MemoryDealer

Hi all! Small update. I brought the car to a local mechanic and had it inspected. The brakes are new, there are no strange noises, and no issues were found, but... the timing belt needs to be replaced. The OEM replacement kit costs around 1,100 Euros here, not including labor. I’ve decided to have the car fully serviced—filters, fluids, timing belt, tensioners, and water pump—all for a total of 2,000 Euros. It's quite steep, but I agreed to it for peace of mind. The only downside is that the belt tensioners aren’t available right now, so I’ll have to wait until the end of next month to get the work done 😢. I’ll have to gather all my patience and avoid driving it with a 16-year-old timing belt—I’m not willing to take the risk. The car is really a beauty, and no one around here has ever seen one like it. I’ve been getting tons of questions and compliments, which somewhat makes up for the 2k Euros I have to spend before even thinking about driving it 🤣.

Unfortunately, I have no information on that. Maintenance book reports regular service every 2 years but no details on what has been done. Checked the timing belt and didn’t look cracked or brittle. Can a mechanic get an idea by just inspecting the timing belt to understand? But yeah, I guess I’ll get it fully serviced asap. I’ll keep you informed! Thanks as always!

Hi Malc1! I can hear a squealing noise very clearly, my fault for not filming with the bonnet open 😂 I can hear it in the video because I know how it sounds in real life, probably. It was delivered around 50kms away so I had to pick it up. 40 mins trip both on the highway and in intense traffic downtown, enjoyable drive in both conditions. Gear changes are unnoticeable, very smooth transmission and engine. Can’t wait to have it thoroughly inspected to drive it more!

Good evening everyone! I finally picked up the car, and what a beautiful drive it was! I just drove it home to keep it safe and had some time to inspect it a bit more thoroughly. I noticed a couple of things: First, the car shakes slightly when idling—not a major issue, but noticeable. However, the most concerning thing is the noise coming from the engine. I’ve attached a short video to this post where you can clearly hear it. I think it might be the belt tensioners. Because of this, I’m not going to drive it until Monday, when I’ll have it inspected to make sure everything is in order, and I’ll feel a bit more confident about it. Overall, the car is in great shape and drives nicely. The brakes feel strong, and the acceleration is actually quite impressive. Now that I have the car, I can inspect anything you guys are curious about (as long as it doesn’t require mechanical skills)! 😎 IMG_3419.mov

Oh no, I actually test-drove the car and saw it in person a couple of weeks ago—it drove beautifully! The only thing I couldn’t check was the underside, which is why I posted the two videos 😁. I definitely wouldn’t have bought it without driving it first! As for the road trip, maybe next year... My job only allows for two weeks of vacation, so I’ll have to figure out how to make it work. It’s much more likely that I’ll start with a road trip around Sicily

Hi everyone! I've been away for the summer holidays 😄 I actually bought the 2008 car and am now taking care of the final details before getting it shipped to where I live (insurance, taxes, etc.). I really wanted to do the road trip, but the only dates I have available for a flight to pick it up have insanely high prices, 300€+, while shipping it will cost just 450€. Considering I’ll be back at work next week and won’t have time for the trip, this was my only option. I can’t wait to drive it and share my experience as an SC430 owner with all of you 😁

It’s quite a long journey—about 1,300 km (800 miles), which would take roughly 13 to 15 hours. I checked the cost with "ViaMichelin," and it’s approximately 450 euros (!). The dealer quoted me around 600 euros for delivery right to my door, so I’m considering the delivery option, even though a road trip would be very cool!

Yes it is, I can recognize the aftermarket wheels in some shots! Yeah, they do look a bit crunchy 😄. Not a big deal, though, since I’m planning to eventually modify the exhaust system anyway (I kind of want to highlight that sweet V8 sound!). I appreciate everyone who took the time to answer and share their valuable advice—you were all very helpful and insightful. I really think I’m going to buy this car! I’ll be sure to update you all once it’s parked right outside my house. 👀

Car is currently located in north Italy. So, overall, do you think it looks good?

