superatticman

I've done the whole '2 cars' thing in the past and just found it to be too expensive in the long run. Its worth a go if you have something a bit more specialist and just want a bog standard daily driver to accompany it. 2003-2005, I owned a 1991 Trans Am GTA at one point and after a few months of using it as a daily driver decided to buy a tired but tough as nails Mazda 323F as a runabout. Two sets of insurance, tax, MOT etc though does start to grate but as a daily the 350ci V8 Trans AM was starting to hit my wallet. The main problem though was not being able to really carry much kit about. A bit of a problem if you are an IT contractor. God knows how but in 2010 I also ended up with a Honda Accord 3.0 V6 Coupe and a MG ZT CDTi+ on the books for about 6 months. I bought the Honda as an 11 year old car but with barely 30k on, 1 owner with a full dealer stamp. Was planning on selling the MG at the same time but the market had crashed for this car and was looking at a fairly big loss. Kept them both but the two sets of expenses soon started to hit so the ZT went onto Ebay and inevitable big loss occurred. Don't think I'd have gained anything by keeping it for longer and have no off road storage. To get back totally on topic though. My GS covers all my needs. A fantastic daily driver. But slightly 'rare' and different to give me that non conformist kudos. Very nearly bought a Carlton GSi 3000 24v that a friend was selling cheap, but thankfully my more sensible side took over. As much as I wanted one at the time...it just seemed a plasticky, notchy, poorly equipped potential money pit that offered nothing that my GS does.

Am a bit of a traditionalist when it comes to interiors. However I rather like that 🙂 Enjoy the GS250. Realistically, the last chance at owning a newish design that's a traditional NA 6 cyl comfy cruiser. The last in line really.

Congratulations. Yes I avoid sunroof models like the plague. You lose a good 2" of headroom. Photos on please 🙂 lets see her.

I quite like the RX450h. However as a statement it's still a bit 'family with 2.4 kids' for my liking. The GS still has that slightly 'lower middle aged executive' look and feel. Just in my opinion.

Hi Lukash Am 6'4 here and fairly long in the back so headroom a must. GS has decent headroom overall. Not quite as good as my previous E60 or an A6 that I test drove but good enough to be able to drive in a comfy position and keep my head rested on the headrest. Found the IS pretty tight inside if I'm being honest. Cheers

Hi Waleed. The injectors on this engine are fairly noisy (especially when cold) land was something I noticed straight away when test driving a GS250 for the first time. I test drove three low mileage versions and all sounded exactly the same. You only hear them during certain driving conditions though. In fact I'd agree they do sound a bit like a diesel at times. My previous 2.5 litre 6cyl engine in a 5 series was definitely more of a 'purring' engine than the Lexus lump which is a bit more 'rorty' so to speak. Perhaps it's pointing towards something injector wise? Agree with the comments though. 95k is nothing on this particular engine. Unlike a lot of German stuff which sensors, electrics etc start to complain at 80-100k, this unit should in general be bombproof. However that clip from YouTube is definitely a bit more severe than anything I've heard. As for independent specialists in North London afraid I can't help. I've always used Lexus main dealer Edgware Road and theyve always been very good. Price wise Lexus main dealers aren't as bad as one might presume.

Well done. I guess it's all very well people suggesting a Lexus is good for 300k, 100k is 'just run in' etc. But sooner or later this theory needs to actually get put to the test and a higher mileage purchase made. Higher mileage cars at 150k plus are reasonably common on the US second hand market, even from more reputable dealers. It's not seen as such a big deal as it is here although they obviously do a far higher proportion of highway driving.

I'd happily trust Honda 'tech' as I would Lexus 'tech. Built to a spec as opposed to a cost. The two Accord V6 Coupes I had over a period of 7 years were both absolutely faultless. Not a single repair required bar service items. Both had the relatively low tech 3.0 SOHC V6 but not a single issue. That generation of Legend sold very well in the USA although I believe it was badged as an Accura.

How did you find your Legend?? I seriously considered one of these about 6 years ago. Test drove a couple but ended up with an E60 523i instead. I could have got a similar year Legend for about 2 grand cheaper (and paid the extra fuel) but I really liked the immaculate tan interior of the E60. Was just extremely glad I had a year's warranty with the E60 though!!!!!

