Lexus GS 300 – Is This a Good Car To Own?

Reader Question Thanks for putting up such a great site. There are far too few honest mechanics. I read your discussion about why you own a Lexus GS300 and have a couple of questions if you don’t mind. I am preparing to purchase a 2000 Lexus GS300 with 107,000 miles on it and no service history.

I am having a Lexus dealer shop inspect the vehicle, but given that it is in good shape, how many more trouble-free miles/years do you think I can reasonably expect to take this great car? Also, Consumer reports lists several Lexus models including the Lexus ES as being prone to engine
sludge, but does not list the Lexus GS. Do the GS
cars also have this problem? Finally, which ‘editorial’ sites do you most value (Consumer Reports,Edmonds, MSN Auto, JD Power, etc.).

In my experience,Consumer Reports seems to have the best source of reliability data (MSN autos relies on tallying phone calls from repair shops to a technical service, which
I think is likely to under-count the frequent dealer-serviced repairs on makes like Mercedes) and
Edmonds seems to price used vehicle most accurately.

Thanks for your time and help,
-John

John

The GS is a great car in my opinion, I love mine and even though it is “old” I can’t seem to part with it. It just keeps running and running.

100K Miles on a Lexus is nothing to worry about, although if the maintenance history has been neglected with the previous owners then not much you can do at this point to correct any internal damage that might have happened. 299K miles should not be a problem….the problem can be how much will it cost to get there? No one has a crystal ball, but the vehicle itself is an awesome one if taken care of.

Like any used car, get a TRUSTED mechanic to go over it and give their opinion. I would prefer that you pick a shop that will actually perform all future repairs, so they have somewhat a vested interest in your decision to buy.

I am not aware of an engine sludge issue, but I am a fanatic about changing my oil every 3K miles, there is NO sludge in my engine ( or abnormal sludge anyway) and I use just plain ole 10w30 motor oil, what ever is on sale….hahahah…..brand name oil, but I am not married to one particular brand like some people, I just change it regularly.

I do read reports from Consumer reports, and would probably put more value on them than the others…

Have you seen my used car check list, it is very helpful. Print it out and take it with you and see how much of it you can complete yourself, and let your mechanic do the rest for you. We charge $95 in my shop to give a car a “used car check out”.

Used Car Check List

here is a maintenance check list you might also find helpful

Maintenance Schedules