Hiya. Thinking of buying a GS300......

[GS300Auto]

Hi all, new member here - Hoping to buy an 06 reg GS300 SE-L automatic with 63k on the clock.
60k major service done, full Lexus service history, never failed an MOT, fully loaded.

Any tips as to what to look for before parting with my hard earned?

 

Cheers, 

 

Dave

[Farqui]

Welcome to the forum David.

As the vehicle is over 10 years old I would pay attention to the exhaust to ensure it's not rotted out.  My GS has a Y piece at the rear that you can see looking under the rear bumper, it's a common place to split and blow.  One rear silencer had a couple of big holes that passed an MOT and didn't sound noisy.  An OEM replacement exhaust has an eye watering cost so I got an aftermarket unit replacement.  

Dampers are known to leak with frustrating regularity on my model, so definitely worth checking on yours.  

It's good that your potential buy has a clean MOT history, that's encouraging.

Good luck in your quest and do let us know how you get on.

[GS300Auto]

Thanks for the welcome and the advice Lee.
I'll update as and when I check/buy/sack it!

 

[Farqui]

Now I'm back at my PC, I just found this model specific list; 

http://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/tutorials/article/5-buying-a-gs300-series-ii-what-to-look-for/

Hope it helps.

PS: Lexus alloys tend to have weak paint that can bubble/flake off.

[GS300Auto]

That is a great resource, and will be a real help when I go to view the car.

 

Thanks again!

[messi]

3 hours ago, Farqui said:

Now I'm back at my PC, I just found this model specific list; 

http://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/tutorials/article/5-buying-a-gs300-series-ii-what-to-look-for/

Hope it helps.

PS: Lexus alloys tend to have weak paint that can bubble/flake off.

That's for a mk2, the gentleman is looking at a mk3 Gs300.

 

I've had 2 and they were brilliant. The only issue I had was one sticky caliper and wheels needed refurbishment and thats it. They were a very reliable cars. 

[Normski]

Welcome to the fold! I've had my facelift SE-L for a few months now. Apart from the items already mentioned I also found the following worth checking on the ones I looked at:

- Paint work: The front bonnet especially. Paint bubbles a plenty.

- Brake discs/pads: Possibly connected to the sticky calipers. So budget for a new set all round.

- Tyres: Geometry setup and/or suspension issues (e.g. bushes) mean that uneven tyre wear was rife - almost all of the cars I went to see had scrubbed the inner tread so was difficult to spot unless you got well under the car.

- Remote batteries: Odd thing really but worth swapping out ASAP as I found random lock/unlock/"key not  detected" issues.

My exhaust is also blowing but MOT isn't till next year so have a little time to save up. Till then the car is a little raspy ;)

Next thing on my list are the brakes but Euro Car Parts seem to have offers on so thankfully not too expensive a swap out around next service time. Talking of which...I actually took out a service plan and extended warranty with my local dealer (Lexus Derby). Given me a little peace of mind but I guess it does come at a cost...