Good morning everybody! A little update for you all. I was able to get 2 videos of the underside of the car that I'm attaching to this message. Let me know what you think, to me it looks in a good shape. Here are the 2 videos. WhatsApp Video 2024-08-20 at 12.01.24.mp4 WhatsApp Video 2024-08-20 at 12.01.17.mp4

I’m asking the dealer if he could take some photos of the underside since the car is literally on the opposite side of Italy. The dealer had a ton of papers in German, which I believe are from their transportation authority. I think there was also an homologation paper for the new wheels, but I was in a bit of a hurry and couldn’t take photos of everything to translate it, as I only understand very basic German. Sort of, but it’s every two years here. Also, the quality of the inspection can vary greatly depending on the shop. In this case, it will need to be done immediately after the car is registered since it was directly imported from Germany. I actually saw many papers with "TÜV" written on them, which should be the mandatory inspection in Germany, but I can’t remember which years they covered. The service book looks very good—I’m attaching a couple of screenshots of it

Yes, they still have the original wheels, and they will include them with the car. I really appreciate the valuable and insightful advice; I’m now even more convinced about the 2008 car. It’s clear that I’m a newbie; I didn’t think about this either. 😆 Yes and they do work; they were beeping correctly during my test drive. This was also my concern. I asked the dealer if I could check under the car, but he told me the lift was broken. I’ll ask for some photos of the underside since the car was bought from Germany, and I’m quite sure they often use salt on the roads there. Agree both with the good taste comment and with this 😆

Thanks again to everyone! I’d like to keep the car as long as possible, but since I’m still quite young, life can be uncertain and things can change, so I’ll definitely consider resale value in my decision. I appreciate this insight—I hadn’t really thought much about it until now. Also, I’ll ask the dealer to at least resolve the (supposed) parking sensor issue and the tire pressure light. Happy to be here! Here are the links to the two cars. I also have many more photos that were sent to me directly by the dealer/owner. 2008: https://www.autoscout24.it/annunci/lexus-sc-430-sc-430-4-3-auto-6m-benzina-nero-aaa5f0b1-96c4-4943-b58b-c335b6305b32?sort=standard&desc=0&lastSeenGuidPresent=true&cldtidx=1&position=1&search_id=dub461d5vb&source_otp=t10&ap_tier=t10&source=listpage_search-results&order_bucket=2 I got the price down to €20,800, and I’m 99% sure they’ll refuse to change the timing belt, water pump, and sensors at this price. Maybe they’ll address the parking sensor and tires (it might not be an issue with the sensor; it’s possible that the tires are simply not inflated enough), but that’s probably it. Here’s the 2003: https://www.autoscout24.it/annunci/lexus-sc-430-4-3-benzina-nero-a9345dc4-fba0-4622-bc8a-efe26e3c9ffe?sort=standard&desc=0&lastSeenGuidPresent=true&cldtidx=6&position=6&search_id=dub461d5vb&source_otp=t10&ap_tier=t10&source=listpage_search-results&order_bucket=2 I’m not afraid to travel around Europe to find the right one, but the language barrier and bureaucracy might be a bit challenging. Thanks again to everyone who took the time to help!

Exactly! I really liked the idea of taking a one-way flight to the UK and driving back with an SC430, but in reality, Italy's narrow roads and unpredictable drivers make it an even less suitable place for a right-hand drive car. 😢 Absolutely no need to apologize! It is the UK forum after all. Appreciate all the responses ❤️

Thank you kindly for your response! I live in Italy, and unfortunately, the UK market is out of reach for me. Prices here are much higher across the board (you can check average prices outside of the UK on sites like Mobile.de for Germany or Autoscout24 for Italy, where I live, and the rest of Europe). These are the best I was able to go and test drive. I might consider importing one from the UK, but I believe that, between taxes and transport costs, it wouldn’t make economic sense. 😢