Hello! 1993 GS Owner

LC_666 · January 6, 2021

Hello all, finally decided to join the forum after lurking for a little bit and using a few posts from here and ClubLexus to problem solve :)

I'm currently enjoying my 1993 GS 300 and have owned a pre-facelift LS 430 in black, which I do miss dearly, but my good friend currently owns it so fortunately it's in good hands!

My current GS 300 in Bordaux Red:

Not much has happened to this car thus far other than the wheels. I absolutely love the colour (although the LS430's wine Red is arguably the best haha) and it's very rarely that I see another 1st generation GS 300 on the road, but I really love the soft lines of this generation GS and and the rear lights have always looked really cool to me as well.

The car has been reliable as expected really, only needed two lower ball joints for the last MOT and it did excellently driving from Southampton to Edinburgh (400ish miles) in August 2020 for a week away, 8 hours of pure comfort each way haha :)

As I've mentioned further down, I've got new suspension to fit, as I hope to achieve an OEM+ look/driving feel

My old LS 430:

I fitted LED face-lift style rear lights, wooden dashboard table, backbox removed and replaced with a straight pipe from the cat-back and performance catalytic converters and an ASC 680 Height Controller, for those who don't know it's a control module that piggy-backs the air suspension ECU and allows for the suspension to be lowered by 10 different levels, each gradually getting lower. I normally ran the car on 5 which sat nicely low and tucked the rear wheels ever so slightly but retained comfort and didn't scrape or catch on speed bumps or potholes of the like.

Unfortunately unexpected financial issues meant I had to sell the car to help myself out in the short and long term. After sitting on my driveway for a few months collecting dust I sold the car to my friend and bought a cheap Mk2 MX-5 to keep me happy lol. This LS is still running strong at 230,000+ miles

I'm the 3rd owner of my GS; it was owned for 27 years before me, by the original owner. I actually acquired the car by doing a straight swap for my old R53 Mini Cooper S.

The previous owner fitted GS 450h wheels, which do look good, but the car sits too high, so I've purchased suspension from a twin turbo JZA80 Supra as it is interchangable with first generation GS 300's (the same with ZZ30 Soarer suspension). It has Eibach lowering springs already fitted which should help with the rather high ride height, but retain an OEM (or as close as) level of comfort, but i am yet to fit these, but I'll hopefully report back if I do.

If anyone is selling a Mk1 GS300 sport design grille, I may be interested in purchasing it too!

- Liam

Fatts · January 6, 2021

Love the red GS. Very nice hope the interior is as immaculate as the exterior

TigerFish · January 8, 2021

Nice GS. As you say, they are a rare sight these days. I still preferred my gen1 GS300 Sport from a looks perspective over both my Gen 2 GS300 Sport and GS430 Sport.

Although for a gen1, the Borbet staggered sport wheels absolutely made the look of the car (have to be the 10” rears). I don’t think I could have a gen1 without them. Whoever it was at lexus that chose those wheels, deserved to be on the new year honours list at the time, they were prefect.

LC_666 · January 8, 2021

On 1/6/2021 at 10:21 PM, Fatts said:

Love the red GS. Very nice hope the interior is as immaculate as the exterior

Thank you! Yeah the interior is pretty spotless apart from my heater vent having a slat/grate (not sure what to call it lol) missing, but I've either got to attempt to glue it or get a new heater stack/vent

Interior images if you're interested:

http://imgur.com/a/UgBhHds

14 hours ago, TigerFish said:

Nice GS. As you say, they are a rare sight these days. I still preferred my gen1 GS300 Sport from a looks perspective over both my Gen 2 GS300 Sport and GS430 Sport.

Although for a gen1, the Borbet staggered sport wheels absolutely made the look of the car (have to be the 10” rears). I don’t think I could have a gen1 without them. Whoever it was at lexus that chose those wheels, deserved to be on the new year honours list at the time, they were prefect.

Hey thank you! Yeah I have to admit I'm always tempted by the Borbet's every time I see some for sale, it's a shame the prices are on the higher side in comparison to other wheels available. It surprised me when I found out that the sport design option wasn't offered in any other market apart from ours, makes them that little bit cooler to own too haha

TigerFish · January 9, 2021

Yeah, they were UK only, and not even how Lexus shipped them over. Changes were done in the dealership once they landed.

There were some bits they saved for the JDM market though, like power fold mirrors. I did buy a second hand set to retrofit to mine, but never got round to it in the end. They were amongst the parts that all got sold on after the car had gone.

rich1068 · January 11, 2021

On 1/8/2021 at 2:21 PM, LC_666 said:

Thank you! Yeah the interior is pretty spotless apart from my heater vent having a slat/grate (not sure what to call it lol) missing, but I've either got to attempt to glue it or get a new heater stack/vent

Interior images if you're interested:

http://imgur.com/a/UgBhHds

That looks lovely. You can see the similarities with the period LS.

Lambaj · January 13, 2021

Hello.

Its been many years since I logged in to the Lexux club - glad to see its still alive and kicking 🙂

My poor old GS300 Mk1 Sport has long departed this life, but, I took the time to strip it to the last nut and bolt. I have a spare heater vent stored away if you are interested. Please PM me, and we can discuss. The interior of my car is the same grey as yours - and was pretty tidy. Seeing yours take me back!

Cheers

Tony