Looking for a gs430 (mk3)

[madfish]

I was all set to buy one this weekend but my lift broke down so couldn't make it and it sold to the next guy :(

So just putting feelers out for another one... budget of £5000

 

Thanks, 

Mark 

 

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[madfish]

Been to see 2 now,  neither one as described :(

Still looking

[lockeyboy]

Which ones did you go and see?  They seem to be incredibly rare; I've been reading these forums (I'm interested in these but I already have a £500 road fund licence car, so am veering towards a 450H), and there is a few miles from me, but it's missing service history and seems highly priced considering)

[madfish]

Went to see one in Nuneaton but it has a rusty quarter panel one side and a badly painted one on the other. ..

Also pulled to the left and front wing didn't line up properly 

[lockeyboy]

there is a purple one near me on an 07 plate , up at £7995, which feels about £1k off the mark, looking around. and another, but 2005 in manchester area at £7400, 30k on the clock, plus the tax drops to £290 on that one.

[madfish]

I'm looking at 2005/2006 myself due to the cheaper tax bracket.

 

It will be my second car so will only do 5k miles per year at most so paying £500+ for VED for a car that's mostly stood isn't an option.

Equally due to my low annual mileage finding a GS with higher than average miles isn't a major concern (providing it's been looked after of course)

The 2nd one I've viewed needed rear calipers, an engine oil leak rectifing, bonnet repair due to corrosion and was overdue it's 100k timing belt service. ..

[BarneyTT]

Hi Mark.  I have recently been through what you are going through in terms of looking for a GS430, there are not exactly a lot about and I had to travel about a fair bit. My advice is to keep on top of places like Autotrader every day as good ones can get snapped up quickly, mine was only listed for an hour or so before I spotted it and arranged to view it the next day.

One thing I would advise you check on any potential car is the inner sides of both exhaust back boxes (get right up underneath if you can) as the cars I looked at seemed to have common rot there. A replacement box is over £400 per side from Lexus.

The cambelt on the GS430 I bought was due next year but for peace of mind, Lexus Bristol did mine recently for £295 which is a damn good price as it took them 4 hours plus.

Not sure if it's common but my GS has some minor bubbling on the leading edge of the bonnet, the other car I looked at didn't.

I wish you all the best in your search, hope you find the right car soon.

 

[madfish]

Thank you :)

Trust me I'm searching all the sites several times a day waiting for one to pop up lol.

 

I was quoted the same from my local Lexus dealer (Teesside) it doesn't include tensioners but Lexus say they don't need replacing unless faulty, same as the water pump.

Good tip on the exhausts, I'll check that on the next one I view

As for the rust on the bonnet, it's a common issue apparently and Lexus are replacing/repainting the bonnet under warranty (although I believe there is an age restriction on car) if the corrosion is  it caused by stone chips. 

Might be worth bringing that up with your local dealer.

Out of the 2 I've viewed (both 2005 models) one was badly corroded but the other wasn't.  The non corroded bonnet seemed to have an extra or more pronounced rubber seal between bonnet and grill which the other didn't have. Maybe part of the warranty fix?

[BarneyTT]

You sound just like me when I was looking, strangely I had started to loose hope when out of the blue the one I now own popped up on AT. I'm sure your patience will be rewarded.

I will ask Lexus Bristol about the bonnet when it goes in for a service next month although I think I know what they will say!

Another thing worth checking Mark, is the condition of the tyre pressure sensors, if they look corroded you may be looking at replacements when they are removed as they may break. Think they are around £60 each from Lexus. As soon as I got my car I started spraying GT85 on them, as it turned out when I had the alloys refurbed only one broke thankfully, it's something I do now by way of regular maintainence.

Continued good luck with your search, it's worth it as they are lovely cars.

[madfish]

Found one, bought it :)

Has a few issues but I got it at a good price. 

GS430, 2005 with 73,000 miles,  Silver with grey interior and black maple wood. All the options I believe :)

Bad bits...

A/c needs regassing 

Rear callipers are seized

Due timing belt service (due to age)

Corrosion on leading edge of bonnet

Weeping rocker cover gasket

[madfish]

[mkbean]

Looks nice in silver madfish.

I'm also out looking for a GS450h - the pricing seems all over the place though, I can't work it out.

One thing that seems clear is that mileage seems to scare people, age not so much.

[madfish]

I think with the 450 there is a lot of negative posts about reliability in the higher miles, how true it is I don't know but it was enough to put me off...

On the 430 mileage wasn't really a concern as I know how bulletproof these engines are generally and I prefer the 2005/2006 for the cheaper VED.

Always best to buy on condition IMO... from the cars I've viewed around the £5000-6000 mark they all have some form of issue, I think £8000+ is required for a better condition low mileage example.

As for gs300, the new DI engines have too much negative feedback and don't offer enough of a fuel saving for the loss of performance and reliability over the 430.

The gs350 would be a nice car but command good money.

[mkbean]

Just been to see that 105k car in Luton, terrible cosmetically, drove OK though. Also drove a Jag XF today, definitely decided on a GS.

Has anyone looked at this one? http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201601150119193/usedcars?logcode=visc

[BarneyTT]

Congratulations on your purchase Mark, looks nice. I looked at a silver one but it had too many issues so walked away (after a 400 mile round trip!)

Did it come with any service history & what are your plans regarding the bonnet issues, if any any?

