Any Lexus GS350 Owners Out There?

[SpinDr]

Hello,

I'm looking at used Lexus GS350s from approx 2011-2014 and would like to get feedback, good or bad on experiences with owners of that car. Last car was an Acura and have had a range of sport type sedans and sports cars. Not looking for a sports car but a dependable, somewhat sporty long range cruiser. Any input appreciated.

 

[45th Birthday]

Check out https://www.clublexus.com/forums/gs-3rd-gen-2006-2011-153/ and https://www.clublexus.com/forums/gs-4th-gen-2013-present-237/

 

[Dash man]

I have a 2015 Lexus GS350 F Sport and love it. It was easy to drive to Florida and back to Pennsylvania with the comfortable seats. Climate control works great. GPS isn't perfect but gets me to where I want to be. I average 22 mpg combined city/highway driving. It does require premium gas.

 

[Bamaman]

I have an IS250 that has not seen a shop in 10 years and 113k miles. I do my.own brakes and oil changes. They're absolutely great cars.

The difference between Lexus and their competitors is that Lexus parts all work so well. You cannot say the same about BMW and Mercedes-Benz automobiles. They are much more troublesome and that is a problem at their sky high labor rates.

 

[ndnguy822000]

I have a 2008 is350 and a 2012 gx 460. The gs 350 is plenty fast and smooth. Very fun car to drive you can't go wrong with it. If you can find one with the mark levinson surround system I HIGHLY recommend it, then again I am an audiophile

 

[Rambler]

I had two ES300/350s. Loved them. ES is FWD, GS is RWD if memory serves me. Then I had an is250 that was too sporty and too firm of a ride. Then I went to an HS250, not sure they sell those in the US (I was in Japan). The HS is a hybrid, very economical in terms of mileage, and that served me very well during the aftermath of the earthquake. I did test drive the GS but found it too firm for my liking...I also tried the LS...too expensive, but oh what a smooth ride. For the money, the ES win IMHO.

 

[ndnguy822000]

Es is the best bang for the buck for sure !!!

 

[SpinDr]

Thanks for the input everyone. Looking for an enjoyable car that won't require crazy maintenance after 75k. Have had great luck with Acura/Honda's and Toyota's previously, and a buddy that used to be with Lexus who couldn't say enough about their quality control and maintenance.

A used Audi or BMW would also be great but I tend to keep cars to 200k so later mileage maintenance concerns me.

 

[Another Reader]

I have a 2015 RX. Not exactly a sporty car, so maybe not relevant to the OP's question. It's better than the POS Highlander it replaced, but nothing really special. Would like to get 10 years of trouble free driving out of it, but I have my doubts. The cheap Dunlop tires are already wearing out at 23k miles.

I think Lexus has become a mainstream, fake luxury brand. The advertising of branded merchandise to identify the holder as a Lexus driver and of leases as a way to be able to afford to drive a Lexus says it all. Lexus does not even put leather seats in the standard models now. You have to get an upgrade package.

Probably going to return to my frugal, utilitarian roots and buy another CR-V next time.

 

[Scuba]

I have a 2007 ES350 with about 153K miles on it. I've kept it well maintained with service every 5K miles, and it has been an EXCELLENT car. No major issues to date. Planning to keep indefinitely.

 

[tps7742]

My wife drives a Rx 2004 RX and we have had zero problems at 168000 plus miles. We take it back to the dealer every 5K miles for service.

 

[Bamaman]

One thing that separates Lexus from other brands is dealer service. When the brand came into the retail market, Toyota offered it to their very best Toyota dealers. And they are very specific on dealership facilities and they push dealers to have a high level of service. Now, the dealerships are often managed by the "next generation"--sons and daughters of the original owners.

In the early days, someone in for service that needed to run errands would have dealership personnel haul them around town. Now, they'll often give you a loaner car when you're in for service. They also offer food in the morning and have great coffee machines and drinks in the waiting room. My dealer also has mini offices with desks, fast internet and printers for customers to work from.

And I can honestly say my dealer, Lexus of Memphis, is undoubtedly the finest car dealership I have ever experienced. I have never had such a positive buyers' experience.

 

[FiveDriver]

I used to drive a CPO ES300. I will say that Lexus is a fine car, and the Dealer serviced every issue that ever came up on that car, including the replacement of the entire Radio/CD cluster when one of my CD's was skipping !!

I thought the ES300 was a good driveable car. Once you got to know where "The Edge" was....you could make it corner like a sports car. And after that, you could cruise down the Boulevard with the best of them.

