Accident tonight in rain :-(
Wow Brett that really sucks. Darn baby showers!! So glad you two were not injured. Weird you didn't feel it but something must have penetrated your oil or transmission fluid pans. I hope the engine is ok. Good luck! In the meantime see if you can rent a RC !
Last edited by SlvBullet; Jun 22, 2015 at 10:47 AM.
Thread Starter
Lexus Test Driver
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 1,076
Likes: 13
From: Virginia
Driving home tonight with my fiancé from a baby shower. It started to rain very intense. I drove very slowly with my hazards. It was bad but still drivable (or so I thought). There was some slight flooding in several places and I kept going. Maybe 6-10 inches at the most. The flooding was just a few feet at a time, and other cars seemed fine so it didn't seem like it would pose a problem.
But then it happened. My car started slowing down. My first thought was hydro lock. Maybe water got into the intake. I pressed the gas more and the car kept slowing and felt heavy and then just died.
Fortunately I made it to the shoulder of the road and a couple good sumaritans pushed me into an adjacent parking lot.
When I was pushing my car I was shocked to see oil spilling out. And the passenger side bumper was almost ripped off.
I peered under the car and the under carriage was ripped off.
I must have it something or something was tangled under my car. Maybe a tree? I don't know.
I called my insurance and to my pleasant surprise I have rental converge and a zero dollar deductible.
Also nobody was hurt. Wish me luck dealing with the insurance company..
But then it happened. My car started slowing down. My first thought was hydro lock. Maybe water got into the intake. I pressed the gas more and the car kept slowing and felt heavy and then just died.
Fortunately I made it to the shoulder of the road and a couple good sumaritans pushed me into an adjacent parking lot.
When I was pushing my car I was shocked to see oil spilling out. And the passenger side bumper was almost ripped off.
I peered under the car and the under carriage was ripped off.
I must have it something or something was tangled under my car. Maybe a tree? I don't know.
I called my insurance and to my pleasant surprise I have rental converge and a zero dollar deductible.
Also nobody was hurt. Wish me luck dealing with the insurance company..
But should I get another sc430? If I did it would need to be modified to meet my needs. I'm not doing all that work over again. Any suggestions?
Aside from an sc430 I'm looking at the following, within a likely 15-35k range for a used car:
Lexus gs350
Lexus is350
Infiniti m37x
Infiniti m56x
Mercedes Cls550
MercedesCLA250
MercedesE550
Acura TL Type-S
Sorry about what happened! 
Former Sponsor
Joined: Apr 2015
Posts: 141
Likes: 0
From: California
While I probably shouldn't get into more specifics at this point, I can say that buying a new car may be in the picture.
But should I get another sc430? If I did it would need to be modified to meet my needs. I'm not doing all that work over again. Any suggestions?
Aside from an sc430 I'm looking at the following, within a likely 15-35k range for a used car:
Lexus gs350
Lexus is350
Infiniti m37x
Infiniti m56x
Mercedes Cls550
MercedesCLA250
MercedesE550
Acura TL Type-S
But should I get another sc430? If I did it would need to be modified to meet my needs. I'm not doing all that work over again. Any suggestions?
Aside from an sc430 I'm looking at the following, within a likely 15-35k range for a used car:
Lexus gs350
Lexus is350
Infiniti m37x
Infiniti m56x
Mercedes Cls550
MercedesCLA250
MercedesE550
Acura TL Type-S
Acura I can speak from experience as well since I'm on my 4th one, starting with an RSX in 2004. From 2005-06 and on they lost their touch. The materials are terrible and feel cheap, and the quality is gone. I went from RSX to TSX (09), TL (07) and now an ILX (2014) and things progressively got worse.
The TSX had interior gaps that were unacceptable for any car, let alone a car company that claims they're luxury. The stereo went out within a year of having the car, and continued to have issues for the length of ownership. Rattles started appearing left and right even though it was all highway mileage (around the 20K mark), etc, etc. I felt like I lived at the dealership...
Same with the TL which was slightly better but the transmission was eh and the torque steer (general steering feel overall) was less than desirable. My ILX has been a nightmare. I bought it with a manual and clutch issues GALORE. It rattles, the suspension makes more noise than a 6th grade school band and I've never been to the dealer as much as I have with this car. It doesn't help that the local Acura dealers here are a joke. A tech once asked me if my car was "double clutch" as he was sitting in the passenger seat during a test drive...
In between the TSX and ILX I also had an IS (all except the ILX were leased) and although it wasn't as nimble and quick, it felt like a luxury car and drove like a generally higher quality car with no issues aside from a recall. I'm currently selling the ILX and will be picking up a GS350 F-Sport.
