Nice! That's what I mean. For under £4k to get something with over 300bhp, great build quality, smoothness and hopefully reliability it's a steal. Merc and BMW's like w211 or e60's are super cheap but they are cheap for a reason. They will break and cost an arm and a leg.

good deal there!

@@enginium6043the E60 M57 with 122k miles not broken down yet. Std diesel issues very reliable m57 engine. 45mpg 200bhp

It's like they used to say with the old jags. Grace, pace and space. There is something that's calms me down when driving it although it has all that power.

If you get a good one I think you will really appreciate what a great car it still is.

Good luck, be patient, try not to settle for a GS 350h. 2013 and newer GS450H's are incredibly rare on the open market. Impressive in both worlds, sport and luxury combined. And and F Sport version ? Well you might as well go unicorn hunting.

How's the gs been? Reliable?

@@enginium6043 I bought mine at 170kkm, now it is 250kkm. Still rocks.

@@ThanhLe-qo8cn How's it going with the gs450H? Any repairs or issues you've run into? I'm considering a 2007 gs450h but have read online about the inverter going bad and the battery as well.

Great cars and a great time to buy! I might be reviewing a 2012 version soon. I will try but it gets dark super early here 😭

Oops…. Chirping, not chipping.

Awesome. They really are great cars. There are a few in N.I. too but it's worth traveling for the right car 👍 Are you coming from a 211?

Yes I 100% agree with that.

That's very true. I do wish I could crank the regen up a bit but it is less taxing on the brakes and engine braking for sure.

@@enginium6043 you can, just switch the drive to S mode, and shift the 'gears' to lower than 5.

@@Zeczam that's true but I'll only do that if I'm going doing a big hill. Otherwise it would have been nice just to have more regen or b mode.

Yes exactly! Like it's enough to make my life easier and more comfortable but not like they just threw it in there to show how clever the manufacturer was not caring it will break after a certain period like the Germans 😂. When I bought the GS I though wow so much power I'll be driving everywhere so fast but with the smoothness, quietness and how refined it is I'm driving along like an old man. I really do miss this generation of cars.

Thank you for the comment and watching 😊👍

Great minds think alike! Knowing my past experience with mercedes, beautiful cars but you are just waiting on the next thing breaking and it's never like £50 to fix 😂. I'll have a buyer's guide coming soon, just haven't been able to make more videos as the weather has been horrible recently but let us know if you do buy one ☺️👍

Im just sell my cls320 and going to buy gs450h:)

Good choice! I should be reviewing a 2012 version soon and I want to see how much better it is than my older one.

@@enginium6043 o great I’ve only babied it so far apart from a few overtakes. This my 1st Lexus it replaces my money pit Audi A4 TFSI 2.0t that cost thousands to fix for 5 years. I’ve had in eco mode last 5 days slow as hell on take off trying to save petrol till payday me lol the Lexus speak is awesome my only disappointment no cruise control radar.

I don't have eco on mine but if you are light on the throttle it will take off using electric power only. Also I think radar cruise is cool but it's really not essential. What problems did you have with your A4?

@@enginium6043 🤣🤣🤣 read this this is me it was crazy I lost around 20k in total Audi A4 b7 is a money pit. blackstar4000.wordpress.com/2017/03/20/audi-oil-chain-pump-failure-resulting-in-engine-death-twice-audi-a4-tfsi-2-0t-b7-model-issues-since-2015-to-2017/

Wow! Audi really screwed you over. I personally dislike most Audi's as they aren't my thing buts that's actually shocking. After the 2nd time you must have been in shock just thinking no way not again?

Depends on what you prioritse. Is it a a CDI or petrol? If you want the badge, the more modern entertainment system. I would also say the 212 will probably be a little sportier too. But if it's not a CDI then the GS has performance, potentially lower running costs and it's something a little different. Depends on what you prefer tbh. Drive both see what you like better. The CVT is a downside to some people but I love it. I personally would take the Lexus as after having a few German cars I was just sick and tired at throwing money at them. Japanese cars have always been very good to me so I'm biased 👍

If you can get it done it's worth doing. I know the service interval is like 100k miles but for the couple of hundred quid it will cost you it's a worthwhile investment. I think the diff oil needs to be done too.

