Do Not Sell My Personal Information Jump to content


Used GS450H with high mileage


Recommended Posts

High everyone, I need help with a difficult choice (money vs. mileage).

Would it be wise to get a 2012 GS450H with about 150K KMs on the clock to save a few thousand euros? The car is at a dealership, so the maintenance record is good, but the high mileage still scares me away. It's an almost full option GS450H, which has a relative cheap price (~25K euros). For reference,  comparable GS450Hs with 'just' 100K KMs go for 33K euros. Can I expect any big costs down the road? Saving money now to spend it on repairs later wouldn't be smart I think.
It's always difficult to know how much mileage actually matters. What would be the limit for a relatively young car? 60K, 100K KMs? Would it be wiser to go for a car with less options and less mileage on the odo meter?

We plan to use the car for at least five years and we do 15K-20K KMs a year.

Link to comment
Share on other sites


If you pay upfront, you've paid 7k more for definite and may still need to pay more for repairs and maintenance. 100k isn't 10k, it's not new after all and has been used.

If you buy cheaper, you might have to pay for repairs, but the chance is less than 100%. That money can go to the warranty, and preventative maintenance and could possibly mean more hassle free driving than the more expensive one. Imagine if it didn't go wrong anymore than the 100k one, your 1/3 Better off.

One that's been used more and serviced and looked after, could well offer the better deal. 

Personally, I'd buy higher mileage, well looked after, used and cared for over potentially stood longer, doing shorter journeys and rusting from the inside all day long, especially when it leaves a good chunk of cash in the bank but buys you the same thing (to all intense purposes), not to mention if it did blow up etc, your less down the drain than the more expensive one hitting the dust.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

18 hours ago, Northern_Si said:

The GS is often listed in those online American articles of cars which will easily do 200K miles.    Buy a Lexus extended warranty and drive it for a few stressless years. 

That's what I'm planning on doing. Just bought a 9 year old GS with 73k on for £5k plus £900 for a 2 year Lexus warranty. If I get £3k back in 2 years that's less than £3k for 2 years stressless Lexus motoring.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

So are there no upcoming costly repairs after the 150K KM mark I should keep in mind? Something like "the something something inverter pump is likely to fail at that mileage, will cost you a few thousand!! Beware!".

Link to comment
Share on other sites


I'd be wary of the hybrid components at very high mileages, at the very least I'd want a current hybrid health check certificate. When hybrid components start to fail it can quickly cost thousands!!!

Mine suffered hybrid problems within weeks of ownership, luckily the dealer stepped up to the mark and took the car back and gave me a full refund. The car was great while it lasted but would I risk another? Probably not. There is simply too much expensive stuff to go wrong.

In fact, I'm having a break from Lexus completely, I've had 4 now and have found them all to be pretty far from the ultra reliable machines they are reputed to be, maybe I'm just unlucky but I'd tread very carefully and take the "Lexus just don't go wrong" arguments with a few grains of salt.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@mrdoofa: wow that sounds bad :/ Since I'm going to be buying from a dealer (it's a lot of money), the hybrid health check and the accompanying 1 year warranty will be included.

@stevet: I know I'm looking for trouble buying a huge V6 hybrid, but I am at a point in my life (32 years old) where I want to buy a crazy car for once. I'll probably won't care about cars in ten years, so I want to do something crazy when I still can and want to. I love my Prius and I really wanted an IS300H (though back seat room was very disappointing), but I just can't forget that one test drive with a GS450H. There's also the fact that here in the Netherlands the price difference between a 2014 GS300 and a 2013 GS450H is quite small, probably due to the lower demand for GS450H.

It's nice to see this thread wasn't instantly filled with dozens of upcoming problems for the GS450H though

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, Upex said:

Yeah but how much shove are you missing out on? :yes:

None when it goes wrong!!!

My mum drives a little tin box 2005 Daihatsu Charade which many people laugh at but it's bailed me out lots of times when I've had an apparently ultra reliable Lexus keep going wrong. It might only have a 1.0 3 cylinder engine but 50bhp that keeps going is better than 300bhp which doesn't.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

38 minutes ago, mrdoofa said:

None when it goes wrong!!!

My mum drives a little tin box 2005 Daihatsu Charade which many people laugh at but it's bailed me out lots of times when I've had an apparently ultra reliable Lexus keep going wrong. It might only have a 1.0 3 cylinder engine but 50bhp that keeps going is better than 300bhp which doesn't.

A brilliant car is/was, the Charade.

I drove a diesel 1.0 litre 3 cylinder from Wirral to London to attend the Wimbledon Championships many years ago and achieved 83mpg for the round trip !!

 

Regards

John

Link to comment
Share on other sites


5 hours ago, marrat said:

@mrdoofa: wow that sounds bad :/ Since I'm going to be buying from a dealer (it's a lot of money), the hybrid health check and the accompanying 1 year warranty will be included.

@stevet: I know I'm looking for trouble buying a huge V6 hybrid, but I am at a point in my life (32 years old) where I want to buy a crazy car for once. I'll probably won't care about cars in ten years, so I want to do something crazy when I still can and want to. I love my Prius and I really wanted an IS300H (though back seat room was very disappointing), but I just can't forget that one test drive with a GS450H. There's also the fact that here in the Netherlands the price difference between a 2014 GS300 and a 2013 GS450H is quite small, probably due to the lower demand for GS450H.

It's nice to see this thread wasn't instantly filled with dozens of upcoming problems for the GS450H though

Like you I came from a Prius to a GS450H. The total of repairs required on the Prius in 128,000 miles was replacement of a noisy front wheel bearing at around 90,000 miles.

The GS450H is light years away from a Prius in performance, and comfort, but is capable of putting a big smile on your face while also allowing you to sit back in silence, and watch the boy racers revving there engines at the lights knowing you have nothing to prove.

In any mode the car is quick, but in power mode overtaking can be stunning.

John.

 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

20 minutes ago, marrat said:

Did the drop in mpg going from Prius to GS450H hurt as much as I expect it to :biggrin:

In the summer I got 65 mpg from the Prius in the GS I get "since fitting a home brew stainless exhaust" around 37/38 mpg. Best tank average 40.9 mpg. This is all rural country roads no motorways or dual carriage ways, and plenty of hills. The thing that hurts the most is paying for road tax:w00t:

John.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, mrdoofa said:

None when it goes wrong!!!

My mum drives a little tin box 2005 Daihatsu Charade which many people laugh at but it's bailed me out lots of times when I've had an apparently ultra reliable Lexus keep going wrong. It might only have a 1.0 3 cylinder engine but 50bhp that keeps going is better than 300bhp which doesn't.

We best all ditch the cars and get single speed bikes, or our own two feet! 😁

Everything can go wrong, and lots do, even feet. The more there is, the more there is to break, it depends on what your after and finding the balance thats fits the individual at that particular time i guess. If not, or if there was a car that was perfect, we'd all be in one and they'd be nothing else on the road. Imagine the used prices if that were the case eh!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think there should of been a recall regarding the GS450h struts - some members have had premature failure even after having them replaced. The Lexus warranty will cover them at some dealers, at others they wont, and Lexus are the only ones with replacements. For this reason I think these cars will be prematurely scrapped  - thats sad news for a unique car with its unique performance.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share



×
×
  • Create New...