Greezy

I was looking for a 13-15 GS350 F-Sport but they’re almost impossible to find in my area with lower mileage and I just can’t get involved with more headaches. I need to buy a car that is clean and will last a while. I currently have a deposit on a 2018 Lexus GS350 F-Sport AWD at a Long Island NY Lexus dealership. The same dealership I purchased my CPO 08 LS460 from and had a positive experience with. While I do regret ever selling my LS, I have learned a lot between now and then, such as never lease an Audi (or lease in general), and never buy a car with a dirty Carfax to save money (even if a mechanic says it’s ok). More on that later.

This GS is extremely clean, is a 1 owner vehicle, and has a flawless Carfax. Regularly maintained all the correct intervals with records of all that. Ultra White with Red interior, 37k miles, and L certified with 2 years left on that warranty. ML audio, four new tires, and apparently ~$3k worth of maintenance put into the vehicle before they offered it for sale. I have yet to see proof of this work and find out what that actually includes besides the new tires, but am planning to verify that before finalizing the deal. According to them the maintenance work was done too recently to show on the Carfax yet.

My only gripe with this GS is the lack of Triple Beam headlights. This seems like a rare option, the only GS’ for sale that have them are either super new with barely any mileage listed for $45k+. I really want Triple Beams but I’m not willing to pay that much more, or buy a car that much further away, with a color combination I don’t want as the tradeoff. They are firm on their $40k price tag. It seems high but considering there is virtually no other decent GS for sale in my area, me being limited on time, I’m thinking this must be the one. When I look online at what other people have paid for their GS though, I do feel like I’m getting ripped off. But the KBB value checks out - their car has book value right around $39k. They are offering me $10,250 for my ES on trade in, which I consider fair.

There is another GS I looked at that was more within what I originally wanted to spend. It’s literally the same exact car with the same exact specs, except it is a 2017 and has 47k miles (instead of 37k miles) and 2 owners instead of 1. The BMW dealership that has it is asking $33k with the same $10,250 offer for my ES. The reason I didn’t pull the trigger on this 17 already is because the Carfax made me uncomfortable. No accidents or damage, but the first owner drove 24k miles within the first year of and it has less detailed service records. Not a problem on its own, but also not great either. Also, buying this car from a BMW dealer, so not L certified and that is also clearly reflected in the price difference. Regardless, both GS’ are priced aggressively according to book value.

This is my first time coming back to CL since I sold my LS460 in 2016. I signed a lease for a 2018 Audi S4 which I loved, but when I suddenly lost my job in March 2020, I realized that although Audi of Brooklyn told me a hundred times I could transfer out of the lease at any time, they were lying through their teeth. Audi is unique from other automakers in this regard, because they have a legal license to lie. While yes, you can transfer out of the lease at any time, you will still remain as the leaseholder (the lease is still in your name) even though you literally don’t have possession of the car anymore. So, you can transfer the lease to anyone you want, but if the new driver defaults on payments, the bank is still going to come after you and your credit. I’m still waiting for someone at Audi Financial to explain to me how this is ethical or legal. Audi is the only luxury automaker that engages in these deceptive and binding lease contracts, and it basically gives their dealerships a license to lie to customers – you can technically transfer out of the lease, but they obviously won’t tell you about this massive catch. You can lease a BMW, Mercedes, even a Porsche without ever having to worry about this.

I was lucky enough to have a family member I could trust take over my lease at this critical time. In September 2020 I bought a 2013 Lexus ES350 with 70k miles from Mercedes-Benz of Massapequa for $15k. It had a dirty Carfax with two previous accidents. I knew a reputable mechanic around the block from the dealer, so I paid him for a thorough inspection prior to purchasing. They said all the work done to the car was solid, and the car will run for a long time.

Since my new job was a WFH situation, I barely ever drove the ES. That might be why it took me so long to notice a strange smell coming from the AC vents. I would describe it as a burning, dentist office type smell. I insist that this wasn’t present when I test drove the car. It was absolutely nauseating and made me lightheaded. I took it to a local and trusted mechanic who denied the smell, but still recommended changing the cabin air filter. This did nothing to solve the problem. I’m sure he was denying there was a smell because he didn’t know what was causing it and just didn’t want to get involved.

I noticed under the hood there was a rubber seal that had been rotted down to nothing. This was right next to an air intake, which I presumed was the cabin air intake. To me it made sense that the smell was being produced by the motor or something else under the hood, and because that seal was completely missing, there was nothing to stop that smell from going into the cabin air intake. And since the smell was so nauseating, this all made perfect sense to me. So I ordered that seal from Rallye Lexus for $75 and thought this was going to solve all my problems. It didn’t. The smell was still there bad as ever. Rallye recommended doing an HVAC service, where they go in and use some kind of disinfectant to clean out the entire system. It cost around $265 and they were not promising me that it would work. They said it would be a dice roll, and may just be a complete waste of money. I was willing to risk it. Upon completion, the HVAC smelled strongly of the disinfectant they used. This dissipated after a few days, and boom, the problem seemed to be fixed. I was so happy that I finally had a fully functioning car and I could blast the AC. I planned on keeping the car for a very long time because apart from this issue, the car was completely flawless. It drove beautifully like ES should, you would never know it had two damage reports.

