Does it make sense to have 10+ year-old Lexus as my first car?

[groovybug]

 

My first post so be gentle. I'm 30+ male and due to moving from countries to countries for much of my teens and 20s and general reluctance living in cities, I somehow managed to live without a car until now. Happy to get my license last month and currently looking to buy my first car. My budget is under £5000. I've been looking all around, and although my head says I should stick to some standard economical Honda or Skoda to learn how things work, none of them excites me one bit. And I really love the design of the GS300 or IS250. With my budget, I can probably only afford a 10 year old model with just under 100k mileage. 

What do you say? Should I go ahead and reward myself a Lexus or am I blind-walking into a money pit? 

[scudney]

Like with everything in life there a risk,however if you do your homework properly you should be able to get yourself a decent Lexus be it a gs300 or is250 that won't be a money pit. Yes go ahead and reward yourself. ln making your choice,look at service history,mot history,number of owners etc etc,look luck with your search and keep us posted 😊 

[olliesgrandad]

46 minutes ago, scudney said:

Like with everything in life there a risk,however if you do your homework properly you should be able to get yourself a decent Lexus be it a gs300 or is250 that won't be a money pit. Yes go ahead and reward yourself. ln making your choice,look at service history,mot history,number of owners etc etc,look luck with your search and keep us posted 😊 

Don't forget to check the cost of insurance. As a new driver you could well find that the insurance costs more than the car. 

On that basis you might find it better to buy and run a car with a low insurance group for a couple of years.  

[Texas]

+1 on working back from the insurance price as you have not got any driving history it may be a shocker.

but regards an IS250 well as a first car you are gonna be spoilt and if you do some homework it shouldn't be a money pit as 10years/100k sometimes does not even show on a Lexus.

best of luck and good choice for a first car, wow!

paul m.

[royoftherovers]

24 minutes ago, olliesgrandad said:

Don't forget to check the cost of insurance. As a new driver you could well find that the insurance costs more than the car. 

On that basis you might find it better to buy and run a car with a low insurance group for a couple of years.  

My thoughts exactly.

[i-s]

Maybe. Maybe not. Like the others said, check some insurance quotes first. 

My husband passed his test relatively recently and our GS450h is insured in his name with no NCB - he's 57. Slightly different situation, however, as he's been driving for a very long time but moved from the USA to UK and had to take the driving test to get his UK license. However, there's no box for that on the form!

My Honda Accord was an excellent car, and in ways close to what the GS is - they have a similar feel out on the road. I can share your lack of excitement about Skodas, but give a couple of hondas a closer look - the blobby Civics (06-11 and 11-16) are brilliant to drive and absurdly practical within their class (the way the rear seat folds down is epic and turns it into a compact van) - I had one as a hire car and ragged the nuts off it (which it almost begs you to do, it's SO willing), absolute hoot to drive AND returned over 40mpg (1.8 i-VTEC petrol). The Accord (03-08) is excellent with double-wishbone suspension all around, great seats. In both cases play to Honda's strengths - avoid diesels, avoid 1.4s, etc. Get the 1.8 i-VTEC in the civic or the 2.0 or 2.4 i-VTEC in the Accord, with a manual box (accord had the nicest manual I've ever driven - rifle bolt precise, more a mind-link between you and gearbox than a gearlever). An Accord Executive is very much getting towards Lexus (and bear in mind that what we had here as the Accord was sold as an Acura in the USA (Acura being to Honda what Lexus is to Toyota) - the Executive has heated power leather seats, etc. There's not much on this earth more reliable than a honda petrol engine.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201901073698385

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201812293527681

 

[olliesgrandad]

3 hours ago, olliesgrandad said:

Don't forget to check the cost of insurance. As a new driver you could well find that the insurance costs more than the car. 

On that basis you might find it better to buy and run a car with a low insurance group for a couple of years.  

