Today's Nice Price aliases No Dice GS 300 is that rarest of each things: an absorbing Lexus. Toyota's luxury marque makes awesome cars, but let's beryllium honest, seldom do they operation nan loins. Let's spot if this straight-six sports saloon's value gets america each stirring.
According to estimates by nan Louvre Museum, location betwixt 20,000 and 30,000 visitors extremity to spot Da Vinci's Mona Lisa each day. That's claimed to beryllium astir 80% of nan full number of group who sojourn nan depository daily, making you wonderment who makes up that 20% that goes to nan problem and disbursal of visiting nan Louvre only to debar saying howdy to Leonardo's whimsically smiling woman friend.
No specified rumor arose pinch nan 1998 Volvo V70 Art Car we contemplated past week, arsenic it brings its creation to nan people, not nan different measurement around. The canvas underneath nan creation seemed solid, and a manual switch brought immoderate nosy to nan picture, arsenic well. A $2,999 asking value sealed nan woody and earned nan artistically endowed Volvo a Bob Ross-worthy 70% Nice Price win.
A difficult enactment to follow
In nan precocious 1980s, nan 3 biggest Japanese automaker brands began activity connected nan preamble of luxury brands targeting nan U.S. market. This came arsenic voluntary export restrictions betwixt Japan and nan U.S. started to erode firm money-making. The much costly models from Acura (Honda), Infiniti (Nissan), and Lexus (Toyota) would connection higher margins and hence seizure greater profits.
Lexus entered nan marketplace successful 1990 pinch a cleanable expanse halo car, nan LS 400, and its much affordable sidekick, nan ES250, which was a reworked type of nan Camry. Within 3 years, nan institution reinforced nan lineup pinch a coupe type of nan LS and mid-sized gap-filler dubbed nan GS. That GS was notable for not conscionable being right-sized and bringing cardinal aspects of nan larger LS to a somewhat little value point. It besides offered personage styling pinch its bodylines having been penned by nary different than Italdesign Giugiaro. A four-door saloon pinch long-hood, short-deck styling, that first GS group nan shape for each caller loop to travel each nan measurement up until nan line's discontinuation successful 2020. None of nan pursuing generations had nan provenance of nan first successful their assemblage designs, but nan wide looks remained pleasing enough.
Give it to maine straight... six
That's conscionable nan lawsuit pinch this 2000 GS 300 Platinum. A second-generation car, it lacks nan first generation's slick Italian suit bodywork, but it does person retro-looking blobular caput and fog lamps that were each nan rage backmost successful nan early Aughts. That look is replicated successful nan tail lamp treatment, though it's somewhat spoiled by nan squircle lights successful nan footwear lid being faded to astir clear by nan sun. That, and immoderate insignificant deterioration connected nan mill alloy wheels, appears to beryllium nan only artistic rumor of which nan car suffers. On nan positive side, there's an incongruously large helping connected nan decklid, lending nan car a spot of sportiness and astir apt making it easier to judge wherever nan rear bumper is.
Under nan GS's hood is simply a 3.0-liter 2JZ straight-six offering 225 horsepower and nan aforesaid number successful torque. Based connected nan under-hood changeable successful nan ad, that's each successful awesome style (it looks for illustration it's been precocious detailed) and appears to beryllium complete. According to nan ad, nan car has a humble 138,000 miles connected nan timepiece and comes pinch a afloat work history from since it was new.
One owner
This being a Platinum version intends it's a spot fancier than nan mean bear, featuring added wood trim passim nan compartment and typical badging connected nan mill level mats. The proprietor is keeping those successful nan trunk, allowing america to bask nan satisfying vacuum tracks successful nan cabin's plush carpet from a caller detailing.
There is immoderate deterioration evident successful here, though. Both nan driver and rider seats show crazing and immoderate fading successful nan leather upholstery. The halfway armrest is besides losing nan conflict against elbow intrusions, and that has really cracked through. Everything other seems solid—and why wouldn't it? This is simply a Lexus, aft all. It's very old-school, though, pinch nary halfway stack surface for infotainment aliases navigation. It does stone some a cassette platform and a CD player, truthful your grandma tin bring her euphony on for nan drive. Updates see what nan seller describes arsenic "a tasteful model tint," and "upgraded debased beams for amended visibility." This is, truthful far, a one-owner car, truthful nan seller should person each nan deets connected that work history for immoderate prospective 2nd owner.
A safe bet?
It's beautiful easy to disregard Lexus sedans arsenic being boring, but successful this time and age, isn't location immoderate comfortableness to beryllium recovered successful elemental competence? Once hailed arsenic 1 of nan astir reliable and inexpensive to run cars connected nan planet, Lexus sedans for illustration this still connection that consciousness of quiet opulence successful their assured reliability. This one, pinch its cleanable title and further assurance by its seller of dependability, comes pinch an $8,000 asking price. We willl now request to talk and ballot connected that for nan worth proposition it provides.
What's your return connected this GS 300 and that $8,000 asking? Is that a woody for immoderate old-school dependability and swank? Or is this conscionable a dull-as-dishwater sedan that needs a cheaper value tag to engender immoderate enthusiasm?
You decide!
Nice Price aliases No Dice:
Phoenix, Arizona, Craigslist, aliases spell here if nan advertisement disappears.
H/T Bill Rice for nan hookup!
Help maine retired pinch NPOND. Contact maine astatine robemslie@gmail.com and nonstop a fixed-price tip. Remember to see your commenter handle.