2008 GS300 Buying Tips

[MX5V6]

Hi all

This may have been covered elsewhere, but I couldn't find anything definitive... I've been looking for some time now for an IS250 SE-L with now luck, so to broaden my search I'm also looking at some GS300s.

However, where I found a very comprehensive buying guide for the IS250, I didn't find anything quite the same for the GS. Is there anything particular to look out for?

I don't really know much about the CVT gearboxes - are they OK, and are they true CVTs?

Any help would be appreciated.

[JeffL]

I have a 2007 GS300 and it is NOT a CVT gearbox, it is a traditional auto gearbox and is wonderful. I see many GS300's 2007/2008 years for sale described as having a CVT gearbox and it annoys me as it's just lazy misinformed advertising. AFAIK a CVT box might have been introduced when the new shape was introduced around 2011/2012?

[MX5V6]

Cheers for that - that's interesting to know.

Most I have seen say its a CVT!

[dublet]

I do believe only GS hybrids have the CVT. Which in effect means only the GS450h.

[AkkiDonz]

CVT gearbox are nice in terms of quick acceleration, It is made to reduce gear shifting time. I strongly doubt any of the petrol GS MK3 comes with CVT. As you are in a hunt of Lexus made sure you get a car with is compatible with E10 fuel. As UK has made E10 a standard and E5 is only available on Premium grade. I recently Purchased a GS300 and saw 5 to 6 cars and found TPMS is a common error in all the cars.

[JeffL]

I have had my 2007 model since 2009, it had something like 20K miles when I bought it, now got 73K miles. Wonderful car, no unexpected bills as far as I can remember, normal wear and tear items as you'd expect as the car ages. Never let me down, always feel confident going any distance in it. I keep thinking about buying an NX or similar for the higher driving position (easy of getting in and out) as I get older but not done so yet. The RFL is a bit of a bummer at over £500 but the lower RFL on an NX would never give me back what I'd spend to change the car. I've just this week topped up the tank for the first time with Super Unleaded E5, I've always used Regulated Unleaded E5 previously. This particular V6 petrol engine is not suitable for E10.

[KevH]

Ive had my 2008 GS300 for eight years so I can tell you a few things to check.

Firstly as already mentioned by everyone else its not a CVT.

Check to see if the exhaust is still the original as at the age of car you are looking for its going to need replaced soon and they are hard to find! Options are going to Lexus and paying thousands ! finding a cheaper one from Germany / Poland or going for a full custom stainless . All options are not exactly cheap.

Check the struts and they tend to leak when they are a little older.

Ive also had to replace the air con compressor and the water pump (luckily all under warranty)

My ones done 120K Miles and ive just had to change 1 TPMS as it was leaking.

Apart from that its been 8 years of pretty much nothing going wrong. The engine has always used more oil than I would expect but Lexus told me this was normal for this engine.

Hope this helps.

Kev

 

[KevH]

3 minutes ago, JeffL said:

 This particular V6 petrol engine is not suitable for E10.

Im lucky that my one is slightly newer so is OK with E10 (I confirmed with Lexus) 

[johnatg]

1 hour ago, dublet said:

I do believe only GS hybrids have the CVT. Which in effect means only the GS450h.

And the GS300h (2013 - 2019)

[MX5V6]

Cheers for the responses - I'm looking at a 2008 model, which should be new enough to be ok for E10 (although high tax bracket!).

Is changing the TPMS difficult/expensive if it becomes an issue?

[JDM-Fiend]

2 hours ago, MX5V6 said:

Hi all

This may have been covered elsewhere, but I couldn't find anything definitive... I've been looking for some time now for an IS250 SE-L with now luck, so to broaden my search I'm also looking at some GS300s.

However, where I found a very comprehensive buying guide for the IS250, I didn't find anything quite the same for the GS. Is there anything particular to look out for?

I don't really know much about the CVT gearboxes - are they OK, and are they true CVTs?

Any help would be appreciated.

I really struggled to find a buying guide as I purchased a 55 plate GS300 recently, which I'm now unfortunately selling as I finally found a GS430 😊 

 

The things of note to watch out for in my experience thus far:

 

Check the headlight aim, as the auto levelling adjuster is prone to seize/snap

Headlights can be cloudy/yellow

Bonnet and boot struts can be worn out

Exhausts are prone to be rusty if older, so budget £600-£1000 for a new exhaust or some repairs in the least

Service history is important, I personally wouldn't touch one without decent service history

TPMS sensors are prone to failing 

Check the MOT history online and see what it has failed on previously and recently

 

That's all off the top of my head and good luck with your search. 

 

[KevH]

21 minutes ago, MX5V6 said:

Cheers for the responses - I'm looking at a 2008 model, which should be new enough to be ok for E10 (although high tax bracket!).

Is changing the TPMS difficult/expensive if it becomes an issue?

I had the TMPS replaced with a clone (they copy the serial number of the old sensor into the new one so you dont need techstream to reprogram the car) by a local tyre fitting company and they charged £60 supplied and fitted.

Really simple job to do apart from my old one was stuck solid so they cut it out.

[dylannewton]

On 8/26/2021 at 12:32 AM, JDM-Fiend said:

I really struggled to find a buying guide as I purchased a 55 plate GS300 recently, which I'm now unfortunately selling as I finally found a GS430 😊 

 

The things of note to watch out for in my experience thus far:

 

Check the headlight aim, as the auto levelling adjuster is prone to seize/snap

Headlights can be cloudy/yellow

Bonnet and boot struts can be worn out

Exhausts are prone to be rusty if older, so budget £600-£1000 for a new exhaust or some repairs in the least

Service history is important, I personally wouldn't touch one without decent service history

TPMS sensors are prone to failing 

Check the MOT history online and see what it has failed on previously and recently

 

That's all off the top of my head and good luck with your search. 

 

 

I second this. Always check the history for reference and assurance. There is an online checker called rapidcarcheck.co.uk to check all the history reports. I have an unused code I can spare from a bulk purchase from them, Pm me if you want?