Don't let anyone ever tell you that Lexus is a Toyota with different badging. The only thing this has in common with Toyota is the Window Glass. The Motor Mounts have dampeners for goodness sake.

A word of caution -- Some models have a Timing Belt, not a Chain. It is said to need replacing at 100K miles, and this is a big job. You should verify what your model uses for Timing the Camshaft.

 

[Another Reader]

One thing that separates Lexus from other brands is dealer service. When the brand came into the retail market, Toyota offered it to their very best Toyota dealers. And they are very specific on dealership facilities and they push dealers to have a high level of service. Now, the dealerships are often managed by the "next generation"--sons and daughters of the original owners.

In the early days, someone in for service that needed to run errands would have dealership personnel haul them around town. Now, they'll often give you a loaner car when you're in for service. They also offer food in the morning and have great coffee machines and drinks in the waiting room. My dealer also has mini offices with desks, fast internet and printers for customers to work from.

And I can honestly say my dealer, Lexus of Memphis, is undoubtedly the finest car dealership I have ever experienced. I have never had such a positive buyers' experience.

Lexus of Stevens Creek in San Jose/Santa Clara has the least friendly service department I have encountered since the old GM days. Three weeks to get an appointment to get an oil change. Wait for the car? Minimum of three hours. Wait 20 minutes to see the service adviser when you arrive on time for the appointment. Poor access to the service department, which is next to the San Jose Airport in an older industrial area. No sidewalks and no parking. But they will give you a ride to the Costco a few blocks away, where you can get a cheap lunch, which you will need, because you are stuck there for so long. I'm going to call them this morning and see if that approach is any better than their awful online appointment system. But I will never buy a car from them again.

ETA: No luck. Three weeks from today is the first appointment.

 

[SpinDr]

Lexus of Stevens Creek in San Jose/Santa Clara has the least friendly service department I have encountered since the old GM days. Three weeks to get an appointment to get an oil change. Wait for the car? Minimum of three hours. Wait 20 minutes to see the service adviser when you arrive on time for the appointment. Poor access to the service department, which is next to the San Jose Airport in an older industrial area. No sidewalks and no parking. But they will give you a ride to the Costco a few blocks away, where you can get a cheap lunch, which you will need, because you are stuck there for so long. I'm going to call them this morning and see if that approach is any better than their awful online appointment system. But I will never buy a car from them again.

ETA: No luck. Three weeks from today is the first appointment.

I'll scratch that dealership off my list!

 

[rdy2go]

I drive a 2013 ES350 and have enjoyed driving it. I used to drive about 45,000 per year in my job in Toyotas from Camry's to Highlanders to Avalons, changing every two years. The Lexus is much quieter and more comfortable than the Camry's but the 2015 Highlander I had as my last company car was almost, but not quite as good as an RX350.

The dealerships in Austin, TX are very nice, and the service area is impressive. When you drive into their service drive the large computer screen above the entrance displays your name and appointment time. I don't know how it reads your vehicle to know who you are, but the first time was a hoot. The waiting area has a full service coffee bar with several young ladies making lattes, coffee, soft drinks, juice, etc. and serving muffins and other treats. One sales guy even said they have customers that come by every day for a free coffee and muffin on their way to work. The waiting area has lots of seating with good wifi and rest rooms like a country club. Nice touches.

One of the approaches to sales that I appreciated was if you wanted to take a car for a test drive, the sales guy would just hand me the keys and say "have a nice time". No driver's license, no proof of insurance, didn't want to ride with me. They seem to be willing to treat the customer like they would like to be treated, no pressure and lots of courtesy. A very nice approach to sales.

 

[bloom2708]

We have an LS 430 and ES 350...both amazing cars...both drive just like new.

The one danger is that once you go Lexus, you cannot go back. My theory is to let someone buy it new and I buy it second owner.

The RWD LS is just fine in the snow. That is my car. RWD vs FWD is different, but I actually like it after years of FWD.

The GS should be either AWD or RWD. I guess, just drive all three in a similar price point and see which one you like.

The V8 in the LS is so smooth. Ridiculous really.

 

[ndnguy822000]

We have an LS 430 and ES 350...both amazing cars...both drive just like new.

The one danger is that once you go Lexus, you cannot go back. My theory is to let someone buy it new and I buy it second owner.

The RWD LS is just fine in the snow. That is my car. RWD vs FWD is different, but I actually like it after years of FWD.

The GS should be either AWD or RWD. I guess, just drive all three in a similar price point and see which one you like.

The V8 in the LS is so smooth. Ridiculous really.

I agree once you have one that's all you will buy