I've seen a few current and former owners on TCL talk about these cars, and even one say they just don't see Lexus making a car like it again.
I have personal experience with cars that were "overengineered" and "ahead of their time." A common TCL example is W124/W140 era Mercedes. Another, one my mom owned for 14 years and I grew up in, was a 1990 Lexus LS400. In 1990, that car was a spaceship in terms of technology and features offered, and even in 2006 when it was given to a distant cousin who had turned 16, and my mom bought her Prius, it had hardly given her any trouble. There were a couple of dead pixels on the Nakamichi sound system's display, the power steering pump had gone once, and the air system was just starting to show signs of leakage. But the car still felt like it could live another 16 years with minimal problems.
From what little I hear about the 1998 GS400, I get that same "this car had a lot of effort put into it" vibe.
A near clean-sheet redesign for '98, the GS Series replaced the pleasant, but pricey and uninspiring, GS 300. No one dares call the new GS Series "uninspiring." And the new GS 300 was an unheard of 25 percent less expensive than its predecessor. "Wholly mind-blowing," we called it. The first GS 300 we tested ripped off a quick 7.6-second 0-60-mph run, while the GS*400 blasted 0-60 mph in a shocking 5.7 seconds. (Since then, we've gotten 5.8- and 5.9-second 0-60 runs from GS 400s.) Stopping distance 60-0 mph was within a foot of 113 feet on both models. The 300's handling numbers were respectable, 0.80 g on the skidpad and 60.9 mph in the slalom; but the GS 400 was sports-car spectacular, 0.87 g on the skidpad and 66.9 in the slalom. A '99 GS 400 returned a whopping 0.90 g on the skidpad and 65.9 mph in the slalom.
...
The GS 300 and GS 400 offer a delicious blend of pampering luxury and, especially for the 400, neck-snapping performance. When our year with the pair ended, the keys had to be literally pried out of our hands.
Compare these numbers to, say, a Dodge Charger R/T, ten years its junior. And even in 1998 the Lexus had side airbags, paddle shifters, optional HIDs, and optional Nav.
I've been on a RWD, V8 sedan kick lately, and it astounds me how this 6-12 year old car gives up very little to its more modern competition. So, with that in mind, share with me what you know about these things.
A friend of mine has a GS300 of that generation. It is a thoroughly fabulous car. Very well built, supremely comfortable, quiet, and it drives very well. His car, now at 200k miles looks and drives better than other cars at half that mileage. It might represent the pinnacle of Lexus quality and I'd rather have it than a similar vintage 5-series or E-class.
I've only test driven an '01? GS430, but it was quite a lot of fun. The 4.3 was very powerful and sounded great, and the rest of the car had the typical sporty Lexus treatment, which is always nice. I'm a big fan, and I'd definitely take one over any of the competition.
You should buy one.
2007 Outback Sport | 2001 Boxster
Want to change the face of men's health? Movember!
It was a cool car to drive, but it's a heavy pig. They're also not nearly as reliable as you would think. I had a ton of problems with mine, which could be attributed to the fact that any old, used car will have issues, but on ClubLexus a bunch of guys had the exact same issues.
The interior also wasn't as luxurious as I would have liked, the GS430s got a wood wheel and extra wood on the center console, but mine didn't have that. The green "Optitron" gauges were pretty gross too
It wasn't a bad car to drive for the ~8 months I owned it though
"I want to have a car that attract a woman with shave down below" "Well that would be a Corvette"
^ Really? I was just about to ask how reliable theses were.. I'd also like to hear about the issues you and the other owners had.. were these all expensive repairs?
But, I saw a GS4xx on new-gen IS350 wheels the other day, and wow.. incredibly gorgeous.
2004 Mazda3 GT/GFX
Quote, originally posted by Nubbin »
Aye mon, mi love 'em labba labba mouts chatty chatty.
These are great cars, but the new ones are very nice as well. Lexus does a great job, I won't own one but what fun cars.
"F**k off with your sofa units and strine green stripe patterns, I say never be complete, I say stop being perfect, I say let... lets evolve, let the chips fall where they may."
My only gripe with them is the plasticky dash and the early dated nowadays nav system.
Exterior wise these cars still look pretty damn good and not very dated. Short front overhang and short rear deck styling this car showcased is still being used.
It was a cool car to drive, but it's a heavy pig. They're also not nearly as reliable as you would think. I had a ton of problems with mine, which could be attributed to the fact that any old, used car will have issues, but on ClubLexus a bunch of guys had the exact same issues.
