1998 Lexus GS 300 3.0

Summary:

A great looking fast and reliable executive saloon

Faults:

Rear brake pad binding cost £30 to repair.

General Comments:

My previous cars include 2 Jaguars and a new Mercedes and this car just beats them all. I purchased this as a temporary replacement while I looked for something later. A year on and I am just amazed at how this car performs. No rattles even at 109,000 miles. At 210 horse power its quicker than most need. In my experience the economy is better than I expected, around 28 on a run. The standard sound system is excellent. My only gripe is the alloys are a little basic, but other than that I would change nothing. My next car will be just a later GS300.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 7th March, 2004

8th Dec 2005, 19:39

I have a 1998 Lexus GS 300 that has been in seven accidents at rather high speeds. The only original part on the exterior is my driver's side door. The reason for stating this absurdity is to lay claim to the fact that the 1998 GS 300 is a phenomenal automobile. There have been no engine or transmission issues throughout 6 years of owning this auto. It requires minimal visits to the dealer/garage. The speed and acceleration are as responsive as the day I purchased it.

My child rides safely in the rear seats and the leather interior tops any Mercedes factory sport seating units. Like the previous, the factory alloys are trash, however, that is a relatively mundane gripe seeing as how most people choose to place other rims/feet on their car.

2000 Lexus GS 300 Sport 3.0

Summary:

Sheep in wolfs clothing!

Faults:

Nothing!

Apart from the fact the car is totally uncontrollable in snow!

Even with (well run in) P zeros!

And the VSC is quite useless!

Winter 2001 in a November snow storm, the AA had to toe me home due to how uncontrollable the car became.

When I had the car checked over by Lexus (who charged £130) they stated the cars had handling problems in the wet and snow, which would be corrected in the next model (I have the letter from Lexus stating this)

Do all Lexus cars Have the same problem. As I'm looking to change my x5 (i grow tried of German cars) and the LS400 has always looked good to me.

General Comments:

I've had M3's,330ci Convertible, Clk Convertible, and a x5. But the car most fitting for my family was the Gs300 sport.

It was silver with beige interior.

Why could it not have better handling. Its such a shame.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 14th November, 2003

11th Sep 2006, 10:52

P Zeros are the worst possible tires to have on any car while driving in snow. They are Summer Performance tires, meaning the tread pattern is designed for maximum grip on dry roads. *Any* car (probably *Every* car) is going to perform very poorly in wet/snowy/icy conditions with those tires mounted.

Your comments are hard to take seriously considering you obviously do not know what you are talking about.

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1999 Lexus GS 300 SE 3.0 petrol

Summary:

Good solid reliable companion

Faults:

One of the rear wheel bearings needed tightening up after 17000 miles.

The exhaust started to rattle slightly after around 22000 miles. It turned out to be a heat shield.

Front tyres seem to wear out very fast.

General Comments:

The car is very quick off the mark for such a heavy motor.

Comfort is second to none, it doesn't matter how long you are stuck in traffic, it's a pleasant environment in which to spend your day.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 27th November, 2001

11th Feb 2003, 04:30

It is strange how your front tires appear to wear out fast, as the GS300 is Rear Wheel drive!

23rd May 2003, 11:24

It is HIGHLY adviseable to purchase a lifetime alignment/balancing from a company like firestone. I own a 1994 GS300 and it has the same issue with tire wear. I was told the aluminum wheels are difficult to balance properly and they tend to go out of balance quickly, resulting in rapid tire wear.

With the lifetime free balance/alignment I simply have my tires balance/rotated/aligned every 3000 miles (when I get my oil change). This has solved any problems with tire wear.