Yes it seems Lexus had a go at the '2 Litre Turbo 240bhp challenge' and sadly failed. The Germans seemed to get it right but I've no idea how reliable their units are when bought at 40-50k+ However, yes, Road Tax will be relatively cheap on a vehicle like this. You can get a 528i that gets to 60 in just over 6 seconds and pay just over £150 a year road duty. A shame Lexus doesn't have a turbocharged or supercharged version of the 2.5 litre 4 pot. Even possible with a hybrid system? Kind of defeats the objective I guess.....

Just to say that's a lovely car you have there. Given that I'm determined to stay with the Lexus brand a later GS450h is very much a contender when its 'time'. Hope you get your tyre issues sorted. A relatively inexpensive piece of rubber can cause all kinds of issue to a car's overall feel and drive! I ended up having to get two 'cheapo' tyres at the back as on two separate occasions was caught far from home with a puncture. Think I could do better road noise wise. Always tried to get decent rubber on without spending silly money. Not an easy combination!

I'd definitely say bigger petrol engines are pretty damn efficient at cruising speeds these days. Not uncommon for a modern NA 6 cylinder to touch 50mpg when on a run. The preserve of the Germans maybe who seem to update their engine designs more or less every few years. I get around 42-43 mpg in my GS250 and that's effectively an engine that was first derived in about 2003 I believe? My previous E60 2.5 petrol got around 45mpg if cruising at 70. That engine was an 2007 updated version of the powerplant. My previous to that 1999 Honda Accord V6 3.0 Coupe used to struggle to get anything more than 32mpg even when cruising at 60. It was known to be a bombproof, torquey but thirsty unit. However....running at higher speeds didn't really seem to affect it that much. Strange considering it was a predominantly USA market SOHC lump where slightly lower speeds tend to be in force. I'd have estimated it would have been pretty efficient when running on the Autobahn at 100mph for hours and hours.

Also....some residents parking zones will charge considerably less for a hybrid vehicle.

Yes. Absolutely. I've always been happy buying larger 6 cylinder Japanese cars in the past with little or no warranty. Bar servicing I've never had a single issue spanning over 25 years. Supra Mk3T, Camry V6, Accord V6 x2, Soarer TT and present Lexus. However, something with a hybrid system I'd really want it backed up with a warranty of some description. I think there's a reason Lexus Sidcup were happy to 'throw in' a 3 year warranty with mine to help shift it from the forecourt. They knew jolly well I'd never need to use it.

Brilliant detective work. Cannot argue with those figures at all. So in general, there isn't a huge amount to be gained (financially) by choosing a GS250 over a 300h of a pre FL year. I'd like to know overall cost of ownership over 5 years between the two. Using less fuel is just one factor. Does the hybrid system require a higher cost of servicing? Another comparison....the guy at Lexus Sidup reckoned a GS250 and GS450h were fairly similar MPG wise but of course the 450h will leave the 250 standing.

And another thing.....I guess if you had ES money to spend, then some form of the LS could come into play. Extra fuel and servicing but you would get an extremely high quality car for similar money over the long run. You could possibly even get a mid 2010s lower mileage, well maintained LS600h and keep it within the cost of a higher end ES over 5 years? Obvious constraints to the above are parking and possibly ULEZ.

Yep my numbers were a bit hastily pulled out of Autotrader. However I'd be very surprised if a like for like 2013 model GS250/300h can be picked up for the same price? Given the assumption that 2013 was the last year of the GS250 but the very first year of the 300h? So both vehicles have 60k on. Both vehicles are 1 owner, both vehicles are same trim. Both vehicles are sold at a franchised dealer with the same warranty. I'd expect to pay around 4-5k difference for the privilege of having the hybrid capability. I believe there's was a high miler 2014 GS300h on the trader and a very low miler 2013 Gs250 at a similar price. Is that what you were alluding to? One thing I've noticed though, is that second hand prices, even on bigger, seemingly less desirable petrol engined cars seem to be fairly high at present. Lack of movement of the newer stuff?

