When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Gs 350 should i get an f sport or non f sport & why is the luxury pg so hard to find?
I’ve been looking at 2015 to 2017 Gs 350 for a while now. Is it me or is the price going up, secondly should I get an f-sport or non, i wanted the luxury package with the wooden steering wheel but I can’t find it anywhere, is the repair cost on brakes and rotors more expensive on the AWD f sport? What are some must have options that I should be looking for when buying this car? Eg( power trunk, heated steering wheel etc?) and how do I find them?
Prices are up on used cars in general as the demand has remained high for pre-owned vs new. Its not clear if the luxury package equipped models were as as good a seller as the F-Sport and non F-Sport models - but the GS didn't sell well after 2015 and each year after you had less and less overall GS's produced.
I think you're more likely to find a 2015 luxury package than a 2016 or 2017 luxury pkg. In terms of F-Sport vs non F-sport, that is more of a personal preference in terms of what you value most - you'll pay more for the F-Sport (more options, better handling, sportier overall) but there is excellent value in a non F-sport as well.
Brakes and rotors are less expensive on the AWD compared to RWD F-Sport models (note: RWD non F-Sport models have the same brakes/rotors as AWD). In terms of must have options, i'd say if you get a luxury package equipped GS, it will have essentially most of the most-haves like better semi-aniline leather, more seat adjustments (18way), nicer wood treatment inside, adaptive suspension similar to F-Sport, etc.
Having recently purchased a 2018 F-Sport AWD, this was my decision process.
I had previously driven a Premium Package car for a day as a loaner. While I absolutely loved the interior and size (I'm 6 foot, 280, big in the seat and thighs), the seat bottom was still too short for me to get comfortable. Also, I enjoyed the steering and turn in, and could tell the that chassis dynamics were there, the base car just had too much float in the dampers (not enough rebound dampening).
Those two concerns were resolved by going with EITHER F-Sport and Luxury Package. Both F-Sport and Luxury Package offer Adaptive Shocks which you can stiffen in Sport+ mode, and, while unadvertised, soften in Eco mode, and extendable seat bottoms. F-Sport after 2016 offers digital dash, while the Luxury Package on all years offers amazingly supple semi-analine leather.
From there, I just started shopping. I shopped for a month and a half, while continuing to pay a lease on a car that I was not driving to save mileage. I found more F-Sport cars than base cars or Luxury Package cars. I found ZERO Luxury Package cars in a 250 mile radius of me for a month and a half. That made the decision very easy - F-Sport. I would have loved the semi-analine leather, as I've had it in the past on my 2010 RX350, but that was balanced by the fact that I love the way the F-Sport front bumper and wheels look. Everything is a compromise. Maybe some day, 10 years from now, I'll swap a full Luxury Package interior into my car. Maybe not.
When it comes to options, none of the options were really deal breakers.
1. HUD - HUD is very rare and I didn't see a single L-Certified HUD car, and as much as I would have loved to have it, I don't need it. This isn't a Corvette; I'm not trying to watch my shift light so I don't ping the limiter while trying to nail the apexes through a 95mph bus stop.
2. Power trunk -- Not a necessity. All GSs in the years I was looking for have soft close trunks, there is a pull-down on the inside of the trunk, and the decklids are extremely light.
3. Triple Beam LED - For me this is an aesthetic thing. The base headlights put out plenty of light. I don't know how much brighter the triple beam LEDs are, or how much farther down the road they throw it, but I really don't find triple beam LEDs to be any more or less attractive than the single large projectors.
4. Cold Weather Package - This is the one option that I wish I had been able to find. I drive long distances rain or shine. I work 65 miles from home, and have to traverse that in blizzards, and I park outdoors both at work and at home. Having wiper heaters and headlamp washers would be lovely, but all of the cars I was looking at had heated steering wheel, so missing Cold Weather wasn't some great sacrifice.
5. Dynamic Radar Cruise Control. In 2015 All Speed Dynamic Cruise Control was not available. If you optioned radar cruise, it only operated at highways speeds, not stop and go traffic.In 2016, All Speed Dynamic Cruise was included in the Lexus Safety Sense Package, which was an option. In 2017+, Lexus Safety Sense became standard. I sit in a lot of stop and go traffic, so All Speed Dynamic Cruise was a requirement, and part of the reason I didn't buy an IS350 and modify the seat bottom to fit my tree trunk thighs instead.
6. Heated Steering Wheel - Not a dealbreaker for me, but I didn't find a single F-Sport that didn't have it. I have yet to use it.
