white02civicsi

I found a 2003 GS 430 with about 97k miles for about $15,500 with Mark Levinson sound system and navigation at a non Lexus dealership. The sound system and navi isnt that important to me but its a bonus. I have a couple of concerns and I hope you guys can help me out.

The carfax looks clean. There are no service records and none of the replacement/maintenance items has been done for 100k service like the timing belt and water pump. I guess you shouldnt expect any service records when you buy a used vehicle 90% of the time from a dealership especially when they obtained the vehicle from an auction or trade in.

The interior and exterior is in very good shape but Im concern about the mileage. I know these cars can probably go to 200k miles easily and I know there are a lot of GS430's that has 100k + miles. I know that we would most likely have to do a timing belt, water pump replacement around 100k miles. Are there any other items I need to replace at or around 100k miles like the radiator, etc? Im trying to calculate the out of pocket cost involved for the work that needs to be done after I buy the vehicle. I was hoping that I wouldnt have to spend any money right away after spending any where from $13-15k to buy this vehicle.

I have some tools and I am a little handy. Off the top of the my head I know I can change the oil, brake pads, rotor, bleed the brakes, sparks plugs and drain/fill the tranny fluid. I dont think I can replace the timing belt, water pump or radiator by myself because I dont have the tools and I have never done it by myself.

I also feel the price is a little high for a vehicle with 99k miles. How low can you possibly talk the price down to with the dealership? I know there is a markup but I not sure of the %. I spoke to a sales person there briefly over the phone and they said there is no negotiation on the price because their vehicles are price to sell and the prices are comparable to kbb, etc. The vehicle has been sitting in the lot for at least 90 days and I feel it hasnt sold because the vehicle is 7-8 years old now, maintenance needs to be done and parts needs to be replace at that amount of miles and also the price they are asking.

I really like the 2nd gen GS430 and Im in no rush to buy asap but I would be interested in buying the vehicle if I can get them to drop the price down to like $12,500. I dont know if that is a realistic price or not. I am new to buying vehicles especially at a dealership.

Sorry about the long post. I just wanted to make sure I covered everything. Any info/input is greatly appreciated. Pls help me out! Thanks in advance for your time and help.

RynoDyno312

Too much money, especially if it's gfoing to need a bunch of maintenance items. For $10k I might consider it, but not coming with records of any kind is not a good sign.

Agent00J

Car seems ok from what I can tell. It looks clean. Can you test drive it? Also, since it's approaching the 100k mark, you'd have to get all that other stuff taken care of pretty much asap - timing belt, plugs, oil, filters, etc. And it should be smooth sailing after that. But I have to admit I'm not terribly familiar with the life-span and reliability of those old V8 models.

Regarding the price; I'd talk them down. 15k seems really high to me. Also keep in mind that dealer's fees aren't typically included in the suggested price of a used car. So if they're advertised it as 15.5 then it'll probably end up costing closer to 18k by the time they add their commission, tags, and you still have to do the aforementioned maintenance work on it. Also, don't forget to punch in the numbers/specs at http://www.kbb.com/used-cars if you want a better idea of what price range the car should be going for.

Hopefully someone else can give you more/better input.


edit: Keep in mind most of the prices listed on kbb are typically for cars in good-excellent condition. And we all know most used cars aren't in "excellent" condition.

JunkyardGSR

$15.5k will go along way towards a nice, lower mileage IS300. The Lexus v8's are much more complicated then the i-6's and don't share their reputation for reliability.

RynoDyno312

Um, the 1uzfe family of engines are some of the most reliable around. Also, IS300s are dogs unless you slap on a turbo, wheras the GS430 gives you decent passing power right out of the box.

JunkyardGSR

Well "out of the box" is where it ends for the average tuner and the lexus v8. The parts catalog compared to it's little brother is embarrassingly small, let's forget about the fact that the GS is a boat. Id much rather get the 2jz in either the IS or the GS. Even if modding wasnt my first priority, I'd be happier with the car knowing that the option was always there to produce ballistic power.

