New SC 430 ownership

[ThomasD94]

Hey everyone,

I wanted to introduce myself and my new (to me) Lexus SC 430. It is a 2004 model and I believe the colour is Indigo Ink Pearl and the interior is Ecru (I Believe).

I just got it delivered yesterday, I have gave it a wash and wax etc. The car has 130k miles atm.

 

[The-Acre]

An excellent choice, I've got a real soft spot for the SC! Enjoy.

[royoftherovers]

16 minutes ago, The-Acre said:

An excellent choice, I've got a real soft spot for the SC! Enjoy.

Must be one of his clever video`s coming soon ?

[ThomasD94]

2 hours ago, The-Acre said:

An excellent choice, I've got a real soft spot for the SC! Enjoy.

Thank you!! I was pondering the SC for a while and I have been a fan of it for about a decade now. I pulled the trigger on this one after months of searching online.(not too many advertised) 

[ThomasD94]

2 hours ago, royoftherovers said:

Must be one of his clever video`s coming soon ?

I think I'll make a video on it in a month or so once I have owned it and figured out all the buttons etc 😄

[2ddesign]

Hi Nice looking car, just run in as these cars can do 200,000 no problem! If you would like to improve your seat look at this site for tips. Bob has put up a good explanation of how to do it. I have the same upholstery colour as you and I followed the steps listed, it looks like they are brand new!

https://forum.lexusownersclub.com/threads/leather-seat-rejuvenation.13611/ 

jack

[The-Acre]

20 minutes ago, ThomasD94 said:

Thank you!! I was pondering the SC for a while and I have been a fan of it for about a decade now. I pulled the trigger on this one after months of searching online.(not too many advertised) 

Lexus cars seem fairly scarce in my part of West Sussex for some reason, apart from the CT and RX, but I see three SC's quite often.  Maybe it's a coast road top down kind of thing!  I'd love to drive one at some point, just to satisfy my curiosity.

[ThomasD94]

13 minutes ago, The-Acre said:

Lexus cars seem fairly scarce in my part of West Sussex for some reason, apart from the CT and RX, but I see three SC's quite often.  Maybe it's a coast road top down kind of thing!  I'd love to drive one at some point, just to satisfy my curiosity.

Yeah even up here in Glasgow Lexus aren't popular!! I see the NX and RX most in the range, SC and LC are very rare! I still turn my head when I see a UX or ES!

[Neil E]

Nice looking car Thomas in the best colours for an SC430. 

There are some fancy Lexus names for the interior colour but you have now officially joined the Elite SC430 Beige community - welcome. 👍

2 hours ago, The-Acre said:

Lexus cars seem fairly scarce in my part of West Sussex for some reason, apart from the CT and RX, but I see three SC's quite often.  Maybe it's a coast road top down kind of thing!  I'd love to drive one at some point, just to satisfy my curiosity.

Hi Phil, you wouldn't like it. Remember it's the worst car in the world. Flag me down the next time I'm on the coast and you can take mine for a spin, just promise to keep it under 160. The only problem is that you'll still have no idea what a real SC is like but it will be fun. 🤣

[The-Acre]

39 minutes ago, Neil E said:

Nice looking car Thomas in the best colours for an SC430. 

There are some fancy Lexus names for the interior colour but you have now officially joined the Elite SC430 Beige community - welcome. 👍

Hi Phil, you wouldn't like it. Remember it's the worst car in the world. Flag me down the next time I'm on the coast and you can take mine for a spin, just promise to keep it under 160. The only problem is that you'll still have no idea what a real SC is like but it will be fun. 🤣

Well you know where I live so you've got no excuse to not hold to your promise!😁

[royoftherovers]

22 minutes ago, The-Acre said:

Well you know where I live so you've got no excuse to not hold to your promise!😁

Can we have some piccies please if this meeting of you two Lexus Leviathans ever takes place ?

[Neil E]

Next time I know I'm heading your way, I'll send a pm to give you chance to get your racing lid ready. The car is in the garage (my workshop not John's) undergoing some minor interior enhancement at present but I occasionally work at 2 locations not far from you so (as soon as it's possible) you can have a go. 

18 minutes ago, royoftherovers said:

Can we have some piccies please if this meeting of you two Lexus Leviathans ever takes place ?

Hi John no problem getting access to my car and pictures, even videos but Phil is like Lexus royalty. There's not enough room left in my car to store the red carpet. No promises but when I have lock-down clearance I'll take a camera and blur the speedo for the onboard piece.🙂

Edit - We should book Thomas for the pics or at least the editing, it's only a short hop from Glasgow to the South Coast in an SC430.

[royoftherovers]

20 minutes ago, Neil E said:

Next time I know I'm heading your way, I'll send a pm to give you chance to get your racing lid ready. The car is in the garage (my workshop not John's) undergoing some minor interior enhancement at present but I occasionally work at 2 locations not far from you so (as soon as it's possible) you can have a go. 

Hi John no problem getting access to my car and pictures, even videos but Phil is like Lexus royalty. There's not enough room left in my car to store the red carpet. No promises but when I have lock-down clearance I'll take a camera and blur the speedo for the onboard piece.🙂

Edit - We should book Thomas for the pics or at least the editing, it's only a short hop from Glasgow to the South Coast in an SC430.

