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Thinking Of Buying A Gs430 Sport ( What Should I Look For)


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Hello to everyone this my very first post on the forum and i hope to post many more, but before i start i would like to say what a fantastic forum it is everyone seems so helpfull. Right down to business i went to look at 53 plate gs 430 sport at the weekend its got 42,000 miles on the clock with 4 stamps in the service book two toyata one lexus and one independent ,had a good test drive in it which it seemed to be ok had a good listen to it after we had stopped engine sounded ok . Its had 4 owners in six years which im a bit concerned about but apart from that it seemed ok its a dealer whos selling by the way . So my question is what should i be looking out for what issues do these cars normally have, any help from any of you will be much appreciated . All the best James

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Hello to everyone this my very first post on the forum and i hope to post many more, but before i start i would like to say what a fantastic forum it is everyone seems so helpfull. Right down to business i went to look at 53 plate gs 430 sport at the weekend its got 42,000 miles on the clock with 4 stamps in the service book two toyata one lexus and one independent ,had a good test drive in it which it seemed to be ok had a good listen to it after we had stopped engine sounded ok . Its had 4 owners in six years which im a bit concerned about but apart from that it seemed ok its a dealer whos selling by the way . So my question is what should i be looking out for what issues do these cars normally have, any help from any of you will be much appreciated . All the best James

Hello.

Im not too sure about the MK2 GS but I think with any car use some sense which i think you have in asking the right questions.

-Is the price right, check with parkers etc.

-Full service history is king! Does it have paperwork, doesn't matter really, check with Lexus or Toyota they will know.

-Condition-a few scuffs is ok but add any repair to the cost and negotiations. You want a dent free car. Scratches are easy to fix by a scratch repair chap but can cost about £200 for say a scuffed bumper.

-Electrics - press everything, twice. Very reliable cars but check everything. It can be annoying when you realise that the passenger door mirror doesn't adjust as you drive away your new car.

-Previous owners. This is a slight worry for you with the car having had 4 owners, ask yourself will it be a worry when you sell it on now having 5 owners. The more owners the less appealing. Is this reflected in the price?

-Good milage on the car you described. HPI to make sure it is ok, even if the car costs, 3K, spend £30 have it done.

-Are you a member of the AA? For about £120 you could get a chap out who will look over your car and give you instant piece of mind when after the inspection he gives it the all clear.

-These cars come with a very good reliability record. Go to Warranty Direct website and check yourself. Go to the reliability index and find Lexus GS, look for the headings of engine and transmission. Issues are recorded here. In Mercedes index, for example there will be a number and this number lets you know how reliable that model is. If you notice, and it's remarkable, the index for Lexus GS engine and transmission are blank as they do not break, ever.

If you buy the car you will love it and it should always work, apart from when the Battery gives in- see my other topic!!!!

One more piece of advice, test drive a GS300 to see a difference between the two. A GS430 is 2 groups higher insurance and a bit thirsty, but if your not bothered then forget this sentence!

Enjoy the purchase! :D

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Most of the things you need to look for are found in here

In short - not a whole lot goes wrong. The article is focussed on the 300 models, but those are more or less identical apart from the obvious engine/gearbox differences. The most important thing is to get it up to speed properly - on a motorway for preference, and feel for vibrations through the body and steering wheel. The front suspension, balljoints, and wheel balance are all prone to making the steering wobble, which is just about the most common complaint on these cars. The age and mileage means it won't have needed a new cambelt yet, but it's probably due a good service if it's only had 4 in 6 years. Check all the electrics work - they are reliable, but there's a lot of gadgets so something may be playing up by now.

And most importantly, welcome to LOC!!

