riknchar

Club Lexus Friends: Do any of you live in or around the Cherry Hill, New Jersey area? I have found what appears to be a great deal on a 2008 Pebble Beach, 49K miles, $25,990, at the Cherry Hill Jaguar dealership.

The car has sat in their inventory since last July, which makes me very suspicious that something is not quite right with the car, although the service history is immaculate (every 5K mile service completed by Lexus), and the car is a relatively low mileage 1-owner car.

I believe the roads in New Jersey are pretty tough on cars (suspension due to pot holes, city parking with lots of door ding potential, lots of salt used on the roads in the winter). Is this true (from those who have lived in that area)? My local Lexus dealer said he never gets cars from that area, because they all seem to be much rougher shape than those brought up from the south.

Just looking to see if anyone living in that area would be willing to go take a close look at this car before I plunk down $26K sight unseen...

Thanks!

Scarletti

No rougher than UK roads I'm sure, and we get our roads gritted/salted most years too.

City parking/door dings... we have much smaller parking spaces and narrower roads and that is indeed an issue for all cars here.

Anyway the SC430 stands up well in those conditions I can assure you (big wheel rims with very low profile tyres can suffer more from pot holes, but 18 or 19" is fine... when you go to 20 or 21 I'd be worried about potholes etc).

As to your other concerns, can't help you but it does seem a bit suspicious that they have had the car for so long.

Good luck!

1OldDog

Have you asked for photos with a higher resolution? You can't tell much about the car from the low res pictures they use on the internet (those look like about 50k). It's like looking at the car from 20-30 feet away, you can't zoom in on those photos and see the scratches, dings and dents. I would be happier with photos in the 1.5 meg and up range. I'm sure they have the original photos that were reduced in size for the internet. Nice car, but lots of road rash on those wheels... whew!

riknchar

Good idea on the photos. The sales manager has done a "thorough" walk-around of the car, and when he called to report the results, he said the car was "perfect," with no scrapes, dings, or curb rash on the wheels (which is obviously not true, even based on the low-resolution photos on their web site). It does make me question how honest the dealership is being. Unless the photos were taken last July when they first got the car, and they've since had the wheels reconditioned to remove the curb rash. I asked the sales manager specifically about the obvious curb rash on the passenger side front rim, and he claimed it was not there now...

My Lexus dealer made the point that the road-rashed wheels are just a symptom of likely a rough life for the front suspension, given the pool New Jersey roads and the winter climate issues.

I'd still love to find one of our members who lives close enough to Cherry Hill to go take a good look... no luck so far...

1OldDog

Perfect? Really?

Salesmen will be salesmen! If you are really interested in the car, fly out look at it. If it's as good as he says buy it and drive it back! People do this all the time. (I sold my Corvette to a person 1200 miles away.) It's been on his lot for a long time. If you do buy it, make sure they pay for your airfare in the deal.

So many imperfections can be hidden by the camera. So many parts and pieces not photographed. I looked at one SC430 before I bought mine that was perfect according to the salesman. When I went to see the car some 60 miles away the custom chrome wheels were so rusty the chrome was flaking off; the front air dam had been destroyed going over a cub and needed replacement; somebody had tried to move a piano using the back seat; the Lexus emblem on the trunk was rusted out underneath and even standing there looking right at it the salesman used the word "perfect". (But it had been serviced regularly according to the Carfax.) No substitute for putting a pair of eyes on the car in person, period. Just my opinion.

GXtoGStoLS

Rick, I can't remember exactly what you're looking for but seem to remember it's a later model year of the SC430. Did you see this one in Des Moines? https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/d...0220/overview/

Coleroad

I can't believe they have driven it around for more than 500 miles.

Scarletti

Hmmm, apart from they'd have the car a year and 10 drivers doing a 30 mins test drive could be in that ballpark.

Or it could be a different car!

MrMark

iTrader: (3)

I may be able to take a look at it this weekend......got your message buy CL disabled my ability to respond since I sold too many expensive wheels.....

riknchar

Thanks so much, MrMark! I may go another route, so I'd hate to have you go way out of your way, but if it's no problem, I'd definitely appreciate someone who I can trust giving it a good once-over. Rick

riknchar

Thanks for the many great replies! I love this Forum!

I have now begun looking at another option, a bit closer to Nebraska this time (Oklahoma City). What do you folks think about this one: http://www.legacyautookc.com/2006-Le...1/Details.aspx

This is a 1-owner car with 18K miles... Owned by a very wealthy family, and the parents have both passed away recently. The car is being sold by an auto broker on behalf of the family (on consignment). It appears immaculate in every way, and has a great Lexus service history. The only down-side is that the elderly owner ran into things in his garage several times since the car was new, with one of the repairs requiring a front bumper and fender replacement ($2K repair at Eskridge Lexus in Ok City). Thus, the car has an accident history on CarFax. I've seen all the receipts, though, and am convinced the car is pretty much new now.

Is this car worth $26K? KBB seems to think that may be slightly high, but not unreasonable (given the miles). I'm not a huge fan of the Chardonnay Pearl color, but it's starting to grow on me.

Opinions from the forum? Thanks again!

Coleroad

My only response would be don't get buyers remorse. Buy what you want, it is out there. Meaning get the year and color you really want.

Bgw70

Rick,
Did you look at the car in Des Moines?
See post 6.

GmanSC

I don't see the TV/DVD (in the option list).

riknchar

BGW: I did look hard at the Des Moines car (on-line) and spoke with the BMW dealer selling it. It seems like a decent deal, and the car is (supposedly) in great shape, but my wife nixed the idea of a Red Convertible... Too flashy for her taste (even if I'm the one driving it). So the hunt continues!

If anyone knows of any other nice 2006-2010 SC430s for sale, though, please let me know. I'd greatly prefer to buy one from one of our CL Members who has babied the car.

Thanks!