bacardi11

iTrader: (1)

so many new owners. the car must be getting to be a hot buy and then you own one..

Slingshot1

Smart buyers, purchasing a convertible in the middle of the winter!����

kjcole

The higher-mileage cars are dropping into the price range that enthusiasts who are used to working on their own cars find appealing. You get a retractable hardtop with a smooth, robust drive-train (V8 with rear drive - doesn't get much better), and a sumptuous interior, even by today's standards (and head unit upgrades to the sound system aren't that hard).

Sure the exterior styling is a love-it/hate-it thing (it's curvaceous styling is running against the grain of the current more angular styling elements), but it is a relatively rare car (especially once you get out of TX, CA, FL) and that gives it additional cachet. The '02's and early '03's were hand-built too!

Plus, the casual observer has absolutely no clue as to when these were made when they see a clean one. Most can't believe that they are as old as they are.

Bottom line: relatively rare convertible hard-top with great bones for the DYI who can afford the parts and is not afraid to get into the needs of the high-mileage car.

indigo2

I totally agree with you Kjcole. I just bought mine ('02 with 87k) because it seemed like a steal for its condition. I looked into Porsche Boxters and BMW Z4s but they cost more and the maintenance was insane. The SC430 seems to be a great way to get a relatively rare and good looking hard top convertible for not a lot of hard cash!!

kuWuPt

iTrader: (13)

kjcole - exactly why I got one.

Caseoane

kjcole - you hit the nail on the head! I just got a fully restored 2002 with 114k miles... for a steal and exactly for those same reasons! It feels so much newer than a 13 year old car and I'm not afraid to work on it. It'll be a lot of fun come summer, and if you don't know this car, no-one believes it's that old (specially with new paint and upholstery, like mine has).

My daily driver, a 4.6 Genesis, on the other hand, scares the crap out of me... I just let other people work on it and I pay them money. :-)

lbintab

iTrader: (1)

Yeah I found a decent deal so I cashed out for one. For now it's my little toy car.

pynky01

got mine! .......06 w 47k..everyone thinks its new... i believe most people are unaware this car exists... this is a prize i gave myself when i met my goal of losing 50 lbs of fat with total loss of 77 lbs... i will have my ashes (mixed with a little 100 proof Southern Comfort) poured down the crankcase...hauled to the seven seas and dumped... unless my grandson wants it...

photalian

You're right, people ask me about mine, I tell them it's an 07 with 88k miles on it, and they just look confused. Hilarious Exactly the reason I wanted this car. They are super-rare, and I never liked driving the same average Joe cars everyone else has. It's fun to be different. And thankfully, this Lexus is one of the most reliable used Lexus vehicles one could ever purchase. The diecast of the exact pearl white SC430 that I had since I was about 16 years old, turned into a real 07 pebble beach now in my garage, since last summer.

I paid about the same price I could have bought a brand new Honda Civic for. No thanks... HA! (For a Lexus that originally cost around $70k.)

tromly

There are so many cars out there at great prices, best are in FL and TX.

pynky01

I can recommend Wilde Lexus in Sarasota..a little more..but u do get all the maintenance records from the ones their customers trade...you know that Lexus dealer has taken care of this car from the beginning.. ... what i have read, the style of this car is art deco (a style started mid 1920"s; not just cars but most all goods) ... of which i am a fanatic.. only thing better would have been art nouveau... great driving to us all and may your top always drop... and close...

OBP

I know what you mean - I get incredulous looks when I tell people this is a 10 year old car with 77k miles. And I think I can run it another 100K miles maybe ...

It especially attracts attention at the DMV when I go for emissions inspection once every two years - people ask why the car is in for inspection anyway ...

kjcole

Mine is a Texas car too.

Here in Iowa I get all these comments about how exotic and expensive the car must have been. When in fact I bought it with 77K miles (1 owner) for much less than 1/2 the price of all the fancy F150's and Silverados that the people own who asking how I could afford such an expensive convertible.

I just chuckle.

Horseygal

We are fortunate in New Zealand that we get a lot of imports from Singapore. Over there car driving is hideously expensive, garages to park your car in are extortionate cost and people generally live in big cities with great public transport. Hence our 2004 SC430 we purchased a month ago was in pristine condition with only 40,000kms (approx 25,000miles) on the clock

No one who sees it believes its 10 years old!

And like so many other posters - where else would I get a purple hard top convertible at such a great price? We paid the equivalent of $22k US for it.