My honest feedback with my newly acquired SC430!

[Nico72]

Here is the interesting thing, I would like to start beginning what I really thought then of the SC430 when it was launched (when I was not a Lexus customer!): I thought it looked a bit ugly and I could not see why would anyone want this car since 'it has serious limitations' with rear seats, small boot space when the top is folded in and from watching Top Gear series at the time, they kind of put the last nail on the coffin for me when they stated: 'it was the worst car in history'. Years passed and I did not really think much of Lexus then. But the adventure began when I had lots of issues with my BMW F10 520d with water leaking in the footwell of the front passenger seat and BMW staff were rather unhelpful and I was of course upset since I had acquired an approved used vehicle with BMW dealership and they seemed uninterested if you are 'not' driving one of their new cars in the showroom. Perhaps this is a big statement I am making and this was 'just an isolated incident with a particular BMW dealership' who knows? But to look on the bright side, they made me think again and I thought, I used to drive Mercedes cars in the past, with more or less expensive servicing (if you drive big car like E63 6.3 Performance Pack AMG W212) so I wanted a proper change and thought I must try Lexus! 

It is possibly the best decision I have made in my life when it comes to cars, as joining Lexus with my GS450h Mk4 that was purchased at Lexus Edgware Road. Quickly, I was getting hook how good this car is and how amazing it feels driving one too, with excellent reliability and to add more, the Lexus customer service is really a big step above any other dealers I have been - if there was any slight issue, they would do their hardest to make sure you are a happy customer. The experience has been so overwhelmingly good that I kept my Lexus GS for 4 years (this was a record, as most of my previous cars were kept up to 2 years max before buying another model). So it was no brainer to change with ES300h, which is a different kind of car than the GS but such an amazing car of its own giving excellent fuel economy and quietness. I even convinced my wife to get NX300h as her next car from Volkswagen Tiguan - she has been driving it now for 2 years and she is finding it better than any other cars she has driven too. 

So you now know how much my mind has been converted and how much respect I have towards Lexus as a Brand and as a company what they truly believe in. It is really fascinating to understand their success and why. and for us as a customer, I feel we are privileged to be sharing such dedication and passion the Brand holds. So, my mind was doing some additional thinking and I was browsing checking how much can we find SC430 in the market in UK and I was surprised to see how affordable the cars appear to be knowing that they are discontinued. I began watching YouTube videos from car reviewers and car owners and rapidly, I was beginning to fall in love with this car! Crazy to think this when I thought initially that it was an ugly car at its very first launch.

Now, 20 years later, this car is really aging well and really shows pure elegance and it has a presence. From viewing the videos and photos, I was under the impression that the car was small but I was wrong. It is a big car for its size and the door panels are quite long. I was worried being 5ft 11 and half that the seat may be too tight and not offering enough leg room - again, I was wrong. The car still has plenty of room and I could still move the seat further back and my legs would struggle to be in good position with pedals. The height is excellent too as my head is not touching the ceiling and there is plenty of room above my head to the ceiling. So this truly impressed me. The exterior looks so good for its age, and the paint work is so well preserved, I was surprised that it is a 2001 year car still doing an amazing job, driving on the road safely and powerfully. But next month, it will be going to the body workshop to do a few minor paint work so that the car looks more perfect than it is.

But let me tell you about the interior: The leather seats are the best seats I have sat in for any cars - the GS was amazing but the SC is in my opinion more comfortable (it is even more comfortable than my ES car and my es is very good in terms of comfort but this SC is really underrated as a car - it is really making me realise that I feel so blessed to have this car now and to truly enjoy motoring driving with it for the next few years to come. I have zero intention to sell it any time soon and it is going to be a keeper - pure and simple. I am also excited to get the leather seats professionally done next month so that they look just like brand new again.

