hitsofmiss

I saw a 2003 SC 430 with 175k miles with Black interior & exterior today. The seller, 2nd owner, "appears" to be from a nice family & the asking price is $7500. I need your assistance to ensure that I'm making a right decision.

First the Good: 1.) It "seems" the car drives well but I'm not an expert by any means.
2.) Except roof & the trunk, the paint on the rest of the car is clean besides some minor dings & nicks.

Now the Bad: 1.) The rear muffler makes rattling sound
2.) The glue on the rear head rests is oozing underneath the leather & it is sliding out.
3.) The hood was replaced a few years back due to an accident when something fell off a truck
4.) Most important: The paint on the trunk & roof is faded drastically. You can also see heavy scratch marks as if someone rubbed it with sand-paper. The seller told me that it happened while the car was parked in the newly built airport parking lot during winter. When the ice melted, the salt/chemical reacted with the new concrete & fell on the roof resulting in this fading of color. He also claims that a lot of cars were impacted at that time but I was unable to google any article reporting this incidence.

Bottomline, I might have to re-paint the car. And yes, for some reason, the newly placed hood did notreact to the salt or the concrete.!

The car was maintained by local mechanics & was never taken to a Lexus dealer, even for the 90k timing belt change. The timing belt should be due in the next 5k miles. Per carfax, the car was mostly driven in South.

Anyway, since I'm not so good with the cars, I'll be taking it to the Lexus dealer for a pre-purchase inspection.:
1.) Do you think the seller is lying or hiding some key information? What else can I check?
2.) Considering the miles & the condition, is it worth going ahead with the sell?
3.) How much should I pay for the car? The car is in as-is condition & the seller is not willing to contribute towards any repairs found during the pre-purchase inspection.

Thank you for your time!

Alex818

Get an estimate for repaint if it costs too much then look for other options. Too much for me is more than $1,500 which is specific area painting not the entire car. Get color code call for estimates.

Muffler sound is no issue, pipes are cheap and so is repair. Could even be something loose like a bolt.

Timing belt shouldnt be a concern, youre buying a used car, expect it. Although a useful tool for price negotiations.


and most importantly asking price is not selling price. Cash is king. Assuming total cost of repair is 2k then I wouldnt pay more than 6k for that car

gripau1

carbon fibre wrap??

hitsofmiss

Thanks Alex1818 for a detailed response. I guess the car is not worth more than 8k after the paint.

I don't really like how Carbon Fibre looks. Besides, it will look weird due to color mismatch if it's only on the hood & the roof, wouldn't it?

Would you be concerned about the high mileage?
How long the lexus V8 engine typically lasts & what's the cost to replace it?
Along with the engine, I'm sure there'll be other wear & tear. Wondering, what to anticipate?


Thanks!

tfischer

Dear Hits:
Buying a used car in poor condition is always filled with uncertainties.
The asking price is not relevant - have the car inspected by professionals you trust, and find out the cost to repaint and repair.
As for what to anticipate in the future, with a 10 year old car with 175,000 miles, anything can happen. That's one reason the age of a used car, and its miles, are directly related to the price.
Finally, we don't know how long this Lexus V8 engine lasts, because none of them have ever given out yet. It's one of the best, most reliable, smoothest and longest lasting production engines ever put into a car.
You seem like a nervous wreck - have you considered just buying a new car?

hitsofmiss

If I'd the money for a new one that costs 10 times more, I wouldn't be here, right?

Nervous, yes! But I want to make an educated decision based on experiences of previous owners & experts.

Prasha

This car is for a mechanic, or someone enjoys to work on cars, fixing, customization and doing mods is a hobby....

tfischer

This car is a "fixer upper," and since the OP is self-described as "not so good with the cars," I think the best advice we can give him is to walk away and look for something less demanding. The SC is not a good starter car for someone interested in getting into restoration or modification. For his $7,500.00 I think he can find something more suitable to his knowledge and experience, and then he can move on up to more complex projects in the future.

hitsofmiss

Fixer Upper? I thought my only expenses were the paint job & timing belt.

Once I get those done, the car should run for another 90k miles. Am I wrong in anticipating that?

Prasha

Yes, U are wrong..
Timing belt and paint is known but what about the unknown surprise, 175K miles?

hitsofmiss

Can pre-purchase inspection identify such "unknown surprises"?

texsexlex

iTrader: (3)

....hey Hit, if this car has you really thinking, then go ahead with having it looked at before purchasing. I would figure up the cost of everything it needs & your wants for the car, add them to the $7500 asking price, then see if it's worth it to you. You can always try to talk the price down also. These cars have a great motor, but like anything else, there could be a problem. My major factors (in my opinion) would be major accidents to the vehicle or electrical components.If you decide to purchase the car, then have it serviced for the 150k,175k or 200k service interval, then go from there. Both of my Lexus vehicles have been basically trouble free, other than regular stuff that we all expect. I sold my LS400 with 305k ,my SC has 185k & it's purring like a kitty...lol

jasone36

hitsofmiss, you've come the right place.

Here is my two cents...

The 175K mileage ALONE would not scare me one bit. As you can see, there are folks on this board who's SC430's have done will into the 200's with little issues.

However, what WOULD scare me is the lack of Lexus dealer service records. You have no idea how well this car was maintained if it wasn't at the Lexus dealer and if there aren't very detailed records. We all know there is little if any quality control when you are getting an "exclusive" vehicle like the SC430 serviced at a private shop.

If the car has been in an accident where the hood was replaced more than likely the owner already recouped the vast majority of the car's value from the accident. In other words, anything he or she gets for the car now is just icing on the cake, in my opinion.

The car can not be "retailed" in this condition and can only be wholesaled, or sold to an enthusiast like you. I don't even want to think what the wholesale cost on this car is in this condition. This seller has very few, if any options, to sell the car without wholesaling it.

I very much respect you for trying to get the most value for your dollar. Most of us are the same way. Offer the seller 60% of what he's asking for it in terms of price, and see what happens. The seller has very few options, he may just let it go. By the way, are you sure the title is clean? I would not pay what he is asking for it, only because of the shape it's in.

Best of luck

Harold57

Welcome to the forum hitsofmiss.

One of the best things you can do is to go and talk to the independent mechanic who serviced it about the car and get his opinion, hopefully honest and straightforward.

The rattle in the muffler is likely just the weld broken loose between the muffler and its feed-in pipes or it could be a broken muffler mount.

Be sure to check out the condition of the roof lifting mechanism since it has been in salty conditions. Look for rust and corrosion. A failure there would be extremely costly.

Definitely have it checked out by a qualified mechanic.

Good luck and let us know how it turns out.

hitsofmiss

Hey guys, I finally bought THE SC 430 !!!

@texsexlex: Talking down the price was not on option since he had 3 people waiting to look at the car. And I did not want to loose this opportunity. During the pre-purchase inspection at Lexus today, the only issue (apart from paint & minor body dents) they found was with 3 rims that will require straightening up (3x$120).

@jasone36: Offering 60% was not an option since the vehicle was listed at "Fair" value of KBB & below "Average" value at Edmunds. I ended up getting it for $6750. And in my experience most sellers here in the South expects at east $3-4k above the KBB or Edmunds appraisal value.

@Harold57: Per the seller, he took the car to the independent mechanic only to do regular oil change. Nothing else was ever required. And he kept copies of all the previous maintenance history.

Thank y'all for each & every comment y'all made. I OWN my Dream. Will complete the DMV work tomorrow.