New SC430 Owner
08-17-13, 07:34 AM
#1
Instructor
Thread Starter
New SC430 Owner
Just wanted to thank everyone who has been posting to this site for so long! I've wanted an SC430 for many years, and finally got to a point in my life where buying one became possible. I've been reading the many great posts here for a long time, and hope to be able to add my voice as my ownership experience grows.
After a long search, I was able to find a 2006 SC430, silver, 54K miles, for what I felt was a reasonable price ($25,995) at CarMax (of all places!). The car had to be brought in from Chicago (there wasn't a single SC430 for sale anywhere within 300 miles of Omaha). The car looked pretty good, except for several rock chips on the front of the hood which had been touched up (although still fairly visible). I understand this is a fairly common problem with the SCs, and wasn't too bothered.
I took the car to the local Lexus dealer for a full checkup ($230), and they gave it a clean bill of health with the exception of one leaking rear strut (which they said was roughly $600 to fix). CarMax agreed to replace the strut, and even let me have the Lexus dealer do it, so that worked out well.
I experienced a second problem within the first week of ownership. When I took the car on the highway, there was a pronounced shake to the front end that caused the steering wheel to shake fairly violently (very un-Lexus-like!). I thought at first it was a tire balance problem. Took it back to CarMax again, and the technicians there quickly determined that one of my front brake calipers had locked up, causing the vibration and excessive heat on the pad and rotor (basically "blueing" them beyond submission). Now I'm waiting for the replacement parts to arrive, and my baby SC is sitting at the CarMax repair shop all weekend while I'm looking at the sunny 80-degree weather and wishing I had my car back!
I really agonized over whether the CarMax extended warranty was worthwhile, but went ahead and bought one to cover the car for a full 6 years and up to 100,000 total miles (which should get me the full 6 years, at the rate I plan to drive). The cost was $1500 (with a $250 deductable). The local Lexus dealer offered a 4-year warranty for $3400, and actually said the CarMax warranty was pretty tough to turn down. Hopefully I won't really need the warranty, but if I do it's nice to know I have it for a full 6 years. CarMax will allow any warranty repairs to be done by the Lexus dealer, which is a plus.
Hopefully I'll get my SC back on Monday so I can begin enjoying this beautiful car!
After a long search, I was able to find a 2006 SC430, silver, 54K miles, for what I felt was a reasonable price ($25,995) at CarMax (of all places!). The car had to be brought in from Chicago (there wasn't a single SC430 for sale anywhere within 300 miles of Omaha). The car looked pretty good, except for several rock chips on the front of the hood which had been touched up (although still fairly visible). I understand this is a fairly common problem with the SCs, and wasn't too bothered.
I took the car to the local Lexus dealer for a full checkup ($230), and they gave it a clean bill of health with the exception of one leaking rear strut (which they said was roughly $600 to fix). CarMax agreed to replace the strut, and even let me have the Lexus dealer do it, so that worked out well.
I experienced a second problem within the first week of ownership. When I took the car on the highway, there was a pronounced shake to the front end that caused the steering wheel to shake fairly violently (very un-Lexus-like!). I thought at first it was a tire balance problem. Took it back to CarMax again, and the technicians there quickly determined that one of my front brake calipers had locked up, causing the vibration and excessive heat on the pad and rotor (basically "blueing" them beyond submission). Now I'm waiting for the replacement parts to arrive, and my baby SC is sitting at the CarMax repair shop all weekend while I'm looking at the sunny 80-degree weather and wishing I had my car back!
I really agonized over whether the CarMax extended warranty was worthwhile, but went ahead and bought one to cover the car for a full 6 years and up to 100,000 total miles (which should get me the full 6 years, at the rate I plan to drive). The cost was $1500 (with a $250 deductable). The local Lexus dealer offered a 4-year warranty for $3400, and actually said the CarMax warranty was pretty tough to turn down. Hopefully I won't really need the warranty, but if I do it's nice to know I have it for a full 6 years. CarMax will allow any warranty repairs to be done by the Lexus dealer, which is a plus.
Hopefully I'll get my SC back on Monday so I can begin enjoying this beautiful car!
08-17-13, 12:15 PM
#2
Lead Lap
Congratulations on your purchase. Post pictures when you get a chance.
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tuterz
SC430 - 2nd Gen (2001-2010)
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