It is by far, the best car I have had to date. It is not a sports cars, because it is heavy but as everyone knows it is a GT car made to make you feel relax doing many miles ahead. And it does this so wonderfully. I love the layout of the dashboard with the wood finish from Yamaha, which gives pure character and the gear stick is so wonderful to use. You turn the engine, the V8 sounds superb - not too loud but enough to tell you that it is a powerful machine if you need the power. It does not make you feel intimidated when you drive the car, as the driving experience is Butterly smooth when you press the accelerator. But press harder, you awaken this V8 and boy, it really is a rocket and it gets you moving so fast, that it makes me laugh like a kid. Even at the traffic light, it can launch super quick if necessary and it does surprise a few drivers too. I do drive sensibly but could not resist the temptation to see what this car can do. It simply put a big smile on my face and every time I look at it, I feel it is going to give me another special drive. That is truly what the SC430 does to your skin when you drive one - I am sure many owners of this car will agree with me on this!

People who say that the back seats are 'useless' - let me tell you this: I have 2 young kids (10 year old boy and 8 year old girl) and both were in the back seat with my sister in Law in the front seat and they were not complaining of the space in the back (yes I had to move my seat a bit more forward but not too much) but everyone was excited and happy to be driven in London. It was so brilliant - my kids adore this car and they are waiting for their next turn to be inside it again. Just brilliant! Best feeling as a dad too!

The next best thing is the roof opening and closing. It is truly remarkable that this car is still doing this at ease after 22 years of its existence! It makes you appreciate Lexus even more and you realise that they are absolutely fanatics in making cars to last. The SC430 is definitely one of them. And yes, you cannot open or close the roof when the car is on the move but I cannot complain as when the system is still working after 22 years, there is simply a reason behind this. The cool thing is that when you open or close it, you draw a lot of attention from other drivers and pedestrians who give you looks as if they wish they were with you in the car. It is even hilarious: I also think some drivers may even be thinking: have I got the right car when I see this one doing this? It is of course, my imagination from seeing their faces looking a little bit envious when you can see the sky in full. I drove it today in central London and it really gave me another prospective how beautiful London is when you have no roof above your head! The SC430 is getting a lot of presence on the road and I have had a few drivers giving the thumbs up. That is a great feeling, you simply feel a bit more special driving such a beautiful car.

I am getting some additional work done with new sat nav system next week Thursday and I am counting the days as if it is Christmas coming. No other cars has made me feel that way. So if you have not got one and think about acquiring a good model with good servicing, I can tell you that it may be the best car you will ever own! Yes it has its faults because it is not that sporty of a car when you go round the bends but you truly do not want to drive it fast like that but enjoy the moment for what this car is meant to be - a proper V8 Grand Tourer. I am not sure you can find one like this to be reliable, to be relatively cheap to buy and a car that will be giving joy for years to come. I now understand that this fuss is all about -  you simply have to drive one to grasp it and you will not regret this experience. I really wish Lexus could re-do another SC430 in the near future. It truly deserves to be in my honest opinion. It was a very advanced car when it was launched for sure and today, it really is doing a remarkable job making many drivers like me feeling excited taking a drive on the road whenever I get the opportunity...

[Peter1208]

What a great post, I agree with every written word.  

I have owned my 2003 SC430 for only 6 weeks and loving every minute I drive this superb car.

Lexus Bristol even phoned me today to welcome me back to the brand after recently undertaking a completed health check on the SC.  Customer service excellence I have never experienced at any other car dealership.

I have previously owned two RX450’s up until 3 years ago when moved into a Land Rover. What a mistake this was my new Disco Sport requiring a new engine, turbo and transfer box after only 18 months.

So, I am in the process of returning to Lexus for their reliability, comfort and brilliant customer service.

I look forward to hearing more about your new Sat Nav.

[Nico72]

33 minutes ago, Peter1208 said:

What a great post, I agree with every written word.  

I have owned my 2003 SC430 for only 6 weeks and loving every minute I drive this superb car.

Lexus Bristol even phoned me today to welcome me back to the brand after recently undertaking a completed health check on the SC.  Customer service excellence I have never experienced at any other car dealership.

I have previously owned two RX450’s up until 3 years ago when moved into a Land Rover. What a mistake this was my new Disco Sport requiring a new engine, turbo and transfer box after only 18 months.

