CarMax has a few SC's scattered around the country.. several PB's if you're interested.

 

I'll check it out tonight. I did a google search and found a pretty efficient way to search not limited by city.

 

That is perfect.....I think an owner who documents the repair and the extent of the damage is exactly the type of person from whom you want to buy a used car. If it is in really good shape with the timing belt (and hopefully water pump and tensioners/idlers) already replaced, it would probably start off offering about 5% less than KBB/NADA private party sale average (in this case, I would probably start around $22.5K to give myself some room. I probably wouldn't go more than $24 as top dollar -- but if you're really "in love" with it, it might be worth the extra $900 to get what you really want rather than a "deal" on something you didn't love IMO. Without the 90K service, I'd offer about $1K-$1.5K less). It at least gives you a reason for why you offered that price. I would share your reasons with the seller and ask them how they came to their valuation of the car. In the end, I try to be as transparent as possible with everyone when dealing with them. Hopefully, they respond in kind and the negotiation is friendly and everyone is okay with the outcome. If it is in great shape, it's worth more than an 'average' number, but no reason to start that high, give yourself some room to come up and the buyer room to come down.

Michael

 

After spending practically every waking moment (other than work and a little sleep) searching lexus sc430 ads and popping around the region looking at cars, we successfully negotiated (not much negotiation ) the purchase of car number (2). The 2004, 39K miles, 1 owner. The car truly is in excellent/pristine shape. The only issue to be resolved before completing purchase is a somewhat rough ride. Owner said that tires (about a year old) were rotated 2 weeks ago, so maybe that is the cause. Car has aftermarket wheels (think the brand started with a "V") and Bridgestone tires (not run flat) and they look pretty wide (hey, I'm a girl). I read on the forum that sometimes the tires/spacers, etc are the problem. However, all of the SC430s we have test driven seem to ride pretty rough/vibrate.

My dilemma is what do I do if rough ride/vibration isn't resolved? Is this a big problem or a manageable problem? Should I back out of the sale? The sale is contingent on the problem being satisfactorily resolved.

 

Is the vibration coming from the front end, rear end, or both? Is the tire wear even on all tires? With 39K miles on the car I suspect these are the second sets of tires on the car. What size are the rims, 18", 19", or 20"? If the rims are aftermarket and recently rotated, there is a hub centric ring that is used to perfectly center the wheel on the hub to help eliminate alignment issues, and vibration. Does the steering wheel vibrate? If yes, there is a good chance the ring was not installed which will likely lead to vibration. The only way to confirm this is by removing the rim to inspect the hub or the back of the rim on aftermarket wheel. Refer to the photo below as a guide. Lastly, you might also want to look beyond the tires, bushings, suspension, etc. Best of luck!

 

Congratulations on your latest acquisition! It sounds like a beautiful machine. Sometimes aftermarket oversized and or staggered wheel and tire combinations can exacerbate an already taught ride setup. Is it possible the previous owner will include the stock rims with the sale? One could try the stock set up if made available to you and see if the overall ride is improved. Also, if tires were overdue to be rotated, it is very possible that one of the tires is "cupped" and could be contributing to your vibration/ride quality. At least the previous owner was up front with you regarding everything. Enjoy your new Lexus SC430!

 

I guess I have been welcomed to the world of buying a used car! As posted above, the owner was to have the car's wheels/tired rebalanced on Thursday, and I was go up on Friday with the cashier's check.

As background, seller executed binder noting receipt of my $1000 check agreeing to sell me call with check to be given to him on Friday subject to resolution of tire issue.

Well, I received an email from owner on Thursday pm saying that good news was car now rode great, but they couldn't sell the car because they couldn't find the "registration papers." (Autotrader ad said "title in hand.") Owner said they were returning my check.

My brother called today -- car has been sold! I guess after I looked at it on Sunday, they got a higher price. Oh, well...on with the search.

Any tips for avoiding this problem in the future when dealing with private sellers?

 

Wow - that sucks. It may be a blessing though ...........Any seller who is that much of a slime ball, I wouldn't want to buy their car anyway (don't deal with unethical people). All I can advise is to follow the golden rule and treat sellers the way you wish to be treated and look for those who do the same.

