Hello All,

I am new here. I am working on surprising my wife with a 2002 SC430 for her 50th birthday and could use any guidance anyone can offer. The story is we have always talked about getting a hardtop convertible for the 27 years we have been married. But with 5 kids, the ups and of my business and other priorities it was always a pipe dream. Then out of the blue my cousin, who owns a chevy dealership gets a 2002 silver one - WITH 300K miles. He knows about my dreams and is sell it to me for what he has in it (cheap, $uper cheap) this week I am traveling to look at it closer. He said that his service rep said the engine seems solid but that was just a surface check when they took it on trade. It is missing the front right headlight, has torn driver seat, and the wheels are aftermarket and ugly (IMO). This is a project car and I know that. But at this price, I can fix some stuff. I am a brakes, tune up, and light mechanical kind of guy. I would not tackle a timing chain or doing mods. I hope to just have a fun car for my wife and I to enjoy now that our kids have all left the nest. Glad to be hear and look forward to reading any feedback and do some of my own research here. Any tips on interior or headlights I will take them. Also her birthday is mid May.

 

Welcome to the forum and congrats on your acquisition. It will be a fun project car. (I commented more on your other thread.)

 

Welcome to the forum and congrats on getting your SC cheap! Personally, I wouldn't invest a whole lot of money into any car with 300+K, but, to each his own. Do you have any service history on it? Have you done a compression test? If the engine isn't sound, and needs a timing belt job, you may want to flip this one and look for a lower mile specimen to fix up for the wife. However, if the engine has been maintained and the compression is good, you can probably find junk yard parts to repair the headlight and interior. I recommend you go through the stickies in this forum and make a list of all the trouble spots you need to look at before you commit to restoring this one. We in the forum are always happy to help by fielding questions if need be. Good luck!

 

100% agree. I have to check all of this next week. Good news is his service advisors and mechanics will gladly help me know what I am getting into. The flip idea also crossed my mind. Thanks for the feedback.

 

In my mind, a crucial item will be if the top retracts or not. If it does, then the rest of the stuff is reasonably done.

If not, this is a proverbial black hole. Could be simple, or not. The top mechanism is complex and expensive to diagnose and repair.

Replacement seat covers are available from lseat. There are several threads discussing the installation.

Get the VIN, go onto Lexus' website and see what the service history is. I would also run a Carfax. If for no other reason than to find out if the car had been flooded.

Get the car on a lift and look at the underside of you can.

Good luck and let us know what you decide.

 

Hello Everyone! A 2002 SC430 was put up for auction and I was lucky enough to have the winning bid! This car has always been a dream of mine and when I saw it was going to be included in the Mecum Auction this past weekend here in Houston I knew I had to at least try and win it. The car only has 73,300 miles, red exterior, Ecru interior and so far runs great. I was able to get it for $16k which for a 20 year old car is probably too much but I really think this car is a classic. I have never purchased a car from auction so I was a little nervous but so far so good. So just wondering if you guys may have any ideas on what to do next. I plan on taking the car to get it fully inspected by a mechanic as well get an oil change, tune up, change the battery, etc. Anything else I should check? As for the interior, the leather is slightly worn and the carpets need some TLC so I plan to get it fully detailed. The electronics (radio, navigation) are obviously dated so I'm considering upgrading in this area but I do not want to take away from its original look. Any ideas on this? Also, it did not come with floor mats and I am finding it is hard to find Ecru color floor mats. Any help on that would be great as well.

So excited for our new weekend toy and thanks for accepting me into this forum!

 

Congrats and welcome to the club. Nice color combo. Check out the stickie below for everything you want to know about the SC. Also join us in the general discussion. All of your questions, concerns will be answered there.

 

I am happy to say that I am a truly excited owner of a brand new, used 2005 Lexus SC430 Pebble Beach Edition fully OEM at 167,000mi hailing out of Orange County California. Everyone really thought I was crazy and was telling me how much of a mistake this was and that this is the most stupidest decision that I am an idiot especially when its a 4.3L V8 and and that gas costs an arm and a leg..............
So I went against everyones wishes and bought the Lexus lol it was either this or a 2014 honda civic 🤢, and I am so ecstatic that I went with what I truly wanted. I named her Lexi 😋

 

Congrats on your new-used, SC430 PB! If you're happy now, you will only get happier over time and likely ending up falling in love with this car, as most of us owners have. If you have time and are so inclined, send some follow-up pictures in daylight and let us know how much you paid. We're interested in tracking the value of these possible future collectibles! If you feel you overpaid, don't worry. Many of us felt the same until we got to know just how special this car is.

 

Congrats and welcome to the club. I bought my 2007 SC in 2015 and I am so happy and proud every time I sit behind the wheel. You can’t go wrong with the SC430.

 

In total, I paid about $11k and some change. All three owners had accidents, one being 360 all around "impacts" but still retains a clean title. Even with fair amount of miles, they feel as if they were unmolested and robust. I managed to get a hold of all known service records and this is what really sold me on taking on this exciting opportunity; all services that were rendered we done by certified tire shops, oil service stations, Lexus, and Toyota dealerships from all three owners. In a way, I guess you can say I hit the jackpot 🥳.
I am beyond excited to embark on making this a tasteful masterpiece worthy of living up to Lexus' "Relentless Pursuit of Perfection"

 

amazing color combo. How did you find your vehicle?...which platform did you use?

thanks

 

this is gorgeous

 

Abechau, that red livery is outstanding! If i could buy it I would replace my black leather in a heartbeat.

Well done mate.

 

And T Cloud too with the red!

I notice that most locally delivered in Nippon vehicles have the red interior. Lovely.