My first Lexus (MK3 GS300)

Usman · February 7, 2016

Hi Guys,

I wanted to share some pics of my MK3 GS300.

I have wanted one of these since college but my age and lack of no claims bonus has meant I have always had to buy sensible cars, my car history is:

1.0 Nissan Micra
1.3 Toyota Yaris
1.8 Toyota Avensis (R Reg)
1.8 Toyota Avensis (55 Reg)
2.0 Mazda 6 Sport Diesel

However, in June 2015, my Mazda died (in spectacular fashion mind you). The up side was it was time for a new car. Having graduated uni and been in employment for a while, I thought why not treat myself to something I really want...and I love it.

It came down to the GS300 or an E class Merc of a similar year. The Merc never had a chance. I found the Lexus was better for looks, performance, reliability, comfort, refinement and TOYS. The Merc had nowhere near the amount of kit the Lexus had at the price I paid.

I initially only taxed it for 6 months thinking I would review my decision and either keep it or sell it and get something sensible again, I am 25 years old after all. Last month I taxed it for 12 months and decided it is staying with me till it dies.

What do you think of my purchase, any advice for taking care of it?

messi · February 7, 2016

Very nice. I used to have the exact same one as yours until some drunk guy wrote it off. It's a limited edition model. I've just bought another one in black. Love the car

royoftherovers · February 7, 2016

Usman, Thank you for that post.

I am considerably older than you and I have both a GS (450H) and an E Class (Estate, 2.2 diesel Auto with 205,000 miles on the clock).Both are superb vehicles in their own way,

I admire your choice of vehicle and wish you well, but what will you aspire to as you have "the best (Lexus) ?

Regards

John

Bluesman · February 7, 2016

Hi Usman and welcome to the LOC, we are a friendly bunch and some of us even know how to pull them to bits and put them back together again, with of course the one bolt and washer left over.

What a great choice of car. Love the interior.

We recommend you spend a couple of mins looking over the rules of the LOC, we will be asking questions later.

http://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/terms-conditions/

Regards Mike.

Usman · February 8, 2016

14 hours ago, messi said:

Very nice. I used to have the exact same one as yours until some drunk guy wrote it off. It's a limited edition model. I've just bought another one in black. Love the car

Thanks Messi. Its a shame someone wrote yours off. My next choice of colour combination would have been a black one with black interior, what colour is your interior? It thought this was a limited edition, but when I bought it the log book states SE, I thought it would have said LE for it to be the limited edition?

Usman · February 8, 2016

14 hours ago, royoftherovers said:

Usman, Thank you for that post.

I am considerably older than you and I have both a GS (450H) and an E Class (Estate, 2.2 diesel Auto with 205,000 miles on the clock).Both are superb vehicles in their own way,

I admire your choice of vehicle and wish you well, but what will you aspire to as you have "the best (Lexus) ?

Regards

John

Thank you John,

Most of the information I used to make my decision between the Merc and Lexus was on paper and online user reviews. Maybe I should've taken the Merc for a test drive to get a proper comparison. Its good to hear from someone who has both.

In terms of aspirations, there's always something to aspire to in my opinion. I would like to have the GS Hybrid next, whether that's the mk3 GS or a newer shape will probably depend on how far in the future I move on from my current vehicle, and hopefully one day the LS600h.

I would also like to give the Germans a go at some point. You may have noticed my car history is 100% Japanese. Audi, BMW and Merc all seem like they have something different to offer.

Seeing as my decision was between the GS and E class, I approve of your choice of vehicles very much.

Happy motoring,

Usman

Usman · February 8, 2016

11 hours ago, Bluesman said:

Hi Usman and welcome to the LOC, we are a friendly bunch and some of us even know how to pull them to bits and put them back together again, with of course the one bolt and washer left over.

What a great choice of car. Love the interior.

We recommend you spend a couple of mins looking over the rules of the LOC, we will be asking questions later.

http://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/terms-conditions/

Regards Mike.

Thanks Mike,

Not to worry, I was a very good boy and read them before joining the club.

Cheers

Usman

messi · February 8, 2016

Yeah mine is black with black interior..car is mint, just need wheels refurbed

Usman · February 8, 2016

16 minutes ago, messi said:

Yeah mine is black with black interior..car is mint, just need wheels refurbed

Cool, I saw your post regarding the wheels.I hope you get that sorted soon.

It would be great to see some pics at some point.

