dandan Posted July 13, 2010 Share Posted July 13, 2010 I'm thinking of buying one of these but it's not a car I have any real experience of. Does anyone here own one or anyone worked on them before? I think I can get a 1999/00 plated Sport with less than 85,000miles for about £3500-4000 but I'm not sure if this is about the right price for one as I haven't been looking into it for long enough yet. Once the mileage creeps up beyond 120k the value certainly seems to drop like a stone. What else is out there that is comparable/better for similar money? It's a shame there isn't a 3litre turbo diesel as the 3litre petrol engine and weight of all this luxury doesn't strike me as the most economical combination Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_jza80 Posted July 13, 2010 Share Posted July 13, 2010 I had the previous shape GS300 (now in the hands of Littlenum ) Was a nice car, not particularly quick, and would possibly get to 30mpg on a steady run. Pretty dire economy round town, and the handling certainly isn't sporty. Comfy cruiser though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garethr Posted July 14, 2010 Share Posted July 14, 2010 I've done over 100,000 miles in a JZS160. Now on 197K. No problems, except the ABS light staying on. Turned out to be rust forcing a dust shield in the rear hub on to the ABS ring and wearing it down. Not a common problem... The big thing to watch out for is the master cylinder/brake booster on the early ones (2K+ to replace). It was improved on the facelift model (2001, I think). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_jza80 Posted July 14, 2010 Share Posted July 14, 2010 Suspension bushes are a common problem too, and genuine parts are expensive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adnanshah247 Posted July 14, 2010 Share Posted July 14, 2010 bud if i were you, i would get the V300. Exactly the same as a gs300 but with a nice 2jz lump powering it! http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1817083.htm http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1717647.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swampy442 Posted July 14, 2010 Share Posted July 14, 2010 Im with Adnan, for the same cash get an Aristo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wez Posted July 14, 2010 Share Posted July 14, 2010 bud if i were you, i would get the V300. Exactly the same as a gs300 but with a nice 2jz lump powering it! http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1817083.htm http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1717647.htm Very nice indeed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C_Strike Posted July 14, 2010 Share Posted July 14, 2010 When i sell the sup, i think im going to be looking for an aristo. My mate had a lexus gs300, and it was a very comfortable car. I can imagine having the 2jz gte would make it somewhat more fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swampy442 Posted July 14, 2010 Share Posted July 14, 2010 All the info you'll ever need -> http://www.clubaristo.net Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PJ Posted July 14, 2010 Share Posted July 14, 2010 Aristo FTW, here's one of mine, the other one is with AFR currently. I was gutted to sell my supe but the Aristo was the perfect family replacement for it in my books. You get a lot for your money with an Aristo, more so than with a GS300 Sport IMHO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdistc Posted July 14, 2010 Share Posted July 14, 2010 You get a lot for your money with an Aristo, more so than with a GS300 Sport IMHO. This. Plus if you've got a few spares lying around from the Supra... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dandan Posted July 14, 2010 Author Share Posted July 14, 2010 Thanks for all the replies and links guys - much appreciated So far I know that there are the following things to look out for... - Brake booster related issue (although I'm not sure if buying a car with 80,000miles that hasn't yet shown up the issue means it'll be good to 150,000miles though) - Balljoints seem to have been replaced (or are in need of replacement) on a lot of cars - Suspension bushes can wear out relatively quickly I was originally looking for an Aristo but after spending a week or two looking around I wouldn't say you do necessarily get more for your money. I have only seen one MKII Aristo with a full leather interior and it was up for £6k (same one adnanshah247 posted a link to) and it has had blown turbos replaced, a FMIC and a dump valve and for some reason has black vinyl on the roof It may well be a beauty of a car now but I can't say for sure until I go to look at it. It doesn't jump out as the steady , reliable motor I am looking for but I do like the look of it and will get in touch with the seller to see how much he's willing to move on the price. If you halve that number down to £3000 then you can find GS300 Sports with full leather and all the gadgets with comparable mileage. Obviously the TT motor isn't there but I'm not sure I actually want that sort of performance - I still have the Supra for that For £3000 (or even £2000) you definitely do not get more for your money with an Aristo. Don't get me wrong, if I had £6k to blow on another car then I'd probably go for the Aristo over the Lexus but unfortunately I don't have that much to spend so unless a desperate seller crops up I will probably go with the Lexus. That said, does anyone know of any very well priced Aristos for sale - they don't seem to crop up very often.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dandan Posted July 14, 2010 Author Share Posted July 14, 2010 Oh yeah - I forgot the tiptronc box in the Aristos too. I think I could get used to that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdistc Posted July 14, 2010 Share Posted July 14, 2010 I suppose the next question is "do you want to work on the car at all, or just a worry-free cruiser?". I would guess from your Supra that you're more of the former than the latter, which might suggest that a MK1 Aristo could be a possibility as long as you're prepared to spend £3-4k on top of the £1.5 (bargain basement) - 3k (average price with many service necessities done already) purchase. