Potential SC430 owner: Some questions
05-08-09, 01:50 PM
#61
Pit Crew
Thread Starter
So, in an earlier post I listed a silver/saddle '05 which had a bad stain on the leather on part of the one of the rear seats. Here's a photo of the stain:
What do you think? Salvageable?
And what part of the seat is this? I originally thought it was near the headrest, but now I'm thinking it's the seat cushion.
What do you think? Salvageable?
And what part of the seat is this? I originally thought it was near the headrest, but now I'm thinking it's the seat cushion.
05-08-09, 02:38 PM
#62
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Looks like the passenger side rear seat cushion to me...?
Any other evidence of leakage, or does it look like a spill of some sort?
Oh, and thank you to whomever recommended Autocheck. Great site, I checked out my car AFTER I bought it (had already done Carfax) and seem to have lucked out. Good stuff. $14.95 for a single VIN check seems like a good deal.
Any other evidence of leakage, or does it look like a spill of some sort?
Oh, and thank you to whomever recommended Autocheck. Great site, I checked out my car AFTER I bought it (had already done Carfax) and seem to have lucked out. Good stuff. $14.95 for a single VIN check seems like a good deal.
05-08-09, 04:29 PM
#63
Pit Crew
Thread Starter
Maybe their kid pee'd on the seat? Do you think a roof leak could result in this sort of thing? That could certainly be cause for concern.
I remembered reading a post from someone (not even sure if it was in these forums) talking about having their leather seats repainted, and I did a Google search and found some products that could be worth a try. The concept seems questionable to me, but maybe they really work. Nevertheless, I don't know that this car is at the top of my list. Other than this issue, it does seem like a fairly good price (around $26.5k for an '05 w/54k miles), but not really an amazing price, either, and the silver color is not one of my top two colors (those would probably be white and black).
I remembered reading a post from someone (not even sure if it was in these forums) talking about having their leather seats repainted, and I did a Google search and found some products that could be worth a try. The concept seems questionable to me, but maybe they really work. Nevertheless, I don't know that this car is at the top of my list. Other than this issue, it does seem like a fairly good price (around $26.5k for an '05 w/54k miles), but not really an amazing price, either, and the silver color is not one of my top two colors (those would probably be white and black).
05-08-09, 06:46 PM
#64
Looks like the passenger side rear seat cushion to me...?
Any other evidence of leakage, or does it look like a spill of some sort?
Oh, and thank you to whomever recommended Autocheck. Great site, I checked out my car AFTER I bought it (had already done Carfax) and seem to have lucked out. Good stuff. $14.95 for a single VIN check seems like a good deal.
Any other evidence of leakage, or does it look like a spill of some sort?
Oh, and thank you to whomever recommended Autocheck. Great site, I checked out my car AFTER I bought it (had already done Carfax) and seem to have lucked out. Good stuff. $14.95 for a single VIN check seems like a good deal.
05-08-09, 06:53 PM
#65
So, in an earlier post I listed a silver/saddle '05 which had a bad stain on the leather on part of the one of the rear seats. Here's a photo of the stain:
What do you think? Salvageable?
And what part of the seat is this? I originally thought it was near the headrest, but now I'm thinking it's the seat cushion.
What do you think? Salvageable?
And what part of the seat is this? I originally thought it was near the headrest, but now I'm thinking it's the seat cushion.
One thing that puzzles me is the picture that they sent you. If it is the rear seat bottom, than where is the side piece that it goes up against? What I see in the picture is a cloth material which I have no idea where that is...
05-27-09, 03:52 PM
#68
Pit Crew
Thread Starter
Hey all, just thought I'd provide a little update on things. I recently got side-tracked looking at some BMW 3-series convertibles. First there was a silver/black '02 M3 convertible for $22K and only 36K miles. Very nice, but I was uncertain of the color, the extended warranty added another $1500 or so to the price, and their offer on my trade-in was about $1000 less than I was hoping for. So, I would have needed to put down a bit more cash and still have a pretty high 36 month loan (credit union near me offers up to 36 months for '02's at 5.25%).
