jimbo409

I have been looking at a 2002 sc430 with 72000 miles on it. The car looks immaculate. I w currently have a 98 LS400 with 118000 miles and is awsume. I got the maintenance recordes from Lexus and it seems to always be in for dead battery. There have been reg oil changes and struts and brakes but seems like he was always taking in in for battery draining.They replaced the alternator and about 8000miles later it was back in for the battery. I have read that if you let the car sit more than a week or so the battery goes dead. My Ls sits for 4 or 5 weeks and never a problem. Also what is going on with the windshield. Do you think if I buy this car I shoud try to get a service aggrement from lexus if that is even possible. Thanks Jimbo

PS I love this site

Harold57

Good luck getting a service agreement this late in the life of the car. You aren't likely to find a policy that will go out that far. But give it a try anyway.

The battery situation may depend on how he uses the car. Since there are some very battery intensive features on the car (electric top, mainly), he may be abusing the car the way he uses it. I've left my car at the airport for 5 days and haven't had a problem with starting it. I've also left it at home during a 2 week vacation and had no problem starting it when we returned. So that shouldn't be a problem.

These cars do stress their batteries a bit more than the normal cars because of the electric top and other electronics that are on-board and will likely cause batteries to fail prematurely but not in 6 months. They may fail a bit short of their lifespan but not 90% short!

Of course, it is always possible that he has an electric lemon on his hands. Be sure to get it checked out thoroughly.

Yes

if he had a recurring problem like that, i'd keep looking. with 72,000 miles, it wasn't sitting for long periods of time. it was a daily driver. there's something else going on.

Harold57

I was thinking more along the lines of the current owner could be running the top up and down and playing the radio when the engine is off. That would stress the battery and could result in an early demise.

I agree though, if he can't get clarity on that subject, I'd walk. There's bound to be a lot of cars out there that are better deals.

PHXSC

It seems to me the dealer is chasing the symptom, not the problem. Something is draining the battery, so after a few battery replacements, they tried the alternator, to no avail.
I have an '02, and it is a third car in a two driver household, so it gets driven infrequently. I don't have a problem with it starting after 2 weeks of sitting. Mine has less than 22k miles to give you an idea of how little it's driven.
It is nice that you have full records and it has been maintained, but I also agree with Harold that unless the dealer steps up and gives you some sort of warranty for this, I'd find another car.
Good luck!

jimbo409

Thanks everyone for all your help, If the car wasn't so nice I would walk, I look at the maintenance records and see he always took it to lexus for work I think because he had a maintenance aggrement so it looks like there was always something wrong with it. Through his maintenance agreement he had the radio replaced, antenae replaced, rear bushing,alternatorfront struts and mounts, rear struts and mounts,and then all the oil changes and reg maintenance. He seems like the kind of guy that is a little **** about his cars.

My concern is my 98 LS400 with 118000 miles is perfect and am wondering if I am asking for more problems than it is worth. Also is 18,000 a fair price with 70,000miles not much negotiating with this guy. Thanks Jimbo

rcpeters

I agree with what the others have said, except maybe the car is a good deal. I paid $24k for mine in February of 2008 and would not sell it for less than 20K, if I no longer needed it. My mileage is about 60K; not that much less than the one you are considering.

If you really like the colors of that car and it has lots of life left on non run flats, it should be a nice purchase.

I have had dead battery problems twice, after not driving my car for a couple of weeks. I never operate the top with out the engine running. So I bought a portable battery pack to keep in the garage, just in case. If I were to leave my car at an airport for more than a few days, I would leave that in the car. In both times the battery went dead, I got new batteries, just in case the problem was a bad battery.

If you are not able to spend several thousand dollars in case something major goes bad, maybe you should buy an after market warranty good at any shop. You can probably get a policy for a couple thousand dollars that will at least carry you up to 100k miles. I am not saying you need a warranty, I don't have one and I am not worried.

intdiamond

iTrader: (2)

My car regularly sits for weeks at a time, especially in the winter, when temps can be below zero, and my OEM battery lasted 7 years before I had to replace it, never having it go dead even once.

tromly

I think at 18k it's a good deal, sounds like the guy who has complete no deductible health insurance, who runs to the Dr for every cough or sniffle. Actually it sounds like the **** owner of the car really pampered it, which substantiates the fact that it's a good deal for you . Good Luck

Yes

i don't think lexus will offer an extended warranty on a 2002. but you might be able to negotiate for the dealership to cover the cost of a third party warranty (or a substantial portion of it). i wouldn't buy it without a warranty one way or the other.

farkas

iTrader: (5)

If the car is what you want, Buy it! 18K is not bad for a pampered SC430. What is important is the documented service history by Lexus. As far as the battery problem, if you are going to store it for longer periods of time, buy a Battery tender. They cost like $50 and the car will always start for you!

Yes

with that high of milage, i don't think it's an issue of sitting for long periods of time. it was probably a daily driver. it looks like there's an electrical issue going on. that may or may not have been resolved.

farkas

iTrader: (5)

It could be something as simple as leaving the lightswitch in the Auto position. That will drain the battery more aggressively than when it is in the off position.

coach1

I purchased my 03 last year, 40K miles, paid $33K, no regrets. Original battery and has never failed. Car has about 46K miles today. Since I will probably keep this car for ever....the original owner paid $63K....I'm very happy

tromly

Glad to hear that you're satisfied with the purchase, I always buy used, have had great luck with all my Lexus cars. Can't figure out why people buy new, especially spending 63K when they know the depreciation will bite them in the rear within three years .