Ride;comfort-seats are terrific;engine & tranny;stereo.

Tires- Michelins should be standard equipment on a vehicle of this caliber. I do experience a drumming or droning sound between 47 and 55 MPH which seems to be coming from the driveline or maybe the tires.

A great ride! Extremely quiet; good performance from the 3.0 Liter and gas mileage is about 25.4 mpg. Exquisite paint job and fit & finish are top notch. Stereo system is comparable to some home systems.

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Millenia S; Audi A4; Maxima

POWER, Looks very good, no problems yet.

High end power is not sufficient!!!

Well I have to say that this car has been an excellent vehicle. It has never braught me any kind of problems, or have spent more than oil change money on it. I have to say that the power it has is amazing, although when the RPM reaches 4000 it kind of losses power. No big deal unless you like to race the thing. I always burn just about any other SUV that approches me, I have raced a stock civic,sentra, and I made them feel very bad...I have kept up to a maxima, which I was surprized!!!! But, I have to say that this SUV is excellent, it also looks very good and with the new rims that I got, well it is even better. I have driven many other SUV''s and I really like this one, the only suv that I would take over this one is the Acura MDX, and the Lexus RX300!!!

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Dodge durango, toyota 4runner, lexus rx300

VERY RELIABLE, SUPER QUIET, RESALE VALUE

STEERING WHEEL SHIMMING @ SPEED MORE THAN 60+ MILES
PROBLEM WAS CORRECTED BY RE-BALANCING ALL 4 WHEELS
STEREO/CD DISPLAY SOMETIMES FADED

QUIETEST ENGINE EITHER FLOORING THE GAS PEDAL OR STANDING STILL WAITING FOR THE COP CAR WITH SIREN ON TO GO BY. LOVE THE POWER & ADJUSTABLE STEERING WHEEL COLUMM. THIS IS MY FIRST LEXUS AND WILL NOT BE MY LAST EITHER . I DEFINITELY AND STRONGLY RECOMENDEND ANYONE TO BUY THIS CAR OVER THE OTHER CARS IN ITS CLASS...I RECENTLY TEST DROVE THE NEWLY RE-DESIGN 2001 M.BENZ C320 (STICKER AT $42,000)AND HOPING THAT M.B WILL CHANGE MY MIND AND GET ME IN ONE OF THEIR COST MORE PRODUCTS. NOT A CHANCE
LET'S JUST SAY I WILL KEEP MY GS 300.

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98 MB C280, 98 BMW 3 SERIES (FOR THE SAME PRICE) GO TEST DRIVE THE LEXUS GS LAST.GO TEST DRIVE ALL THE CARS WITHIN THE SAME DAY AND COMPARE AND YOU WILL SEE THE DIFFERENT

1) Styling: Interior is impressive. I drove a 2001 Cadillac Deville a couple of weeks ago and my 1996 Lexus has much more modern styling than the brand new Cadillac. Unknowing riders have stated to me that it "must be cool driving a new Lexus" while staring at the dash. That says something! The exterior is good looking as well - much better looking than the current GS series, in my opinion. Many cars look 5 years old, but not this one. (I'd bet I could fool lots of people into thinking that this is a 2002 GS!! )
2) Mechanical refinement: What can I say about Lexus that has not been said by seemingly every industry pundit? While I have not owned a Benz, BMW or Acura, I do believe that Lexus engineers are the worlds finest! I have yet to notice one single mechanical flaw, however minuscule.
3) Prestige: everyone who has seen this car, to the person, has openly admired it. Even perfect strangers while feuling up. Owning this car, or Lexus overall, implies good taste and that feels good.

1) Soundsystem: stock stereo sounds fantastic, but it's not loud enough - wish it had Nakamichi
2) Seats: the front seats are too soft and the back seats have poor legroom.
3) Trunk is tiny for a "luxury" car
4) Fuel-efficiency: This is sub-standard. I've been getting 21 MPG with a 50/50 mix of city and Interstate driving.
5) Power: while it doesn't mean anything to me, I can see where many would perceive this to be a weakness. It definately lags of the line, but all things are relative.

I am really enjoying my GS300 experience and feeling absolutely no buyers remorse after buying the car. The word that frequently comes to mind as I drive it is "refinement". The overall engineering is superb to anything I have owned or driven in recent memory. The big gripe about this car (1993-1997 GS's) is that it's sluggish nature off the line and that is 100% accurate. Therefore, if you are considering this car and 0-60 is important to you, go find different car. If, however, you want to enjoy nearly everything else about owning the finest line of automobiles on the road, then this is your car.

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2001 Cadillac Deville: I did not care for the Cadillac, although I can appreciate it's place in the world.
2001 Acura TL 3.2: I didn't fit in the TL at 6'5", so I was uncomfortable driving it, so my opinion is moot.
2001.5 Passat GLX: I loved this car, and nearly bought one. Compares favorably in terms of admirable traits, but the Lexus is far more luxurious.

