2005 Lexus GS300 (3rd gen)
Discussion
After leaving my sales job and handing back my company car (a 2016 BMW 218i coupe) I needed a new daily driver. For the past 18-months I’ve enjoyed reading the ‘Best smoker barges 1-5’ thread and loved the idea of a luxury saloon to waft around in.
As this would be our sole car for the time being, reliability was high up the list. At first I was thinking of a E39 BMW 5-series, but even the newest ones are now 15 years old and the consensus seemed to be that if doing significant mileage, suspension and coolant systems will probably need regular work and rust can be a problem. I also considered stretching my budget to a early Jaguar XF but horror stories of expensive diesel-related bills and questionable electronics put me off. In the end, I decided to play it safe with a Lexus.
So here it is, my new-to-me 12 year old Lexus GS300. It has 2 previous owners, a full Lexus service history (14 stamps in 12 years!), 98k miles, 4 matching Goodyear's, and cost me just £4k.
I’ve just given it its first proper wash and wax, so here are a few external photos. The looks are gradually growing on me, it's not quite as good looking as its little brother, the IS250, but the additional refinement and comfort swung it for me, and I like the fact you don't see many of them around.
I've covered 600 miles so far and am really pleased. The interior is like new, the seats are really comfortable and amazingly the leather is in better condition than the 18-month old BMW it replaces. The 6-speedCVT automatic gearbox is smooth, with reasonable kickdown, and to be honest in day to day driving seems just as good at the 8-speed ZF I had in the BMW. With a gentle right foot, I'm averaging around 28mpg in town and got 38mpg on a run from London to Cardiff last week, which I think is pretty good for a 3.0 petrol V6. The engine itself is smooth and quiet; it'll apparently do 0-60 in 6.8s, but it's hard to tell as it insulates you from the outside world so well.
The heated and ventilated armchairs:
Aluminium dials:
The tech really blows my last car out of the water - keyless entry and go, adaptive xenons, heated and ventilated seats, cruise control, reversing camera, all round parking sensors, rear blind, bluetooth, dual zone climate, auto dimming rear and wing mirrors, and electrically adjusted everything. It also has the upgraded 14 speaker Mark Levinson sound system which is brilliant, particularly compared to the stock 4-speaker system I had on the BMW!
Retro infotainment console, complete with cassette deck:
The damped secret drawer of wonder:
Only niggles so far are a TPMS warning that can't be disabled (I'm pretty sure it just needs a new sensor in one of the wheels) and a slightly half-arsed dealer wheel refurb which is starting to peel on some of the inside surfaces, although the outer surfaces do look good. I'm debating whether to go back to the dealer to try and get them to sort these. There's also a couple of dash rattles, but it looks like they should be simple to fix - I'll report back when I've had a go.
As this would be our sole car for the time being, reliability was high up the list. At first I was thinking of a E39 BMW 5-series, but even the newest ones are now 15 years old and the consensus seemed to be that if doing significant mileage, suspension and coolant systems will probably need regular work and rust can be a problem. I also considered stretching my budget to a early Jaguar XF but horror stories of expensive diesel-related bills and questionable electronics put me off. In the end, I decided to play it safe with a Lexus.
So here it is, my new-to-me 12 year old Lexus GS300. It has 2 previous owners, a full Lexus service history (14 stamps in 12 years!), 98k miles, 4 matching Goodyear's, and cost me just £4k.
I’ve just given it its first proper wash and wax, so here are a few external photos. The looks are gradually growing on me, it's not quite as good looking as its little brother, the IS250, but the additional refinement and comfort swung it for me, and I like the fact you don't see many of them around.
I've covered 600 miles so far and am really pleased. The interior is like new, the seats are really comfortable and amazingly the leather is in better condition than the 18-month old BMW it replaces. The 6-speed
The heated and ventilated armchairs:
Aluminium dials:
The tech really blows my last car out of the water - keyless entry and go, adaptive xenons, heated and ventilated seats, cruise control, reversing camera, all round parking sensors, rear blind, bluetooth, dual zone climate, auto dimming rear and wing mirrors, and electrically adjusted everything. It also has the upgraded 14 speaker Mark Levinson sound system which is brilliant, particularly compared to the stock 4-speaker system I had on the BMW!
