the Sapele trim, the rear controls, the better seat controls, seat memory on the pass side, etc... I was up until 2am the other night slowly searching around the country just to see what was out there...

While I know they will rarely get used, I also like the idea of heated rear seats so when I am driving friends around they can ride in comfort back there...at 6'2 it's not horrible in the back seat, but not great either.

I even had the fun of schooling a couple dealers who swore to me that none of the GSs had rear climate control. Luckily I've downloaded the PDF of every year's brochure so I could show them

I'll keep searching.... I'm sorta in the market now so it'll depend on how long I can keep putting things off.

Thanks again!

AJLex19

@LexusGSboy Luxury packages are rare and the lux pkg was discontinued after 2017 - but here are a few you might consider from a previous recent post of mine:

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/gs-...l#post10705653

LexusGSboy

AJLex.. Great tip about searching for "18 way" in your other post. I really do like the 19" lux wheels from the 16-17 years. I was considering changing the F sport wheels out for those but I tend to be a bit of a purist. I wasn't a fan of those wheels on the 15 with the 19" wheels. I've seen a couple - not my style even though I do like rare things.

Also thanks for pointing out the removal of the Lux Pkg after 17. I hadn't been paying attention much to 18-19 since those aren't really coming in off lease much yet and prices are a bit higher than I was hoping.

UDel

Lux packages are very rare, I have only seen one other one on the road.

It took me about a year to find mine but I was a little picky on color/interior/miles and also wanted a LS460 more at the time.

In my searches I would say about 1 in 20 to 30 GS's were lux models, most are 13 to 14's, 15-17's are much more rare. The unicorn is the lux with brown leather interior, I would love to have one of those.

Nimimi

When I ordered my '15 AWD w. luxury package, I wanted the brown seats too. However, my wife convinced me to go with black and I'm glad I did. It looks great in combination with Atomic Silver. And since I ordered it, I only chose the rear seat radio and heater controls but decided against heated seats.

Cwang

I've been on here for over a year now and have witnessed the rarity of the US top trim GS and have seen buyers settle for whatever they can find. Until now I never thought to ask why. Why?

It's obviously down to those purchasing new, does the GS have too much competition at the high end, is another manufacturer offering a vehicle (ie BMW, Tesla) that's a no brainer at that particular price point resulting in few people buying the top trim model? I am curious. I know you're big on trucks, do people just buy those in the north given your winters?

My market is a small one (there's only 25 used RWD 4GS 350+450 for sale Australia wide) but the majority for sale are the top trim closely followed by Fsports. The top trim typically sell for the same or less than the Fsport used as luxury sedans aren't desired by young people (who buy all the 2nd hand cars) who want the aggressive Fsport model to replace the outgoing LS3 Commodore.
It's a shame we're on the wrong side of the road or you could ship half a dozen over! Just a point of interest that has been building in my noggin for some time.

LexusGSboy

Cwnag - My suspicion/theory about why the luxury trim is not as common is because the GS fits a unique demand. The GS a good choice for folks who want something sporty like the German vehicles yet has the reliability of the Japanese. For folks who want the more luxurious side of luxury they're going to go for either the ES or the LS. Those who want the more sporty are going to go for the F sport in either the IS or the GS (I haven't driven a F sport ES yet - seems like an oxymoron to me). Those who want sporty but don't want to quite spend the money for an F Sport go for a standard GS with some of the nice individual add-ons. The luxury package is something for those who want something fun to drive that's sporty but also place a higher value on comfort.

I also have to admit - for myself there's a tiny tiny bit of something around having the F sport badging. People know you have an F sport - even non-car people. People won't generally know you splurged on the luxury package. I tend to like understated things but this is one place I have a bit of weakness for some reason this time.

I think the Germans make fine cars that are definitely fun to drive but the electrical in them has been an issue for decades. I know quite a few folks with them and it just seems like they're constantly in the shop. Generally nothing major - just lots of weird little gremlin things. The folks I know who really love their German cars lease them for 2 years and get a new one. Folks who buy them may talk about loving how they drive but they always seem to complain about how often they have to go in for something and the cost of the parts.

Personally, I would have certainly considered a standard GS if I hadn't figured out that while a 10 way power seat sounds impressive - not having that front seat extension is a deal breaker. For that I need the 16 or 18 way seats. I learned from my office chairs that if my legs are supported it can make them tired and even effect my lower back no matter how good the lumbar (as in an Aeron chair that's too small). The first 4th gen I sat in I immediately noticed that the seats were a bit short and that was a bit of a concern. It wasn't until my second or third one that I really tried to play with all the buttons on the seat and that was only after I sat in one where the seat didn't seem short and I wondered why.

I do agree that the 2nd hand F sprots probably have a bit more interest for younger folks and the second hand market so there may be a little playing into that because of the fact people seem to lease GS a lot and the price of a lease is based on the residual value. More residual value - less expensive lease (or more profit for the leasing company sometimes)

That's my two-cents - I think it's just a matter of demo graphics the car fits.

Chaos236

iTrader: (1)

I have one and my go back to a LS. I've had two LS's and this is my third GS. With little ones I like the LS room.

Mwfromva

I found mine about 70 miles away. I bought a used 2014 AWD Luxury in 2017. I wanted the seats for my wife mainly as she has trouble getting comfortable in most seats. I also liked the memory passenger seat and the adjustable suspension.

Funny thing, after I purchased mine I noticed another in my area right after I got it. Recently another has popped up, same color as mine (silver).

Searching for them through a website such as cars(dot)com wasn't easy but it is how I found mine. Wheels were the key - at first glance you can spot the wheels. At the time I think there were 80 or so for sale within 100 miles of me, only two were Luxury.

Good luck!

1flossedm3

I'm also on the fence, 20K budget, fsport vs lux package. I'm in my early 30s and I've always owned BMW's and Audi's. I'm growing tired of them being at the dealer often. LS is nice but too big for me.

JDR76

I still like the Luxury Package, but wouldn’t trade my F Sport for it. I’ve been super happy with it.