Then I took a look at a red/tan '02 330 convertible (an hour and a half away). 5-speed manual trans. 50K miles. About $18.5K but with $500-1000 more for my trade-in. Beautiful looking car and the 330 had enough power to satisfy me. But shortly after my 10 minute test-drive, while idling and trying to figure out how to use BMW's navigation system, we saw that the engine temp had jumped up and there was smoke coming from under the hood. Turned off the car, opened the door, and saw a pool of coolant. They're looking into it now, and it's probably a fluke that can be easily fixed and did no lasting damage, but it sort of got me thinking about the BMW reliability issue, especially as compared to Lexus.
So here I am again. There's still hardly any SC430's anywhere near me (especially in the price range I'm looking), and a couple of ones I was interested in before are now gone (missed out because they were a couple of hours away and I couldn't find time in my schedule to get to them before they disappeared). There's one car that's still available that seems like a particularly good deal, though it's definitely higher up in the price range, so I'm torn on that. It's the silver/saddle one I recently posted about - '05 with 54K miles for about $26.5K. Mileage is nothing spectacular for the year, and the price is a stretch, but it's an '05.
Anyways, part of the reason for my post is that I'm wondering what everyone's thoughts are about 3rd party extended warranties. It seems like all of the used car dealers sell them these days. The dealer selling the red BMW 330 offered a plan thru Diamond Warranty Corp which, for a 48 month/50K mile comprehensive plan with $0 deductible, he was going to sell me for $1600 (which he claims is his cost). I called them up and they said I could take my car anywhere and they'd pay the repair shop directly, but they prefer (I forget the wording they used - so I'm not sure what this means) that I don't use a BMW dealer since they're more expensive. This suggests to me that they have some limit on the hourly rate they'll cover.
Anyways, I know that any issues with a Lexus will be expensive, but on the other hand, the reliability should be significantly better. What do you all think?
Then I took a look at a red/tan '02 330 convertible (an hour and a half away). 5-speed manual trans. 50K miles. About $18.5K but with $500-1000 more for my trade-in. Beautiful looking car and the 330 had enough power to satisfy me. But shortly after my 10 minute test-drive, while idling and trying to figure out how to use BMW's navigation system, we saw that the engine temp had jumped up and there was smoke coming from under the hood. Turned off the car, opened the door, and saw a pool of coolant. They're looking into it now, and it's probably a fluke that can be easily fixed and did no lasting damage, but it sort of got me thinking about the BMW reliability issue, especially as compared to Lexus.
So here I am again. There's still hardly any SC430's anywhere near me (especially in the price range I'm looking), and a couple of ones I was interested in before are now gone (missed out because they were a couple of hours away and I couldn't find time in my schedule to get to them before they disappeared). There's one car that's still available that seems like a particularly good deal, though it's definitely higher up in the price range, so I'm torn on that. It's the silver/saddle one I recently posted about - '05 with 54K miles for about $26.5K. Mileage is nothing spectacular for the year, and the price is a stretch, but it's an '05.
Anyways, part of the reason for my post is that I'm wondering what everyone's thoughts are about 3rd party extended warranties. It seems like all of the used car dealers sell them these days. The dealer selling the red BMW 330 offered a plan thru Diamond Warranty Corp which, for a 48 month/50K mile comprehensive plan with $0 deductible, he was going to sell me for $1600 (which he claims is his cost). I called them up and they said I could take my car anywhere and they'd pay the repair shop directly, but they prefer (I forget the wording they used - so I'm not sure what this means) that I don't use a BMW dealer since they're more expensive. This suggests to me that they have some limit on the hourly rate they'll cover.
Anyways, I know that any issues with a Lexus will be expensive, but on the other hand, the reliability should be significantly better. What do you all think?
05-27-09, 04:23 PM
#69
Moderator
I can't answer for all of us, but my understanding is that these extended third party warranties are to avoided.
Let's look at the math: the company knows what the repair history and the repair costs are for any given car. The company thus knows what it will pay out (on average) during the term of the agreement. To this number, they add their own overhead and salaries and advertising, their profit, their sales commissions, etc. As a result, you are paying in the premium far more than the company thinks (even knows) it will have to pay shops to get the repairs done.
