Lexus GS430 (2000 - 2005)
BY ANDY ENRIGHT
Circumstances have conspired rather cruelly against Lexus GS430, but while this has resulted in modest new sales, it only plays into the hands of the used buyer looking for a bargain executive car with plenty left in the tank. Although it has struggled to establish itself as a viable rival in the Audi A6/BMW 5 Series/Mercedes E-Class echelon, the GS430 nevertheless offers a unique slant on the executive theme, serving up peerless reliability and refinement backed up with a huge helping of standard equipment. Its well worth your time.
The Lexus GS series is Japan's (or more accurately Toyota's) idea of what the successful Western executive would like to be driving. When it was first launched in 1993, it was based on a concept car originally designed for Jaguar by Italian stylists Giugiaro. The current version, in contrast, appears to have borrowed more heavily from Mercedes, with similar front and rear styling to Stuttgart's old E-class. The GS430 is extravagantly equipped. The interior of the car carries on the somewhat glitzy effect started by the look-at-me wheels. Packed with every electronic gizmo imaginable, the GS430 is a magnet for technophiles.
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As standard equipment, you get another Mark Levinson stereo, this time featuring a custom-designed amplifier and eight specially designed speakers, including a centre dash-mounted speaker for more detailed surround sound. With an optional satellite navigation system to play with, the GS430 could be the worlds finest car to get stuck in traffic in. Theres a lot to fiddle with, from the dual climate control air-conditioning to the electrically multi-adjustable front seats. If you can exhaust the entertainment possibilities of all these features, then a game of count the cupholders never loses its appeal the GS430 has a fair amount to find.
Although it would be a stretch to call it a significant bargain, £14,775 for a 2000 X plate GS430 buys you an awful lot of car for your money. If youre shopping for something with a little less leg on the clock, a 2003 52-plate example currently changes hands at around £21,375. Factor Group 17 insurance into any budget calculations.
As with the LS series, there is, amazingly, almost nothing to report. Toyota were determined to make these cars as faultless and long-lasting as possible and it seems they've succeeded. The main worry with a Lexus will be accident damage or mileage clocking. The panel gaps on both LS and GS series cars astound even now in terms of consistency and flushness of fit, so a second-rate repair will be obvious. If you can, check the car's service records and cross-reference mileage with the dealers who carried out the scheduled maintenance. That way, you'll have peace of mind that the immaculate, low-mileage car you're looking at, really is just that.
(Based on a 2001 GS430) A new exhaust, excluding the catalytic converter will be just over £800. Brake pads are roughly £70 each and a headlamp is around £140.
The engine offered in the GS430 is the same unit which powers the range-topping LS430, and its an absolute gem. Powered by a 4.3-litre 32-valve V8 that can muster 279bhp, the emphasis, as with all large Lexuses (Lexi?) is on driveability and smoothness rather than outright muscle. Nonetheless, its still enough to haul the 2145kg GS430 to 60mph in a negligible 6.
3 seconds before being electronically limited at 155mph a fair way short of becoming breathless.
If youre looking for old money image and the ability to create an impact at the golf club, the Lexus may not be your prime pick. If youre buying for more practical reasons, the GS430 has a lot going for it. Its probably better built than any car in its class, its quick, comparatively inexpensive to keep on the road, and has been designed with day to day living in mind. Although it may not be endowed with the biggest sense of occasion when you slip behind the wheel, youll forgive its slightly anonymous character when you realise what this car can actually do.
If substance counts for anything, a used Lexus GS430 is worthy of a place on your used executive car shortlist.