@@enginium6043 I will look into it it's such a fantastic car beats any BMW or Mercedes I had...the Mark Levinson stereo is amazing...just discovered a new issue though front light headlight goes off intermittently wondering is it the ballast or the bulb 💡 going to swap left to right and see does issue happen again

Why do you want to change from a w212? If you are going for a s190 (06-11) it will feel a little dated but I think that also comes down to German luxury and Japanese luxury differs a fair bit. Depending on what size of diesel engine you have you might notice a fair drop in mpg for the more efficient and smaller engines but less so for the 3l V6 diesel. But maintenance is where this car can win. Parts are more expensive but you except for filters and brakes etc you won't be needing much (hopefully) where as every Merc or BMW I've had needed constant attention lol. There's no dpf, swirl flaps, turbo, dmf, injectors and so on that go wrong. The hybrid system can be very reliable but if your battery pack goes it's about £800 to get it refurbed. Engines are generally very reliable. The aftermarket pretty much doesn't exist lol compared to German cars. You can get coilovers or springs and some other bits but there isn't s massive choice. If you want anything a little more obscure you will have to import from the USA.

@@enginium6043 Thanks a lot for the detailed feedback, this really helps a lot. The diesel W212 Merc (E220) has been a pretty solid car, but it’s definitely not designed for the city life, especially for short drives. I had sooo many problems due to that, especially caused by the DPF & EGR. Plus, it’s not even about the money but the constant servicing, and random Check Engine messages due to various air leaks and stuff like that, and the lack of mental comfort due to car constantly breaking down, as you said “constant attention”. As for the MPG, there will probably be a noticeable difference, right now I’m getting like 28 mpg in the city and 42 on the highway and backroads. I usually enjoy a relaxing drive, not going crazy over the speed limits & stuff. I guess I’ll never see the 42 ever again, right? I do realize the meaning of luxury is different for these two cultures, but to be honest I like the practical feeling & minimalism of the Lexus. It somehow reminds me of the way Volvo used to define their luxury models.

Then I do understand, they are great cars but sometimes you can't enjoy the car because you are worrying what will break next. Mpg wise depending on how you drive and how many journeys you do I would say low to mid 20's in the cold and slightly more in summer. I've heard of peopling getting 40+mpg on long trips but the best I managed was 39mpg at a steady 70mph. I was still happy with that as it was a pleasure to drive. If you won't miss the gizmos and gadgets I think you might really like it. It's not a perfect car and it does have its quirks but it's also a really solid car with so many positives for the money. It focuses on the right things imo like engine, making the hybrid seamless, good touch points and less on gimmicks. If you can take one for a test drive, see what you think 👍😊

What era of GS450h are you looking at? They ran until fairly recently so you can get a big screen and DRLs etc

These batteries are usually very stout so don't worry about using them. If anything under use seems to be bad for them and Lexus/Toyota have a pretty good BMS so I wouldn't worry. I'm sure you can take it to Lexus and they can provide a Hybrid Battery Test, but if it's working and everything seems good just do it when you service it, or whenever you like. My car is much older, has double the miles and it's still going strong. I've seen these cars with 200k+ miles on them with decent batteries so again I wouldn't worry.

@@enginium6043 I plan to have it fully serviced by Lexus next year.

They might already do it but make sure you ask for the hybrid health check 👍

@@enginium6043 just found out Lexus 60k service cost is 730:00 cash I nearly fell over as that the next year service requirement 🙈

That's the downsides of visiting a stealers. Although I have heard the customer service is good. But seems like an expensive oil change

It is a lot of car, technology and engineering for the money for sure. I would imagine it's the same there but saloons have fallen out of fashion. Everyone wants something higher up.

I’m getting rid of my RX450h to get one of these. Sedans are much better drivers cars.

Lexus have kept the servicing costs fairly reasonable. It's a bit more money for the hybrid health check but it still seems fairly priced. Your big services like the one where the spark plugs get done can be £750+ but you can DIY or get a regular garage to do the work to keep costs low. If you get an older or cheaper car you could always do a lot of maintenance yourself to keep the costs low too.

I don't think it will. I don't think the ecu is the easiest to map as Toyota always seems to lock their ECUs. I doubt doing anything would really make much power, the gs350 respond well to mods? Then it is the same engine so it could I suppose. A CAI will make it sound good but I'm always dubious of performance gains.