Pole Position
Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 209
Likes: 3
From: CT
I have a $70K Benz that's 8 years old and realistically worth $4K based on what's selling on CL. Huge depreciation because of the maintenance costs. I have not been able to get out of the dealer for less than $1,000 in 6 years - no matter what I'm bringing it in for, they find other stuff (or what I'm bringing it in for is stupidly expensive). You also don't get the opportunity to use same mfg parts that are cheaper than the MB branded parts (like you can use Toyota parts for many "Lexus" parts).
Thread Starter
Lexus Test Driver
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 1,076
Likes: 13
From: Virginia
As a Benz owner, I wouldn't consider one that is not brand new. Even a couple years old and still under warranty, you'll have to use the warranty which gets tedious after awhile - you're not paying money to get the thing fixed but you're paying with your time. After it's out of warranty, it's the car equivalent of a boat - a hole in the road you pour money into.
I have a $70K Benz that's 8 years old and realistically worth $4K based on what's selling on CL. Huge depreciation because of the maintenance costs. I have not been able to get out of the dealer for less than $1,000 in 6 years - no matter what I'm bringing it in for, they find other stuff (or what I'm bringing it in for is stupidly expensive). You also don't get the opportunity to use same mfg parts that are cheaper than the MB branded parts (like you can use Toyota parts for many "Lexus" parts).
I have a $70K Benz that's 8 years old and realistically worth $4K based on what's selling on CL. Huge depreciation because of the maintenance costs. I have not been able to get out of the dealer for less than $1,000 in 6 years - no matter what I'm bringing it in for, they find other stuff (or what I'm bringing it in for is stupidly expensive). You also don't get the opportunity to use same mfg parts that are cheaper than the MB branded parts (like you can use Toyota parts for many "Lexus" parts).
Thread Starter
Lexus Test Driver
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 1,076
Likes: 13
From: Virginia
Coming from someone who has/had an Acura, I'd stick with Lexus or Infiniti. Lexus is unbeatable for build quality and just has a more put together "feel". Infiniti's are QUICK but they don't tend to age well. My brother has had 2 in a row and although he loves the way it drives, things just wear that well inside and out. Plus it doesn't sip gas, it gulps it.
Acura I can speak from experience as well since I'm on my 4th one, starting with an RSX in 2004. From 2005-06 and on they lost their touch. The materials are terrible and feel cheap, and the quality is gone. I went from RSX to TSX (09), TL (07) and now an ILX (2014) and things progressively got worse.
The TSX had interior gaps that were unacceptable for any car, let alone a car company that claims they're luxury. The stereo went out within a year of having the car, and continued to have issues for the length of ownership. Rattles started appearing left and right even though it was all highway mileage (around the 20K mark), etc, etc. I felt like I lived at the dealership...
Same with the TL which was slightly better but the transmission was eh and the torque steer (general steering feel overall) was less than desirable. My ILX has been a nightmare. I bought it with a manual and clutch issues GALORE. It rattles, the suspension makes more noise than a 6th grade school band and I've never been to the dealer as much as I have with this car. It doesn't help that the local Acura dealers here are a joke. A tech once asked me if my car was "double clutch" as he was sitting in the passenger seat during a test drive...
In between the TSX and ILX I also had an IS (all except the ILX were leased) and although it wasn't as nimble and quick, it felt like a luxury car and drove like a generally higher quality car with no issues aside from a recall. I'm currently selling the ILX and will be picking up a GS350 F-Sport.
Acura I can speak from experience as well since I'm on my 4th one, starting with an RSX in 2004. From 2005-06 and on they lost their touch. The materials are terrible and feel cheap, and the quality is gone. I went from RSX to TSX (09), TL (07) and now an ILX (2014) and things progressively got worse.
The TSX had interior gaps that were unacceptable for any car, let alone a car company that claims they're luxury. The stereo went out within a year of having the car, and continued to have issues for the length of ownership. Rattles started appearing left and right even though it was all highway mileage (around the 20K mark), etc, etc. I felt like I lived at the dealership...
Same with the TL which was slightly better but the transmission was eh and the torque steer (general steering feel overall) was less than desirable. My ILX has been a nightmare. I bought it with a manual and clutch issues GALORE. It rattles, the suspension makes more noise than a 6th grade school band and I've never been to the dealer as much as I have with this car. It doesn't help that the local Acura dealers here are a joke. A tech once asked me if my car was "double clutch" as he was sitting in the passenger seat during a test drive...
In between the TSX and ILX I also had an IS (all except the ILX were leased) and although it wasn't as nimble and quick, it felt like a luxury car and drove like a generally higher quality car with no issues aside from a recall. I'm currently selling the ILX and will be picking up a GS350 F-Sport.