So, I am in the process of returning to Lexus for their reliability, comfort and brilliant customer service.

I look forward to hearing more about your new Sat Nav.

Thank you! Indeed it is very special and because the SC is so rare, Lexus staff are treating this car like a diamond. I really love the attention they keep giving to it. I am glad you are feeling exactly every word I wrote in my thread. Yes, Lexus has this reliability that many other brands suffer from and to me, I am sticking with Lexus for good because of that. Who really wants to own a car and have to spend a fortune in the garage to fix parts? No one. Lexus has taken a very clever approach. They keep what they know is reliable and make further tweaks to improve further and extend its reliability. So clever. They never tune their engine above 80% ratio because they know that if they do, it will apply more pressure on the engine. Hence why when people buy a GSF, RCF LC the V8 is tuned just at the right pressure level so that they can enjoy long lasting drive. German cars do so differently and badly as they tune their cars above 90% so more pressure with engine parts will be applied, hence why they break down more easily... Long lasting to Lexus!!

I will keep you posted once the Sat Nav is done with feedback and photos....

[Peter1208]

Ditto again Nick, my 20 year old SC430, has less than 9,000 miles on the clock, the bodywork and inside the car and almost in showroom condition.  

It is certainly a keeper, however, the only issue I wish to address is some light underbody corrosion which I wish to remove.  Lexus Bristol are also coveting my car 'like a baby' as it is such a rare car to be in their workshop.  The service manager has suggested dry ice blasting the underbody which will do no damage and return the car to new condition.  The downside of this is that there are few UK specialists undertaking this type of work [although more are appearing], but the cost is very very high.  So I am looking for a company that will do this work for a reasonable price.

[Malc1]

1 hour ago, Peter1208 said:

dry ice blasting the underbody which will do no damage and return the car to new condition.

this sounds amazing  . do keep us posted on this aspect .  could do a world of good to many cars 

Malc

[Nico72]

3 hours ago, Peter1208 said:

Ditto again Nick, my 20 year old SC430, has less than 9,000 miles on the clock, the bodywork and inside the car and almost in showroom condition.  

It is certainly a keeper, however, the only issue I wish to address is some light underbody corrosion which I wish to remove.  Lexus Bristol are also coveting my car 'like a baby' as it is such a rare car to be in their workshop.  The service manager has suggested dry ice blasting the underbody which will do no damage and return the car to new condition.  The downside of this is that there are few UK specialists undertaking this type of work [although more are appearing], but the cost is very very high.  So I am looking for a company that will do this work for a reasonable price.

Thank you for sharing your experience and the love for your beautiful car. Dry ice blasting seems like a good option - keep us updated on this!

[Glyn Jennings]

13 hours ago, Nico72 said:

Thank you! Indeed it is very special and because the SC is so rare, Lexus staff are treating this car like a diamond. I really love the attention they keep giving to it. I am glad you are feeling exactly every word I wrote in my thread. Yes, Lexus has this reliability that many other brands suffer from and to me, I am sticking with Lexus for good because of that. Who really wants to own a car and have to spend a fortune in the garage to fix parts? No one. Lexus has taken a very clever approach. They keep what they know is reliable and make further tweaks to improve further and extend its reliability. So clever. They never tune their engine above 80% ratio because they know that if they do, it will apply more pressure on the engine. Hence why when people buy a GSF, RCF LC the V8 is tuned just at the right pressure level so that they can enjoy long lasting drive. German cars do so differently and badly as they tune their cars above 90% so more pressure with engine parts will be applied, hence why they break down more easily... Long lasting to Lexus!!

I will keep you posted once the Sat Nav is done with feedback and photos....

I am really glad you love your SC it seems if you take the plunge to buy one of these hidden gems and it is a good one it becomes a thing of joy. I also thought it was ugly in it’s early years not helped by the pie plate wheels. After going through several BMW’s I moved over to Lexus. All the BMW’s I owned were M Sport and I really enjoyed them and the service I had from BMW was great. The handling was second to none but you paid for it with the hard suspension and run flat tyres which now how poorly maintained roads are is a big downside.

