MK3 GS300 Vs GS450h

[CamWinston]

Hi Lexus fans

I'm in the market for a cheap yet reliable car to waft me to my destination in silence and comfort on my long commutes round the M25 and I think that an older GS would fit the bill very nicely.  

The GS450h appeals thanks to it's power, slightly better economy and lower tax, however used examples seem to be at least a grand more expensive than GS300s of similar mileage and vintage which offsets this somewhat. I've also got the impression from my Google adventures that repair costs are likely to be higher and there could well be more to go wrong, which again could negate any savings.

The mk3 GS300 appeals too, thanks to a lower purchase price, seemingly cheaper parts when things go wrong, and only marginally more thirsty. Not as quick, but let's be honest how often do you really get to test the limits of a car in and around London anyway. The much higher tax is rather off-putting though. 

All things being equal, it seems to me that the gs450h is clearly the better car in every department other than boot space, somehow being both cheaper to run and more fun to drive. But I don't want to set myself up for a series of nasty shocks paying to keep the car on the road, and if the GS300 is likely to be a much more trouble free experience then I'll take that.

In short, which is the better buy at this end of the market, when I'm looking at 12-14 year old cars with six figure mileages?

I'd appreciate your input, thanks for reading and thanks in advance for your advice.

[CamWinston]

I am also aware of a third option which is to look for a well looked after MK2 gs300 which can be had for peanuts

[Steven Lockey]

From everything I read, if you get a good 450h, it'll go practically forever.
A 12 yo 450h with 100k+ isn't going to cost more than 4k really. Just make sure it has the hybrid health
check and keep that up to date and thats the major worry covered for another 3 years.

Other major issue can be the shocks, but mines at 160k+ and the shocks are still good.
Exhaust can be an issue but well, fixing mine cost £120. Just don't get lexus to do that bit cos they want £2k to
replace the cats as well.....