Hey Scotty,
There are 2 Lexus GS models for sale that I just looked at. 1. 06' Lexus GS 300 w/87k miles selling for $11.5. Which I will try and negotiate down. 2 owners. Clean title. 2. 08' Lexus GS 350 w/45k mi. clean title. Being sold for 16k. Sent him an offer and he says the best he could do is $12.5. Which is what I checked on KBB. My question to you is which one is a better buy maintenance, parts, repair cost and reliability wise? Or are they both too old to buy as a daily at this point?
The one you should buy is the one that has been taken care of and not crashed. Statistically, the 2006 is a first year of a model, and should probably be avoided.
https://www.carcomplaints.com/Lexus/GS_300/
https://www.carcomplaints.com/Lexus/GS_350/
This site will give you things to check for each year of models
https://repairpal.com/2006-lexus-gs300/problems
Thanks so much. So at least if the 08' checks out well can it be a good long term daily? And will repair cost be pricey being that it's a luxury car?
So at least if the 08' checks out well can it be a good long term daily?
Define "long term".
And will repair cost be pricey being that it's a luxury car?
That's likely due to the larger number of things there are to fail in a luxury car, even a well-made one like Lexus. It helps if you do your own repair work. If you have to pay a mechanic every time something goes wrong it can be an expensive proposition.
So when I say "long term", like at least a 5-7 years. Even if it's a little repair here and there. Not a car that smells my direct deposit from my job. 🤣🤣
Wow I wouldn't be able to do work on my own. Now see that'll be the issue with having to pay the mechanic for every little thing. If it's frequently of course.
Wow I wouldn't be able to do work on my own. Now see that'll be the issue with having to pay the mechanic for every little thing.
That's a consideration when looking at older vehicles that you want to keep for a fairly long time. I drive cars that are even older but I do nearly all of my own repair work and for my daily use vehicle I have the factory scan tool. So when some little thing goes wrong I just shrug and fix it myself instead of paying a mechanic hundreds of dollars or more. The economics of old car ownership change quite a bit when you can't keep the stupid thing running yourself.
I'd say the years you're looking at are at the cusp of maybe being too old for someone that doesn't do their own repair work. There's no hard and fast rule but I'd say for most people as a vehicle gets close to and then passes the 20 year mark it may be time to consider something newer. This particularly goes for luxury models that have a lot more expensive tech that can go wrong. (I'd feel a bit better about a 2006 or 2008 model if it was a Toyota rather than Lexus.)
Man I appreciate the wonderful advice and I'll definitely take heed. So in your opinion would you say no more than how many years old should I not go since I don't work on cars?
As I said there is no hard and fast rule, but in general cars start getting a lot more "needy" for repairs at around the 20 year mark. Low mileage can help but there is deterioration due to age as well as wear. Of course price is a factor as well. Get an old car cheap enough and that can make up for cost of repairs. (You may even hit it lucky and find one that will not need anything for a while.)
As always you any car you are considering needs to be evaluated by a good mechanic before purchase.