KaiserSea1

Before buying my SC I trolled this board finding very few horror repair posts. My 03 with 48K miles is in perfect shape. The warranty issue has been rehashed many times on this board, but what do you all think for those of us who plan to drive a 15 year old SC430.

I was offered a warranty that will cover me 5 years and 60K miles from warranty date. That will get me up to 2015 and 110K miles, at expiration my 03 which was built in 6/02 will be a bit less than 13 years old.

Even with the bullet proof rep of the SC, do you all think I am pretty much guaranteed to have some costly repairs when my SC becomes a teenager.

Cost is for a Platinum Lexus 5/60 at $3200

Since I am buying roadside assistance anyway for $60 year (no spare) the real cost is $2900, or $580 a year, or $48 bucks a month. Okay I am trying to talk myself into it, $1.58 a day, less than a cup of coffee.

I know the odds are in my favor on a three year old SC, but thirteen? Opinions?

Yes

if you're sure you're going to keep it another 5 years, i say go for it. it's worth the peace of mind. my warranty is about to run out, which makes me more than a little nervous. it's not hard to run into a $3k repair.

VVTiBob

Gotta agree wiith LiquidSC. I picked up my 02 in August and purchase a similar warranty after reading threads here. My reasoning was solely based on peace of mind. But before you go ahead thoroughly read your warranty contract, NOT the sales materials.

There are many stated exclusions and many more reasons to have something excluded with loop-holed filled legalize. For me, there is nothing more frustrating than to have paid hard earned dollars for coverage only to have it denied. Nevertheless I purchased it with my eyes wide open to have: 1. Peace of mind and "b" to enjoy the car more rather that worrying about a breakdown that would or could cost a boatload of cash to repair.
Good luck with your decision.

scdroptop

iTrader: (1)

No hesitation for me to say HELL YES! I am a big believer, but I'm biased. $3200 was less than the cost to replace all ML speakers and the head unit for my 2002 when it said error 5 on it. I want to say the sub itself was $1800. And yes, I had to replace all but one tweeter on my 02. Engine and tranny mounts can run you $4500, just done on my 2005. Power window regulators, antennas, nav door, control arms can be costly too.

I bought back in 2006 the ESP 3/75 for $1800 and it more than twice paid for itself on my 2002 with 29k miles. If I had it today, I'm sure it would almost triple.

My 05 PB that I paid about $2500 more than most 05's because of the CPO has already recouped that money in the nearly $5k repair bill the month after I bought it.

I can relate to a 15 year old Lexus...my mother in law has a 1993 SC300. When I first met my wife and her it was only three years old and had no issues. Beautiful pearl white on tan, gold package with the 15" gold/silver bbs wheels. It was immaculately kept at dealer and they paid it off and kept it as a work car to commute since. It has 200k+ on it and has been VIRTUALLY problem free, but she does regret not getting the extended warranty. I looked back a while ago at her service issues and they happened at 60-80k for the first wave of problems and then at 120k-150k for the second wave. Seems like the stuff happened all at once in the two waves. Other than these two waves, the car has just been regularly maintained at sewell lexus at the tune of $500-$1000 each regular maint visit and today still runs like a top. Power window regulator replacement was $800. Power antenna $600. Nakamichi cd changer in trunk was $600 plus $300 core I believe at a used shop. She had to do the front wheel bearings, radiator, intake manifold, control arm bushings and a bunch of nakamichi speakers sunroof motor and some other stuff. I remember adding up the rough costs of the invoices and it was something like $10k over the past 12 years or so. That car is 16 years old today. Based on this example, I would say $3200 is a STEAL considering. Think of how much more advanced a SC430 is versus a SC300...the top, heated seats, nav, tpms, etc

azkaty

I shopped at a number of dealerships for the 5/100K warranty, in and out of state.. found the lowest price, then asked the PA Lexus dealership if they would match the price.. they did.

Cost $1625.00 5/100K

Katy

Harold57

I wouldn't go so far as to say that the SC430 is bullet proof. Just check over the recent posts on this forum and see what kind of problems have been showing up on cars less than 10 years old. 02 sensors, suspension components, speakers (and more speakers), a few window and remote rearview mirror issues and the occasional radio issues. I just re-upped my warranty after it ran out because I don't expect my '02 to get better with age. Sorry, it is not a fine wine. It is a fine car but a car is a mechanical and electrical/electronic device that wear out and a lot of those items are quite expensive to fix on the SC430.

