DropTop430

My 02 SC430 is a week away from coming off of warranty. It’s only got 30 000km or 18 000 miles on it but it’s the 4 years that is getting me. Looked at getting an extended warranty but Lexus won’t sell me a factory one and I don’t trust aftermarket ones.

I know that many don’t see the value in an extended warranty but for me I like the reassurance that whatever breaks they fix it and I am prepared to pay for that. Call it peace of mind.

Just wondering for all you high mileage people out there, how has the car been holding up? I assume that there are no major problems or I/we would have read about them on this board.

Just curious what year your SC is and what’s your mileage?

Happy Motoring

rominl

iTrader: (4)

i don't know about the sc430 (yet, only 2500 miles so far), but my gs400 heavily modded with 60k miles and still very strong.

and i read that the sc430 is one of the best cars built ever (ratings wise)

tfischer

I'm off of warranty in another month, and I talked to my dealer today about the "extended warranty." (It's really a service agreement, not a warranty.) At this time, I only have 20,000 miles.

The only plans available are for 6 or 7 years from the "in-service date," which is 6 or 7 years from the date you (or the first owner) bought the car new. The cost for the extra two years is about $1,600 and for 3 years is about $2,600.00.

Here's why I'm passing on this deal. First, I don't put a lot of miles on the car. Secondly, the cars are as well built as any out there (I had my SC400 for 10 years with no major problems of any kind, and hardly any minor ones). If I had one major problem in 2 years, which is unlikely, I might break even on the deal. I'd have to have two major problems in two years in order to come out ahead, and that is very unlikely. Finally, as far as really major problems go, remember that the drive train is under a 6 year warranty, not the 4 year warranty that covers everything else.

The odds are very, very good that I won't have such a major expense, and if I do, it will be worth it to pay for it. (The salesman suggested that I could get today a sale price of about 4 or 5 thousand dollars less than the purchase price I paid in 2001. That's a pretty low price per year for owning such a wonderful car.)

So I'm going to pass on the "platinum" package and know that my peace of mind is built into the quality of the car.

DropTop430

Thanks for your input. My dealer in Toronto, Canada will not even sell me that warranty. I was told that Lexus Canada no longer allows you to buy the extended warranty after the fact. I don't really think the business manager that I spoke with knew what she was talking about. But that's another issue.

I am confident that the car will be fine but I just don't get a chance to drive it all that much and would actually feel better putting more miles on it then letting it just sit there looking pretty. I'm from the school of thought that cars are to be driven.

The only item on this car that gets me worried is the hard top and all its motors and such. I have seen the prices first hand from a repair for one and its shocking to say the least.

I need to free up some time to drive it or figure out how to change the weather here in Canada.

Not sure which one would be easier.

Good day,

vvking

I have the same issue. My 2002 SC430 was delivered in May 2001, so I'm just about out of warranty, even though I have only 37,000 miles. I was worried about the motors for the retractable hard top as well.
Last year, Allstate offered what was similar to an extended warranty. It was called "Parts & Labor Plus." Unfortunately, I passed on it at the time, and now they no longer offer it.
I'm not willing to pay Lexus $1600 for only two years of additional coverage.
So, I guess I'll either have to take my chances with a third party extended warranty or pray that Lexus built this car to last.

gekisai29

this is alittle of topic but why aren't you guys out on the road putting more miles on your sc 7 enjoying it?

tfischer

The top seems to be pretty reliable, even though it is fairly complex.

I understand that the same company that made the top for the original SLK also made the top for Lexus, which makes sense if you have ever seen the two of them operate.

I have a friend who has had an SLK since that car came out, which is about two years longer than the SC430, and he tells me he operates the top twice a day every day, weather permitting. He has had no problems yet, and his car is older than mine, and has many more top operations than mine.

It's a complex piece of machinery, but seems to be pretty reliable. And if something needs fixing, the odds are it won't be $1,600.00, and it sure won't happen twice.

Gojirra99

How shocking ? Can you reveal in Canadian dollar's as I'm in Canada too.

tfischer

its way offtopic and hard 2 read bsides and it is cold 2 and i have other cars to drive and cant drive the sc all the time 7 i like 2 but dont.

DropTop430

For me the reason for the low km's is other cars to drive and the weather, the car is stored for 6 months of the year.

vvking

I actually put the first 20K on pretty quickly in the first couple years of ownership, when I commuted 38 miles each way to work (over 1 hour each way in LA traffic).
Now, my commute is only 8 miles each way (but sometimes still over 1 hour to go home!).
I appreciate my SC430 for the top-down motoring around town.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

man, 1 hr to go 8 miles, might as well just stay in office for a tad longer

mlbpbg

You can get really reliable extended warranties from several online sites. I had one for my Mercedes SL500 and it paid for itself when the A/C broke. See who underwrites the policy for reassurance.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

not trying to be funny here, but imho, getting extended warranty on mb, bimmer, audi, etc... probably worth a lot more

vvking

Which company did you use for your extended warranty?

There have been a number of extended warranty companies that have gone out of business in the last few years -- leaving the consumer holding the bag.