Just a thought. Pass plus may well help your insurance quote 

[groovybug]

 

Thanks everyone for your replies. I do have Pass Plus. Insurance quote is surprisingly mild, third-party only just over £1600 for GS300 and £1200 for IS250 (Admiral without black box, with blackbox it's about £200 cheaper). It's something that I can just about afford. Is it necessary to go for more comprehensive options?

It's great to hear some encouragement. Please tell me what I should look out for? I'm prepared to spend some money to take care of the car. However at the same, do not want to drive for a couple of months and face with a hefty bill.

 

@i-s: You are right, the Hondas are also a pleasure to drive. I'm just a bit indifferent to the angular design in general. It's still an option on my mind. Thank you.

[i-s]

Well it sounds like you're doing everything right then!

Fully comp cover may not be any more, and might even be less expensive. Much of insurance cost is about assessing risk and people taking comprehensive cover are often more risk-averse than those taking TPFT, especially in your age bracket. 

I'm guessing you've used confused.com to get quotes - be aware that confused.com is owned by the same people that own Admiral and Elephant insurance, and that they often come out top on confused.com. If you have a pension with Aviva you can get a discount on their car insurance and we got a good deal with them - once you've got a quote you can get a further 20% off if you use the Aviva Drive app for 200 miles before you buy your insurance (but of course that means having access to another car for that length of time - might be worth a one day hire of a car to execute). 

[royoftherovers]

36 minutes ago, i-s said:

Well it sounds like you're doing everything right then!

Fully comp cover may not be any more, and might even be less expensive. Much of insurance cost is about assessing risk and people taking comprehensive cover are often more risk-averse than those taking TPFT, especially in your age bracket. 

I'm guessing you've used confused.com to get quotes - be aware that confused.com is owned by the same people that own Admiral and Elephant insurance, and that they often come out top on confused.com. If you have a pension with Aviva you can get a discount on their car insurance and we got a good deal with them - once you've got a quote you can get a further 20% off if you use the Aviva Drive app for 200 miles before you buy your insurance (but of course that means having access to another car for that length of time - might be worth a one day hire of a car to execute). 

And you might get a reduction for adding a named driver (a parent or  another older person) ?

[Texas]

If you did use an insurance searching website then don't forget the likes of DirectLine etc that don't appear on any website searchers.

paul m.

[GSLV6]

GS300 is a wonderful car.  If you can afford the running costs it's one of the most reliable, engine wise, made.  Generally speaking it's the bolt-on consumables that will start inflicting cost on 10yr old plus cars.  Check exhaust pipe (Y section on the GS V6 ones prone to fatigue and corrosion breakage about this age), check shocks...they're expensive to replace and the GS in the Mk3 guise (my favourite version) had a few issues (300 and 430 and 450h variants) with early failure of shock seals.

Brakes need checking for disc wear and check water pump for leaks of coolant (Gs is chain drive so unlike belt drive cams, water pumps aren't as routinely replaced).

Only other gremlins can be with TPMS playing up, boot lid soft close not working properly (ECU sometimes needs re-flashing) but other than this they're about as reliable as it's possible to get.  A Honda Civic would be much cheaper to run in petrol guise but not a patch on ride quality, refinement, space or power.   In your shoes though, until some NCB is accrued it would be more sensible to look perhaps down the range at an IS petrol.  Cheaper to insure and run but with the usual Lexus refinements.  Can't comment too much on the foibles of the IS as never owned one but only know from speaking with a Lexus technician that the higher mile diesel IS's are more prone to (costly) problems than the petrols.

[olliesgrandad]

6 hours ago, olliesgrandad said:

Just a thought. Pass plus may well help your insurance quote 

Your occupation and where the car is parked overnight are other factors to consider. 

As previously said comprehensive may be as cheap as tpft. If you are in a trade organisation you may find preferential terms. 

