Q: I was thinking of getting a Lexus GS300. I either wanna get the 1993-1997 model OR the 1998-2002 Model. I was told that the first generation was more powerful and faster than the second generation, Is this true? Also are these cars reliable in General?
A: Is it fast.... short answer, NO. If you want fast out of the box, do yourself a favor and buy the GS400/430..... now in time they can be had all day for similar prices of the GS300. Is it sporty? Again, not really, unless you are coming from a Buick or something. Is it reliable? Heck yes, these cars last forever, only realy issue that is common with them is the need to replace the front lower control arms every 80k miles or so (few hundred bucks at most). In a nutshell, I'd only reccomend a GS300 if you have plans to mod the car engine and transmission wise. It has the 2jzge motor that is found on the almighty toyota supra and can hold insane amounts of power to even embarass the bmw M5. There's alot of suspension parts for these cars on the market, regardless of which model you end up getting, simply installing coilovers and thicker swaybars will make the car handle amazing. And no, the 1gen is not faster then the 2gen, they both have similar engines, the 1gen however has a more built motor from the factory, which can hold 700rwhp without needing to build the motor due to having thicker rods and pistons over the 2gens. The verdict? If you don't want to mess with the car and buy something that is already fast, get the GS400 (98-00).... then you can put some nice wheels on it and a drop, maybe even a lip kit. There's tons of parts for these things. Lastly, I HIGHLY reccomend you visit clublexus.com and look at the GS forums, you will drool on your keyboard how nice these cars can be made, I am sure that will help your decision. Best of luck, these are some of my favorite cars on the planet.