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooter Posted July 14, 2010 Share Posted July 14, 2010 There is a GS430 (280ish bhp) that has the same v8 as the lS430 and with its vvti it's not quite so much of a gas guzzler as the old 4l ones (only marginally more than the Gs300's I think)........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dandan Posted July 14, 2010 Author Share Posted July 14, 2010 I suppose the next question is "do you want to work on the car at all, or just a worry-free cruiser?". I would guess from your Supra that you're more of the former than the latter, which might suggest that a MK1 Aristo could be a possibility as long as you're prepared to spend £3-4k on top of the £1.5 (bargain basement) - 3k (average price with many service necessities done already) purchase. There is a GS430 (280ish bhp) that has the same v8 as the lS430 and with its vvti it's not quite so much of a gas guzzler as the old 4l ones (only marginally more than the Gs300's I think)........ The main aim is to have a "worry free cruiser" as you put it but at least a Toyota/Lexus means that parts are relatively cheap and I'd be happy to work on it if the need arose. It will never had anything like a single kit fitted or mega mods but I would consider some easy stuff like a decat and exhaust especially if there was any chance of the economy improving a touch from the freer breathing. To be honest, my initial move to a GS300 was because of the quality of car available for only two or three thousand pounds. If I start looking more towards top spec Aristos at £6k+ then I'm sure that puts me into the market of other machinery as well that is worthy of consideration. The MK1 Aristo is definitely out I'm afraid as the Mrs hates the look of them and she'll be driving this car (whatever it ends up being) as well as her own car. I did have a brief look at the 430 and maybe I'll revisit that model as long as they exist in pre March 2001 guise and slip into the Private Light Goods taxation class. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garethr Posted July 14, 2010 Share Posted July 14, 2010 The 430 comes under the "emissions" tax bands, but (IIRC) it's £245 a year. They are pretty rare, though. As far as running costs are concerned, the problem is that there isn't the aftermarket parts support for Lexus/Toyota that there is for BMW and Mercedes (although the equivalent Mercs - E-Class - seem to give a lot of problems, so I'd avoid them). You have a choice for brake pads/discs, front upper control arms (integral balljoint), front lower-front control arms (if you see what I mean ), and front lower balljoints (a separate part), but everything else is Mr. T only. P.S. I wouldn't worry about buying a Sport, it's just a standard GS with slightly lowered suspension and 18s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom S Posted July 14, 2010 Share Posted July 14, 2010 My Aristo was listed as a LEXUS GS300 TT, incorrectly listed and therefore easier to talk down the price... As stated check http://www.clubaristo.net PJ and some of the guys are great help. I am enjoying my Mk2 and slowly modding it to how I want it.... Latest addition is the UK Brakes, HKS BOV, Customer Exhaust, Stereo upgrade and soon a respray I think.... Maybe one day a Getrag conversion like the old Mk1 in my garage...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nigelboyne Posted July 14, 2010 Share Posted July 14, 2010 gs430 sport fantastic car could do with larger brakes and the sport model is hard on suspension but lovely quick car. the se model is sprung higher and a lot more comfortable make sure you get the sat nav package it can be converted to run dvds and telly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garethr Posted July 14, 2010 Share Posted July 14, 2010 GS430 sport fantastic car could do with larger brakes...Easy fix, though - Supra 4-pots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonathanc Posted July 14, 2010 Share Posted July 14, 2010 bud if i were you, i would get the V300. Exactly the same as a gs300 but with a nice 2jz lump powering it! http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1817083.htm http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1717647.htm Those are like the 2 only Aristos on sale in UK lol. They are so rare. The white one looks nice yes but it has cloth seats. I would've thought most come with leather? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonathanc Posted July 14, 2010 Share Posted July 14, 2010 gs430 sport fantastic car could do with larger brakes and the sport model is hard on suspension but lovely quick car. the se model is sprung higher and a lot more comfortable make sure you get the sat nav package it can be converted to run dvds and telly http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1765179.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dandan Posted July 15, 2010 Author Share Posted July 15, 2010 Thanks again guys...I've been having a good browse on the Aristo forum and Lexus forums and gradually getting a bit more info up together. I am considering the MKII Aristo now but am still getting up to speed with the differences so I can weigh up if an additional £3k is in any way worth it for the sort of driving I'll be doing. So far it looks like a MKII Aristo would offer the following differences to the GS300: - The obvious vvti TT engine - Sat nav in Japanese (not an advantage?) - Rear wheel steering (part of traction/stability control) - 4 speed (as opposed to the Lexus 5 speed) autobox - Tiptronic steering wheel buttons (but apparently no way to lock it in a gear and prevent kickdown?) - Plastic (as opposed to glass) headlights - Something different about the rear lights but not sure what exactly There's bound to be other stuff but this is what I know so far. Does anyone know what the fuel economy is like from stock and BPU MKII Aristos? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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