Lexus GS300 / 430

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flango

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Hi All

Anyone ever ran a Lexus GS300 or 430 as a daily driver? I'm just interested in real world fuel consumption around town and on the motorway and any general comments on these cars regarding reliability, common issues etc. Would also be interested in comparisons against E Class or BMW 5 series. :)ban:)

Cheers guys :thumb:
 
I had an RX300
Supremely smooth
Supremely reliable
Incredibly well built
Superb paint finish/bodywork
Superb dealer (Lexus of Coventry)
I don't have a bad word to say about them.

Not so good bits
The fuel consumption really wasn't very good
Allow wheels suffered from corrosion/paint lifting

But it isn't a Mercedes. It really is a posh very nice Toyota. E.g. The crash roll was flimsier and the material is not as 'nice' as a Mercedes

Edit: Another thing I remember - the seats were fantastic with beautiful Nappa leather. But on a long journey, they really weren't as comfortable as an E-class.
 
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I used to have the early GS300.It was my daily driver and used to love it,the engine was the same as Supra,very smoth and light on petrol
The electrics and the painful local dealer was the reason
 
In my long ago Rover days, we bought one of the 1st LS400's as a competitor vehicle.

It was a remarkable car (back in the day) which we queued up for to take home and play with.

I recall you could start it up, sat on the drive, and other than the rev counter showing it was ticking over, you didn't know it was running.

When we stripped it, the application of insulation, to damp out the NVH, was comprehensive, as was the quality of the fittings.

Very well engineered cars.
 
I was looking at a GS430 before my 540. Lamda sensors can be an issue among other electronics. Its super reliable and smooth as stated, and the consumption is awful of course, 18-21mpg. On the motorway it was returning 33mpg, but most V8's can do that.
 
I was looking at a GS430 before my 540. Lamda sensors can be an issue among other electronics. Its super reliable and smooth as stated, and the consumption is awful of course, 18-21mpg. On the motorway it was returning 33mpg, but most V8's can do that.

I'm starting to find that myself SWMBO Audi A8 does around 21mpg on her daily 10 mile urban commute. I've been using it on my 80 mile motorway commute and it's averaging just over 33 mpg.
 
Can you remember what mpg you were getting?

On journeys where I get 30 in my CLK 320 I struggled to get 25 - that was REALLY trying

On longer journeys where I can easily get 35 in the CLK I struggled to get 30.

I know it was a bigger car, but consumption as low as 20 really hurts.

Lovely V6 engine though. (as is the M112)
 
My Dad had an LS400 for about 2 years and it didn't cost him a penny, other than the obvious servicing costs.

The one thing that reaaly took the shine off the car was the fuel consumption; 15mpg. But that's part and parcel of having a V8, I suppose....

My brother-in-law had an IS200 from brand new, and again, it cost him nothing other than service parts. And again, the only thing that let the car down was the fuel consumption; circa 20 mpg.

So in short, I would say that they cost nothing to run other than higher than what you would fuel bills.
 
I ran a IS200 for 8 years before getting my current W204 C220cdi Sport. Other than servicing, it didn't cost much to run. In the 8 years I owned my IS200, I clocked up 100k on my IS200.

Fantastic car the IS200 (and the GS300), well built and equipped, but as already stated they are heavy on fuel.

OP- which version of GS are you looking at? mk1, 2 or 3? Check out www.lexusownersclub.co.uk for more info.
 
The one thing that reaaly took the shine off the car was the fuel consumption...

And again, the only thing that let the car down was the fuel consumption; circa 20 mpg...

Sounds like a familiar tale of Lexus woe. A friend has forsaken all self worth and bought a CT200h.

The paperwork makes a claim of just under 70mpg average. He's struggling to break into the 50's, and that's driving like a duvet salesman. :rolleyes:
 
Mk 2 seems all my family want to change theri car at the minute :eek:

Watch out for the brake master cylinder on GS300/430's built between 98-02, they can fail and a replacement part will set you back £2k from Lexus! You can't get a 2nd brake master cylinder from a breakers, chances are it will be faulty too.

The brake master cylinder design was improved on the 03 models, so I'd go for a 03 model or later- if funds allow.
 

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