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Hello to everyone this my very first post on the forum and i hope to post many more, but before i start i would like to say what a fantastic forum it is everyone seems so helpfull. Right down to business i went to look at 53 plate gs 430 sport at the weekend its got 42,000 miles on the clock with 4 stamps in the service book two toyata one lexus and one independent ,had a good test drive in it which it seemed to be ok had a good listen to it after we had stopped engine sounded ok . Its had 4 owners in six years which im a bit concerned about but apart from that it seemed ok its a dealer whos selling by the way . So my question is what should i be looking out for what issues do these cars normally have, any help from any of you will be much appreciated . All the best James

If everything seems OK and the condition of the car looks as if it is consistent with the recorded mileage it should be OK. If you can get the previous owners details from the V5 when you check it (VIN etc) you could maybe phone him to see if he had any issues with it. Don't forget though that since you are buying from a dealer you have got 6 months warranty under Sale of Goods Act so don't worry too much and don't buy any extended warranties unless they are set to start 6 months from date of purchase. The GS 430 is a really great car.

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Hi again to everyone and thanks very much for your replies just got in from work and seen them, now im sat here debating whether to phone the bloke to tell him i want it ,done hpi check came through that ok its got all the old mots so mileage is a cert apart from the first three years when it didnt need one and the condition of the car stands up to its stated mileage interior was in good nick outside the same ,looked underneath it with a torch and the bottom looked ok no oil , water or rust looked normal so im willing to maybe take a chance on it i think you guys will probably say go for it me thinks.

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Hi again to everyone and thanks very much for your replies just got in from work and seen them, now im sat here debating whether to phone the bloke to tell him i want it ,done hpi check came through that ok its got all the old mots so mileage is a cert apart from the first three years when it didnt need one and the condition of the car stands up to its stated mileage interior was in good nick outside the same ,looked underneath it with a torch and the bottom looked ok no oil , water or rust looked normal so im willing to maybe take a chance on it i think you guys will probably say go for it me thinks.

If you feel it's the right car for you then why not go for it. You must be happy with the price to be "teetering on the edge." Make sure that the discs are OK as these won't be covered on warranty.

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Hi again to everyone and thanks very much for your replies just got in from work and seen them, now im sat here debating whether to phone the bloke to tell him i want it ,done hpi check came through that ok its got all the old mots so mileage is a cert apart from the first three years when it didnt need one and the condition of the car stands up to its stated mileage interior was in good nick outside the same ,looked underneath it with a torch and the bottom looked ok no oil , water or rust looked normal so im willing to maybe take a chance on it i think you guys will probably say go for it me thinks.

If you feel it's the right car for you then why not go for it. You must be happy with the price to be "teetering on the edge." Make sure that the discs are OK as these won't be covered on warranty.

Pricewise he wants £8000 but hes gone down to 7500 which in the books is about right disks i checked they were brand new.

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Hi again to everyone and thanks very much for your replies just got in from work and seen them, now im sat here debating whether to phone the bloke to tell him i want it ,done hpi check came through that ok its got all the old mots so mileage is a cert apart from the first three years when it didnt need one and the condition of the car stands up to its stated mileage interior was in good nick outside the same ,looked underneath it with a torch and the bottom looked ok no oil , water or rust looked normal so im willing to maybe take a chance on it i think you guys will probably say go for it me thinks.

If you feel it's the right car for you then why not go for it. You must be happy with the price to be "teetering on the edge." Make sure that the discs are OK as these won't be covered on warranty.

Pricewise he wants £8000 but hes gone down to 7500 which in the books is about right disks i checked they were brand new.

Offer him £7250!!!!!!! :D

Buy it, you will love it!

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problem wise everything has been listed here. the 4.3 engine is Superb,

but one thing i would suggest is that as you know nobody is after a big engined car atm. i feel that there is a bit of haggling in that price. id say its worth giving it a go offer silly money first and see the reaction. then set a price in your mind and dont exceed it. if that price is 7,5k then so be it, but id recommend giving it ago.

let us know how you get on, and Welcome to LOC

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Hi again to everyone i am jad7 but have had to re-register , dont know why it just wouldnt let me log in anyway just to let you all know how ive got on i bought it on saturday got him down to 7250 ,so ive been driving it all week . Its black and looks the dogs wosits drives very well actually surprising me on motorways as i have a bmw 740 which it is replacing and its not far off that motorway wise although a bit bumper around town which i am having to get used to. It has alot to live up to because the beamer has been like a tank nothing gone wrong on it barring a radiator in over four years of motoring so fingers crossed it proves to be as reliable . I will see if i can upload some pictures of it soon .

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