Danjwilko

I am getting better feedback on the gs450h thats for sure, reading through the forums. carbon build up, transmissions better etc, only down side would eb boot space, but thinking about it how often do we use the full boot capacity? itl more than likely be the odd irregular shape that throws it out of contention. flapt panle or large box haha. would the transmission in the 2006 450h be the same as the more problematic 2006 gs 300? The ones at the garage are both 2006, ones a gs450, the other is a gs300, is250 sold anyway. GS300 has only done 91k where as the gs450 has done 171k which after finally being able to view it was a bit of a kicker, never liked higher mileage cars due to wear on the engine, where as lower mileage units tend to be shorter journeys but harder wear on the drive train.

I did just have a read up on this issue, looks like carbon build up and more transmission issues with the 06 models. no menton of 05 but id assume its the same, so it would be 07 + which also means theres a lot less available in budget, shifting to the 450h opens up a few more options. Il have another hunt see what is250's and 450h's I can find.

A quick nosey on Autotrader I'd probably be looking at 2005-2006 gs300, or the gs450h. Il steer clear of the £500+ road tax bracket, been there before Its not a great option considering the amount of similar cars in a lower tax bracket. Il bear that in mind so il keep an eye on that one.

Appreciate your reply, around 80% of the time would just be myself commuting, however it would be used as a small family car too, minimum 2 adults 1 child in a car seat, pram the usual shopping spree items. For driving daily for a quick trip into town we usually use my wife's BMW 120d m sport, which does the job quite nicely. I would have bought a 3 series but most are abused, rear seats not folding and small boot was a no go, ( I know the Lexus seats don't fold but the bigger boot holds sway on that one).

Thank you for the input, I'll make sure i get both the 300 and 450 driven to compare. as so far ive only driven the is250 and the 300, 300 was miles ahead of the 250 in smooth driving relax-ability, not uncomfortable in the is250 mind just different. My 9-5 was relatively reliable over the course I had it, the usual wear and tear items, I think the worst issue was the coil pack, whcih failed on my drive so was unusable for a couple for days, only other job i think i did was the Crankshaft oil seal, iirc the repair cost about 50p and 30 mins labour, job done where as the saab 9-3ss 7 years newer was a pig in comparison, 2 hours of just awkwardness for the same job, I wont go into the list of issues but one after the other just ended the love of SAABs newer offerings. Which was a shame.

Good info in the wall that's for sure, I'll have to have a longer test drive make sure the 450 gets a decent outing too as it wasn't available to test at the time. the is250 as you say was sportier and smaller so not sure if its a contender space wise anyway so would be more gs300/gs450 the only thing that was putting me off the 450 was the hybrid batteries some horror stories that you always end up with online. Overall I don't do a huge amount of mileage each year around 8000k used to do 30k plus commuting down south every week, obviously less now due to lockdown but we have family in Cornwall, we used a family members XC90 mk2 for a short trip down which was a breeze. I wouldn't dream of going down there in the VW, to cramped, uncomfortable after short periods its an ok A-B car in short commutes up to about 45 mins but any longer I'm wanting out. Budget is around 3500 4000k plus whatever i can get for either selling or part exchanging the VW in. On the Hybrid battery front I take it the battery check will be documented in the service book? Any come backs if a years is missed? The more I look at them I want one haha, Due to where we live mind which is country side for a few miles before we hit main roads would the rx series not be a bad shout? never really liked the look of them for some reason where I think the gs series is great to look at.

Hi all, As per the title, I've always had a soft spot for Lexus, since i started driving 14+ years ago, however always ended up with something else depending on what was available locally, I owned a SAAB 9-5 SE 1997 Which probably had the comfiest seats of any car I've been in since, regrettably sold it as it was just sat on the drive for months back in my Army days always wished i had kept it as it was clean as a whistle no rust, fully documented service history etc. Purchased a few years later a 2003 Saab 9-3ss which yes looked sleeker but the quality had gone, things wore out quickly with paint peeling and plastic trim de laminating after a few years use. Our family mechanic told us to get a VW more specifically with the 1.9 engine pre dpf and i quote "you'll keep it for years", 1 year in im looking at 2 sticking calipers, 1 dual mass flywheel as its starting to rattle and cause the clutch to judder, rust has started to bubble up beneath the paint work in the door steps, arches and boot lid, which for a car one owner full service history and looked after I'm beginning to loose interest in cars. More seriously my wife has a bad back and after about 20 mins shes finding it painful and on a hour journey im also finding the seats uncomfortable. Something twigged when i saw both the is250 and the gs300 at our local garage I was amazed at firstly at having some local and secondly at the quality compared to some newer cars, anyway after having a nosey, I love the gs300 it looks and feels great, great quality same with the is250 although more sporty, now I'm seriously wanting to put some money down and finally get the Lexus after all these years but, I don't want to buy what on paper looks great and have nothing but problems. People seem to absolutely love there cars and talk highly of Lexus when ive mentioned about purchasing one. So far i think I've been unlucky with the cars since getting grid of the Saab 9-5, usually spend months looking for a decent one viewing it, test driving making sure im 100% happy with paperwork and checking stuff over to end up with a string of problems, which does my head in when im a stickler for servicing and carrying out preventative maintenance. So i guess my question is how reliable are Lexus cars? I usually do all the work on vehicles myself being a HGV mechanic anyway. And buying an older is250 or gs300 circa 2008-2010 a wise decison or am i saking for trouble from engine or auto gearbox? Seats wise are they supportive in both models for long distance (guessing the gs300 will be as that's the sort of market it was aimed at). Lastly all being well with the above mentioned models which would you recommend and why? Appreciate its a wall so apologies on that front, just trying to get as much info as i can before purchasing. Cheers all Dan