Retro infotainment console, complete with cassette deck:
The damped secret drawer of wonder:
Only niggles so far are a TPMS warning that can't be disabled (I'm pretty sure it just needs a new sensor in one of the wheels) and a slightly half-arsed dealer wheel refurb which is starting to peel on some of the inside surfaces, although the outer surfaces do look good. I'm debating whether to go back to the dealer to try and get them to sort these. There's also a couple of dash rattles, but it looks like they should be simple to fix - I'll report back when I've had a go.
Edited by Jimi.K. on Monday 12th February 11:50
I occasionally look at these as a replacement for my 1998 GS, but I am always confused about the gearbox. GS300s are often advertised as CVT, but all the information I can find says it's a conventional auto, and only the "H"ybrid has the CVT transmission.
What is the gearbox code on the VIN plate?
What is the gearbox code on the VIN plate?
Edited by gareth_r on Sunday 11th February 19:20
gareth_r said:
I occasionally look at these as a replacement for my 1998 GS, but I am always confused about the gearbox. GS300s are often advertised as CVT, but all the information I can find says it's a conventional auto, and only the "H"ybrid has the CVT transmission.
What is the gearbox code on the VIN plate?
Correct, they are normal auto boxes, not CVT, they are hybrids.What is the gearbox code on the VIN plate?
Edited by gareth_r on Sunday 11th February 19:20
The CVT boxes are not a patch on the conventional torque converter boxes.
6 speed, with intermediates on 5th and 6th, so getting 8 in total.
R1
Jimi.K. said:
After leaving my sales job and handing back my company car (a 2016 BMW 218i coupe) I needed a new daily driver. For the past 18-months I’ve enjoyed reading the ‘Best smoker barges 1-5’ thread and loved the idea of a luxury saloon to waft around in.
As this would be our sole car for the time being, reliability was high up the list. At first I was thinking of a E39 BMW 5-series, but even the newest ones are now 15 years old and the consensus seemed to be that if doing significant mileage, suspension and coolant systems will probably need regular work and rust can be a problem. I also considered stretching my budget to a early Jaguar XF but horror stories of expensive diesel-related bills and questionable electronics put me off. In the end, I decided to play it safe with a Lexus.
So here it is, my new-to-me 12 year old Lexus GS300. It has 2 previous owners, a full Lexus service history (14 stamps in 12 years!), 98k miles, 4 matching Goodyear's, and cost me just £4k.
I’ve just given it its first proper wash and wax, so here are a few external photos. The looks are gradually growing on me, it's not quite as good looking as its little brother, the IS250, but the additional refinement and comfort swung it for me, and I like the fact you don't see many of them around.
I've covered 600 miles so far and am really pleased. The interior is like new, the seats are really comfortable and amazingly the leather is in better condition than the 18-month old BMW it replaces. The 6-speed CVT is smooth, with reasonable kickdown, and to be honest in day to day driving seems just as good at the 8-speed ZF I had in the BMW. With a gentle right foot, I'm averaging around 28mpg in town and got 38mpg on a run from London to Cardiff last week, which I think is pretty good for a 3.0 petrol V6. The engine itself is smooth and quiet; it'll apparently do 0-60 in 6.8s, but it's hard to tell as it insulates you from the outside world so well.
The heated and ventilated armchairs:
Aluminium dials:
The tech really blows my last car out of the water - keyless entry and go, adaptive xenons, heated and ventilated seats, cruise control, reversing camera, all round parking sensors, rear blind, bluetooth, dual zone climate, auto dimming rear and wing mirrors, and electrically adjusted everything. It also has the upgraded 14 speaker Mark Levinson sound system which is brilliant, particularly compared to the stock 4-speaker system I had on the BMW!
Retro infotainment console, complete with cassette deck:
The damped secret drawer of wonder:
Only niggles so far are a TPMS warning that can't be disabled (I'm pretty sure it just needs a new sensor in one of the wheels) and a slightly half-arsed dealer wheel refurb which is starting to peel on some of the inside surfaces, although the outer surfaces do look good. I'm debating whether to go back to the dealer to try and get them to sort these. There's also a couple of dash rattles, but it looks like they should be simple to fix - I'll report back when I've had a go.
OMG !!As this would be our sole car for the time being, reliability was high up the list. At first I was thinking of a E39 BMW 5-series, but even the newest ones are now 15 years old and the consensus seemed to be that if doing significant mileage, suspension and coolant systems will probably need regular work and rust can be a problem. I also considered stretching my budget to a early Jaguar XF but horror stories of expensive diesel-related bills and questionable electronics put me off. In the end, I decided to play it safe with a Lexus.
