At $7,900, Is This 2001 Lexus GS 300 A Creampuff Deal?

Today’s Nice Price or No Dice GS 300 offers Lexus’s legendary build quality and a smooth straight-six engine shared with the Toyota Supra. Let’s see what such a combo might assuredly be worth.

You might remember Goldilocks, the fairytale little girl who thought the panacea for getting lost in the woods was to commit a home invasion robbery. While perpetrating her crime of domestic larceny, Goldilocks demonstrated another of her character flaws: her unflagging need for perfection, demanding that everything she usurped be “just right.”

Goldilocks would probably have approved of the 2018 Porsche Macan 2.0 we looked at yesterday. It might have had the smallest, least powerful motor in the Macan lineup, but the VW four has enough oomph for most people, and the car’s presentation was tidy and issue-free. In the end, the seller’s $18,900 proved to be ‘just right’ for many of you, securing the Macan an unimpeachable 63% ‘Nice Price’ win.

Lexus’s mid-sized GS line is notable for being the brand’s only model to wear a smartly-tailored Italian suit. That was the first edition, introduced in early 1993 with bodywork penned by Giorgetto Giugiaro’s Italdesign. The car was a rebadge of a Toyota model called the Aristo, unbeknownst to North American buyers, who never received that model.

Offered as a bit of muscle for Toyota’s Lexus brand, the GS shared its 2JZ three-liter straight-six with the Toyota Supra coupe. Befitting its luxury aspirations, though, the only transmission offered was a four-speed automatic.

Everything changed with the introduction of the following GS. Designed in-house, the refreshed model featured similar styling to the first but added more power to the lineup with a revised 2JZ six and a new V8 edition. Lexus advertised the new model with the Shakespearean tagline “Something Wicked This Way Comes.”

This dealer-offered 2001 Lexus GS 300 has low miles (94,146) and comes with the claim that “No pets were kept inside the vehicle.” Wow, not even a county fair prize goldfish in a plastic bag? Impressive!

Under the GS’s hood lies the 3.0-liter 2JZ six. Massaged to make 225 horsepower and 225 pound-feet of torque, Toyota’s DOHC engine is a smooth operator. That’s backed by the standard automatic, but the driver is given some extra control over that via a manual mode operated by buttons on the steering wheel. Other bona fides include independent suspension and disc brakes all around.

As far as looks go, this GS appears to be solid but shows a few flaws owing to its age and the fact that it’s a usable car, not a museum piece. Overall, there’s nothing too bad on the bodywork, but there are noticeable scrapes on the lower body cladding, and the clear coat is failing on the top of the rear license plate brow. On the plus side, neither the headlamps nor the squircle rear lamps on the trunk lid shows any sign of fading. For some reason, almost all of those trunk lenses fade to pink on these cars.

It’s a similar story in the roomy cabin. One of the primary reasons to buy a Lexus is the incredible materials and construction quality upon which the company has built its name. This GS is no exception, with every element still perfectly aligned and no wear noticeable on any of the buttons. The only obvious indication of the car’s age is the piping on the driver’s seat squab, which is broken in multiple places from the wear and tear of many ingresses and egresses. At least the rest of the leather-upholstered seats are solid, and that one flaw won’t seriously impede enjoyment of the rest of the cabin. 

There are plenty of comfort and convenience features to be had, at least those that a car of a quarter century ago could offer. That includes dual-zone climate control, power-actuated windows, locks, and the moonroof, and a tilt/telescope steering column. For even more throw-back flair, the stereo offers both a CD changer and a cassette deck.

According to the seller, this GS has a clean title, a recent smog test, and will come with two remotes and a valet key. Considering Lexus’s reputation for quality and this car’s low mileage and decent condition, could this make for a reasonable commuter car or even a comfortable road-trip machine? More importantly, could it be worth $7,900 to find out?

That’s the asking price, and it’s now time for you to weigh in with your opinion on whether or not that makes this GS 300 a sensible deal. What do you say? Would you go $7,900 for this sedan as it sits? Or if paying that much, would you rather have a V8?

You decide!

Nice Price or No Dice:

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