topgun5

Greetings, New to the club and wanted to ask you folks that have one of these fine cars a few questions. I am close to retirement and looking for a car that would last me a long time ( and one with class I may add). I’ve owned vetts ( got one now in fact), but as I get older luxury is a consideration. But, I must have a top down feature – and is a must on any car I buy for fun. So, the one car that fits these wants seems to be the Lexus Sc 430. One foxy smooth, luxurious top down well built vehicle.

Now, for the question. Am I misguided in thinking the Lexus is all that well put together? Everyone I know that has one, and all I read about the Lexus is nothing but positive!.

So, I am looking for a nice used Sc 430. Knowing what you guys know, would you have any concerns about a used one? Any issues, or concerns one should know about a car with 50,000, 70,000 100,000 miles or more? My perception of these cars is that if they are well maintained they could indeed last a driver for a very long time. ( I think in fact the resale value of these cars does in fact seem

As a side note: I bought a 1995 Toyota Land Cruiser ( new). She had 128,000 on it when I sold. Never skipped a beat, and I think I changed plugs at 60,000 and 120,000 - that and sked oil changes, along with normal checks by the dealer - amazing vehicle! ( the current 2001 Land Rover can not say the same......)

Any info would be appreciated......... !

Max707

I bought a used SC430 this summer for the reasons you mentioned. I've been retired awhile and have owned 3 previous Lexus vehicles and 2 Landcruisers with the same positive results. I bought a 2003 black on black with 11K miles with the Lexus CPO warranty for $45K my vehicle has the after market custom chrome wheels. I have new PZero Neros on mine and figure they will be good for around 20K miles. Other then tires wearing faster then a normal car I would think the SC430 should be very dependable for the first 300K miles . I also looked at used SL500's (2003's) they were about $15K more for SL's with around 20K miles on them and the Mercedes used car warranty is only good for 1 year and the Mercedes have real problems when it comes to dependablity (mostly electrical). You should be able to pick up a 2003 with 40-50K miles without the CPO warranty for around $35-40K.

martini3

i'm an '03 w/ 42k miles so far and no major issues other than the worn out trunk struts that were replaced under warranty. No engine issues or any other mechanical problems. It's pretty much been flawless for me and still going strong. My next major tune-up is at 60K. I recently had one at 30K running on synthetic.

Other than that, I'd probably recommend an '03/'04.

gokaden

Just bought a used '03 SC 430 with 28K miles this past July. I waited for over 2 months to get the color combo I wanted (pearl-saddle) in TX, but none were ever listed, so I bought one from TN instead and had it shipped in. I hired an auto inspector in TN to look the car over first though.

However, when I received the car, the passenger mirror didn't tilt, and the signal return switch was broken. I had these replaced under warranty, and also the weak trunk struts.

I'd recommend the '04 model and later if you're tall, since the seats are able to recline alot lower.

No regrets so far about my purchase. I think the styling makes it a classic, so I'll be keeping this ride for awhile. The V8 is silky smooth, and the interior is pure luxury. Switch out the run flats for a smoother ride if you can.

Have fun shopping.

talwang

iTrader: (4)

Yup.. that may be a concern for some buyers.
The front seats for 02-03 can't recline all the way till the headrest touch the rear seat.
Although they can be modified to do that, yet it will be easier to buy a 04+ model.

MBoom

I am fairly new to the SC ownership experience, but I can perhaps shed a little bit of light since I did a fair amount of research before buying my '02 Lexus Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) SC430. The SC430 is an exceptionally high quality car, both in terms of the general level of fit and finish and in terms of overall mechanical reliability. In fact, in researching the car I couldn't find anything that suggested any area of significant mechanical problems. The quality surveys tend to indicate that the SC is among the most reliable and least trouble-prone cars sold in the U.S.

I've been in other high-mileage Lexuses, and have been very impressed with how they look, drive and perform with well over 100,000 miles on the clock. Looking at this and at the good reports for the SCs, which have generally not hit this milestone yet, I surmised that the SC was a good car to buy used. I'm not sure it qualifies as a sports car in the eyes of many, but this is also not a bad thing--my perception is that people who buy SCs tend not to beat them too badly and also maintain them pretty well.

I'd urge you to look for a Lexus CPO car. These cars command a premium over non-certified cars, but it gets you two things: a complete inspection by the dealership and a comprehensive warranty. I drive with a little more piece of mind, knowing that if I do end up facing an expensive repair the warranty will cover the cost. One more thing: this is a very good time to be in the market, particularly if you're willing to look at vehicles from the northern states. Convertible sales drop precipitously in the fall and the prices in areas such as the Chicago area are substantially lower now than they will be in April or May of next year. Good luck!

petergerst

I bought a used 04 sc430 dark green/saddle last winter about this time. It's a great time to do some serious negotiating on a convertible if you're in the Northeast, as I am. My car had only 16000 miles and I purchased at a Lexus dealership without the extra CPO warrantee (with such low milage you really don't need to pay for the extra since you can just extend the original warrantee close to deadline if you so please). I absolutely love my car, get so much enjoyment from it and would highly recommend that you make a similar purchase. Buy it in the winter close to the end of the month for great savings. I was real tough, walked out of the dealership, called back 2 days later, etc etc. got my car for $45,000, looks brand new.

SC430GA

I bought my 2002 in February with 86,5 K on it and next week going for the first oil change just drove 5k since. Have no issues beside passenger site mirror does not tilt and I mist it during my initial inspection. Have no regrets either car still looks and drives like new. If your search forum for “used”, you’ll find another topics and in one of them I have detail description of my research. Even I bought high mileage car, I still bought it from Lexus and recommend skipping other places. If you hesitating about high repair bills than get CPO. Good luck with your search.

Pearlpower

iTrader: (2)

Very good advice above-excellent in fact.

Many SC430 owners are previous Vette owners-myself included. This surprised me but almost all went with the SC430 for the same reasons you mentioned above. Great minds think alike as they say.

You will want to ditch the run flat tires-do a search on the wealth of information on that.

Get a CPO (Certified Pre-Owned) as recommended above as replacement parts are $$$$$. But most of all-take a look at several and ask yourself what color combination would want and have patience looking/waiting for it to become available at your target price.

Many mods are available if you still have the mod bug in you-see my sig. Or just enjoy it for what it is. The SC430 has been rated THE most reliable car sold for the past few years-PERIOD. Trouble areas? Couple of mentions of power steering pump leaks, few electrical with odd symptoms with no definite answer as to why, what ,etc... Also a few stereo units (upgraded in later years). The engines have forged steel cranks with 6 bolt mains. Pretty solid. Transmissions go 500k as if taken care of. Some of the leather on the interior is thin-especially around the center console so be careful around there with sharp objects.

Look forward to seeing more of you on the board.
Lee