@@enginium6043 thank you for your reply. I brought the 350 with moded and ecu remapped already, so I can't really tell the difference. It was very responsive and fast. But I can really notify the different after I have washed the air filter. It hasn't been wash for more than 30k kilometer, once I have washed it, the car was so much faster, like I can feel 10% power gain. So I think intake really can make the car faster. But hybrid..... I might try it later

Don't get the battery changed via the dealer. I'm sure there will be a lot of specialists there plus I don't think the system is that different to the Prius. I'd imagine it would be half or even less than half the price lexus quoted.

You are 100% right. I was going to add that to my what I don't like about my gs video. I've not been in a gs300 with 17's maybe that's a bit better but I also think the cars dampers seem a little hard. Sometimes you go over a bump and it's like you feel nothing and it's smooth and other times you go over a small bump and it's like that felt much bigger than it should have. If I was lexus I would have made the car much softer personally as no one is taking this 2 ton barge on track, rather most people drive it as its very refinded and relaxing.

@@enginium6043 Don't get me wrong, I personally love the design of the 18 wheels but they are heavy. I checked and they are 28 pounds each. I think the less unsprung weight, the more responsive is the suspension/wheels to road irregularities and they will tend to go over small bumps rather than crash into them. So I think going to lighter wheels, shocks, springs, sway bars and brakes would reduce unsprung weight and improve ride comfort. Problem is that not many options for aftermarket suspension and good lightweight wheels are expensive and not necessarily nicer looking than the stock. I thought of going to lighter 2 piece rotors and lightweight forged aluminium calipers and found some in USA, saving about 14 pounds per corner but they are expensive.

True, forged wheels really aren't cheap. I've not been under the car yet, I need to see what's stamped steel and what's aluminium. 2 peice brake discs are very expensive, same with wheels and calipers. Might be cheaper to get a ls600h at that point 😂. It would have just been easier if they made the suspension a little softer.

I think you need better tires man, also some of these cars come with run flat tires from the factory which makes the ride tougher. I have 19.5 inch f sport rims on mine and it rides super smooth. AVS In sport is also a rougher ride

I installed spoon sports rigid collars. It has improved the noise over bumps at slow speeds etc. Plus my subframe is now perfectly aligned. It's a cheap upgrade that improves ride significantly. Spoon Rigid Collar.

This car is a gen 3 or 3GS and your car is a 4th gen or 4GS. The 3gs is slightly faster as it uses the traditional Otto cycle engine where as the 4gs uses the 2gr fxe which is Atkinson cycle. It's more efficient but slightly less performant. The 4gs are very very nice cars. I might have a review coming up on them soon.

yeah I have 2011 reg 60k mileage. I've beat 21 reg bmw m3 and Ford mustang .. very quick Get 40mpg mix urban

100k miles is still low miles I've seen ones with double that. But the motor but might be tricky but replacing the cells although it looks a little tedious looks straight forward enough. Did you get a rebuild kit for the battery including bussbars and stuff? Keep us updated 👍

Also occured to me. It won't start because the electric motor is the starter also isn't it?

@@enginium6043 that's correct mate, the layout is as follows. The engine is mated to the motors like a traditional rear wheel drive car. So you have engine - > MG1 + MG2 - > CVT which is all sent to rear diff. My bad code is something to do with the motor sensor position windings known as the resolvera. Two sensors plugged into the motors which detect their position. I cleared the fault code and the car was fine, but it happened again so looks like some dodgey wiring. If the motors are fucked then the whole gearbox plus motor assembly needs replacing! I will be rebuilding my battery myself, you don't really need a kit, just good cells, a battery charger and discharger and a lot of patience. I plan on doing that once I resolve the potential catastrophic motor issue. Going to lift it up tomorrow. Would be a good heads up for u too in case it ever happens to you.

If it needs a new motor and gearbox etc will still attempt a repair? How common are the drivetrain on the second hand market. Do you have to reprogram the BMS or anything?

@@enginium6043 if it needs a new gearbox, I'll have a go. The gearboxes can be had pretty decent. You essentially need the whole lot as it comes together. But I'll scrutinise the wiring harnesses first. If it comes to it I'll do the gearbox swap because that's how good the car is. I believe it has another 100k miles in it.

Really depends on what I'm doing that week and I usually fill it way before it's near empty but I'm averaging about 25-27mpg at the moment which isn't too bad.

310-330miles per tank. mixed driving.

Thats impressive, i had an IS250 and was getting the same miles (mixed driving)

That's the least of his problems tbh

Sounds lovely! I hope it serves you well and is cheap to run 👍

Lol it's been cleaned since then 🤣