Sadly, around seven months later, the smell suddenly came back without warning. I took it back to Rallye right away and had them do another HVAC service, thinking this would buy me at least another few months, at least long enough to get me through the summer. I can live without heat, but can’t live without AC. Sadly, the second time did nothing to solve the problem. The next step would be to replace the entire HVAC unit, which Rallye told me would cost upwards of $3k or more. Not worth it for a ten-year-old car with a dirty Carfax. Obviously, something happened with this car that isn’t on the Carfax. Either that, or one of the accidents messed something up internally that no one can figure out how to fix. I have never heard of this issue with a Lexus or any other car.

I am mainly coming here to find out what else I should do before pulling the trigger on this GS. Is the price too high or is this car worth it, considering the peace of mind that it comes with? Should I risk it and go with the 2017 GS and save $7k? Are Triple Beam headlights an option you can add later aftermarket? Has anyone here done that before? Has anyone heard of this ES350 HVAC issue before with an ES or any other car? Is there a way to solve it allowing me call off this big purchase altogether? Any input or advice from the CL community would be greatly appreciated and I look forward to being an active member on these forums going forward.

jgscott

iTrader: (1)

Extend your search area out. Its what ppl do now. Look and give yourself more options. Be paticent. When you see one go get it before it's gone. Good luck!

PGA71

iTrader: (3)

Yes, you can add triple beam HL after. Many members have done this mod and you can find through searching the forum. I would not let this feature deter you from purchasing a good GS.
Also would not worry about someone putting 24K miles in a year. Those are most likely highway miles that are much less wear and tear on the car than city driving as long as the oil was changed within maintenance specifications.

charley95

Haven't read thru all this yet but, the recent work done to it should be on record if it was done at Lexus/Toyota. I'd inspect the car on a lift before I'd purchase. You can tell a lot about a car from underneath especially if there's been previous collision damage... If it had previous body damage I'd walk but that's just me, other buyers may not be concerned. All dealer service in the service dept. will be on record since Lexus can't get their act together on their service history website. Also, the majority of RWD GS"s didn't come with triples as my 18 is and some AWD's didn't have the option.

JDR76

Good luck on your decision. Whatever you decide, we'll look forward to officially welcoming you to the GS club.

bclexus

@Greezy - I recommend buying the 2018 (w/ lower miles, one-owner, clean, maintained, CPO w/ new tires, oil change, filters, etc., 2 years remaining on basic warranty and the color combination you like) from the Lexus dealership, not the 2017 from a BMW dealership.

You can add triple beam headlights afterwards if you wish, or have it done for you. You may realize the OE headlights on the 2018 are better than you thought...unless you just really like how the triple beams look and are willing to pay to change them...

PS - If the Lexus dealership tries to pressure you into buying a Lexus Platinum Extended Warranty, ask how much (cash price) it is but pass on it - but if you would like to have it, get the bona fide Lexus Platinum Extended Warranty at a much lower price from the following:

Jerry Johnson (Warranty Manager)
Midwest Toyota
Hutchinson, KS
(620) 662-6631
800-530-5789
Cell: 620-664-8844

AJLex19

@Greezy fellow New Yorker here! Based on what you've written, i'd recommend the 2018 CPO that you've got your eye on. Nothing worse than buying a car with headaches - but if there are a few, you can get it fixed at no cost if its certified. The GS is reliable though, and with low mileage it will be mostly wear/tear items that will cost the most.

I know you said you don't want to go outta state, there are a few in a similar price range in NJ and PA with the triple beams. Maybe you can use those to gauge if you're getting a decent deal. The white on red is a good look

Best of luck and post up pics if you buy it!

jgscott

iTrader: (1)

The HVAC issue smell comes from constantly running the HVAC on Recir. Happens to many cars. I hardly ever run Recir and never had that problem. Reason I said expand was more choice. Another reason I said wait is that car prices are going to go way down big time. $40k is overinflated pricing still. I personally would not pay that at this time.

909

Expand your search area.
Road trips can be fun.
Your willingness to drive 4, 6, or 8 hours can save you thousands, or tens of thousands on the perfect car for you.

BMGS

iTrader: (1)

I did the triple beam swap, more info here:

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/gs-...-lights-6.html

Aedesper

the longer you can wait the better almost a 16% drop year over year from Manheim. Unfortunately loan rates are going up with the decline in the market. Be picky and hold out for what you want

kingofire

I am more curious as to why a 2018 GS with 37k miles needed $3K in maintenance. This would raise all kinds of red flags for me. Best of luck in whatever decision you make!

AJLex19

Going off my experience of buying a 4GS CPO from Lexus, I think tires are a majority of that cost ($1000+ for good 19" rubber). I'd also imagine front brakes were done, maybe some cosmetic fixes (bumper respray, etc.), and oil change. Also, lux car dealers labor prices are super inflated so $3000 of work might really just be a few wear/tear/maintenance items.