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Congrats, it looks nice. What was the mileage on it when you purchased it?
thanks. it had just under 268k (267,917 to be exact) on the odometer when i bought it in july 2020. sounds crazy to me that i bought a car with that many miles, but i did. even crazier, i am the fifth owner. lucky for me, owner 1 who owned the car for almost 16 years and 260k of those miles had lexus do all the maintenance and i have those records from the lexus drivers website. that’s how i knew the timing belt had been changed twice already, once at 93k miles, and again at around 183k miles. i’ve added a few miles myself as the odometer is currently sitting at 269,298. i knew i was due for a new timing belt at 270k but i went a bit early for peace of mind.
Last edited by gleeson; 02-16-21 at 09:24 PM.
Reason: correction
Wow, that's amazing that you have such good records, that's great! But wait, are you saying that 3 of those owners drove it less than 5000 miles?
actually, owners 2 - 4 collectively drove the car around 8k miles. the whole buy/don’t buy decision process was fun and sometimes surprising. i think i will start a separate thread to explain some of the interesting things i learned while researching rather than cluttering up this welcome and roll call thread. 🙂
Last edited by gleeson; 02-16-21 at 09:24 PM.
Reason: correction
Honda wheels...they are not even the same spec as Toyota. They are not hub centric.
Good that you dumped them quickly.
agreed! the silver lining in all this is that i was able to sell the almost new tires and honda wheels which were in excellent condition to help offset the cost of my replacement wheels and tires.
I enjoy cars and have several that are pleasure rides. Two generations of MB SL’s and a couple of other classics that are 45 years or older. I didn’t have plans to add another car to my collection but an SC430 deal came up that I could not pass up. This one owner, delightful lady was the previous owner, and has a clean Carfax. It is a 2002 with 95k on the clock; only 4K since 2016! The car had always been serviced at the dealership and the service records show that it was in regularly and had all the routine service done at the right intervals. This black beauty has the ecru interior and bird’s eye maple wood trim. The body is in excellent shape with hardly any road chips in the paint. Runs like a top. I drove it home at 70+ mph and it didn’t miss a lick.
The flaw is the interior. Seats are in sad shape with tears in both front seats. Carpets and the rest need a serious cleaning. The nav screen is not functioning and the LCD display for the climate controls has a few spots that are not lighting up. The previous owner has a Lexus SUV and just wanted it out of her driveway. I got it for sub 4500. Too good a deal to pass up to say the least.
My plans are to give her a good detailing inside and out. New seat skins, carpet mats and put in a more modern screen where the nav is with Apple CarPlay. I’ll also change the fluids to have my own baseline and do a ceramic sealant. Lastly, drive it and enjoy dropping the top as much as I can.
I’ll get some photos as soon as my friends from up north come down to Mississippi and take their lost weather back to where it belongs.
Rather than start a new thread, I thought I'd pop in here to say "Adieu". I have sold the SC, after 3 enjoyable years, to a couple who have been looking and waiting for just the right one to come available. They drove from 3 hours away to see it yesterday, then contacted me last night and we made a deal.
I has nothing to do with the car, just my attention span. I usually change cars every 2-4 years. I figure you only live once, so why not everything available, right?
Cheers, guys, I know this site has been a wealth of information for me.
While I understand changing we live in a nice weather coastal area and a hardtop convertible is hard to replace.
we also have a Solara convertible so the hardtop was a nice difference.
interested to see what you got?
The convertible season is so short here. Late May to early September only. I came to the SC out of a Miata. I've had my convertible itch scratched, so it's time to move on.
I'm looking at either a MINI Coupe or a Paceman. I had a MINI back in 2002, and it was a blast was it wasn't in the shop. I'm hoping the newer ones are a little better.
Aloha from the Kona side of the
Beautiful Big Island of Hawaii.
Last week after approximately a year of searching for a convertible I was Blessed to locate my Nicer than most 2002 White metallic (065) SC430, with camel color interior and only 77k; from a BMW Dealership. Yes I agree I was better off buying the Lexus then a beamer.
With a budget it was rather difficult to find a nice yet affordable convertible. My journey began last year when I was bitten by the convertible bug after I bought my Wonderful Wife a 2004 Miata with only 72k.
As a former Highway Patrolman I patroled in cars and on Harleys, but never had an interest in convertibles (rollover factor), now I have 2. To me a convertible with the top open is a 4 wheel, 2 door motorcycle which is much safer for me to operate in my early 60's, I just don't bounce as well now.
I haven't done much with the car except: check levels, apply 4 coats of wax, apply bag balm to seats and try to clear tpms sensor warning light to no avail: contemplating disconnecting system since tires are still good. I have also contemplated the following: Changing timing belt, custom wheels, tinted windows and rear trunk spoiler.
I enjoy how unique the car looks, it's a rarity compared to all mustangs, camaros, bmws and cooper's out here.
It's fun to drive and plenty of room for my Family: Wonderful Wife front passenger seat & 2 20 poundish Rat Terriers in back seat.
Certainly roomier than the Miata. Okay only one thing I would have preferred, Manual transmission.
Mahalo for your time & GOD BLESS YOU ALL!
02-13-21, 03:32 PM