Don't get me wrong, the car is quite reliable (apparently one of the more reliable on the road, according to several reputable reviews) but problems still show up and are expensive to repair without a warranty.

KaiserSea1

Sounds like a great price could you share the deails. There are different kinds of warranty packages, mine would be for a used car, new car warrantys can be bought on cars still under the manu warranty. Is your 5/100 from date of in service, or date you bought the warranty? For 3200 I get 5 years from today, and 60K more miles. Since my car is already 7 years old, I can not get a new car extended warranty.

I found a lot of third party warrantys that ran under 2K, but none of them cover the roof, or navi. Those are two of my big concerns.

tromly

Without any hesitation, go for it !! Peace of mind for the next five years is worth more than $3200, sounds like it's a half cup of Starbucks/day. Well worth the money !! Good Luck with your decision.

scdroptop

iTrader: (1)

Many of the best warranty deals can only be purchased at the time of purchase because of the liability and "known issues" concern of the warrantor. It's like the "pre-existing condition" clauses of health insurance/life insurance LOL

Kaiser see if katy can fax or e-mail you a copy of hers and take it to your lexus dealer and see what they can do.

I'm a BIG believer in price matching, coupon matching, etc etc. If you don't ask...you don't get. I guess that's why I'm in sales? mmmmm?

Jackco711

Just spoke with AAA- they offer extended a bumper to bumper warranty which would cost around $1800 for 4 years. My Lexus dealer suggested I call AAA because they accept their warranties in the shop.

Think I am going to go for it.

Any experiences out there with AAA?

Thanks,

KaiserSea1

I did a days research on this, but I am no expert, read the contract exclusions. AAA does not underwrite a warranty, they sell warrantech products. They specifically exclude Navi, Convertable Tops, and a lot of the high tech electronics in our car. As far as I can tell, the best 3rd party insurer is Warranty Direct. They also have the same exclusions. Do not trust the agent, read the contract.

Check BBB, find out where they are incorporated, and who is actually selling the warranty. Know the difference between a service contract and Insurance. Service contracts are not regulated under insurance laws of your state.

If you want a general warranty for powertrain you have a lot of options. If you want to cover the top, ML, and Navi, I could find only Lexus and Fidelity that would cover those items. If you have a newer SC you have a lot more options.

I am driving a 7 year old car, that is out of warranty. $3200 is the best I can do for 5/60 platinum. If anyone can beat this, please chime in. Going with a warranty that does not cover the stuff most likely to go, saving only $1500 for a shorter term and less mileage is a lot to consider.

scdroptop

iTrader: (1)

I'm confused...the warranty that AzKaty bought was from Lexus dealer in PA, right?

You are also looking at a lexus dealer warranty too, right?

I think the big difference is year...as you mentioned, and the point of sale. She bought hers with the car (I think she has a CPO doesn't she?), like I did both times and that makes a HUGE difference. Of course they JACK up the price after you've owned it because of pre-existing conditions, hidden issues, etc. that may arise. Some even do inspections. My Lexus dealer was ready to do it over the phone with a credit card no questions asked on my 2002 when the 3 year/75k expired...but I sold the car.

These AAA and other third party warranties (agreeing with your statement) NEVER seem to cover true bumper to bumper with everything included. They always get you on something.

Case and point: Range Rover warranties can run $3k-$4k for a decent 3 year 100k for a used 5 year to 7 year old truck. What they DON'T tell you is that the little rubber bushings that rot and cause the air suspension (the # 1 killer on RR's) to leak or fail are never covered under these warranties, although many of the suspension and drivetrain is covered because any and all rubber items are deemed as "wear and tear" items. The air suspension service on a RR is $3k by itself. I told my buddy who just bought a SWEET 2003 (still made by BMW) RR to put his $3k in a Roth IRA, CD or whatever for a rainy day for his RR with 50k miles and forego the aftermarket silly warranty because in this case the # 1 thing you want to be covered from doesn't get covered!

Solman

I bought my 02 SC in June 08 and within a week bought a 7 year/75K mile warranty from my CU that will cover me until 2015 or 98K miles. Since I have put only 5K miles on it since the purchase, I know the milage will be no problem. It is the top warranty (Platinum) with a zero deductable. It covers nearly everything including nav and roof. I paid $1230 for it and In the last year I have spent $2500 on the stereo, one speaker, and tranny pan gasket. I wrote extensively on this warranty so you might do a search for the exact warranty. It is a third party warranty that my teachers credit union offers. I know a lot of people don't have access to a CU, but if you do, I would definately check into it. I recommend a warranty and wish you well with your search.

John