7. Intuitive Parking Assist - Again, not a dealbreaker, but I didn't find a single F- Sport that didn't have it. I do find it useful for parallel parking in tight spots on city streets.
8. Mark Levinson - I have not heard the standard stereo, but this is my first car with Mark Levinson. It is fantastic. I didn't find a single F-sport that didn't have it, but I don't know that I would know what I was missing if I didn't have it. That having been said, I am extremely happy with the audio quality (after I turned off the surround sound option, which was overdriving some of the frequencies when I was listening to music).
If you are not looking for a RWD car, then Torsen Diff and Dynamic Handling Package are not available to you. I would not buy a RWD GS without the Torsen Diff. I would not buy any 2WD car without a limited slip differential.
With the standard F-Sport AWD having 90% of the features I was looking for, and with a dearth of GS350s available, I began focusing more on service history, Carfax, and condition. I would find a car online, check the Carfax, go on the lexus website to check the service history to see if it had been properly and regularly maintained, and then if both of those were satisfied, I would go physically inspect the car. On one car, I found a service report for a major side impact estimate from a dealership body shop that did NOT show up on the Carfax, so it is prudent to check both. I "looked" at 30 cars online, saw 4 in person before ultimately buying the 5th. My car is an F-Sport with illuminated door sills, heated steering wheel, Mark Levinson, and intuitive park assist. I am extremely satisfied with the car.
Please note, 2015 will be a very different car from 2016-17. 2015 was pre-facelift, so it will have different bumpers and tail lights, no digital dash on the F-Sport and allegedly much stiffer suspension - tighter and arguably better handling. I have not driven a pre-facelift car so I cannot say for sure.
Having recently purchased a 2018 F-Sport AWD, this was my decision process.
I had previously driven a Premium Package car for a day as a loaner. While I absolutely loved the interior and size (I'm 6 foot, 280, big in the seat and thighs), the seat bottom was still too short for me to get comfortable. Also, I enjoyed the steering and turn in, and could tell the that chassis dynamics were there, the base car just had too much float in the dampers (not enough rebound dampening).
Those two concerns were resolved by going with EITHER F-Sport and Luxury Package. Both F-Sport and Luxury Package offer Adaptive Shocks which you can stiffen in Sport+ mode, and, while unadvertised, soften in Eco mode, and extendable seat bottoms. F-Sport after 2016 offers digital dash, while the Luxury Package on all years offers amazingly supple semi-analine leather.
From there, I just started shopping. I shopped for a month and a half, while continuing to pay a lease on a car that I was not driving to save mileage. I found more F-Sport cars than base cars or Luxury Package cars. I found ZERO Luxury Package cars in a 250 mile radius of me for a month and a half. That made the decision very easy - F-Sport. I would have loved the semi-analine leather, as I've had it in the past on my 2010 RX350, but that was balanced by the fact that I love the way the F-Sport front bumper and wheels look. Everything is a compromise. Maybe some day, 10 years from now, I'll swap a full Luxury Package interior into my car. Maybe not.
When it comes to options, none of the options were really deal breakers.
1. HUD - HUD is very rare and I didn't see a single L-Certified HUD car, and as much as I would have loved to have it, I don't need it. This isn't a Corvette; I'm not trying to watch my shift light so I don't ping the limiter while trying to nail the apexes through a 95mph bus stop.
2. Power trunk -- Not a necessity. All GSs in the years I was looking for have soft close trunks, there is a pull-down on the inside of the trunk, and the decklids are extremely light.
3. Triple Beam LED - For me this is an aesthetic thing. The base headlights put out plenty of light. I don't know how much brighter the triple beam LEDs are, or how much farther down the road they throw it, but I really don't find triple beam LEDs to be any more or less attractive than the single large projectors.
4. Cold Weather Package - This is the one option that I wish I had been able to find. I drive long distances rain or shine. I work 65 miles from home, and have to traverse that in blizzards, and I park outdoors both at work and at home. Having wiper heaters and headlamp washers would be lovely, but all of the cars I was looking at had heated steering wheel, so missing Cold Weather wasn't some great sacrifice.
5. Dynamic Radar Cruise Control. In 2015 All Speed Dynamic Cruise Control was not available. If you optioned radar cruise, it only operated at highways speeds, not stop and go traffic.In 2016, All Speed Dynamic Cruise was included in the Lexus Safety Sense Package, which was an option. In 2017+, Lexus Safety Sense became standard. I sit in a lot of stop and go traffic, so All Speed Dynamic Cruise was a requirement, and part of the reason I didn't buy an IS350 and modify the seat bottom to fit my tree trunk thighs instead.