So here it is, my new-to-me 12 year old Lexus GS300. It has 2 previous owners, a full Lexus service history (14 stamps in 12 years!), 98k miles, 4 matching Goodyear's, and cost me just £4k.
I’ve just given it its first proper wash and wax, so here are a few external photos. The looks are gradually growing on me, it's not quite as good looking as its little brother, the IS250, but the additional refinement and comfort swung it for me, and I like the fact you don't see many of them around.
I've covered 600 miles so far and am really pleased. The interior is like new, the seats are really comfortable and amazingly the leather is in better condition than the 18-month old BMW it replaces. The 6-speed CVT is smooth, with reasonable kickdown, and to be honest in day to day driving seems just as good at the 8-speed ZF I had in the BMW. With a gentle right foot, I'm averaging around 28mpg in town and got 38mpg on a run from London to Cardiff last week, which I think is pretty good for a 3.0 petrol V6. The engine itself is smooth and quiet; it'll apparently do 0-60 in 6.8s, but it's hard to tell as it insulates you from the outside world so well.
The heated and ventilated armchairs:
Aluminium dials:
The tech really blows my last car out of the water - keyless entry and go, adaptive xenons, heated and ventilated seats, cruise control, reversing camera, all round parking sensors, rear blind, bluetooth, dual zone climate, auto dimming rear and wing mirrors, and electrically adjusted everything. It also has the upgraded 14 speaker Mark Levinson sound system which is brilliant, particularly compared to the stock 4-speaker system I had on the BMW!
Retro infotainment console, complete with cassette deck:
The damped secret drawer of wonder:
Only niggles so far are a TPMS warning that can't be disabled (I'm pretty sure it just needs a new sensor in one of the wheels) and a slightly half-arsed dealer wheel refurb which is starting to peel on some of the inside surfaces, although the outer surfaces do look good. I'm debating whether to go back to the dealer to try and get them to sort these. There's also a couple of dash rattles, but it looks like they should be simple to fix - I'll report back when I've had a go.
I thought my IS250 looked good.
Yours looks fantastic.
.
.
.
Glad to see you got a kitted out one, considering they're 13 years old now I think the kit is pretty staggering. As others have said, it's a regular 6 speed auto, not a CVT.
I ran a GS450h for a while but reliability scared me to be honest. I probably should have just got a GS300! Only thing to note is to watch the oil level as they can be known to burn some oil.
I ran a GS450h for a while but reliability scared me to be honest. I probably should have just got a GS300! Only thing to note is to watch the oil level as they can be known to burn some oil.
Jimi.K. said:
After leaving my sales job and handing back my company car (a 2016 BMW 218i coupe) I needed a new daily driver. For the past 18-months I’ve enjoyed reading the ‘Best smoker barges 1-5’ thread and loved the idea of a luxury saloon to waft around in.
As this would be our sole car for the time being, reliability was high up the list. At first I was thinking of a E39 BMW 5-series, but even the newest ones are now 15 years old and the consensus seemed to be that if doing significant mileage, suspension and coolant systems will probably need regular work and rust can be a problem. I also considered stretching my budget to a early Jaguar XF but horror stories of expensive diesel-related bills and questionable electronics put me off. In the end, I decided to play it safe with a Lexus.
So here it is, my new-to-me 12 year old Lexus GS300. It has 2 previous owners, a full Lexus service history (14 stamps in 12 years!), 98k miles, 4 matching Goodyear's, and cost me just £4k.
I’ve just given it its first proper wash and wax, so here are a few external photos. The looks are gradually growing on me, it's not quite as good looking as its little brother, the IS250, but the additional refinement and comfort swung it for me, and I like the fact you don't see many of them around.
I really like that, and will be very interested to see how it goes for you. Please keep us updated!As this would be our sole car for the time being, reliability was high up the list. At first I was thinking of a E39 BMW 5-series, but even the newest ones are now 15 years old and the consensus seemed to be that if doing significant mileage, suspension and coolant systems will probably need regular work and rust can be a problem. I also considered stretching my budget to a early Jaguar XF but horror stories of expensive diesel-related bills and questionable electronics put me off. In the end, I decided to play it safe with a Lexus.
So here it is, my new-to-me 12 year old Lexus GS300. It has 2 previous owners, a full Lexus service history (14 stamps in 12 years!), 98k miles, 4 matching Goodyear's, and cost me just £4k.