Hope you enjoy yours as much as I do mine, will look forward to any updates on your car.

Daniel: I would be interested to hear your thoughts of the Jag XF against the GS.

 

 

[mkbean]

I drove the 2.7 TD Premium Luxury Auto XF, which isn't necessarily a fair comparison to the GS450h due to the engine. Although the first GS450h i've driven was the totally abused one I saw today.

• XF had more road noise, and a much firmer ride

• Engine very noisy in the XF, it felt slower than my IS even though its not supposed to be.

• The interior is very space age on the XF, to the point where its quite a wall of silver buttons, I think I would get used to this though.

• The GS has more room in the back, the XF was ok (it solves the problem the IS has of no rear legroom when i'm driving), but in the GS I can fit behind myself driving, and i'm 6ft 4.

• The XF had rust on the boot lid! I've not had a car with rust on since the 90's!

• B&W audio system was nice on the XF, a warmer sound than the Mark Levinson system in my IS which I think can sound a bit aggressive.

• The XF, at least to my eyes, is the better looking car.

Overall I learnt a couple of things today, the XF isn't for me, the GS is my next car.

As a said before even this abused one drove nice and smoothly, you could feel the power available. It seems though the cheaper cars are not going to be up to my cosmetic standards, so when i do a tour of cars next weekend i'm going to line up some lower mileage examples. My IS looks pretty much new inside and out, and thats how i like it.

 

 

 

 

[madfish]

2 hours ago, BarneyTT said:

Congratulations on your purchase Mark, looks nice. I looked at a silver one but it had too many issues so walked away (after a 400 mile round trip!)

Did it come with any service history & what are your plans regarding the bonnet issues, if any any?

Hope you enjoy yours as much as I do mine, will look forward to any updates on your car.

Daniel: I would be interested to hear your thoughts of the Jag XF against the GS.

 

 

Cheers,

She has full lexus history up to 60k, the last 13k being independent...

 

I want to get the bonnet repainted and also the rear bumper as it's had a bad smart repair sometime in its past.

Plenty of plans for her but first is a good service and timing belt change :)

[BarneyTT]

17 hours ago, madfish said:

Cheers,

She has full lexus history up to 60k, the last 13k being independent...

 

I want to get the bonnet repainted and also the rear bumper as it's had a bad smart repair sometime in its past.

Plenty of plans for her but first is a good service and timing belt change :)

Sounds good, I'm toying with the idea of getting my bonnet done once I'm happy with everything else so will be interested in the outcome of your paintwork.

[madfish]

I'm going to try and claim under the Lexus bodywork warranty. .. some people have had luck with it

[BarneyTT]

19 hours ago, mkbean said:

I drove the 2.7 TD Premium Luxury Auto XF, which isn't necessarily a fair comparison to the GS450h due to the engine. Although the first GS450h i've driven was the totally abused one I saw today.

• XF had more road noise, and a much firmer ride

• Engine very noisy in the XF, it felt slower than my IS even though its not supposed to be.

• The interior is very space age on the XF, to the point where its quite a wall of silver buttons, I think I would get used to this though.

• The GS has more room in the back, the XF was ok (it solves the problem the IS has of no rear legroom when i'm driving), but in the GS I can fit behind myself driving, and i'm 6ft 4.

• The XF had rust on the boot lid! I've not had a car with rust on since the 90's!

• B&W audio system was nice on the XF, a warmer sound than the Mark Levinson system in my IS which I think can sound a bit aggressive.

• The XF, at least to my eyes, is the better looking car.

Overall I learnt a couple of things today, the XF isn't for me, the GS is my next car.

As a said before even this abused one drove nice and smoothly, you could feel the power available. It seems though the cheaper cars are not going to be up to my cosmetic standards, so when i do a tour of cars next weekend i'm going to line up some lower mileage examples. My IS looks pretty much new inside and out, and thats how i like it.

 

 

 

 

Interesting observations on the Jaguar, my friend has the 2.7d and whilst it's a lovely car I'm not convinced the 20" wheels give it the smoothest ride. The interior is fantastic with all the air vents opening to welcome you, haven't heard his stereo so can't compare the two. It's proved to be a reliable car with only a rear screen leak, other than that he loves it, I don't think he has any rust issues either.

I hope you find the right GS, never been in a GS450h but I'm sure they are wonderful.

 

 

[BarneyTT]

8 minutes ago, madfish said:

I'm going to try and claim under the Lexus bodywork warranty. .. some people have had luck with it

I emailed Lexus head office the other day about mine, but as yet no reply. Let me know how you get on with yours, I wish you all the best.

 

[madfish]

It's booked into lexus bodyshop on Wednesday for inspection.

 

If the corrosion is because of defect and not through damage or stone chips etc it should be covered under the 12 year warranty

Apparantly then run a variety of tests including paint thickness etc to determine the cause.

I'll let you know how I get on :)

[BarneyTT]

I would be interested in knowing the reasons behind this issue so will look forward to hearing how you get on.

Hope all goes well and the result is a positive one for you.

[BarneyTT]

Did you get an outcome to the bonnet issue inspection Mark?

[madfish]

Well I went to the approved Lexus body's hop and they said there isn't a 12 year warranty on bodywork.

I argued the point and told the Lexus had sent me down so they proceeded.

Did a paint thickness check of the whole car to verify it was original paint and took detailed photos of the corrosion.

They sent the claim off to Lexus and told me to expect a reply in a couple of months!