Thanks Neil.I am sure that we will all appreciate that.

As for the Maharaja of  Volvo and Woodwork---just inform him that His subjects can always pepper Him with Petals !!

 

Regards

[Venetian Lucy]

Hi!  I have just discovered the Lexus SC 430 (a week ago!) and am hoping to buy one very soon - any tips on where and what I should look out for?  Thanks in advance for your help, Lucy

[The-Acre]

9 hours ago, royoftherovers said:

Can we have some piccies please if this meeting of you two Lexus Leviathans ever takes place ?

I've met Neil and his very very nice (and very different) SC, so to one day have a go behind the wheel would be fun!

[2ddesign]

2 hours ago, Venetian Lucy said:

Hi!  I have just discovered the Lexus SC 430 (a week ago!) and am hoping to buy one very soon - any tips on where and what I should look out for?  Thanks in advance for your help, Lucy

Hi Lucy, AutoTrader has a 29 at the moment, Road Tax can be a problem as 12 months is £570 for vehicles after 2005 model. I only use mine in the summer and garage in the winter £313.50.

I have a Facelift model with lots of upgrades that include suspension improvements, Bluetooth, etc.

Look at this thread on SC 430 purchase https://forum.lexusownersclub.com/threads/voyage-to-an-sc.3509/#post-93900

Good hunting

jack🙂

 

[ThomasD94]

16 hours ago, 2ddesign said:

Hi Nice looking car, just run in as these cars can do 200,000 no problem! If you would like to improve your seat look at this site for tips. Bob has put up a good explanation of how to do it. I have the same upholstery colour as you and I followed the steps listed, it looks like they are brand new!

https://forum.lexusownersclub.com/threads/leather-seat-rejuvenation.13611/ 

Jack

Thanks jack, I will defiantely give it a try as the seats need some TLC! 
Thanks, Thomas.

[ThomasD94]

3 hours ago, Venetian Lucy said:

Hi!  I have just discovered the Lexus SC 430 (a week ago!) and am hoping to buy one very soon - any tips on where and what I should look out for?  Thanks in advance for your help, Lucy

Hi Lucy,
I got mine from Facebook and I used a website called 'Shiply' to get it delivered from Stockport to Glasgow. They are few and far between, look for a model that hasn't been messed with and has been looked after. Check the water pump and cambelt have been done around the 100k miles mark. There are a variety of wood and interior colour choices so make sure you have a look to see what is your preference?
I was looking at a Red one with a black leather interior from Liverpool (FB ad) and it had everything done, I just wasn't a fan of the red paint colour.
Thanks, Thomas

[ThomasD94]

12 hours ago, Neil E said:

Next time I know I'm heading your way, I'll send a pm to give you chance to get your racing lid ready. The car is in the garage (my workshop not John's) undergoing some minor interior enhancement at present but I occasionally work at 2 locations not far from you so (as soon as it's possible) you can have a go. 

Hi John no problem getting access to my car and pictures, even videos but Phil is like Lexus royalty. There's not enough room left in my car to store the red carpet. No promises but when I have lock-down clearance I'll take a camera and blur the speedo for the onboard piece.🙂

Edit - We should book Thomas for the pics or at least the editing, it's only a short hop from Glasgow to the South Coast in an SC430.

Yeah I am game for that! A wee Lexus SC adventure!

[Neil E]

Welcome Lucy, it might be worth starting a new thread. Jack's link is a really good place to start. That's where most of the UK SC expertise is.

Because with regular routine maintenance these cars are very reliable if you can find one that has been looked after, it should serve you well.

If you find one you like, it might be worth showing it to the community as there's a lot of knowledge on the boards and they may know the car. 

Apart from regular servicing and the 100k service mentioned earlier, check the airbag recall has been done. Lexus does it for free anyway.

It depends on what 'messed with' refers to Thomas.  As jack said, many owned and looked after by enthusiasts might have different alloys and newer up-rated suspension, perhaps a stainless steel replacement exhaust. These can improve the car and should save money on future servicing. A few have audio upgrades to permit modern connectivity. If done properly, I would say they are sensible and worth having. If you mean 'messed with' like mine, I agree entirely 👍 steer well clear 🙂

[ThomasD94]

4 hours ago, Venetian Lucy said:

Hi!  I have just discovered the Lexus SC 430 (a week ago!) and am hoping to buy one very soon - any tips on where and what I should look out for?  Thanks in advance for your help, Lucy

Hi Lucy, this is the SC 430 I was also considering?
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/2610604722510693/
The owner is called Martin Clarke and he seems pretty sound!

[Neil E]

32 minutes ago, ThomasD94 said:

Yeah I am game for that! A wee Lexus SC adventure!

Hi Thomas, the SC folk do occasionally meet and sometimes with the wider Lexus community.

My idea of an SC adventure usually involves going North to enjoy some decent roads. Have you worked out what all of the buttons do yet?

[ThomasD94]

1 hour ago, Neil E said:

Hi Thomas, the SC folk do occasionally meet and sometimes with the wider Lexus community.