RXJasonRX · February 8, 2016

Hi. I like your choice of car. I drove one a few years ago at a Lexus test day event. Great car. I drive a fantastic RX400h. I'm pleased you didn't have a Mercedes as my uncle has had two mercs and both times has crippling electronic problems. Keep with Lexus. Great cars

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

messi · February 8, 2016

I know a merc tech and he's worked for mercedes for like 26 years and has always said never buy a merc and stick with Japanese cars

messi · February 8, 2016

I'll send some pictures once the weather gets better

Rob373 · February 8, 2016

23 hours ago, Usman said:

What do you think of my purchase, any advice for taking care of it?

Good colour combo - looks nice!

I bought a 4.2 Jaguar in my 20's because I'd always wanted one (I'm 38 now). I genuinely do intend to keep it forever or sell it at a point that it's value assures it will live forever if not with me. I even rent a second garage to keep it in! You could well turn round in 10 years time and find you still have it.

Advice I'd give for taking care of a large / premium car like this in your 20's is:

1. Drive it how it is designed to be driven. Waft about in style and leave any top gear antics for the track. Its always tempting to test what it will do but points on the license = insurance pain, and a crash is the last thing you want. It is very easy to run out of tarmac mucking about in a big RWD car on British roads.

2.Budget forward. Large premium cars are less stressed, usually better built, and often go wrong less often - but... they still need consumable parts and servicing, and this is going to cost more than a 1.0 Yaris. Its a good idea to put a bit aside each month for this and anything that goes wrong - it avoids future skimping and allows you to remain objective about the cost of ownership.

3. Avoid modifying it unless you are prepared to spend money and watch the car lose value in the process whilst your insurance premium shoots up or gets invalidated (bad idea). Hunting down and retro-fitting OEM upgrades can increase your enjoyment and the cars value if you are inclined towards tinkering.

Usman · February 8, 2016

2 hours ago, Rob373 said:

Good colour combo - looks nice!

I bought a 4.2 Jaguar in my 20's because I'd always wanted one (I'm 38 now). I genuinely do intend to keep it forever or sell it at a point that it's value assures it will live forever if not with me. I even rent a second garage to keep it in! You could well turn round in 10 years time and find you still have it.

Advice I'd give for taking care of a large / premium car like this in your 20's is:

1. Drive it how it is designed to be driven. Waft about in style and leave any top gear antics for the track. Its always tempting to test what it will do but points on the license = insurance pain, and a crash is the last thing you want. It is very easy to run out of tarmac mucking about in a big RWD car on British roads.

2.Budget forward. Large premium cars are less stressed, usually better built, and often go wrong less often - but... they still need consumable parts and servicing, and this is going to cost more than a 1.0 Yaris. Its a good idea to put a bit aside each month for this and anything that goes wrong - it avoids future skimping and allows you to remain objective about the cost of ownership.

3. Avoid modifying it unless you are prepared to spend money and watch the car lose value in the process whilst your insurance premium shoots up or gets invalidated (bad idea). Hunting down and retro-fitting OEM upgrades can increase your enjoyment and the cars value if you are inclined towards tinkering.

Thanks for the advice Rob, I'm sure it will serve me well.

You could well be right about me having this for the next 10 years, I certainly wouldn't complain.

I did look into the price of parts before purchasing it, except for the price of bulbs because, well its just a bulb. Then I found out it takes the D4S bulb which is almost £100. That was a shock.

graham8370 · February 9, 2016

Hi Usman, welcome to LOC. Have a look at these http://www.amazon.co.uk/LEXUX-GENUINE-PHILIPS-XenEco-GERMAN/dp/B0169QYGO4/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1455047102&sr=8-7&keywords=d4s+xenon+bulb

Usman · February 13, 2016

On 2/9/2016 at 7:48 PM, graham8370 said:

Hi Usman, welcome to LOC. Have a look at these http://www.amazon.co.uk/LEXUX-GENUINE-PHILIPS-XenEco-GERMAN/dp/B0169QYGO4/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1455047102&sr=8-7&keywords=d4s+xenon+bulb

Thanks Graham, You've potentially saved me a lot of money.

I was hoping not to buy parts from sites like amazon and eBay for this car due to not knowing if they would be the right parts for this car but at those prices it's definitely worth a try.

Thanks again

Usman

messi · February 13, 2016

Also check rockauto.com. oem parts at very good prices. It's where alot of us get our parts from

messi · April 16, 2016

Hi Usman

This was the only way I could send a picture. Got the wheels refurbished last week to grey gloss. Sorry it's the wrong way round. I'll take some more once weather gets better