The interior also wasn't as luxurious as I would have liked, the GS430s got a wood wheel and extra wood on the center console, but mine didn't have that. The green "Optitron" gauges were pretty gross too
It wasn't a bad car to drive for the ~8 months I owned it though
I checked out the 2nd gen forum on ClubLexus and it was hard to filter past the info on mods and dubs and bodykitz to see anything useful.
Except...
...prefabricated motor / transmission mounts for LSx series SBCs are now available. LS1 in this car? I'm not sure if I'd do it but it makes one that much more tempting.
my mom has a GS300. We bought it with ~45k in 2005 and now it has over 100k. Has been nothing but solid. We did have to replace the radio unit once but that was covered under warranty.
Other than that just basic maintenance and it just keeps trucking. This despite my mom's numerous incidences with the garage.
^ Really? I was just about to ask how reliable theses were.. I'd also like to hear about the issues you and the other owners had.. were these all expensive repairs?
But, I saw a GS4xx on new-gen IS350 wheels the other day, and wow.. incredibly gorgeous.
Issues that most of these cars have (anecdotal, but my car had these issues and it seems like a lot of others on Clublexus do too): Door lock actuators, starters (~$1000 fix), squeaky sunroof (really annoying!), transmission mounts, motor mounts, rough idle, Nakamichi sound system issues, ball joints
I only had the car for a few months but it costs me quite a bit to maintain during that time and it would have cost me a lot more to maintain it if I had kept it for a few months longer
"I want to have a car that attract a woman with shave down below" "Well that would be a Corvette"
Issues that most of these cars have (anecdotal, but my car had these issues and it seems like a lot of others on Clublexus do too): Door lock actuators, starters (~$1000 fix), squeaky sunroof (really annoying!), transmission mounts, motor mounts, rough idle, Nakamichi sound system issues, ball joints
Weird. My old IS300 was sitting on basically a mini GS chassis, and it had none of those issues. It had no notable issues, really.
2007 Outback Sport | 2001 Boxster
Want to change the face of men's health? Movember!
Always liked that car... considered buying one - but they are kinda hard to find. Also, that interior would look a million times better in black... why do they even make grey interiors in luxury cars?
1998 Navi.... good lordy that must be frustratingly bad/slow.... and out of date.
my brother had a 2001 Gs300 with Navi and the Mark Levinson system. 5 years of owner ship he said the car never let him down with relability, great stereo and Navi. but he stated numerous times that it was THE MOST BORING CAR he has and and probably will ever own. never did he say he enjoyed "driving" the car. He has a 2008 Infiniti G35X now and loves its drive vs. the Lexus.
2008 Audi A3 2.0T S-Line S-tronic EVOMS GT28RS BT kit / BSH motor mount - that's it so far. Brian McCauley @ Audi North Scottsdale Sales New & Used Audi's bmccauley@penskeautomotive.com XBox Live GT = DubAudiBrian
Weird. My old IS300 was sitting on basically a mini GS chassis, and it had none of those issues. It had no notable issues, really.
Your old IS didn't weigh 3800lbs or whatever the GS400 weighs with a big V8 up front. So there wouldn't be as much stress on the transmission mounts, motor mounts or ball joints. It also didn't have the 4L V8, so the starter was most likely different, and it couldn't be expected to have the same rough idle issues. It also most likely didn't have the same sunroof or sound system.
So please tell me again how your IS300 experience is in any way relevant to the problems I have described?
"I want to have a car that attract a woman with shave down below" "Well that would be a Corvette"
Your old IS didn't weigh 3800lbs or whatever the GS400 weighs with a big V8 up front. So there wouldn't be as much stress on the transmission mounts, motor mounts or ball joints. It also didn't have the 4L V8, so the starter was most likely different, and it couldn't be expected to have the same rough idle issues. It also most likely didn't have the same sunroof or sound system.
So please tell me again how your IS300 experience is in any way relevant to the problems I have described?
I'd bet the iron-blocked 2JZ in the 3300 lb IS300 is comparable in weight to the 4.0 aluminum V8 in the 3700 lb GS, so I'd guess the transmission mounts, motor mounts, and ball joints have to put up with similar stresses. It most likely did have the same sunroof mechanicals as well. When it comes to the stereo or starter, no, they are not similar, but my point was that the platform in general is pretty stout. Rough idle is a maintenance issue. You probably just had a beat car, or the car simply didn't like you.
2007 Outback Sport | 2001 Boxster
Want to change the face of men's health? Movember!
I loved these cars when they first came out. The GS line has always been one of my favorites, though I keep screwing up and buying German cars when I really ought to know better
I'd bet the iron-blocked 2JZ in the 3300 lb IS300 is comparable in weight to the 4.0 aluminum V8 in the 3700 lb GS, so I'd guess the transmission mounts, motor mounts, and ball joints have to put up with similar stresses. It most likely did have the same sunroof mechanicals as well. When it comes to the stereo or starter, no, they are not similar, but my point was that the platform in general is pretty stout. Rough idle is a maintenance issue. You probably just had a beat car, or the car simply didn't like you.
