Help finding SC430 for magazine feature

[Neil E]

@Big Rat Apparently no room to haggle. I couldn't find any fault with the car except the mileage and the lack of sunroof. I agree if someone wants a 'keeper' and is prepared to lose a good deal of money on it, it's a good car. It's been prepped well and I turned up unannounced. Seemed like a good outfit to deal with too. The ISF was very impressive and I do want one, I just wish Lexus had given the F the interior it deserves. 

Decisions, decisions, the similar spec F in Cheshire is a year older and £2k+ more with half the mileage, Inchcape Guildford keep reminding me of 'discounts' on the quicker silver one complete with mortgage application or the accident damaged F could be the donor car for a rapid SC...I suppose. The lure or Kemble cake should be resisted and I ought to retire gracefully to the comfort of an LS460 but there is a certain appeal to being part of the 'F' crowd, I can see why it has such a loyal following. 

[Big Rat]

8 hours ago, Neil E said:

@Big Rat Apparently no room to haggle. I couldn't find any fault with the car except the mileage and the lack of sunroof. I agree if someone wants a 'keeper' and is prepared to lose a good deal of money on it, it's a good car. It's been prepped well and I turned up unannounced. Seemed like a good outfit to deal with too. The ISF was very impressive and I do want one, I just wish Lexus had given the F the interior it deserves. 

Decisions, decisions, the similar spec F in Cheshire is a year older and £2k+ more with half the mileage, Inchcape Guildford keep reminding me of 'discounts' on the quicker silver one complete with mortgage application or the accident damaged F could be the donor car for a rapid SC...I suppose. The lure or Kemble cake should be resisted and I ought to retire gracefully to the comfort of an LS460 but there is a certain appeal to being part of the 'F' crowd, I can see why it has such a loyal following. 

@Neil E Think the car site has been there sometime, unannounced visits are a good measure of dealers prep of vehicles or lack of.

Having regard of your possible surgery of a damaged 'F' to provide the vitals for a quicker SC why not they seem to have precious little interest from owners buying parts for existing'F's purely because they want to much money.

You would be more than welcome to the isF fold there are some interesting characters amongst them some may even say a little strange, but at the heart of it all is the car and the brand, cakes and coffee beer and banter are subjects that rarely figure in any topic let alone the colour of each other's cars.

Look forward to seeing you if you can make it to Kemble

Big Rat

 

[Neil E]

 

@Big Rat Cheers Paul.

An SC with 'F' power that would be something. Is that an SCF or an SC500? Either way, assuming it's possible, it's a lot of work and some serious head-scratching.

 

[Big Rat]

6 minutes ago, Neil E said:

 

@Big Rat Cheers Paul.

An SC with 'F' power that would be something. Is that an SCF or an SC500? Either way, assuming it's possible, it's a lot of work and some serious head-scratching.

 

Pull that off and it would quite some achievement, but as always with these projects it's reliability reliability reliability, head scratching, I think makes you a master of understatement 😏

🐀

[Bob King]

1 hour ago, Neil E said:

 

@Big Rat Cheers Paul.

An SC with 'F' power that would be something. Is that an SCF or an SC500? Either way, assuming it's possible, it's a lot of work and some serious head-scratching.

I wonder If the LS460 is the same engine just bigger capacity ...and if it would fit is a SC430 ? Yes ok not a fire breathing engine but no  substitute for cubes 

 

[Neil E]

1 hour ago, Big Rat said:

Pull that off and it would quite some achievement, but as always with these projects it's reliability reliability reliability, head scratching, I think makes you a master of understatement 😏

🐀

@Big Rat yes it would be a hell of a challenge for me but I could just give it to my mate Bob and he would probably have it done in a couple of days.

@Bob King They are quite different to the 3UZ-FE. The LS460 has the 1UR-GSE engine and the ISF has the 2UR-GSE engine from the LS600.

I haven't looked that closely but I've read the IS/ISF is based on the GS chassis and SC is also based on the GS. The SC suspension set up is very similar to the GS and I know the ISF rear anti-roll bar is a nice upgrade for the SC. The wheelbase is different so that might be a concern but it's the electrics and various ECUs that would surely provide the real headache.

 

[Big Rat]

@Neil E Apologies in advance to SC forum members but I had an idea for @Neil E conversion, now I know you are all going to through your hands up in horror but what about this route.

Buy and cannibalise the IsF and find yourself an isC and you could have a isCF.................. ok maybe not 🙄

Big Rat

[Neil E]

14 hours ago, Big Rat said:

@Neil E Apologies in advance to SC forum members but I had an idea for @Neil E conversion, now I know you are all going to through your hands up in horror but what about this route.

Buy and cannibalise the IsF and find yourself an isC and you could have a isCF.................. ok maybe not 🙄

Big Rat

@Big Rat Interesting idea, the 'ISCF,' it sounds like a next generation french bullet train but for me it's more the qualities of the SC cabin than the novelty of the convertible that beg the question of whether it could be done. As you suspect, nice as it is, the IS250C doesn't have the same appeal to me personally. If a real F fan with deep pockets needs a few extra sun-rays in their life, that would be a nice little project worthy of a magazine feature, though probably placed higher up the newsagent's shelves than Modern Classic magazine.

Now if that distressed 'F' could be acquired for say £6k I might be tempted. Another £6k to do the conversion (Bob's weekend rates are high) + PPE headers and a few incidentals?  

[steveledzep]

I owned an IS250C before my RX.  Lovely car with great comfort, even with the roof down.  A heavy car though so performance wasn't great....didn't matter as we were enjoying the Welsh countryside.  A 5 litre V8 would have made it so much more fun 

[Neil E]

1 hour ago, steveledzep said:

I owned an IS250C before my RX.  Lovely car with great comfort, even with the roof down.  A heavy car though so performance wasn't great....didn't matter as we were enjoying the Welsh countryside.  A 5 litre V8 would have made it so much more fun 

Yes I'm sure that would be a lot of fun if the car still appeared to be a standard IS250C. Would anyone notice the slightly taller bonnet?

[Big Rat]

15 hours ago, Neil E said:

Yes I'm sure that would be a lot of fun if the car still appeared to be a standard IS250C. Would anyone notice the slightly taller bonnet?

@Neil E What they would notice is you disappearing off into the distance with a lovely V8 growl 😂

🐀

[Neil E]

6 hours ago, Big Rat said:

@Neil E What they would notice is you disappearing off into the distance with a lovely V8 growl 😂

🐀

@Big Rat yes that might be a slight giveaway.

I suppose I could be the first H and S customer to ask for more silencers. My SC has PPE headers and a custom exhaust but until very recently that was quite quiet. I wonder if anyone, just for a bit of fun has disguised an F to look and sound like even more of a sleeper? Change the front wings, replace the quad tails with singles to become a real 'Q' car.