Ok...so for the past few weeks everything has been peachy with me and the Max. Escpecially since I put on the Maxspeeds and Tokicos...I fell in love with her all over again.

Then yesterday I was seduced by a sleazy hoe.

A co-worker of mine pulls up in a GS 400. Says he's going to buy it. I think..."hey...pretty cool...looks like it's only about a year old"

THEN...he tells me it's a 98 with 70 K miles.

Let me tell you...this car was absolutley flawless. The paint didn't have paint chip 1. The paint was not fading on the hood, it shined like brand new, etc, etc. The moral of this story is that I glanced over at my max, which is two years newer, and has same amount of miles. The exterior of my max looked like a yugo compared to this thing. The guy selling it was like "yeah...I usually try and wax it once every couple years" I almost punched him. I wax my car all the time, keep it in the garage always, etc.

As the owner of an RX300 (wife's car) I feel myself slowly sliding over to the lexus camp. I still love the heck outta my max...

BUT...i think that Lexus has just a far superior build quality.

 

I feel your pain. The only consolation I can find is how many more $$$ those cars cost at the outset.

 

How much was he going to pay for it?

 

Yeah, I agree with jjs. You get what you paid for with Lexus. As we all know, Toyota(Lexus) seem to have the best reliability and build quality out of all of the manufacturers right now, and the GS400 was just an example of that.

Of course we don't know if the Lex was repainted last month because of a bad crash, so missing paint chips doesn't tell the whole story. Also, it only has 70K miles, so it either (A) has not been driven much, which explains the excellent condition and/or (B) the miles were turned back on the odo, and it's a scam.

But, either way it's hard to compare the Lexus to a Maxima in absolute terms--Lexus wins hands down. If you look at it relatively (i.e. consider $$$ paid for each), the Max is not too shabby.

 

Yep...

you guys are right...

Sure...it's a better car...but it's also alot more dough. Thanks for giving me a voice of reason.

JJS...I think the guy is "asking" 21 large for it...

I don't have any idea what it's worth (book value)...

Also..it supposedly has not been painted or had any body work.

Anybody know what book value is on this? (individual seller)

 

July 22, 2003
1998 Lexus GS-I6/V8
Sedan 4 Door GS400
70,000 miles

Average Trade-In Average Retail
Base Price $21,225 $24,625

Mileage Adjustment
70,000 miles add: $0 $0

Options and Equipment
Compact Disc Player add: $75 $100
Nakamichi Stereo add: $175 $200
Aluminum/Alloy Wheels add: $175 $200
Power Sunroof add: $475 $550
Certification and Extended Warranties
Total Price $22,125 $25,675

 

NADA SAYS....... $24,625 private party resale and thats with no options. $25,275 if it has CD and sunroof.
THAT"S MORE THEN A MAX BRAND NEW!!!!!!!!

 

i found some on autotrader..they are going for anywhere from $20,000 to $24,000

 

Brand new 2k2 or 2k3 6spd or 5 year old GS400 with 70K miles.

Some people have different priorities.

 

 

Very true. Considering a new Max will undergo a huge depreciation the first 2 years or so while the Lexus has already taken its hit and will stay fairly level (in comparison) from here on out. I.e., for the same $25K, you will have either:

1. A new car that will be worth approx $18-20K the minute you drive it home

or

2. A car that is still worth the $25K you paid for it.

Depends how badly a person wants new.

 

just get a new max or if you want better quality an infiniti

 

I love my max and with my new rims/tires coming soon, I'll love it that much more

 

take off the ugly grill and you will love it more then you ever thought possible.
make sure and post pics of the new rims. im looking for the perfect ones to replace my "hubcaps"

 

IMO i think toyotas and bimmers have the best paint

 

i disagree. my step moms old 99 gs300 spectra blue paint at the end of her 3.5 year lease had more white chips than ill ever see on my max. and her new es300 which is black already has about as many chips as my max does.

 

your step mom must ride right behind dump trucks' mud flaps b/c my 01 RX 300 has pretty much flawless paint. (maybe 3 chips...total) It has 59k miles.

My max with 70k miles looks like a checkerboard from the front wheels forward....

 

Can't really compare the two. The GS400 is near $40k new. The max is not even $30k new. Anything that costs $40k should of course be better than anything that's $30k. I also own a 2000 RX300. Quality is flawless.

 

pix will be posted fo sho homie..

as for the perfect combo....these rims are $500 a PIECE at tirerack.com so, I dunno if they are so perfect for you