Like I said, it wasn't just my car, every one of those problems was experienced by at least a few other people on the Club Lexus forums. Of course, on forums you only hear about the cars with problems but they all seemed pretty common. I don't remember the cause of the rough idle but conventional wisdom on the forums was that it wasn't a simple maintenance thing
"I want to have a car that attract a woman with shave down below" "Well that would be a Corvette"
Always liked that car... considered buying one - but they are kinda hard to find. Also, that interior would look a million times better in black... why do they even make grey interiors in luxury cars?
1998 Navi.... good lordy that must be frustratingly bad/slow.... and out of date.
There's four 400s around Ontario on Autotrader.ca and eight 430s. Most have the black interior. One 430 is very close to me, but the 430s apparently don't have the tiptronic mode with steering wheel buttons the way the 400s did.
I'm not sure if Nav update discs are still available, but back in the day most of these cars had a spot for the NAV CD or DVD in the trunk with the 6 CD changer, and one could get an annual update disk for $100-150. Probably a few still out there on eBay for cheap.
i dont see this car as being ahead of its time. the E39 540i was released 2 model years earlier then this car and the GS really isnt a better car. Its not as fun to drive and does not offer the same level of feedback.
With that said, The 2nd generation GS was a much better car then the 1st gen. Many people complained the E39 wasnt much better then the E34 and too luxurious by comparison. IE, Lexus did a better job improving the model then BMW did....but still falls short of being a better car imho.
Again this is my opinion. The Lexus is without any doubts a really nice car and very very reliable. I was never fond of the 2nd gen. GS mainly due to styling. I love the 1st gen GS's styling, and i really like the 3rd Gen's styling. They both look better then the 2nd gen imo.
-XJ: 4.5" Lift -968: 246RWHP All Motor. -C5 A6 4.2 Sport
Wasn't this car one of the first cars with HID option for the lights?
The HID's and yellow fogs always looked/ still look good IMO.
Well, not really one of the first cars to have HID, but it was early.
I always liked the HID's + yellow fogs. The IS300 had that as well. It was like a Lexus theme, and you could always spot one at night. They should have kept the yellow fog lights. I have HID's and yellow fogs in mine to keep the Lexus theme going.
Issues that most of these cars have (anecdotal, but my car had these issues and it seems like a lot of others on Clublexus do too): Door lock actuators, starters (~$1000 fix), squeaky sunroof (really annoying!), transmission mounts, motor mounts, rough idle, Nakamichi sound system issues, ball joints
I only had the car for a few months but it costs me quite a bit to maintain during that time and it would have cost me a lot more to maintain it if I had kept it for a few months longer
This is exactly the problems I saw on the forums when I was looking for a new car. I looked into getting a GS430 for quite some time, but realized it had some pricey fixes that would likely be coming soon after purchase.
Quote, originally posted by AZGolf »
A bone stock 99 Jetta 1.8T. The car would be $8000, but I'd spend the other $62,000 on window regulators, MAFS, and clutches.
This is exactly the problems I saw on the forums when I was looking for a new car. I looked into getting a GS430 for quite some time, but realized it had some pricey fixes that would likely be coming soon after purchase.
I'm wondering now, a few years down the road from the problems thetopdog described, if most of these problems have been fixed already (occurring at a similar age on a lot of cars) and might be less of an issue to buyers now?
Larry David drove one in Curb Your Enthusiasm...enough for me!
Quote, originally posted by rice is burning »
The AMG was always the slutty girl with fake boobs. You can run her to 186 mph and it will be the time of your life. Little scary, though.
The M6 is the supermodel that just gave birth to your 3rd child, two weeks later she appears at your pool party in a bikini that makes all the other girls hate her.
This is exactly the problems I saw on the forums when I was looking for a new car. I looked into getting a GS430 for quite some time, but realized it had some pricey fixes that would likely be coming soon after purchase.
It's funny, the other car I was looking at when I got my GS was the E46 330i/330ci
"I want to have a car that attract a woman with shave down below" "Well that would be a Corvette"
This generation of GS400/430 count for one of the very few luxury cars that I would absolutely love to own. It's crazy how well they've held their value as well, at least in these parts (which keeps them firmly out of my reach for now, ha)
Quote, originally posted by Wellington P Funk »
It's like a comic-book charicature of a C1.5 Corvette, set in a retrofuturistic fantasy land where men still wear hats and carry briefcases, but they ride a rocket pack to work.
For advertising information Click Here
