2wPushkins

We are looking at 2 sc430s --

(1) 2003 17,500 mi - clean car fax, two owners, no accidents, service records; asking $25k (kbb in very good condition is $20,732; edmunds was about 19k)

(2) 2004 39,000 mi - clean car fax, one owner (insists it is pristine), no accidents, service records, asking $24,995.

Will be checking them out this week. I have never bought a used car before, so your expertise is much appreciated! Both private owners. Don't mind paying a fair price, but don't want to spend more than the market warrants.

Thanks.

DarthSid

Low mileage cars in great condition usually come with a higher asking price. With both cars at 10 and 11 years of age, check the service records if the timing belt, water pump, thermostat and serpentine belt have been changed. Lexus maintenance recommends the timing belt is changed at 90k miles or time. In both cases the mileage on both vehicles is well below the recommended 90k miles. However you have time working against both these low mileage vehicles. The going rate to replace the above items at the dealer are approximately $900 - $1200 including parts and labor. This might give you some leverage when negotiating the price. Operate the retracting top, electric window, AC, etc., to ensure it's functioning properly.

Good luck

texsexlex

iTrader: (3)

...just my thought...since the 02-05 are basically the same, I would shoot for the 2003,since it has less miles.Although the 2003 would be my first choice, i would try to work deals on both cars & see who gives you the best price. Also after seeing both, you may see things that you don't like about one car or the other, which could sway your decision...good luck either way

tromly

I would try to find a 2006 for $25k, that's the upgrade year with more tech and new rear tail lights .

throw

I just spent the last two months seriously shopping for a nice sc430 and I finally bought what I wanted. But along the way I found some decent deals. I was working with a car broker that deals with all the auctions across the country and sees what is coming up for sale each week. 2002 sc430 with say 75-125 miles are selling between $7-9K all month long. I found a nice pebble beach 05' 55k miles, sold for $21,5 one owner. Bill on this forum is selling his 07' pebble beach with only 2500 miles and he was asking $32k https://www.clublexus.com/forums/lex...-for-sale.html
and there is a nice PB 05' with 55k miles rebuilt title but he is asking only $13k and it was repaired with all oem parts and looks in perfect condition. https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sc-...ch-2005-a.html

Point being I would not pay more than 15-16k for low mileage 02'. Why, when you can get a newer model with lower mileage around $20-22k. Or buy a nice higher mileage non auction 02'-04' thats had all the maintenance work done for $11-$13k and save $10k. They are out there because I have talked to the owners. Put the rims you want on it. Install a new stereo head unit with CAPLAY that mirrors your iphone and makes everything voice command. And if need be replace the leather on the front seat using Jerry from autocustomleathers.com. He specializes in making the SC seat replacements and its inexpensive. What I did was search Ebay, cars.com, autotrader and every single big to medium citys craigslist. I also reached out to other forum members that had cars I admired to see if they were interested in selling. And that is how I found mine. I hope this helps.
Here is a recent discussion
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sc-...006-sc430.html

2wPushkins

Thanks for all the information. It sounds like the asking price is too high in both cases -- my offer range was/is going to be $21-22, but that might even be too high is 90k maint not performed.

Based on comments, I'm now thinking about a newer model for around 25k, and/or focusing less on very low miles. It seems that the difference in kbb value for a car with 30k and 60k is not that different.

Service question -- is there an age component to the recommended maintenance timetables? For example, 90k miles or 4 years, whichever comes first?

Sorry for the newbie question, but do all PB's come with red interior?

Thanks

NAmVet68

Only the Neiman Markus Edition, & '05 & '07 Pebble Beach editions came with a Red interior.

'05 had a Black Diamond Pearl exterior (600 built) & the '07 was Starfire Pearl (white - 400 built)

The Nieman Markus was a unique color called Thundercloud (sort of silver, gold, pewter), but since there were only 100 built, and it was the first SC430, the prices are sky-high even if you find one.

SCDROPTOP did a great writeup of all the various Pebble Beach Editions with the details of each model year-by-year:
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/5798460-post1.html

There were quite a few Pebble Beach Editions up for sale this spring/summer on Carmax & Autotrader, but as of this writing, there don't seem to be any at all...no matter, just keep your eyes open, they pop up pretty regularly.
Have fun.....

