Considering buying a GSF or...
03-25-18, 09:08 AM
#16
I just did the same! Picked up my 2017 NEW Smokey Mica Granite yesterday. Build was April 2017 —- recall work already performed. Only 90 miles before my 30 mile test drive circuit. Absolutely happy and first drive this morning was off the hook! Gonna have to be careful about tix!
03-25-18, 04:10 PM
#17
Ive driven both cars and the GSF wins if you want to live with it.
Alfa is superior in terms of all around performance car but it fails at everyday life. The interior sucks, seats are too hard, sound system was weak, and the back seat is tiny. Also, Alfa kinda cheats by putting 90 rated tires on a sedan. The dealership experience wasn't awesome either. Lexus was very open to me testing driving whatever model I wanted, while Alfa made me it a big deal to drive it 5 miles. The Alfa is so athletic, fast, and nimble but even in my test drive the electronics failed.
GSF is superior in interior quality (Lexus is king at interiors), sound system, seat comfort, ride, and gas mileage. The V8 also sounds better than the V6. It is full of character and you can really ring it out. The GSF, as Chris Harris and Jeremy Clarkson have said, is the driver's car of the category. It isn't insanely fast like the E63 but you can throw the GSF into a corner and it sticks. GSF is balanced and gives a driver a sense of confidence. The car shrinks around. It is fun being able to push the car to the limit and always feel in control.
Alfa, like Mercs and BMWs (but not Audi), are semi out of control and wild cars. When I drove a C63S flat out in the Nevada desert, it was incredible fun but semi terrifying. Alfa is similar.
Alfa is superior in terms of all around performance car but it fails at everyday life. The interior sucks, seats are too hard, sound system was weak, and the back seat is tiny. Also, Alfa kinda cheats by putting 90 rated tires on a sedan. The dealership experience wasn't awesome either. Lexus was very open to me testing driving whatever model I wanted, while Alfa made me it a big deal to drive it 5 miles. The Alfa is so athletic, fast, and nimble but even in my test drive the electronics failed.
GSF is superior in interior quality (Lexus is king at interiors), sound system, seat comfort, ride, and gas mileage. The V8 also sounds better than the V6. It is full of character and you can really ring it out. The GSF, as Chris Harris and Jeremy Clarkson have said, is the driver's car of the category. It isn't insanely fast like the E63 but you can throw the GSF into a corner and it sticks. GSF is balanced and gives a driver a sense of confidence. The car shrinks around. It is fun being able to push the car to the limit and always feel in control.
Alfa, like Mercs and BMWs (but not Audi), are semi out of control and wild cars. When I drove a C63S flat out in the Nevada desert, it was incredible fun but semi terrifying. Alfa is similar.
03-26-18, 04:48 PM
#18
Intermediate
Thread Starter
So a minor update, after watching this video on youtube of some guy saying he has roughly 500HP in his 2017 GSF, he has intake/headers/exhaust for performance, and the way it sounds when he punches it or on downshift ohhhh mann that pretty much sealed the deal for me! When comparing sound videos from one to another, with those mods the GSF to me sounds so insane, but of course i'm sure the Alfa would too with aftermarket exhaust. But like most of you have mentioned over and over, reliability is key and for me its a big factor, and owning a few Lexus models myself i know how great they are and the care of the dealership also, well in most cases.
I didn't get a chance to go see the GSF i mentioned earlier, so hopefully this weekend or next i can make a short trip down and see it. I'm pretty sure i'd want to buy it and not lease it as i plan to own it for many years to come.
On a side note, i've seen a few videos of how the TVD works and alot of reviewers and testers said it makes a big difference. Do you guys find the same with your GSF when pushed hard into corners that it helps the rear end come around?
I didn't get a chance to go see the GSF i mentioned earlier, so hopefully this weekend or next i can make a short trip down and see it. I'm pretty sure i'd want to buy it and not lease it as i plan to own it for many years to come.
On a side note, i've seen a few videos of how the TVD works and alot of reviewers and testers said it makes a big difference. Do you guys find the same with your GSF when pushed hard into corners that it helps the rear end come around?
03-28-18, 12:50 AM
#20
Pole Position
I just did the same! Picked up my 2017 NEW Smokey Mica Granite yesterday. Build was April 2017 —- recall work already performed. Only 90 miles before my 30 mile test drive circuit. Absolutely happy and first drive this morning was off the hook! Gonna have to be careful about tix!