RynoDyno312

A supercharger for the 1uzfe is pretty easy to piece together. There are brackets available to mount a vortec, and modified intakes to fit eaton m90s. Not a whole lot of bolt-ons, but for the cost of a turbo kit for the IS300 you could put together a low-pressure blown 1uz. You cna also bolt up a w154 (or whatever the 5-sped from the n/a supra is) to the V8 if you really wanted a stick.

white02civicsi

I spoke sales person and the price has been dropped to $13,000.

The facts are: 7-8yr old vehicle, 99k miles and no 90k or 100k services done for $13k is a little too much in this bad economy or even in a good economy. I feel it is still high and the 90k-100k service still needs to be done. The also found out the vehicle has been sitting on the lot for about 60 days and this is a BMW dealership. so im still not sure if i should stay away.

Im going to call them and offer $10.5k and see what they counter offer.

I currently have a 2002 honda civic si that is paid off and only has 39k miles and im not in a rush to sell it or trade it in.

RynoDyno312

10.5 out the door would be decent if the car checks out. You are probably gonna have to fork over 1200-1400 to get the timing belt and water pump replaced (90k service) if you can't/don't want to DIY.

It's probably been sitting on the lot becuase people don't buy heavily overpriced used lexus' from BMW dealers.

white02civicsi

i called my nearest lexus dealership and they looked up the vin# but it didnt show any work being done with them or any lexus dealerships. So i assume timing belt and water pump has not been done. Lexus charges $1,450 for 90k service and water pump.

RynoDyno312

Make sure you bring that up to the dealer if you go in to negotiate (even better if you can get an itemized list of what needs to be done from a lexus dealer). That's $1500 off what they are asking right there.

ej1 rep

personally I would not pay more 8500 for that car. Its already very old, and there are so many used cars out there it really is a buyers market.

I would much rather buy a 05 WRX with 50,000 miles for 10,000-14,000 dollars. which could easily be found

RynoDyno312

A GS430 and WRX are completely different cars. Generally a person who is considering one is not considering the others.

Compared to a GS430, a WRX is a low-rent rattle trap; and compared to a WRX, and GS430 is a land yacht.

donmeca2020

i think you can find those alot cheaper with mileage like that. id hold off and continue looking

JDMHN8

There is a supercharger kit made by an Australian company that let's you bolt on many off the shelf blowers from GM and Ford vehicles. TRD made a kit for the 2UZ, but stopped production because the spindly rods in the 95+ UZ engines can't take boost. Swap in some earlier rods, an s/c kit, good engine management and you can easily see 450+ silky smooth horsepower. Cams, headers, pistons and stroker kits are easy to find, too.

Timing belts are easy on these engines. Just a lot of **** to remove to get to it.

However, this car is WAY overpriced.

Wow are you retarded? How is a 3UZ more complex than a 2JZ? If anything it's simpler (all FE engines are), has a super strong bottom end (6 bolt mains and girdle, rods are the weak link) and has proven to be one of the most reliable V8s ever created. Complete dumbf'uck.

cannan

As a longtime GS430 owner, that price is way to high even with service records. Maybe down around 10.5k. Dealers are always going to be the more expensive route than a private party. And whomever told the person above that an IS300 has a better engine than the GS430 is on some serious crack. It isn't even worth arguing about its such a stupid comment.

Another item you'll want to look into in cars with or around 100k is the ball joints. They have a tendency to fail around that mileage. I just replaced mine recently and mine has 111k. Not a super big deal cost wise, but you definitely don't want to find out what happens when it is not done.

IMO the GS430 is one of the best cars flat out in the the 10-15K price range these days if your looking for a combination of power, luxury, and easy maintenance. Knock on wood but I have yet to pay a large repair bill on my 430, other than the timing belt and water pump which is to be expected.