olderguy

Wife has an SC300, but I'm looking to buy a used SC430. I'd appreciate any thoughts on features, model years, issues, etc to avoid. Also, since this is apparently the last model year, is Lexus coming out with a similar replacement? What will this do to SC430 values? If I buy with cash and not from a dealer, is there a worthwhile warranty I can purchase? Thanks.

Habious

A 2006 or newer vehicle will give you the most technology, short of buying the 2010 model (which changed, tech-wise, quite a bit from previous models). The 2006+ will give you adaptive front headlights, LED tail-lights, 6-speed transmission, updated suspension, updated (relative to previous years) navigation system, voice-command for stereo and navigation, better integration for aftermarket iPod and Satellite Radio support.

The cars have proven to be EXTREMELY reliable. There are many folks on here who drive around with no warranty at all, and they sleep very well at night.

scdroptop

iTrader: (1)

Olderguy-welcome to Club Lexus! As you know Lexus vehicles in general are extremely dependable and loaded with features. There is no specific year to "stay away" from on the SC430 as JD Powers and many reliability studies/reviews always gave the car very high marks---in fact the highest marks many years in a row.

It really depends on what your price range is and what amenities you want.

If you want a piece of mind with a warranty-buy a Certified Pre-owned from Lexus. The nearly 200 point inspection as well as required service they perform before you buy the car is uncompromised and like buying a new car. After the sale though is where the experience really is great. You are nearly 100% covered bumper to bumper (no rubber items, wear and tear, etc) for 3 years or 100k miles plus free loaner cars and car washes. Here is the link, I sorted by VA for you, which doesn't give you much. You can search by any state, zip or car you want: http://www.lcpo.com/cpo_poresults.ps...Search_Results

If you want to buy a used lexus but not CPO from a non-lexus dealer, there are tons of options to buy after market warranties, including (must be still under factory 4yr/50k) lexus warranties at the dealer. Here they are: http://www.lexusfinancial.com/consum...pg_VSAOverview

What some people do is buy a 3-4 year old car still under warranty and then buy the extended warranty.

You can still buy a much older SC430 and buy a third party warranty, or even a Toyota Dealer warranty since they work on our cars. Do a search on here...it's been discussed many times.

Lastly, as mentioned before...they are VERY dependable cars and you could always just roll the dice and keep a stash for an occassional Mark Levinson speaker to go out or something else.

Like with all used luxury cars, I would put a MUCH higher value on cars that you have the service records on, one owner, service has been kept up to date (not just a 3 year lease with no service done but oil change), etc etc.

A 2002-2003 car will most likely need timing belt/water pump service done which is a biggie. Most low mileage SC430's probably will not have this done, but it is a debate we often throw around in this forum that the date, not mileage should be considered with these services---especially when dealing with an engine. A popular repair item on early SC's was the lower front control arms in the suspension-look to see if this has been done.

Any car with 30-60k miles and of course around 90k should have had the 30k service intervals done...very important fluids, filters, etc. ****Service history can be found for any car on www.lexus.com with a VIN number, do a search on here it shows you how to do it when you get serious about buying a car.**** Brakes (if rotors are involved) can be expensive for all four and so can run flat tires. Most used SC's have the OEM run flats on them and can easily be replaced to improve ride by 200% with using non-run flat tires and/or upgrading like most of us do to larger wheels/tires.

The Mark Levinson speakers going out have been the most consistent issue of the SC430 plus the harsh ride of the run flat tires. Both are easily remedied and the first issue certainly is covered well under the CPO and Lexus Extended Service Plans.

The 2006+ SC430 gives you both bluetooth and the six speed manu-matic transmission and an updated front/rear lighting system and some say a smoother ride.

The 2002-2005 can also be shifted manually and fairly easily updated to look like a 2006+

The 2005 model year started offering the bluetooth feature and an updated navigation.

You can find 2002-2003's now for lower $20k's and even $16-18k for a higher mileage one. 2003-2005's are going for low to mid $20k's to mid to upper $20k's. A 2006-2008 in general will go for $30k-mid to high $30k's...all depending on mileage, regional location and wholesale dealer vs individual vs franchise dealer vs lexus dealer. Lots of variables.

I use the following sites to search for cars:

www.lexus.com
www.ebay.com
www.autotrader.com
www.cars.com
www.craigslist.com
www.yahooautos.com
www.msnautos.com

Be leery of high mileage cars with no service history. Don't depend just on carfax and certainly do your homework! Although these cars are very dependable, they can be very expensive to repair if you get a bad apple and there are certainly plenty of options that can be costly to fix.

I'd be glad to help you look for one if you want to tell me your budget and color combinations. I love helping spend other people's money!

Good luck and hopefully we were some help to you!

I've had a couple of SC300/400's and now two SC430's. You will love the transition!!!

olderguy

Thanks, great and thorough advice. I reposted the same questions because I didn't realize that I had posted successfully the first time (NOVICE!).