Jesus that is a beautiful color. Havent seen this color before. If you dont mind me asking what did you end up paying for it? DId whey wheel and deal on it since it was a 2017?
03-28-18, 10:57 AM
#21
Congratulations Miznthrope,
Beautiful car and color. What part of Florida are you located? I'm in Northeast Florida.
Thanks,
anbark22
Beautiful car and color. What part of Florida are you located? I'm in Northeast Florida.
Thanks,
anbark22
03-28-18, 12:10 PM
#22
Hello! Thanks for the compliments —- I love the color. Did not want the orange brakes but I am actually starting to like it (being a Florida Gator and all).
On price, they would not go below $72k. Since it was built in April 2017, with no real difference between 2018 models, and since they sweetened the deal on my trade by $2k, I feel fine with my price paid. I was shooting for $68, then came up to $69900 and they would still not “take any greater loss on the car.”
BTW, I am in Orlando, Florida. Are there any clubs in Florida where we might get a group buy on some track time somewhere? I am not going to track it, but do want to at least do it once to open it up and feel the total package. I can tell already I need to be very careful out on the country roads to not get hauled off in cuffs!! Haha!
Thamks again for for the compliments and hope this info helps.
On price, they would not go below $72k. Since it was built in April 2017, with no real difference between 2018 models, and since they sweetened the deal on my trade by $2k, I feel fine with my price paid. I was shooting for $68, then came up to $69900 and they would still not “take any greater loss on the car.”
BTW, I am in Orlando, Florida. Are there any clubs in Florida where we might get a group buy on some track time somewhere? I am not going to track it, but do want to at least do it once to open it up and feel the total package. I can tell already I need to be very careful out on the country roads to not get hauled off in cuffs!! Haha!
Thamks again for for the compliments and hope this info helps.
03-29-18, 10:18 AM
#23
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I was in the same boat -- test drove an m3, s4, s5, c43 amg and even a kia stinger gt2. Ended up buying the gs f last week. General factors:
1. lexus dealers were willing to do ~72k on a new '17 and ~66k on untitled '17's with a couple thousand miles on them from lexus reps or owners. I opted for a "new" '17 with 3k miles on it. For the mid-60's, I think it's a great car. Would not have paid the msrp of 88k -- I think there's better options at that price.
2. biggest issues I thought I'd have with the car are that I like awd and manuals. For the gs f, the tvd does a really great job putting power to the wheels and the car (as others have noted in this thread) feels much more stable than the current generation of bmw's and mercedes. I still miss the manual but that's a losing battle.
3. the bmw had too much power for the chassis / grip. the mercedes transmission meandered terribly at low speeds and was lousy to drive at anything less than full throttle. the audi's were very nice in a lot of ways but a little dull. The gs f ended up feeling like a super-nice muscle car, with loads better traction and a truly enjoyable v8. I don't think there's going to be a lot more cars like this going forward -- it's a unique option and won't be possible to find outside of american muscle cars in 5 years.
4. I didn't want to deal with the reliability issues / service costs I've had in the past with german cars.
Overall, after a week, very happy. It's possible to get just over 20mpg if you do highway miles and drive it in eco. It's also possible to get 13mpg if you have it in sport+. The inflection point at 4k rpm where the engine becomes a monster is loads of fun. Handling is good though I haven't been on a track with it. But, it corners at speeds within a hair of my old m3 / subaru sti which is nuts given the weight. ML sound is good on high quality recordings -- pretty lousy on sat radio.
1. lexus dealers were willing to do ~72k on a new '17 and ~66k on untitled '17's with a couple thousand miles on them from lexus reps or owners. I opted for a "new" '17 with 3k miles on it. For the mid-60's, I think it's a great car. Would not have paid the msrp of 88k -- I think there's better options at that price.
2. biggest issues I thought I'd have with the car are that I like awd and manuals. For the gs f, the tvd does a really great job putting power to the wheels and the car (as others have noted in this thread) feels much more stable than the current generation of bmw's and mercedes. I still miss the manual but that's a losing battle.