I guess an interesting comparison would be between the GS250 and GS300h or ES300h. Performance? Probably not a lot in it between any of them. The V6 no doubt sounds better. Better to drive probably too. Economy? No doubt the GS250 isn't particularly economical for a 'brisk' car. Smaller to mid size V6's are often quite poor when it comes to performance v mpg. Quite often a 2.5 will return exactly the same mpg as a 3.0 whilst losing over a second on 0-60 time. And it seems a frugal 2.0D of the same generation can match a 2.5 petrol performance wise. The GS and ES 300 hybrid models no doubt are very economical. Build quality? GS models seem very solid 2012 thru 2019. In fact its probably its biggest selling point. ES seems by reports a slight step down overall, although still decent. Reliability? Well my GS250 has been absolutely outstanding so far. I'd expect the 300h to be too. Too early to judge the ES??? Price? Newest GS250 as expected comes in at around 5k cheaper than the oldest 300h of similar condition. So do the math and decide whether you are really going to save anything over the long haul. ES300 seems expensive though for a vehicle which some reports suggest is a slightly step down quality wise. I'd like to know what exactly I'm getting for paying nearly 3x as much as I would for a low mileage, 1 owner GS250. Or ten grand more than a later, well looked after GS300h? Yes newer = more expensive but value wise? Of course when you throw a later, low mileage GS450h into the mix, you are getting a quite potent, reliable and superbly built machine for around 6k less than an ES300h. I'm certainly not looking to knock the ES300, I may end up buying one in the end!

Funnily enough this reminds me of what happened to my old E60. They actually took the heatshield away from the manifold for the last two years of the model. Resulting in a warped rocker cover!

This is a great thread as its something I'm going to have to ponder at some point. The part about London traffic very relevant though. If, like me you spend the majority of your time in traffic, or cruising along the speed camera infested motorways then you have to question whether the extra power is worth it? London is only going one way, with 20mph limits, yet more speed cameras etc etc. So a moderately powered hybrid makes sense. I've yet to even sit in an ES300 but it needs to have at least even headroom to my GS for it to work. The ES is lauded as a high quality, reliable and comfortable car. But....it does seem pricey for what it is.

Ahhh.....a man after my very own heart! GS250 is a fantastic car. Its very much the right car for those who were happy in a Rover 75 2.5 Connoisseur, 3.0 Omega Elite etc. Ie those wanting a comfortable, brisk, well equipped smooth riding car but with added class and reliability from Lexus. Its really the last in line of decades of conventional, mid sized 6 cylinder engined cars. True, you will still pay a fair premium for it being a Lexus, but you will get a superbly engineered and extremely reliable car for your money. Looking at prices for the GS250 it looks like they've held their value quite a bit and am fairly surprised at the fact there is barely anything under 10 grand for an 8-9 year old vehicle. Think I paid £13k for mine with a 3yr warranty, 26k on the clock from Lexus Sidcup in December 2018. Looks like mine has only lost around 1k in value judging by whats out there. Yes the 300h is more frugal and the 450h is pretty rapid for the class of vehicle. Yes both are your options if you want to buy newer. But a car like this can be bought on condition as opposed to age. I'm more than happy with mine. I came from an E60 2.5 petrol and whilst it was a nice car overall, the difference in reliability and engineering is chalk and cheese. Good luck

So in essence....it's actually a vote of total confidence in the 'Lexus quiet' theory. Have to say the interior is absolutely silent in general. No rattles, squeaks or buzzes. Even my previous E60 which was a tad quieter road noise wise, had a few annoying interior rattles depending on road conditions etc.

Hey, Royoftherovers....it's not just me apparently 🙂 https://youtu.be/cCcaaikfWWA Although mine isn't a whistle, more of subtle roar.

I guess I could just remove them............... 🤪 Strange as I've never noticed this on any of my other cars. And lets say when I was younger my right boot was a bit heavier. Granted I'm a fusspot with squeaks, rattles and anything slightly out of the ordinary, which is just one reason why I absolutely love the GS.

🙂 Is apparent from 60 up. Mind you if the speedo read 72.....that probably means 70 or even 69 in real life. Is more apparent when its blustery out.