In the end, I bet you find a better SC430 -- karma has a way of working out on stuff like this.

Michael

 

We now have an SC430 in the garage! We purchased an Absolutely Red 2002 with 33K for $20. It was in excellent condition and drove very well. I wanted to wait to post until I took it to our Lexus dealership for a checkup. It did very well, only issue was 2 wheels "very slightly" bent. Service manager said probably from potholes. He said the tires balanced fine and he wouldn't worry about it.

Thanks for all of the advice. I can't tell you how many hours I've spent reading about the SC on this site.

I do have 2 questions/issues: First, the 6 x 9s are "blown." You have to wonder is any of those door speakers are working! I cannot have a car without a good radio, so getting this fixed is no. 1 on the list. I feel it is beyond my talents to remove door panel and fix speaker, so I think my options are:
(1) try to find 8 ohm speakers that do not need an installation modification and have Lexus install them, (2) Go with audio guy Lexus recommending to install speakers, but he wants to use 4 ohm and modify so it works with amp, or (3) Buy OEM speakers from parts.com for $185 each (dealership wants $245) and have audio guy or dealership install (I would keep old speakers and order kit to fix so I would have a "spare" set). What do you think?

Second question, do you think it is worth it to get an Xpel clear bra on a 2002 ca?. Right now it just has a few very small chips.

Here are a few pictures (hope it works):

 

Wow-wee! Does that color ever pop! Is it the lighting or are the logo/emblems/exhaust finishers gold?

Clear bra depends on how much damage is already done and what potential there is for future rock chips on your roads. If this is a "forever" car for you? Then, in a nutshell, YES it's usually worth it. Especially with how low the SC nose slopes. Hopefully you can get away with chip repair before its applied.

Is having the "audio guy" do a re-foam of the speakers (if that's what is required) another alternative if you don't think you want to tackle it yourself?

 

Very nice car! The color is amazing, and super rich. Yes, the clear bar is a big plus. Consider getting the current chips touched up before the clear bar is applied. I had the clear bar installed on my 02 car (black) last year. I had the front bumper, head lights, fog light, front leading edge on the front fenders, "A-Pillar," side view mirrors, rear quarter panels leading the rear tires and rear top bumper covered. I'm also considering having the entire hood covered vs the leading 30 percent for more protection. If you look closely at the rear bumper top section you can just make out the vertical line of the clear masking. The front end clear masking is much more difficult to spot.

 

Beautiful car. My faith in karma is restored. I suspect that this one is even nicer than the earlier one that fell through. Congratulations!

I think almost everyone who owns an SC430 has had the speaker issue you're describing. It's because the factory chose to use really poor quality foam for the surrounds in the speakers. All you need is to get them refoamed. If you can find a local repair guy to do this, great. If not, just have them pull the speakers and send them out for repair. I personally used simplyspeakers dot com for my repairs. They now work and sound perfectly. This is really not a big deal.

Congratulations on your awesome new ride.

 

Thanks for thoughts on bra/speakers. The car really is nice, and they Lexus emblem, tailpipes are "gold." Kids said it was an Ironman car - so I ordered vanity plates "Tony SC" (both for Tony of Ironman and definition of "Tony"). First vanity plates so its fun.

A couple of questions I haven't seen asked/answered elsewhere --
For those who have replaced speakers with ML OEM, have they "blown" also, or have they been improved since the early days? For those who have repaired ML OEM speakers, have they held up or has anyone had them break again? Should I put these questions on an ongoing "speaker" thread?

 

I replaced the foams on my '02 in March and the fix has held. Bought the surrounds from Simply Speakers for $25 and watched a 30 minute video on youtube posted by logistico (search for lexus sc 430 speaker repair) where he shows step by step where the screws and clips are to remove the door panel. Took the better part of an afternoon but the result, savings, and satisfaction was well worth my time and effort.

 

Had my ML speaker (left side) replaced under extended warranty about a year or more back and no trouble. But I do not play the stereo loud anyway.