3. the bmw had too much power for the chassis / grip. the mercedes transmission meandered terribly at low speeds and was lousy to drive at anything less than full throttle. the audi's were very nice in a lot of ways but a little dull. The gs f ended up feeling like a super-nice muscle car, with loads better traction and a truly enjoyable v8. I don't think there's going to be a lot more cars like this going forward -- it's a unique option and won't be possible to find outside of american muscle cars in 5 years.
4. I didn't want to deal with the reliability issues / service costs I've had in the past with german cars.
Overall, after a week, very happy. It's possible to get just over 20mpg if you do highway miles and drive it in eco. It's also possible to get 13mpg if you have it in sport+. The inflection point at 4k rpm where the engine becomes a monster is loads of fun. Handling is good though I haven't been on a track with it. But, it corners at speeds within a hair of my old m3 / subaru sti which is nuts given the weight. ML sound is good on high quality recordings -- pretty lousy on sat radio.
Last edited by karuthers; 03-29-18 at 05:51 PM.
03-29-18, 05:49 PM
#24
I was in the same boat -- test drove an m3, s4, s5, c43 amg and even a kia stinger gt2. Ended up buying the gs f last week. General factors:
1. lexus dealers were willing to do ~72k on a new '17 and ~66k on untitled '17's with a couple thousand miles on them from lexus reps or owners. I opted for a "new" '17 with 3k miles on it. For the mid-60's, I think it's a great car. Would not have paid the msrp of 88k -- I think there's better options at that price.
2. biggest issues I thought I'd have with the car is that I like awd and manuals. For the gs f, the tvd does a really great job putting power to the wheels and the car (as others have noted in this thread) feels much more stable than the current generation of bmw's and mercedes. I still miss the manual but that's a losing battle.
3. the bmw had too much power for the chassis / grip. the mercedes transmission meandered terribly at low speeds and was lousy to drive at anything less than full throttle. the audi's were very nice in a lot of ways but a little dull. The gs f ended up feeling like a super-nice muscle car, with loads better traction and a truly enjoyable v8. I don't think there's going to be a lot more cars like this going forward -- it's a unique option and won't be possible to find outside of american muscle cars in 5 years.
4. I didn't want to deal with the reliability issues / service costs I've had in the past with german cars.
Overall, after a week, very happy. It's possible to get just over 20mpg if you do highway miles and drive it in eco. It's also possible to get 13mpg if you have it in sport+. The inflection point at 4k rpm where the engine becomes a monster is loads of fun. Handling is good though I haven't been on a track with it. But, it corners at speeds within a hair of my old m3 / subaru sti which is nuts given the weight. ML sound is good on high quality recordings -- pretty lousy on sat radio.
1. lexus dealers were willing to do ~72k on a new '17 and ~66k on untitled '17's with a couple thousand miles on them from lexus reps or owners. I opted for a "new" '17 with 3k miles on it. For the mid-60's, I think it's a great car. Would not have paid the msrp of 88k -- I think there's better options at that price.
2. biggest issues I thought I'd have with the car is that I like awd and manuals. For the gs f, the tvd does a really great job putting power to the wheels and the car (as others have noted in this thread) feels much more stable than the current generation of bmw's and mercedes. I still miss the manual but that's a losing battle.
3. the bmw had too much power for the chassis / grip. the mercedes transmission meandered terribly at low speeds and was lousy to drive at anything less than full throttle. the audi's were very nice in a lot of ways but a little dull. The gs f ended up feeling like a super-nice muscle car, with loads better traction and a truly enjoyable v8. I don't think there's going to be a lot more cars like this going forward -- it's a unique option and won't be possible to find outside of american muscle cars in 5 years.
4. I didn't want to deal with the reliability issues / service costs I've had in the past with german cars.
Overall, after a week, very happy. It's possible to get just over 20mpg if you do highway miles and drive it in eco. It's also possible to get 13mpg if you have it in sport+. The inflection point at 4k rpm where the engine becomes a monster is loads of fun. Handling is good though I haven't been on a track with it. But, it corners at speeds within a hair of my old m3 / subaru sti which is nuts given the weight. ML sound is good on high quality recordings -- pretty lousy on sat radio.
Great deal on the "new" GSF!
03-29-18, 06:25 PM
#25
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03-29-18, 07:54 PM
#26
I think that was an excellent deal. Now I kind of wish I had waited a few months to get one. I picked up my '16 with 8K miles at the end of December, 2017. They were a bit scarce then, and vey few '17's that I was aware of. And if so, they were really high.
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