I subsequently bought my RX450h 2 years ago and love the comfort, the quietness and it is quite exclusive.  I then started looking at the LC500 which I think is stunning but way more than I would want to spend on a second car.  This LED me to the SC430 and when I saw what owners had done to improve the looks I was sold plus I think the design has aged well.

I was only causally looking at ones up for sale and saw mine and snapped it up before anyone else got a look in. I hadn’t even told my wife I was thinking of getting one. Eighteen months on I can honestly say it is my favourite of the 29 cars I have ever owned and will keep it as long as I am able to then pass it on to my two son’s.

 

[Nico72]

5 minutes ago, Glyn Jennings said:

I am really glad you love your SC it seems if you take the plunge to buy one of these hidden gems and it is a good one it becomes a thing of joy. I also thought it was ugly in it’s early years not helped by the pie plate wheels. After going through several BMW’s I moved over to Lexus. All the BMW’s I owned were M Sport and I really enjoyed them and the service I had from BMW was great. The handling was second to none but you paid for it with the hard suspension and run flat tyres which now how poorly maintained roads are is a big downside.

I subsequently bought my RX450h 2 years ago and love the comfort, the quietness and it is quite exclusive.  I then started looking at the LC500 which I think is stunning but way more than I would want to spend on a second car.  This led me to the SC430 and when I saw what owners had done to improve the looks I was sold plus I think the design has aged well.

I was only causally looking at ones up for sale and saw mine and snapped it up before anyone else got a look in. I hadn’t even told my wife I was thinking of getting one. Eighteen months on I can honestly say it is my favourite of the 29 cars I have ever owned and will keep it as long as I am able to then pass it on to my two son’s.

 

That is amazing to hear what you wrote. I too bought my SC430 without telling my wife but I knew she would approve at some point. I agree with you, it is by far the best car I have ever owned to date. It's special, it has a 'soul' with this V8, it is smooth and powerful and does not let you down. I think people misunderstood what this car was (same for the GS) - too quick to criticise but after years of its existence and proof they are still on the road right now, speaks volume to me...

[Neil E]

Great post Nick, it seems you like the SC🙂 I think you may have liked the earlier model Soarer too. Lexus should have put some better tech in the SC430 and done a bit more to the ride-handling set up but it's still a great car. It is possible to upgrade the suspension to improve the handling without compromising the ride but there's a limit to what can be done before it starts to become the inevitable compromise. Before you commit to never parting with it, you might just want to try the later version with 6-speed trans and various other tweaks to broaden the smile still further. Others may disagree but I think the LC500 is probably good enough to count as the latest SC. 

@Peter1208 I remember seeing your car at the Lexus SC430 meet in Sleaford a couple of years ago. It was the star of the show. It really is a low mileage gem. 

The assembled group were asked to judge the cars in various categories. The only fault I recall finding with it was the then owner who had removed the factory beige mats and inserted black ones instead. Hopefully it came complete with the original beige mats as Lexus no longer produce them. 

 

[Nico72]

On 4/22/2023 at 4:04 PM, Neil E said:

Great post Nick, it seems you like the SC🙂 I think you may have liked the earlier model Soarer too. Lexus should have put some better tech in the SC430 and done a bit more to the ride-handling set up but it's still a great car. It is possible to upgrade the suspension to improve the handling without compromising the ride but there's a limit to what can be done before it starts to become the inevitable compromise. Before you commit to never parting with it, you might just want to try the later version with 6-speed trans and various other tweaks to broaden the smile still further. Others may disagree but I think the LC500 is probably good enough to count as the latest SC. 

@Peter1208 I remember seeing your car at the Lexus SC430 meet in Sleaford a couple of years ago. It was the star of the show. It really is a low mileage gem. 

The assembled group were asked to judge the cars in various categories. The only fault I recall finding with it was the then owner who had removed the factory beige mats and inserted black ones instead. Hopefully it came complete with the original beige mats as Lexus no longer produce them. 

