SCstealth

Hello all,

I've been going through the forum for a little while now and decided it's time to join and get some real input! I have looked at a number of drop-top sport coupes (hard- and soft-top). Not sure where my tastes in car design went utterly wrong, but somehow I end up lumping the SC430 in with my search including both BMW and Nissan Z's.

The kick is that I want a cross-country car that can also deliver at-the-limit when necessary. 350Z Roadsters are far too small to stow even weekend-level luggage. Z4s are a little better that way, and are freaking awesome to drive! But somehow the engineering refinement didn't find its way to the styling (from the front end, at least...). Plus, there's just something about the build that feels delicate...not a good thing when you would rather DRIVE it rather than have it in the shop...

I finally decided that the SC430 has everything I ever wanted, plus it's got a fine shape to boot. You can't argue about options when everything is included. I haven't found a single SC from any year that doesn't have all the options anyways (nav, spoiler, RFTs). The whole package feels quite solid. That V8 may not be the most high performance engine at spec, but it certainly is quite eager if nothing else. And, between the boot and the backseat, more than enough storage for both trips and add-ons.

So there it is. In the near future (next three months) I am looking to buy an 02-05 SC430. First order of business, color combos! I test drove a white-on-saddle this past weekend. I absolutely love the white, however i feel that that might come across as a bit too girly. Plus, this car is the ONLY droptop in my opinion that actually looks classy in red, rather than somewhat jouvenile. So does anybody have experience with red on saddle, or maybe red on black?

Second, what combination of miles / year would get the best bang for the buck? This is a car that I plan on keeping for a very long time, so I am willing to spend more to get something that hasn't been abused. However, in the end I will end up doing most of my own maintenance anyways.

Third, what issues in particular should I be looking for on this vintage SC? And does anybody have an opinion on Lexus certified vehicles? I will probably get it inspected by a dealership before I take possession unless it is a cert.

Thanks for the input!

scorpio74

Welcome to CL! scdroptop (a member here in this forum) would be one of the best source for advice. He's very knowledgable about the SC430. Pm him or just wait a lil' while so other memebers get to see you post and give their opinions.

Harold57

First of all, welcome to the forum and best of luck to finding your dream car.
<> Be sure to take a good look at the cars in person to get the best feel for paint and interior colors to help you hone your tastes. Many of the colors are quite amazing in person. Interior colors will be very personal to your tastes.
<> There are some rarer vehicles called Peeble Beach & Neiman Marcus, which will give you other color choices also.
So first thing I'd do is to choose your colors and then go after one or two of them.
<> Mileage is another semi-personal issue. Higher mileage vehicles will get you lower prices and if you do all your own maintenance, that shouldn't be a problem. There are several folks on this forum that have high mileage vehicles with very little problems.
<> There are a few threads covering issues but some of the main ones are speakers going out, original trunk struts going bad after 4 years, batteries in the TPS (tire pressure sensors) going out after 4 or 5 years and some others that I'm drawing a blank on right now.
<> Folks that don't want to turn a wrench definitely want a CPO (certified pre-owned) vehicle or have an extended warranty. The extended warranty is nice regardless for when the Mark Levinsen speakers, struts and TPS go out.
<> Definitely get the car checked out first and check out the various vehicles for checking vehicle history also.
I'm sure that you will get a ton of other advice here pretty quick from the other members too.
Good luck and keep us informed.
Harold

PS: I see that scorpio beat me to the punch at hitting enter. He is correct about scdroptop, who is also very good at helping folks track down good deals for what they are looking for. I'm sure that he will be pitching in here fairly soon, or at least the next time he gets on-line.

scorpio74

Harold, you're a fast typewriter j/k. Wow, the whole page of info already. Nice job, H

SCstealth

Thanks for the quick input! Just a quick reply to Harold: my love for the saddle interior is definitely not just from pictures . However, I will definitely go test driving at least a handful of other SCs and get a better feel of how the color combo's stack up. Oh, and if any SC owners happen to be near major Ohio metro area, I would love to see yours too

As for the special editions, I definitely like red leather, but I feel like there is way too much red in the SC reds. Red floor upholstery, okay. Red center console? IDK...maybe it would grow on me after seeing it in person, but I am pretty enamored with the saddle anyways. My current car is black leather, which is nice, but i feel it might make for a duller interior space than the saddle, which matches surprisingly well with the darker wood.

Oh, and of course a clean Carfax would be a prerequisite. Post-accident vehicles are pretty much off-limits...no corner-cutting there, you just never know what structural damage could have resulted. And like I said, this one's gonna be a keeper

mdpuff

Welcome to the forum, as far as colors go we have a red with saddle and silver with saddle. In our opinion saddle is the best interior color, ecru shows the dirt, black is just too hot on the buns with the top down and saddle is just "Rich" looking. As far as red goes I have never been a lover of red but since getting the absolutley red 02 it really grows on you. ( my wife love hers ) I know alot of the folks on this forum would disagee but these are our tastes and if red lights your fire go for it, be prepared to get alot of compliments! You will love it!!

SCstealth

Quick update, took a look at another two this past weekend. One was a 2005 Pebble Beach edition, black on red. My initial opinion on the red interior was confirmed...it's great, but the bit that creeps up onto the center console is just a little too much for me (although the sales manager did offer to dye it ). Not sure how much I love the black on this car, either...maybe it would grow on me, but it just doesn't seem to showcase the lines of the SC as well as white or silver. The other one was silver on saddle. Never thought I would like a silver car, but that millennium silver is simply mesmerizing in person!

So at this point I am pretty much set on saddle for the interior. However, I am still trying to nail down color between white, silver, black, and red. While I was initially dead-set on red, I have yet to see a nice, detailed example...so that makes it tough to decide.

PS, does anybody feel that it's right to drive an SC without power mode on? Night-and-day difference in performance, in my experience. Also, has anyone ever seen the word "Lexus" as a small black fabric applique on the front of the seats? One of my testers had these little appliques on them...but they were falling off...LOL

tromly

Wait until SCDROPTOP weighs in, he has an 05 Pebble Beach, he'll not only tell you about the car, but will find one for you on Ebay. He's the best, you can trust his judgment. Red/saddle is not my taste, silver and pine with saddle is top notch. Good luck with your search.

marcyu

Autotrader.com shows 15 listings for cars in the colors you've mentioned (white, silver, red) within 200 miles of Columbus, OH with less than 100k mileage:

Autotrader.com

VVTiBob

One of the best place to get an idea of what's out there is: http://www.lcpo.com/cpo_poresults.ps...Search_Results... but be mindful it's just one and they're all dealers. Now if I was still looking and knowing what I know now, I wouldn't buy anything less than an 06. Lexus did substantial upgrades from the 02-05 version.. I'd call it the SC430 version "2.0"... (headlamps and taillamps upgraded; six speed trany added; refined front bumpers, new interior A pillar and headliner color options other than Ecru white: nicer wheels. But the electronics (audio system remained unchanged) Other minor changes didn't really happen until 2009 and the final year, 2010 models.

I and others on this forum have dropped a few dollars upgrading their 02-05s.

As Tromly mentioned SCDROPTOP loves finding cars for he's certainly fast on the keyboard and ebay searches.

Good luck on your hunt, prices are soft and as you found some are willing to things most of us would not accept... BTW if you like the car with red except for the transmission tunnel red, instead of dying it, negotiate and have them CHANGE it out. Some of the member here have change their entire interiors... That's what I am working on now, changing out my white headliner etc for black.

marcyu

http://cleveland.craigslist.org/cto/1614084452.html

Autocheck attached

tmf2004

iTrader: (15)

Welcome to CL..