I’ve just given it its first proper wash and wax, so here are a few external photos. The looks are gradually growing on me, it's not quite as good looking as its little brother, the IS250, but the additional refinement and comfort swung it for me, and I like the fact you don't see many of them around.
It looks very comfy, and as you say time is moving forward and the e39s and the like that this thread used to favour are becoming old (like the W124s before that!).
Edited by 0a on Sunday 11th February 21:01
I owned a late 2007 GS300, absolutely loved it and even though mine wasn't the most reliable I want another!
Mine was the same colour and spec as yours but had different wheels. Owned for only 6 months but about 12k extremely comfortable and wofty miles!
The problems mine suffered from were seized rear brake calipers, £600 from Lexus including discs and pads for the back. Also I think mine was unlucky as the radiator leaked from the top edge where the plastic case meets the radiator itself, £800 and a 2 week wait for parts from Lexus but very nice courtesy cars!
Mine was the same colour and spec as yours but had different wheels. Owned for only 6 months but about 12k extremely comfortable and wofty miles!
The problems mine suffered from were seized rear brake calipers, £600 from Lexus including discs and pads for the back. Also I think mine was unlucky as the radiator leaked from the top edge where the plastic case meets the radiator itself, £800 and a 2 week wait for parts from Lexus but very nice courtesy cars!
Register1 said:
gareth_r said:
I occasionally look at these as a replacement for my 1998 GS, but I am always confused about the gearbox. GS300s are often advertised as CVT, but all the information I can find says it's a conventional auto, and only the "H"ybrid has the CVT transmission.
What is the gearbox code on the VIN plate?
Correct, they are normal auto boxes, not CVT, they are hybrids.What is the gearbox code on the VIN plate?
Edited by gareth_r on Sunday 11th February 19:20
The CVT boxes are not a patch on the conventional torque converter boxes.
6 speed, with intermediates on 5th and 6th, so getting 8 in total.
R1
Register1 - are you saying my GS effectively has 8 gears?
RanchoGrande said:
Nice! I'm on the hunt for a 450h of similar vintage. They look good in silver.
Assume yours is an SE-L given the amount of kit?
Yes it is indeed a top spec SE-L. The ML stereo, sunroof, and ventilated seats seem to be the easiest way to tell them apart. I did think it was going to have radar-cruise as well, but turns out that was an optional extra even on the SE-L. Assume yours is an SE-L given the amount of kit?
I really liked the idea of a 450h, but the small boot was a deal breaker for me. At 280 litres the 450h's boot is almost half the size of the GS300 and smaller than a Corsa or Polo!
I was already aware that early Mk3 GS300's can suffer with dashboard creaks and rattles. I didn't pick up on any on the test drive, and hoped that perhaps a Lexus dealer had rectified them at some point during one of its 14 services, but alas, no. When the cabin is cold the centre console was creaking like mad, but thankfully I found a helpful Slovenian on youtube to help me solve the problem: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZKBRfYbHWk
I forgot to take any photos, but here's some from the video:
30 minutes graft and half a dozen felt pads later and the creaks are now completely gone and silent waftiness is restored - a very satisfying job!
I forgot to take any photos, but here's some from the video:
30 minutes graft and half a dozen felt pads later and the creaks are now completely gone and silent waftiness is restored - a very satisfying job!
Your reported fuel economy isn’t bad, not really any different than my 3.0 diesel Merc. Out of interest how fast were you driving on the motorway trip?
The CVT thing bugs me, none of them are CVT although I will accept that people think the hybrid is as it behaves just like one. The 3.0 is a normal 6 speed auto, I’m not sure about the ‘intermediate’ gears in 5th and 6th, isn’t that more likely to be torque converter lock up?
The CVT thing bugs me, none of them are CVT although I will accept that people think the hybrid is as it behaves just like one. The 3.0 is a normal 6 speed auto, I’m not sure about the ‘intermediate’ gears in 5th and 6th, isn’t that more likely to be torque converter lock up?
Super Slo Mo said:
Your reported fuel economy isn’t bad, not really any different than my 3.0 diesel Merc. Out of interest how fast were you driving on the motorway trip?
The CVT thing bugs me, none of them are CVT although I will accept that people think the hybrid is as it behaves just like one. The 3.0 is a normal 6 speed auto, I’m not sure about the ‘intermediate’ gears in 5th and 6th, isn’t that more likely to be torque converter lock up?
