2002 Lexus SC430 #2

Random Vehicle Blog......

2002 Lexus SC430 #2

What a frustrating car this was!

I love Lexus - we have an LS in our garage right now - and while I always thought the SC430 was an ugly car, once I bought one (my first one, not this one) I grew to absolutely love it.  When I saw this beauty with under 2K miles at an auction, I couldn't resist.  The reason it had such low mileage however was that it had been a theft recovery.  There was no damage per say, and the title was clear, but it was missing a lot of parts.  Most of them were merely cosmetic, but Lexus is very proud of their parts.

Here's an example:  See the missing trunk trim piece on the left?  You'd think something like that couldn't possibly cost too much, but Lexus would disagree.  I think I spent about $8K in just trim parts for the car.  I was still way ahead though.

The car actually rode and drove fine when it was finally put back together, but it still had a number of annoying issues.  One in particular was that the navigation system wouldn't stay calibrated.  After a couple days of driving around it would always think I was in the middle of Clear Lake.  There were also a few interior parts that didn't fit quite right either.  In the end, I got it as nice as I could and sold it locally.  The low miles saved me, but I was disappointed that it didn't work out.  Branelle has actually grown to really like these so maybe we'll end up with another one some day.

1995 Mercedes-Benz E320 Cabriolet

Random Vehicle Blog............

1995 Mercedes-Benz E320 Cabriolet

 

 This E320 was a very pleasant car and actually turned out to be a pretty good buy on my part.  These E Cabriolets have really held their value, becoming a coveted "classic-to-be" Mercedes.  Low mileage examples bring serious money, but even a higher mileage car like mine (80K) was on the way up, not down.  I enjoyed driving this very comfortable and stylish convertible around and actually sold it for more than I paid for it to boot.  

The 3.2-liter in-line six is a smooth motor, and just enough for this middle-weight Merc.  More power would have been nice (always is), but the cars persona really made you want to drive slower and relax.

The interior was standard Mercedes in a handsome cream.  It was in good shape and just starting to show its age at the time.  The back seat was functional and the power top was great.  I acknowledge the fact that many consider these old E Cabrios to be an "old man car".  I get it.  It's not exciting and probably isn't going to help you pick up chicks.  That said, I can also understand why so many people love these.  If I were 65 and looking for a convertible, I would have to consider this one.  It's comfortable and reliable, a classic that really seems to be aging quite gracefully, and is appreciating.  Sounds like a winning combination to me.