Sc430 ENTHUSIASTS: is this a good deal?! Please help a young female!
03-09-19, 07:22 PM
#1
Driver School Candidate
Thread Starter
Sc430 ENTHUSIASTS: is this a good deal?! Please help a young female!
Hey Lexus Lovers, I have been wanting a Lexus SC430 for months & have finally found a deal in my price range! I don’t want to make a big mistake as it says it wasn’t in an accident but has minor damage. It’s a 2002 with 104K miles with one owner (who averaged less than 6K miles a year) I’m going to attach pics, as well as the photos of the “minor damage” which I don’t mind as “apparently” the mechanics are perfect. the price is really good... It was originally $8,000 , but as the owner is in a small town and it’s been on sale for about 80 days he has slowly lowered the price from $7,000 & now to $6,000. The only thing the carfax shows besides regular maintence is a replacement of a vacuum hose & the battery was replaced at 80k miles then again replaced at 90K. (Which isn’t too big a surprise as this was a year apart from each other and he barely drove it that year) Any advice if this is a good deal or too good to be true? And what else I should really look out for when test driving it and talking to the dealer? Ugh wish I could find original owner.
Last edited by Laurenvery; 03-09-19 at 07:26 PM.
03-09-19, 08:56 PM
#2
Moderator
Go to drivers.lexus.com with the VIN and check the car’s service history. Also at the top of our forum the are “sticky” thread covering ALL of the major issues with the SC430 model. https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sc4...ned-sc430.html The 02 model year was the first year for SC430 so there are some positive and negatives covered in those sticky threads. One item, for example, is the timing belt. It should have been replaced some time ago, was it? It may have been, if a Lexus Dealer did the service it will be on the service history.
104K is not an issue IF the car has been maintained properly.
Oh, and BTW, welcome to one of the best resources and forums for the SC430 on the Internet.
104K is not an issue IF the car has been maintained properly.
Oh, and BTW, welcome to one of the best resources and forums for the SC430 on the Internet.
Last edited by VVTiBob; 03-09-19 at 09:05 PM.
03-10-19, 05:17 AM
#3
Pole Position
Welcome to the club. For that price, I say go for it. Like Bob said, one item you need to be concerned is the Timing Belt and water pump.. If it has been replaced, you will be OK. Check the service records on Lexus website. Good luck.
03-10-19, 05:29 AM
#4
Pole Position
Welcome and good luck with your purchase.
Dennis
Dennis
03-10-19, 08:37 AM
#5
The hundred to hundred and fifty spend on a pre purchase inspection would be money well spent. You'll have an experienced set of eyes letting you know what you are buying. This with what was mentioned above should help you make the best informed decision for you.
03-10-19, 09:00 AM
#6
All of the suggestions regarding checking into maintenance and having it inspected are well worth the time, money and effort. Also, if the timing belt has not been replaced, do yourself a favor and first do a search in this forum for “timing belt kit”, because you’ll want more than the belt itself replaced, water pump, pulleys, etc. The belt and related parts are all included in a timing belt kit. Then call a dealer, in addition to a couple of reputable repair shops for an estimate of how much it would cost to install a timing belt kit, parts and labor. If the owner says that the belt has been replaced, I would request to look at the receipt for the work, if he or she still has it. In addition to that, you could also take your photos of the minor damage to a couple body repair shops to get an estimate for that repair, if you plan to fix it. Both the timing belt kit and minor repair work could easily set you back another $2,000 or 1/3 the price that you may pay for the car. I know the car is priced attractively, but this homework could also be used to bring the final price down even further if the owner is willing to negotiate.
The thread below, currently on this page can also give you an idea of the price of a timing belt kit installed, if needed:
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sc4...alf-price.html
The thread below, currently on this page can also give you an idea of the price of a timing belt kit installed, if needed:
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sc4...alf-price.html
Last edited by sixonemale; 03-10-19 at 12:18 PM.
03-10-19, 02:02 PM
#7
Lead Lap
Welcome to the forum Laurenvery. I agree with the advice above. You may want to have the scrape over the wheel well taken care of if that is rust. If you want to do it yourself cheaply (as in, no body work and no full out painting), make sure that the rust is removed before adding touch up paint over it.
Trending Topics
03-10-19, 10:02 PM
#8
Driver School Candidate
Thread Starter
All of the suggestions regarding checking into maintenance and having it inspected are well worth the time, money and effort. Also, if the timing belt has not been replaced, do yourself a favor and first do a search in this forum for “timing belt kit”, because you’ll want more than the belt itself replaced, water pump, pulleys, etc. The belt and related parts are all included in a timing belt kit. Then call a dealer, in addition to a couple of reputable repair shops for an estimate of how much it would cost to install a timing belt kit, parts and labor. If the owner says that the belt has been replaced, I would request to look at the receipt for the work, if he or she still has it. In addition to that, you could also take your photos of the minor damage to a couple body repair shops to get an estimate for that repair, if you plan to fix it. Both the timing belt kit and minor repair work could easily set you back another $2,000 or 1/3 the price that you may pay for the car. I know the car is priced attractively, but this homework could also be used to bring the final price down even further if the owner is willing to negotiate.