It's probably the TC lock up. The third character of the Aisin gearbox codes indicates the number of gears, i.e. the A340 is a 4-speed 'box, A650 is 5-speed, A760 is 6-speed, AA80 is 8-speed. I believe the 3rd generation GS has the A760 or A960.The CVT thing bugs me, none of them are CVT although I will accept that people think the hybrid is as it behaves just like one. The 3.0 is a normal 6 speed auto, I’m not sure about the ‘intermediate’ gears in 5th and 6th, isn’t that more likely to be torque converter lock up?
As far as the hybrid transmissions are concerned, Toyota describes them as "constantly variable transmissions" with electronic control to mimic the gear ratio steps of a conventional automatic gearbox. They are certainly different from the Aisin torque converter autos in the other models, with transmission codes L110 and L210, but I have no idea whether they are CVTs or if it's just marketing speak.
Edited by gareth_r on Tuesday 20th February 12:10
Super Slo Mo said:
Your reported fuel economy isn’t bad, not really any different than my 3.0 diesel Merc. Out of interest how fast were you driving on the motorway trip?
Yeah, I'm really happy with the economy at the moment - although I'm not doing any rush hour commuting which definitely helps!I got the 38mpg average with the cruise control mostly set to 75mph although there were a couple of stretches of 50mph roadworks on the M4 which will have helped bring the MPG up a bit.
As I was early for a meeting on Tuesday and had just filled up (annoyingly the only way to reset the MPG reading on the GS) I did a little experiment on the motorway to see what I could achieve at a slower speed. With cruise set to 60mph between Cardiff and Bristol I managed 46mpg!
These are all trip computer stats, so likely a bit optimistic, but even taking that into account 40+mpg on a run is easily achievable if you're not in too much of a rush.
For a while now I've had the dreaded tyre pressure warning light and "Check System" message flashing away on the GS's dashboard indicating one of the sensors likely had a flat battery. I'm perfectly capable of keeping an eye on my own tyre pressures, but a comprehensive browse of all the lexus forums told me that it was impossible to disable the system - one guy in the US had even gone as far as to find a schematic of the TPMS electronics and dismantled the receiver to try and bypass the system, but no luck!
Lexus quoted me £178 for a new sensor + coding, which to me seemed ridiculous particularly as my OBD2 reader told me another sensor has a low battery and will likely fail as well soon. The manufacturers will tell you batteries are non-replaceable, but some helpful guys on the UK Lexus owners club forum suggested with a little bit of work it is possible so yesterday I finally gave it a try.
My helpful local garage took the tyre off and removed the sensor for me. The back unclipped surprisingly easily revealing the battery encased in silicone. This scraped off revealing the battery.
There's 2 options here - you can either un-solder the battery from the circuit board and solder a new tagged battery in its place, or do what I did and carefully pry the existing tags off the old battery and put a standard 3V 2450 cell battery in its place.
I then used some standard household silicone to secure the battery in place before clipping the back on again. My garage fitted it back in the tyre for me and within 30 seconds the warning light had gone! No coding was required because the sensor hadn't changed.
So £10 for the garage, a £1 battery and 20 minutes work and I saved myself £167!
Virtually all new cars come with these sensors now, and many will be coming to an age where the batteries are failing so I'd definitely recommend giving this a try. I suspect it will work with most TPMS sensors.
Lexus quoted me £178 for a new sensor + coding, which to me seemed ridiculous particularly as my OBD2 reader told me another sensor has a low battery and will likely fail as well soon. The manufacturers will tell you batteries are non-replaceable, but some helpful guys on the UK Lexus owners club forum suggested with a little bit of work it is possible so yesterday I finally gave it a try.
My helpful local garage took the tyre off and removed the sensor for me. The back unclipped surprisingly easily revealing the battery encased in silicone. This scraped off revealing the battery.
There's 2 options here - you can either un-solder the battery from the circuit board and solder a new tagged battery in its place, or do what I did and carefully pry the existing tags off the old battery and put a standard 3V 2450 cell battery in its place.
I then used some standard household silicone to secure the battery in place before clipping the back on again. My garage fitted it back in the tyre for me and within 30 seconds the warning light had gone! No coding was required because the sensor hadn't changed.
So £10 for the garage, a £1 battery and 20 minutes work and I saved myself £167!
Virtually all new cars come with these sensors now, and many will be coming to an age where the batteries are failing so I'd definitely recommend giving this a try. I suspect it will work with most TPMS sensors.
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