6. Heated Steering Wheel - Not a dealbreaker for me, but I didn't find a single F-Sport that didn't have it. I have yet to use it.
7. Intuitive Parking Assist - Again, not a dealbreaker, but I didn't find a single F- Sport that didn't have it. I do find it useful for parallel parking in tight spots on city streets.
8. Mark Levinson - I have not heard the standard stereo, but this is my first car with Mark Levinson. It is fantastic. I didn't find a single F-sport that didn't have it, but I don't know that I would know what I was missing if I didn't have it. That having been said, I am extremely happy with the audio quality (after I turned off the surround sound option, which was overdriving some of the frequencies when I was listening to music).
If you are not looking for a RWD car, then Torsen Diff and Dynamic Handling Package are not available to you. I would not buy a RWD GS without the Torsen Diff. I would not buy any 2WD car without a limited slip differential.
With the standard F-Sport AWD having 90% of the features I was looking for, and with a dearth of GS350s available, I began focusing more on service history, Carfax, and condition. I would find a car online, check the Carfax, go on the lexus website to check the service history to see if it had been properly and regularly maintained, and then if both of those were satisfied, I would go physically inspect the car. On one car, I found a service report for a major side impact estimate from a dealership body shop that did NOT show up on the Carfax, so it is prudent to check both. I "looked" at 30 cars online, saw 4 in person before ultimately buying the 5th. My car is an F-Sport with illuminated door sills, heated steering wheel, Mark Levinson, and intuitive park assist. I am extremely satisfied with the car.
Please note, 2015 will be a very different car from 2016-17. 2015 was pre-facelift, so it will have different bumpers and tail lights, no digital dash on the F-Sport and allegedly much stiffer suspension - tighter and arguably better handling. I have not driven a pre-facelift car so I cannot say for sure.
Good luck.
best response I have gotten so far, I appreciate your help
I’ve been looking at 2015 to 2017 Gs 350 for a while now. Is it me or is the price going up, secondly should I get an f-sport or non, i wanted the luxury package with the wooden steering wheel but I can’t find it anywhere, is the repair cost on brakes and rotors more expensive on the AWD f sport? What are some must have options that I should be looking for when buying this car? Eg( power trunk, heated steering wheel etc?) and how do I find them?
What panyo64 says is good info.
Based on what you said you wanted here. You should go drive the cars both F Sport and Lux. The seats alone are very different from driver to driver for one thing. Go take one on a 10 -15 min drive, get out open the trunk, get back in.
Try to at least drive the same exact 2 years, They are going to ride different and feel different. Tires, Seats, Brakes, handling ect. For example I own a 13 Lux Loaded with only 37k miles. Has new Struts w/AVS. My Lux has very little body roll. with very tight handling. I love the wood, and love the Lux seats. Others hate the Wood. The 13 GS350 wood is very Dark almost Black looking. But then sometimes I wonder if I should have a F Sport. Its a fine car. Let us know what you think.? Also expand you search area out. There are Lux out there. But easier to find a F Sport many more of them.
4. Cold Weather Package - This is the one option that I wish I had been able to find. I drive long distances rain or shine. I work 65 miles from home, and have to traverse that in blizzards, and I park outdoors both at work and at home. Having wiper heaters and headlamp washers would be lovely, but all of the cars I was looking at had heated steering wheel, so missing Cold Weather wasn't some great sacrifice.
6. Heated Steering Wheel - Not a dealbreaker for me, but I didn't find a single F-Sport that didn't have it. I have yet to use it.
.
You're in NY, I'm surprised you have not used it during the winter months, it comes in extremely handy! As far as the cold weather package, it is more than just the wiper heaters and washers. There is also a chance it includes dual-pane front windows, depending on the MY.
You're in NY, I'm surprised you have not used it during the winter months, it comes in extremely handy! As far as the cold weather package, it is more than just the wiper heaters and washers. There is also a chance it includes dual-pane front windows, depending on the MY.
I bought my car mid-April, so I haven't had it over a winter yet. I look forward to using it next year. In the meantime, I really need to clean up the stitching on the gear selector **** and the steering wheel. Prior owner must have had sweaty fingers.
05-03-21, 12:17 AM
Gs 350 should i get an f sport or non f sport & why is the luxury pg so hard to find?