The thread below, currently on this page can also give you an idea of the price of a timing belt kit installed, if needed:
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sc4...alf-price.html
The thread below, currently on this page can also give you an idea of the price of a timing belt kit installed, if needed:
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sc4...alf-price.html
thank you for all your advice. It doesn’t show a timing belt ever being replaced so when I get it inspected/diagnosed they will probably recommend that. if that the only issue & the water pump getting replaced as well then it shouldn’t be a problem. We will just have to see what the mechanics recommend as well as what my personal mechanic who I’m bringing says too. I am also looking at 2 more in my city on Tuesday so I may just pass on this one because of the cosmetic damage, because the other 2 have no cosmetic. But the dealer has told me it is perfect mechanically the cosmetic is why people haven’t wanted it, which I can see why because it’s a high end luxury car for it’s time, so you want it to look beautful on the outside as well. The other ones I’m looking at are still 02 so I appreciate all the advice this all really helps. Thank you! I will let y’all know how it goes!
The following users liked this post:
Coleroad (03-11-19)
03-11-19, 12:05 AM
#9
Driver School Candidate
Thread Starter
All of the suggestions regarding checking into maintenance and having it inspected are well worth the time, money and effort. Also, if the timing belt has not been replaced, do yourself a favor and first do a search in this forum for “timing belt kit”, because you’ll want more than the belt itself replaced, water pump, pulleys, etc. The belt and related parts are all included in a timing belt kit. Then call a dealer, in addition to a couple of reputable repair shops for an estimate of how much it would cost to install a timing belt kit, parts and labor. If the owner says that the belt has been replaced, I would request to look at the receipt for the work, if he or she still has it. In addition to that, you could also take your photos of the minor damage to a couple body repair shops to get an estimate for that repair, if you plan to fix it. Both the timing belt kit and minor repair work could easily set you back another $2,000 or 1/3 the price that you may pay for the car. I know the car is priced attractively, but this homework could also be used to bring the final price down even further if the owner is willing to negotiate.
The thread below, currently on this page can also give you an idea of the price of a timing belt kit installed, if needed:
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sc4...alf-price.html
The thread below, currently on this page can also give you an idea of the price of a timing belt kit installed, if needed:
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sc4...alf-price.html
Last edited by Laurenvery; 03-11-19 at 12:11 AM.
03-11-19, 08:35 AM
#11
I'm not sure how you are assessing this conclusion, but any SC with that many miles (150-200k) has had to have had general maintenance done such as oil changes, brakes (pads/system flushed), air/oil/cabin filter changes, and highly likely they have had their timing belt with all other related components changed at around 90,000 miles, in addition to other issues that may have cropped up. Also, you may not see the maintenance that has been done on the Lexus website because some owners choose to do their own maintenance or take their cars to a reputable independent mechanic or shop.
Last edited by sixonemale; 03-12-19 at 05:05 AM.
03-16-19, 11:53 AM
#12
Lead Lap
So what did you decide about the car Laurenvery?
03-16-19, 12:14 PM
#13
Driver School Candidate
Just FYI. That vehicle goes through tires about every 5 to 6k miles even with proper alignment. (Lots of Negative Camber). Run Flat tires, recommended because of NO SPARE, are quite expensive. Not trying to be a downer, just letting you know.
03-16-19, 01:08 PM
#14
Lexus Test Driver
my camber is near zero and have a spare in both of my SC430s.
03-16-19, 04:33 PM
#15
Hi Lauren.
Any news on this or the other sc's you were looking at this week?
My thoughts on the orig car you sent the photos of: do you know why it was at auction? Being at auction doesn't automatically mean negative things, but I would just be curious.
You are in TX; be wary of flood damaged vehicles. Though cars from one place can certainly wind up anywhere.
If whatever you are being told doesn't feel right, heed your gut. I am a female, too, and feel we have to be extra cautious.
I second the advice to look at the stickies on here; there's a wealth of info! Although ppl do buy cars online, etc, for me I just feel better when my own trusted mechanic inspects it.
I found a couple issues when my mechanic looked at my car; I was able to take iphone pics of the issues while the car was on a lift, take detailed notes, then showed these to the seller & negotiate the price down.
The timing belt issue is huge - make sure it's been done or factor that into the price you are paying.
Good luck!
Any news on this or the other sc's you were looking at this week?
My thoughts on the orig car you sent the photos of: do you know why it was at auction? Being at auction doesn't automatically mean negative things, but I would just be curious.
You are in TX; be wary of flood damaged vehicles. Though cars from one place can certainly wind up anywhere.
If whatever you are being told doesn't feel right, heed your gut. I am a female, too, and feel we have to be extra cautious.
I second the advice to look at the stickies on here; there's a wealth of info! Although ppl do buy cars online, etc, for me I just feel better when my own trusted mechanic inspects it.
I found a couple issues when my mechanic looked at my car; I was able to take iphone pics of the issues while the car was on a lift, take detailed notes, then showed these to the seller & negotiate the price down.
The timing belt issue is huge - make sure it's been done or factor that into the price you are paying.
Good luck!