RE: Shed Of The Week: Lexus GS300

[crostonian]

Burwood said:

V8 FOU said:

No. not a pleasant car IMO.

Good luck with this dealer too. Tried to buy a Maserati, test drive was "up to the roundabout and back if you want" - all of 1/2 mile! Never 'phoned back etc etc

and given it is a dealer what's with 'sold as seen' all about. The car must still be roadworthy and reasonable quality

Quite true but try and define 'reasonable'! I prefer to sell my cheap pxs as 'Spares or Repairs' irrelevant of whether they run or not or have a current MOT.

[Blackpuddin]

velocefica said:

I've seen far better examples for less money.

Seriously? A gen 2 with that mileage? Hmm.

[TORQ]

I just couldn't get on with the grey leather/ plastics. Developed a real aversion to grey interiors = instantly dated and remind me of the John Major Spitting Image puppet. Otherwise a good shed.

[dunc_sx]

Always thought these came with the 2JZ engine or am I thinking about something entirely different?

[beko1987]

I've never seen one of these before, I like it now though! Great end to shed's year

But, as said, it's not a shed, it looks like just An Good Car.

Reminds me of a Toyota Corolla of the same vintage though body wise...

[adeel_gt]

2jzge vvti engine so running a bent not chain, same motor as a n/a supra!!

[harrykul]

SuperHangOn said:

Comfy, reliable motoring and a smooth six for under a grand. Great shed.

IIRC the brake booster or abs pump is the killer job on these but I think they can be rebuilt.

Can someone point me in the direction of whoever rebuilds them? We've got that problem at the moment on ours: a twin turbo Japanese version (not chavved).

[Gandahar]

2smoke said:

It seems unfair to call this a shed.

It's a wooden garden palace and a half for sure.

Looks like an E class. Unlike the E class the electrics might still work.

[Spanna]

When the M6 Toll first opened I was in Cannock with my step dad who had a Gen 1 at the time, thought we'd see what the road was all about instead of heading back down the A5. Completely empty, lane 1, 150 showing on the clock. Effortlessly reliable mechanically from what I remember.

[sleeky]

Needs a welded diff and a straight pipe, mint. (Any fans of Haggard Garage will get this...)

I have always had a soft spot for these though

[Digga]

Ran an M-reg GS300 Mk1 as a daily driver back in the day.

I'd previously used a couple of LS400s when hiring cars in USA and thought the smaller car more UK (parking space and fuel price) friendly, but in point of fact the engine never felt torquey enough and it somehow, in the smaller chassis, lost some of the bigger car's composure.

In hindsight, I have a sneaking suspicion of having made a mistake in not going for an XJ6.

[BrabusMog]

My Dad had one of these for a couple of months, think it was on a T plate. Went back about 3 times to have the alignment checked as it constantly pulled into the kerb, eventually an "engineer" came out with him in it and came back with the immortal line, "TADTS." Straight back to BMW, which is a shame, as they were very well specced compared to Mercs/BMW of the time, I think the only option was Sat Nav; leather, full electrics etc were all standard kit.

[SuperHangOn]

harrykul said:

Can someone point me in the direction of whoever rebuilds them? We've got that problem at the moment on ours: a twin turbo Japanese version (not chavved).

I believe there is a bloke who specialises in soarers who can do it. A search through the lexii forii should find him.....

[VolvoT5]

It looks lovely and I like the colour.

Realistically any 1k barge is going to effectively be 'sold as seen'...... but it always worries me a little when I see it specifically written out by a dealer as IME it often means the car is totally shagged and they know it........... it always seems a little greedy to me - if they want to sell the car with zero comeback they should trade it for less money, but instead they want to turn it over and make a few hundred quid extra but without doing any of the prep work or standing behind it if the engine goes bang in a fortnight.

Edited by VolvoT5 on Friday 18th December 13:49

[dufunk]

The only engines available for GS300 was the 2JZGE with vvti they were rather heavy considering the 1UZ GS400 was around same weight so you can see why it was around 6 seconds to 60. The Aristo jap import was one you wanted with the 2JZGTE! They all had an LSD so could diff pretty well. You have to remember Toyota and Lexus release rather slow performance figures to keep insurance down especially around that time but they are far from slow.

Edited by dufunk on Friday 18th December 14:29

[dlockhart]

Is it just me or do the wheels look comically small, I suspect they are 16s

[JayMan]

Always liked the Lexi, ever since I saw the 200is. Very revolutionary at the time, they invented 'Lexus lights' remember and the interior (instrument binnacle) was fab. Shame the exterior, and interior of this is so uninspiring and typically Japanese. I would still have one though for shed money.

[RoverP6B]

A sub-grand shed with a 2JZ would be a rather special thing indeed. It certainly looks nice.

[xxxscimitarxxx]

three owners, service history, under 80k miles, and fairly bullet proof engine/trans by all accounts which if well maintained will go on forever....as the saying goes 'A lot of car for the money'

[stephen300o]

The meh is strong with this one.