My idea of an SC adventure usually involves going North to enjoy some decent roads. Have you worked out what all of the buttons do yet?

Not yet, I dropped it off at my local garage as a sensor went (before it arrived to me) so that's getting done this weekend. 🙂
Any hidden features I should look out for? (apart from the sliding panels to reveal sat nav, climate & cup holders?)

[Neil E]

5 hours ago, ThomasD94 said:

Not yet, I dropped it off at my local garage as a sensor went (before it arrived to me) so that's getting done this weekend. 🙂
Any hidden features I should look out for? (apart from the sliding panels to reveal sat nav, climate & cup holders?)

 

Ah, is that an oxygen sensor perhaps? Not uncommon but fairly easy to fix. 

Unlike it's predecessor, there aren't many hidden features that I can think of but there are things to be aware of.

I sense you like gadgets and cool 'stuff' but there is a risk that if you follow too closely you may be LED astray and lured into the murky Lexus aftermarket world. The SC430 (Toyota Soarer) should have had far more tech as it succeeded the previous Soarer a car so advanced it was way ahead of it's time. Merge two iconic cars, the LS400 and the Toyota Supra and you get the Toyota Soarer, a cult legend that most petrol-heads overlooked....I digress.

The audio and sat nav are a bit 'old-skool' but the nav discs can be updated and the ML audio quality is actually very, very good if the speakers all work as they should. It's superior in quality to most modern systems but do make sure all of the speakers are working correctly. I'm sure you know all SC430s come fully specified, the later face-lift models have a few more things to 'twiddle' but essentially, it's a very easy car to be comfortable in, everything falls to hand. If you master all of the Sat Nav functions you will automatically become the UK expert. 

There's a glove compartment valet switch to be aware of - that's well hidden and easily forgotten.

The car has more fuse boxes than it has road wheels. 

Some owners opt to add a space saver wheel in the boot instead of the silly tyre-weld solution.....assuming the equally silly run-flat tyres aren't still present.

Check that all of the rain drains and rubber seals work and the engine should be so smooth that you can barely tell it's running at tick over. With the radio on at a low level even with my non-standard exhaust, I can't hear the engine and I can barely feel it. In standard form you can literally creep up on pedestrians in car parks and country lanes and they are shocked to see a car behind them because it is so quiet. 

The roof goes up or down in 29 seconds and it's surprising how comfortable it is (with the windows up) even in fairly low temperatures as the heating system compensates. The audio also self adjusts when the roof is down. Sadly mine no longer has that particular feature but I'll cope.🙂

One hidden/secret feature that some like is that it is possible to lower the rear windows with the roof up. Not many know how - but it's possible.

 

[ThomasD94]

18 hours ago, Neil E said:

 

Ah, is that an oxygen sensor perhaps? Not uncommon but fairly easy to fix. 

Unlike it's predecessor, there aren't many hidden features that I can think of but there are things to be aware of.

I sense you like gadgets and cool 'stuff' but there is a risk that if you follow too closely you may be led astray and lured into the murky Lexus aftermarket world. The SC430 (Toyota Soarer) should have had far more tech as it succeeded the previous Soarer a car so advanced it was way ahead of it's time. Merge two iconic cars, the LS400 and the Toyota Supra and you get the Toyota Soarer, a cult legend that most petrol-heads overlooked....I digress.

The audio and sat nav are a bit 'old-skool' but the nav discs can be updated and the ML audio quality is actually very, very good if the speakers all work as they should. It's superior in quality to most modern systems but do make sure all of the speakers are working correctly. I'm sure you know all SC430s come fully specified, the later face-lift models have a few more things to 'twiddle' but essentially, it's a very easy car to be comfortable in, everything falls to hand. If you master all of the Sat Nav functions you will automatically become the UK expert. 

There's a glove compartment valet switch to be aware of - that's well hidden and easily forgotten.

The car has more fuse boxes than it has road wheels. 

Some owners opt to add a space saver wheel in the boot instead of the silly tyre-weld solution.....assuming the equally silly run-flat tyres aren't still present.

Check that all of the rain drains and rubber seals work and the engine should be so smooth that you can barely tell it's running at tick over. With the radio on at a low level even with my non-standard exhaust, I can't hear the engine and I can barely feel it. In standard form you can literally creep up on pedestrians in car parks and country lanes and they are shocked to see a car behind them because it is so quiet. 

The roof goes up or down in 29 seconds and it's surprising how comfortable it is (with the windows up) even in fairly low temperatures as the heating system compensates. The audio also self adjusts when the roof is down. Sadly mine no longer has that particular feature but I'll cope.🙂

One hidden/secret feature that some like is that it is possible to lower the rear windows with the roof up. Not many know how - but it's possible.

 

Hi again,

Thank you for your response, I enjoyed reading it all.

Yeah it is an O2 sensor, I should get the car back on Tuesday as tomorrow is a bank holiday. When the car was on the lift it looks like someone previously has cut out sections of the exhaust and repaired parts. Yeah I am getting normal tyres put on actually as the tread was low and coming from BMWs I dont like the harsh ride on run flats...