You are far better off to keep your cash and self-insure. The odds of being way above average are strongly in your favor. Remember, if you have claims during the warranty period that only equal the $1,600.00 premium, then you have lost on your gamble. I've been driving an SC430 since it hit the market in 2001 and I haven't spent anywhere near that in repairs that would be covered under such a warranty.
Finally, if you aren't going to be able to afford to get it fixed, maybe your reach is exceeding your grasp.
Let's look at the math: the company knows what the repair history and the repair costs are for any given car. The company thus knows what it will pay out (on average) during the term of the agreement. To this number, they add their own overhead and salaries and advertising, their profit, their sales commissions, etc. As a result, you are paying in the premium far more than the company thinks (even knows) it will have to pay shops to get the repairs done.
You are far better off to keep your cash and self-insure. The odds of being way above average are strongly in your favor. Remember, if you have claims during the warranty period that only equal the $1,600.00 premium, then you have lost on your gamble. I've been driving an SC430 since it hit the market in 2001 and I haven't spent anywhere near that in repairs that would be covered under such a warranty.
Finally, if you aren't going to be able to afford to get it fixed, maybe your reach is exceeding your grasp.
05-27-09, 04:46 PM
#70
Pit Crew
Thread Starter
Oh, I understand the math. And the math makes sense when you factor in that these companies cover many varieties of cars. I've done a search against these forums and found that the vast majority seem to agree with you in stating that they're a waste of money. For a Lexus, maybe it doesn't make any sense, because the car is so reliable.
But go over to bimmerforums.com and you'll actually find the exact opposite! A lot of people there highly recommend these extended warranties, and claim that they've gotten repairs covered that exceeded the cost of the warranty.
So go figure. I guess the moral of the story is if I get a BMW, I should buy an extended warranty, and if I buy an SC430, I should save my money?
But go over to bimmerforums.com and you'll actually find the exact opposite! A lot of people there highly recommend these extended warranties, and claim that they've gotten repairs covered that exceeded the cost of the warranty.
So go figure. I guess the moral of the story is if I get a BMW, I should buy an extended warranty, and if I buy an SC430, I should save my money?
05-27-09, 05:17 PM
#71
Scott,
I say find the best deal you can on an 02 SC430. When it's all said and done, there is pretty much no difference between that and an 05 model.
With the money you save by finding a cheap 02, you'll be all set to deal with maintenance.
I say find the best deal you can on an 02 SC430. When it's all said and done, there is pretty much no difference between that and an 05 model.
With the money you save by finding a cheap 02, you'll be all set to deal with maintenance.
05-27-09, 05:37 PM
#72
Pit Crew
Thread Starter
Seeing as I'm using this as an all-purpose thread covering many subjects, here's a new question...
Another white/saddle '02 popped up on my search radar. It appears to have a pinstripe (ugh). Can this be easily removed such that I'd never know it was there? And, if so, should I trust the dealer I'd be buying it from to remove it or pay someone else to "do it right"?
Another white/saddle '02 popped up on my search radar. It appears to have a pinstripe (ugh). Can this be easily removed such that I'd never know it was there? And, if so, should I trust the dealer I'd be buying it from to remove it or pay someone else to "do it right"?
05-27-09, 07:37 PM
#73
Moderator
Surely there are warranty buyers who were able to make claims in excess of the cost of the policy, but don't generalize from insufficient data. Many owners of the same policy for the same car had few or no claims - otherwise the company would be out of business. All insurance is like that. The premiums from healthy people with health insurance pay for the few that need neurosurgery, and many homeowners pay to rebuild a house that has burned.
The difference here is the magnitude of the claim. If your house burns down or you get a brain tumor the costs could very well wipe you out; insurance against the rare catastrophe makes economic sense.
If your alternator fails, which it might, you should be able to handle that. If the worst covered mechanical problem will cost you the last of your savings, then you bought the wrong car.
The difference here is the magnitude of the claim. If your house burns down or you get a brain tumor the costs could very well wipe you out; insurance against the rare catastrophe makes economic sense.
If your alternator fails, which it might, you should be able to handle that. If the worst covered mechanical problem will cost you the last of your savings, then you bought the wrong car.
05-28-09, 09:25 AM
#75