Lexeffect

Nobody likes spending more than the market warrants, but plan on it with these cars if you're considering a clean, well cared for example.

DarthSid

2wPushkins, when I read in previous threads time was also a component pertaining to timing belts on the SC430 due to the material the belt is made of, I called a Lexus certified mechanic and this is what he said. Since the belt is made of a nylon stitched material there is mechanical wear, plus aging wear which manifest into cracks; more so with higher mileage vehicles. Low mileage vehicles also run the chance where the belt will display cracking upon inspection. The only way to tell is by inspecting the front section of engine which requires a bit of work to expose the belt. Case in point, I own an 02 coupe with 24k miles and several months ago had my belt replaced and to my surprise the belt had cracks. There is also a chance the belt maybe okay, but if the belt breaks you basically will need to rebuild the engine which is very expensive. I'm a firm believer an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

throw

I came across this 07' PB in NY. The onwer is a cop. Cars been listed for awhile. I am sure you can pick this up between $23-$25k. If not cheaper. http://newyork.craigslist.org/stn/cto/4594100325.html

2wPushkins

Thanks for the info and the links. Got it pretty straight now -- so much to learn!

2wPushkins

Thanks - it looks nice. Not sure about the red - I'll run it by my husband. Is there a way to do a regional search on Craigslist? Its such a pain to go city by city (which is all I know how to do).

As a follow-up, we drove car No. 1 (2003 - 17K). Not impressed. It had a rough ridge and, although the service records were good, it did not seem like it had received any general TLC (cup holder was broken, white marks all over the rubber seals, not too clean in general). Oh, almost forgot, I testing the speakers like someone on the forum said -- ALL of them were distorted!

Then, when I ran CarMax for Car No. 2 (2004 - 39K), found it had been in an accident. CarMax said minor, I believe. Owner had told me it had a clean record and was in pristine condition. I guess I will call and talk to him about it. How do you all feel about a car that has been in an accident? Do you look into details or just dismiss it out of hand?

Again, thanks for all of your help.

Harold57

IIRC, the timeframe for the timing belt was 7 to 9 years.

It is difficult what to say about a car with an accident in its history. Without inside information, you really don't know what the extent of the damage was. If it was minor, it probably isn't a big deal if the repairs were done properly. If it is major, I'd be concerned about the frame and the top mechanisms.

If you aren't in a bind or some kind of hurry to get one, I'd just keep looking if I were you. As you said, both of the cars sound like they are a bit over priced. Summer is high season for convertibles, so the demand will remain high until the weather turns cold. The height of winter will be the slowest season for selling them, which should provide a larger inventory for you to peruse.


BTW, welcome to the forum.
OTOH, I found and bought mine in the June/July timeframe. So don't give up, just be persistent.

Taysdad

I think I know the first car you look at.........Egyptian Sand Beige in Cincinnati? I saw it on CL a few days ago. I too am in Cincinnati (Mason) so I keep my eyes out on CL for wheels, etc. The pics looked good, I am sad to hear it was not kept up.

As for your question about an accident, if it's the type of owner you want to buy from, they will have documented the accident. For instance, I have an 2002 SC430 (not for sale BTW) with 31K miles, but this past December the driver side door was hit in a parking lot by a car backing up. Although the repairs were very minor (a dent so small it was hard to see when looking right at it), I did document it via pictures and made sure to have the door panel replaced with a new Lexus panel vs. repaired. Sometime (way off in the future), if I ever do sell it, I can not only claim that the damage was minor, I can actually show any interested buyer. I would think that anyone you really want to buy a car from would do the same. Without this type of proof, I'd wouldn't even consider it.

Just my $0.02 worth.

Michael

2wPushkins

Thanks, Michael for the accident opinion. Owner called me back and said an elderly couple hit the right quarter panel. She had it replaced at Lexus using Lexus panel. She said she has all of the records and pictures so I think we will go look at it. 2004 at 39K, one owner, asking 24,900. If 90K service has been performed and car is in very good to excellent shape, how low do I start out?

BTW - it probably is the same car (Egyptian Sand) (Florence, KY). I ran a car fax on it. Don't know what all the rules are on this forum, but I can email or fax it to you if you like.