I currently own a 2006 SC430 with 54,000 miles (silver with ecru interior). I LOVE the car. I discovered over the weekend that the local Porche dealer has taken in a 2009 SC430 in trade on a new Porche, and I'm seriously considering trading up for this one. The 2009 for sale is the Pebble Beach edition, also silver with the ecru seat upholstery. It is a 1-owner car with 10,000 miles (rolled over the 10,000 mark while I was test driving it). All original, with the original Dunlap run-flats (which I hated).

The dealer is asking $42,999, but says there is some room to deal. From looking up the value in KBB.com and NADA, it appears that $42,999 is a decent deal for the car. I am guessing I could buy it for closer to $40K, though, based on the feeling I had from the salesman (perhaps even less?).

I think my SC430 should sell fairly easily for around $26-28K (it's in great shape, and has a 6-year CarMax warranty).

So the question for my new Club Lexus friends is would it be worth it to swap to the newer car for an additional $12-14K? I realize it comes down to "can I afford it" and "how much nicer is the new car" than the one I'm already so happy with. I can afford the more expensive version, but am not completely convinced it would change my overall satisfaction with the vehicle (I love my current car!). On the other hand, to get a basically brand new SC430, Pebble Beach Edition, for about $25K less than it originally sold for is a pretty darn good deal...

Thoughts/opinions??? Thanks!

 

save 12ki in your pocket and enjoy your 06 like you should.

 

keep your 06 you wont gain much and spending more your still in basiclly in the same car

 

44000 less miles, Peabe Beach, 3 years newer, and they don't make these cars anymore. If you can, make it happen. Especially because of the mileage !

 

Bad idea in my opinion. You can do a lot with $12,000-$14,000 to make your car look far better and more unique than any stock SC430, including the Pebble Beach editions. The milage really isn't much of a concern. Do your scheduled maintenance and you should get 200,000+ miles out of your car if you don't get tired of it first.

 

Thanks for the feedback! The dealer in question looked my car over and offerred $23k in trade while dropping the price on the '09 to $42k even (my car plus $19k). While I don't think that's a totally unreasonable starting point, I do have a hard time wrapping my head around how the '09 is worth nearly double the '06, even with the Pebble Beach Edition and low miles.

From my time researching SC430s and trying t find the right one (or ANY decent one for sale in my area) it really seems like I could quickly sell mine via Craigslist for around $26-28k. There's a real shortage of these cars in Omaha, and lots of potential buyers. The Lexus dealer says each of their salesmen have 2-3 people who have said they'd like to be notified if any SC gets traded in.

To be honest, I'm not all that sold on the two-tone (black and ecru) mix in the Pebble Beach. And no lighted Lexus logo on the door sill! Is that an option? I love that feature on my '06!

Guess I'll just keep waxing and detailing mine and loving it every time the top drops on a warm summer evening. I do think mine will easily go 200k with how I take care ofnit.

Thanks for the advice!

 

I've stayed with my '02 (since May of '01), and although I would enjoy trading up, it's just not worth the money for the slight incremental increase in features. Besides, I know that my car has been taken care of.

 

To be honest, what you're saying is playing a part in my decision on whether to upgrade. My current '06 had a somewhat mixed history on the CarFax. It had 3 previous owners and appears to have been a fleet vehicle for a while. The Lexus Maintenance history is a bit spotty during the time it was shown as a Fleet Vehicle. If I had bought the car new and knew exactly how it had been treated/maintained, I'd be much happier.

The '09 for sale was a local 1-owner with a good Lexus maintenance history and only 10K miles (essentially a brand new car). My thought was this would get me as close to brand new as possible for an SC430, and I could keep the car "forever" with no fear about how it was treated before I bought it.

The idea of trading up keeps coming back to me, although I've mostly concluded it doesn't make all that much sense (and had good rationale for keeping my '06 provided by Club Lexus members).

Dealer called again to see if there's a price point that would make me jump... I'm still toying with it...

 

I could be wrong but I believe all years had the lighted door sill scuff plates....my 2008 has them and I know i looked at a couple of 2010"s and I believe they have them as well.

dentate
Oshawa, ON &
Pt Charlotte, Fl

 

I think you're right, dentate. From my research, it does appear like the '09 should have the illuminated door sill (not sure why this is such a big deal to me, but I really enjoy this small detail!). Still hemming and hawing... somewhat tempted to just buy the '09 outright for $40K and taking my time finding the right buyer for my '06.

Any thoughts from the Lexus Community on how much a '06 should sell for with a clean CarFax, 54K miles, and a 6-year CarMax complete warranty? I'm thinking around $28K?

 

Do what makes you happy. You only live once. If you can buy the 09 without selling the 06 first then do that. If you feel you made a mistake you could sell the 09.

My 08 has the lighted Lexus thing. I like it too.

 

I test drove a 2010 and it did NOT have the lighted door sill. I thought at the time, what a downgrade. I love my little lighted sill. Another one of little things that makes our SC special.

 

The illuminated door sill is a very nice touch, and I was delighted to see it on the '04 RX that I acquired a few years ago. In reading the RX Forum, I note that the illuminated sill has been dropped from the current iteration of the RX, and that has generated a lot of negative comments, or at least expressions of a large amount of disappointment. It sure does not make the car go faster or corner better, but it is a very much appreciated feature.

 

Nah, don't do it. I can see purchasing an 09 vs an 06 if I didn't have one but I wouldn't trade up. Save the money fr the next car you buy.

And this is coming from an 09 PB owner. 09's also gets the side mirror blinkers

 

BUY THAT DEAL PAL ! sweet limited production.