Hi Guys,

I'm about to buy a new car, but man is it hard! I saw the SC 430 on the street the other day and fell in love right away. I test drove it and thought it was the coolest car ever, I later test drove the BMW 335i but I thought the interior couldn't compare to the 430.

The 2007 430 is a bit expensive considering there haven't been significant changes in the past few years. So I'm looking for a black 2005 with the light interior (that's the year Bluetooth was added I think). However, I can't seem to find any located nearby (Santa Monica, CA).

What do you guys do to find your perfect car? Do you travel to other states and then have it delivered?

Also, I know this isn't the right forum. But what are your thoughts of the BMW 335i (I hear the 2008 will have a retractable hard top & f1 paddles).

Thanks for the help!

 

welcome to CL, trust me this is one very nice car (i used to live in santa monica and west LA for years!)

anyway, we got our sc430 new, so i am not sure about used. but i always think you need to be patient and take your time to look around in order to find the best one for yourself

yes, the 05 was the first yr with bluetooth. 06 they changed the grille, bumper, headlights, taillights, and also has the 6 speed tranny (and the car is a bit faster)

personally i would only get a used car if i am able to see it, drive it, and have it checked out. out of state might be too much trouble imho. plus i think ca (especially socal) has a lot of sc430 anyway. maybe you can widen your search to OC as well. i see quite a lot of them there

335i is very fast, that's one sweet car. but that's not for me. too compact for a sedan imho, and its quality is no lexus

 

Yeah seriously, the quality can't even compare. I got into the 335i and thought 'err... this is it? this sucks!'. I'm going to check out some more dealers tomorrow, wish me luck!

 

if you check on dealers for CPO cars, check on longo, glendale, and maybe even tustin/newport. they are bigger dealers and usually more cars

 

I found my SC430 on Autotrader.com. It was the exact combo I was looking for. Drove 50 miles to the dealership in Ft. Worth to buy it. Not sure where you are in CA, but this one's a beauty, plus it has upgraded '06/'07 rims...

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...g=1&cardist=34

Re: the 335i, I was interested in the hardtop convertible. Went to the BMW dealership to drive the coupe as every review I've read has been glowing. Didn't want to put a deposit down without at least driving the coupe. The salesman laughed, said there were no coupes available to drive and the convertible wouldn't be out until the summer. Bought the SC430 instead.

The SC430 and 335i are apples and oranges. The 335i is a driver's car with lots of great features (i-pod connectivity, fold-down rear seats, solar-reflective leather), but the interior is pretty plain and the long-term reliability is questionable. I recently read an article in one of the car mags that mentioned they had engine problems with 4 BMWs they kept as long-term vehicles. We'll see how a BMW with twin turbos holds up over the long haul.

The SC430 is anything but a driver's car, although it is deceptively fast and can handle the curves when necessary. It is just so isolated, there is very little driver involvement. The quality and reliability is impeccable and the interior is amazing. I test drove a new Jag XK, and I still prefer the design of the SC interior. The SC sound system is amazing, and there are solutions for satellite radio and i-pod connectivity... just not as perfect as if they'd been designed into the car. As long as you don't push the SC430 (at least in stock form) you should be quite happy with it.

Think "thrill ride" vs. "decompression chamber".

 

Why do you think BMW has a 50000 mile plan?
Everything breaks!! It's not like the old days that's for sure. I've been a BMW driver for over 25 years. Had at least 1 of every model during that time frame, and watched the quality lessen year after year. When I made the move to the SC430 I had a M5 that was in the shop more than it was on the road. The Lexus was my first Japanese car and the differences in quality, service and realibility is remarkable.

BT

 

That autotrader is a great website, thanks!

 

Agree with everything I have read. I might add that I checked out carmax.com also. They have a place in Irvine I believe. it took me about 3 months to find my 2003 silver/black with only 14Kmiles on it (that was in late2006!) Absolutely flawless, and found it through the autotrader.com. it was a SAAB dealership in Torrance. This is after I checked out about 3 or 4 private party ads in San Diego, with no luck. It pays to wait so take your time and be patient!

 

Carmax has this one: Looks like black with ecru?
http://www.carmax.com/dyn/factsheet/...spx?id=4164380

 

wow, thats an amazing find!!!! The 2005 version comes with bluetooth right?!

 

What do you mean by fully loaded? After reading a lot of threads on this forum, I've come to find that there are really no significant differences between the 05 and 07 models.

 

I know that everyone wants to get "the best deal" but, when I went looking for my 2003 Black/Ecru SC430, I looked in AutoTrader and Cars.com. Tried to find the best deal on the lowest mileage car. Found one that I thought looked good and called the dealer that listed it (Pohanka Lexus - Chantilly, VA). They informed me that it was just sold. I told the guy "Well, thanks for your time, I guess I'll keep looking." He stopped me from hanging up and told me that if I gave them the specs, they have a buyer who goes out and gets used/CPO cars for them. So, I went down there, took one for a test drive (wasn't sure at that point if I'd fit in it (I'm 6'1" and had never sat in one), and fell in love. Told them what I wanted and what I wanted to pay for it. They found me my '03 Black/Ecru with 18K on the clock (I had asked for something under 40K mileage). It was great! When the car came in, I inspected it before actually buying it. Couldn't have been easier. I may not have gotten the absolute, hands-down, what-a-steal, best price on the planet but, I paid what I thought was a fair price for a REALLY nice car with zero legwork for me!

 

Does everyone here buy? Or do you guys also lease?

 

Cash in hand-pimp style!

 

The Infinitis are leased. The Lexus is purchased. We will probably buy the FX35 when the lease is up next year (if the street value is more than the negotiated residual) because it has less than 30k miles and has been a great car. The M35 will just go back to the dealership.