Good hunting 

[groovybug]

@GSLV6 Thank you for the tips. I think I can afford the standard running cost, the gas and the regular service, however still not quite realise how big the bill will be when there's a major repair. If they fail on the same thing (internal components), would a Lexus repair much more expensive than a Toyota or Honda repair? 

I think you are right. I love to have a GS300 but might go conservative and get an IS250 auto. There will be a saving of £500 on insurance and tax that can go on other things. 

 

 

 

[GSLV6]

It depends what it is. Engines like the GS300 V6 rarely go wrong so big ticket items are very rare. I've heard of a few issues with water pumps going on the V6s but that's mainly where incorrect grade coolant is used which causes corrosion and advanced wear/leakage.  Shock absorbers are more common and most GS Mk3's will be lucky to get past 60 or 70K miles without one or all needing replacement but that's common to most cars. OE parts can be expensive.  I think I paid over £400 to replace one of my GS shocks and few aftermarket parts are available for them.

To provide a balanced perspective, my GS cost me £1800 in repairs over a couple of years but only as it has reached a mileage where those things would need looking at. Had I kept it, chances are it would have then chugged along for another 5 years with nothing needed except regular servicing.  Over a 5 year period our Skoda Fabia vRS (Mk1) cost us almost twice that in repairs which extended to a replacement turbo, brake caliper, suspension bushes, engine mount, water bottle joint failure, door panel seals failing (letting water in), cruise control packing in, EGR valve problems, inlet manifold clogging up...the list goes on.   My Father's Toyota Camry never ever went wrong in all the time he owned it but from what I remember, parts prices were not dissimilar to Lexus.  Labour is the real killer.  Find a specialist garage that you trust, look for a good, sorted GS300 and buy with confidence would be my honest opinion.  There's still a fair few low miles examples out there waiting to be snatched up!

[DAN@ADRIAN FLUX]

Hi,

If you need any help with insurance at all for any vehicle you're looking at then please feel free to drop me a line.

Regards,

Dan.

[groovybug]

 

I have found a nice GS example in Wales. Finger crossed.

Just one last question, is a powerful engine like the GS a bigger safety risk than a smaller one? Obviously I haven't driven a big engine one before, but I consider myself a safe driver. Just wondering if controlling a powerful engine much different than a smaller one. Thank you.

[olliesgrandad]

1 minute ago, groovybug said:

 

I have found a nice GS example in Wales. Finger crossed.

Just one last question, is a powerful engine like the GS a bigger safety risk than a smaller one? Obviously I haven't driven a big engine one before, but I consider myself a safe driver. Just wondering if controlling a powerful engine much different than a smaller one. Thank you.

Depends how experienced a driver you are if things get pear shaped. At the end of the day you can't beat experience when things go wrong. As a retired police officer who went on many driving courses it is important to recognise the limitations of your driving skills. 

With a modern high power vehicle it is easy to drive beyond the limitations of your skill set especially with all the electronic aids. 

That is where you can run into problems when you exceed their capabilities and don't know how to regain control. 

 

[GSLV6]

I agree.

The GS is powerful but it is not a fast car by modern standards.  Performance is not wanting in either the 300 or 430 models, and the 450h models go like the clappers.

For overall balance the 300 is lighter and I prefer the handling on mine to a 450h I drove.  Brakes are good and the performance is not likely to get you into trouble unless you go asking for it.  The car has a high top speed but unless you're looking to exploit high speeds then it's as safe or safer than most equivalent sized cars on the road.  All round air bags and curtains, good handling, good brakes.  What's not to like?

As Olliesgrandad says, most people get into trouble when they exceed either their own capabilities or the car's capabilities, or both.  Knowing where each limitation lies is the secret to maintaining control.  That and adopting a defensive driving style, exercising good observation, hazard awareness and car control.

 

 

[groovybug]

 

Thank you, GSLV6 I'm much more confident to go ahead now. You've been great help.

Now just making a check list of things to look out for. Regarding the dreaded carbon built up of direct injection, is there any way to spot the problem early?