This is my 4yr with the GS300. (2nd lease). Lexus has truly upgraded in the handling and engine power. Finally a standard CD and a much cleaner sound system. I purchased this wonderful Black cherry color which simply looks great on any day. You will get your monies worth! MOST important point!! In 3yrs I only opened the hood to show off the engine 3 times. Never a day of problems. Match that BMW owners...

The port that allows you to use your phone is in the capartment under your hand rest in the front seat and it's really weird to have your cord hanging out while you are trying to use the phone. My 1998 GS would have spurts of engine accelaration, but anyone can get used to it.

I checked for hours evey option and rating of BMW and Mercedes. If you want the best for your money and reliability NOTHING beats the Lexus. Please check for yourself, I have. You may not beat the BMW racing around the corners of Monoco but you will pass it as it breaks down. The Mercedes is about 10G more for each of its Lexus conterparts. Why spend more for a name when you can get the Lexus and the leather is softer and the ride is quieter and you will never see any repair costs.

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BMW 5 series, Mer E that's it...

Quiet, superb service, powerful engine, very low cost of ownership, excellent interior

ride is a bit soft, not really "sports car" like

Definitely beat E-320 and 528i. More horsepower and better engine response than any of them. Best price for the money. The mavigation option is the best and easiest to use one on the market (Benz one is the worst). However thinker or more durable leather would help cutting down premature wear.

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Mercedes E-320, BMW 328ci

quiet, powerful , good handling, super service, good interior and trunk room.

1998 GS300 would sometimes have a tiny vibration at some highway speeds on some road surfaces. None for GS400

I bought my GS300 in 2/98. Drove it 34,280 miles . Replaced Bridgestone OE tires at 30,000 miles with Michlin Pilot XGT V4s. This car had no problems except slight vibration that seemed to be road surface and speed influenced. A pair of new shorts stained ivory leather driver's seat and some chemical thrown up by car in front of me on a trip to New Orleans stained the plastic nose cap(not the painted metal front surfaces). Both of these problems(?) were fixed at no charge, as good as new, by Lexus without argument. Car color was white. Paid $ 40,000 at Flow Lexus in Winston Salem, NC. There is so much profit in Lexus cars that all I want for a deal is to split the profit with the dealer.
Traded 98 GS for 2000GS 400 4 weeks and 700 miles ago. Same color combination and got the Platinum Edition. Got a little over $30,000 for 98GS trade, split profit +additional $1000 off for loyalty and Lexus finance. GS400 is more of everything . Quieter, much more power and better handling, stereo seems to sound quite a bit better (both cars had standard sound system with CD changer).This car has a different personality--more refined. GS300 was great, but GS400 seems to be worth the extra bucks.

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Mercedes and BMW small (3 series and C class) sedans

Smooth ride, fun to drive, beautiful interior, attracts the girlies :), excellent factory paint job, very reliable, factory sound system is great compared to others especially if you have the 12 disc-changer.

Acceleration kind of sluggish, handling could be a little more sporty, difficult to read gauges in direct sun light (this problem fixed in 2nd gen. GS's). At first I thought I had some pretty good power with the stock 220 hp, but after getting whaled on by some Beamers, I realized I was underpowered. Would consider GS400 as it has a stronger engine.

The GS300 is a great car but it lacks the handling/prowess of its German competitors. For a sports-sedan it could have more power, but I guess thats where the GS4 and after market upgrades come in handy. I'm only a high school student and the girls love it. Minor modifications (rims) really make this car stand out. It's not like all the other cars in the parking lot that everyone else has (Mustangs, Camaros). Overall this is a great car but if I could go back I would have put more thought into it's German competitors. Those desiring the GS series should consider the 400/430 for more power. What I love about the GS is the interior has a great style compared to BMW. When you check out the interiors of the Beamers note there's not a sleek, smooth design like the Lex. BMW interiors kind of basic.

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Interior of LEXUS in general is much better styled than BMW over the years.

Handling,Comfort & Quite Ride

There should be a C D changer in the dash.

This is my second one. The dealers at BMW & MB dont compare to the amount of ass kissing that you get at a Lexus dealer. Mush less expensive to service than a german car. A better product.

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Rides like your dads Caddy but handles better than an " E " class

Built Quality, Performence, Best Nav. System I have seen. Dealer sevices and experiences.

None

Had it for two days now, love every minute in the car. E-shift had better response than last year with GS400. All the controller is at where it should be. The Nav system is the best "toy" in this car. I did not plan to get M/L audio, but Lexus now only equipe the GS300 with M/L audio if you chose Nav option. But after lisean to it, I am glad I had it! Every day, I am try to find myself some more excuses to drive the car. Last night, I had to make two trips to supermarket for two items just because I can drive the car more :-)

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Compared with BMW 530, 330, Audi A6 2.7T. No matter which way you look at, could not compare what you see on Lexus.