Miklos

Thank you Royoftherovers. I took the car for a pub lunch and open roof drive back to London, it's tremendous fun. The repair bill wasn't that bad either, I was mentally ready to spend a grand on the car, and it was under that.

I'll get photos and the receipt from the mechanic tomorrow. I'm pretty sure they will tell me that I should have brought it back to them for fix, but that's ridiculous. Most likely I'll chase them, but have very little hope that it will result in anything more then me leaving bad google reviews... My zeal for reimbursment will depend on the financial damage I'm sure.

Little update on the car. It's still at JAPEX, apparently the used car traded didn't only use a generic oxygen sensor, but completely botched the fitting, damaging the fixing, making it impossible to use the right sensors without repairing that first, adding to the repair bill. Either way I'll pick up the car on Friday and will take it Lake District. With a bit of luck I should have some sunny days to make some good pictures.

So I took it to Japex today and after much excitement I was told that car is in great condition in general for the age. Apparently the used car trader either replaced the wrong oxygen sensor or multiple one needed to be replaced and only replaced one. Moreover, he used the cheapest noname sensor. A few more thing will need attention in the future (brake fluid, suspension, coolant level) but apart from that, it's pretty solid and ready for long trips. I'm absolutely stoked! I've decided to get the sensor replaced by Japex and will pick it up tomorrow. I've made the investment of a phone holder and casette/bluetooth converter, will think about replacing the navi screen as hobby project. Thanks for everyone who helped with good advice or cheering on! Will post more photos later!

Thanks, will do. Couldn't pick it up last Saturday as they couldn't fit it into the mechanic's schedule. Should be picking it up later this week. Unfortunately I'm not sure how to check if they were replaced, the only thing I can rely on is the engine light not coming up. Any advice? I was thinking about bringing a bluetooth code reader with me, but heard fromt some friends that it's not reliable. Will bring the car up to an independent shop once I get it for a checkup, but by then I've parted with my money already... 🙂

I've made a note for myself from all sort of good advise on this forum. Apologies for not giving credit to the right people, but here it is: any lights come up once started? service histroy? any parts replaced? timing belt on engine? corrosion? dics brakes corroded? under the hood oil is a nice Golden colour, no stains of coolant loss, pas and brake master cylinder topped up. any electrical issues audio working fine (all speakers?) air-con working fine? folding mirror? runflat tire? spare tire? folding roof smooth? headlight faded? full tool kit available? ENGINE - Some head gasket failures have been recorded due to very low coolant levels. Check the condition of the lower radiator, which can leak into the gearbox oil cooler. Likewise, fluid from the gearbox can leak into the coolant. The oxygen sensor in the exhaust system can fail. Check the starter motor works okay since it’s located inconveniently beneath the inlet manifold, which has to be removed to replace it. The vapour canister is there, too, and these can fail, expensively. Timing belt change is every 100,000 miles. Water pump should be changed at the same time since it’s a weak spot, as is the centre belt tensioner. Also, there is this thread too: https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sc430-2nd-gen-2001-2010/543764-buying-a-sc430-sc430-buyer-s-guide-what-to-look-for-when-buying-a-pre-owned-sc430.html

I have put down the deposit, yes. Apparently it has oxygen sensor issues, but they promised to get that fixed and I'll pick it up during the weekend. Most likely will bring it straight to an independent mechanic just to be sure.

Found a new one, 2003 model, not even an advisory on the MOT for four years. All for £6290. I'll call them later today. Any thoughts? https://www.clementsauto.co.uk/cars-for-sale/west-sussex/car/16/lexus-sc-430

I've posted this in a different thread before, but I've been advised to create a new topic. After long back and forth of researching cars and initially dismissing the SC430, now I'm really keen to get my hands on one. I have a few option to consider and I would like to ask the help of the more experienced members here. 2004, Blue, £6k, 86k miles @Neil E has already kindly gave advice on this, probably not worth the money. 2002, Silver, £5k, 80k miles Sat nav doesn't work, there was an exhaust leak in the 2019 MOT, has the usual cloudy headlight isse... 2002, Silver, £4.5k, 11800 miles RAC warranty, timing belt has been replaced and has full official Lexus service history. Exhaust deterioration/leak on 2019 MOT. Has outstanding finance, so I have to talk to the dealer. 2004, Black, £8k, 80000 miles RAC warranty, looks very well maintained based on MOT history. It's over my budged, but it's also the 2004 model, which supposed to be slightly better. Like the colour a lot. I've created a Google Sheet with caranalytics links, for those who are interested. Any advice on these cars? Does the 2004 model worth the extra money? My intuition is to buy the high mileage 2002 silver model and spend some money on it, but don't know much about cars. Should I just wait out and keep my eyen on this? Stretch my budget and buy a 2006 model? Many thanks!

Hi everyone! My first post here, not a Lexus owner yet. I hope no-one minds me jumping on this thread, but I'm currently trying to get my hands on an SC430. It would be my first car at a ripe age of nearly 40, and it seems perfect for occasional usage and long roadtrips around UK and Europe. There aren't a lot of them on offer, but I'm looking at this: https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201909132188246. Will check it out next week, comes with 6 month warranty, will be freshly MOT-d, and according to MOT it hasn't seen a lot of miles since 2017. I'm afraid it has been standing without too much care in the past three years, but I'm happy to invest to restore it. My biggest problem is the hidious wheel, but will try get my hands on some originals. Does any of the more experienced members have a bad vibe from this car? Any advice on where to take it for a general checkup around London? Or Lexus dealer will do? Many thanks, Miklos