 

Thanks Neil, that is very interesting you point this out about the leather seat colour, because the a pillar trim is beige and thought how so? Now this makes sense. I actually don't mind the black leather as it will be easier to maintain I guess. I am going to get it redone with a leather specialist next month so that the seats look sparkle clean and brand new. I will share photos. The car did not come with any mats so I have got a new set from Lexus parts, which will be arriving within days. All in all, this car is being well looked after since its new ownership with me. Once the work is full done, I will be sharing some new photos...

[Neil E]

 

On 4/27/2023 at 10:38 AM, Nico72 said:

Thanks Neil, that is very interesting you point this out about the leather seat colour, because the a pillar trim is beige and thought how so? Now this makes sense. I actually don't mind the black leather as it will be easier to maintain I guess. I am going to get it redone with a leather specialist next month so that the seats look sparkle clean and brand new. I will share photos. The car did not come with any mats so I have got a new set from Lexus parts, which will be arriving within days. All in all, this car is being well looked after since its new ownership with me. Once the work is full done, I will be sharing some new photos...

Hi Nick. Look forward to seeing the photos, it sounds like you're giving the car the full treatment. My comments about the black mats were about Peter's car with the beige interior.

They all came with the same beige colour 'A' post trim and headlining, fortunately the black mat sets are still available from Lexus. 

I agree it's much easier to keep the black leather looking great and for that reason I sometimes wish I had opted for black but it's well documented that the cars with beige leather are a bit quicker.   

[Lexiguy]

Hi guys

I could not let this thread go by without adding my comments as your thoughts mirror mine completely.

The only difference is that, it was my wife who said, "Anthony, you are always talking about buying an open top car, why don't you, have you seen any you like?", I was able to pass her my phone for her to see a few SC430's I had been watching on eBay. After her approval my search went up a gear and I found one in Glasgow and the other near Luton, typical as I live in Yorkshire 😂.

Little did she know that it would become the love of my life and get much money and attention being lavished on it. 

I use Lexus Leeds who are the best dealer that I have ever had the privilege to use. The last time it was in, they remembered my recent fall and injury and the car was returned no charge with...

They service several SC430's but never fail to make me feel my car is special and on an earlier visit I took these pics...

Last year I was so happy to take my nephews who live in the US up and around the Pennines. They loved it!

Just like Tom my son (Lexiguy Junior) was when I first got it.

I am so happy I made the right choice of car and found the one that fit me best.

Anthony

[freak]

I for years owned American made cars as my daily cars, had one Nissan 380zx that was an awesome car, it had over 250,000 on when I sold it still running smoothly and no noise from the engine, the only mechanical repair was replacing all the fuel injectors when one failed due to rotten seals.   I sold the car to a friend's son; he drove it for at least another 100k without issues before he sold it. 

But my American car and truck experience were not good experiences, numerous small repairs before they even got to 100,000 miles, transmissions failing between 90 to 125k, one engine failed at just 72k, even the replacement engine from Jasper only lasted 40k.  Eventually I got fed up, so my first car away from American was getting a 09 Acura TL I still drive, it has 150k on it with no repairs; then I got a 2010 Toyota Tundra, it now has 126,000 with no repairs; then I have 2002 Lexus SC430, with 84,000 without any repairs either...except the rear speakers don't work, but I think the amp blew for the backs, and the NAV system doesn't work but the screen comes on, Lexus told me the car's NAV system, not the software disk updates, but the system itself is not compatible with the newer G network and that's why it won't work, hmmm? 

All 3 of those vehicles have all far out-performed any American vehicle I've had since 1976 in terms of repairs.  Cars I had prior to 74 were all great cars, and anything that did go wrong I could always repair myself, and tune-ups only took 30 to 45 minutes to do, easy stuff back in the day; the only issue with the older cars was the horrible MPG, my best car, a 73 Charger with a 440 got 20 but that was a quirk, the rest got 14 or less.