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Several months ago my brother visited us in his Lexus GS 430, we only had a short journey in the car but we were hooked but spending long periods in Spain fancied a metal roofed convertable hence our search for a suitable SC 430 :) this once purchased will be our first Lexus. Off to the SC430 thread now to ask a few questions.

Oh I drive backwards a lot. Once I get to my destination I reverse all the way back home again. Keeps the odometer reading low!

I'd certainly aim for getting a 6 speed example. Faster, smoother and more economical. The easiest way to tell is to look at the gear shifter. The 5 speed has a conventional pattern: P R N D 4 3 L 2 The 6 speed has a manual sport mode with sequential shifting: P R N + D S - Also the shifter surround is a grey colour on the pre-facelift 5 speed vehicles and silver on the facelift models.

Welcome to you both :)

Hahaha !

Hello, I have a question that maybe some LS400 owners here could help me tackle. I want to know if the LS400 in the UK has OBD2 ports on it? I know that in the USA OBD2 was made mandatory by 1997, but this doesn't apply for europe. I also heard that the LS400 in the USA was fitted with OBD2 ports even before it was mandatory, some models from 1993 even having the OBD2 ports in it. My question is, because OBD2 in england was not made mandatory until 2004(?) does the lexus LS400 in england contain an OBD2 port?? and if so in what year did they begin using it?? I am interested in buying one since it is one of the few cars that have the "american spirit" in them that i can purchase in europe (yes, i know lexus is japanese, it is just a feeling) plus I would like to get something familiar as I used to drive one of these when I lived in the states. Thank you.

@ReCat - 125mph. It sat at 100+mph for about five hours one day - if my wife was driving she more comfortable at around 100mph but I would tend to be in the 120mph region. It still averaged 23.5mpg that day which I thought was pretty impressive.

I joined to benefit from the experience of members who have enjoyed the GS300 and have also found answers to the problems that may arise from a 14 year old - albeit that she bears her years well! So, excuse me if I try to 'pick your brains'.

Just a humble RX300 ( old school ). 2003

Every purchase is a value proposition, with pros and cons to deliberate over. I'm not really sure what you're getting at; you now mention the 'insane' C63 AMG, but first reviews state clearly that this is a vehicle almost unhandleable in the wet - "it will have you in the bushes with the faintest of prods" - Top Gear only 3 days ago. Another car that can't get the power down as it's torque delivery ISN'T linear - it peaks very quickly and stays there (in the bushes with the M4, no doubt). Don't get me wrong - I'd love a go in one, in the right conditions... I'm very much looking forward to driving the near-perfect GS-F now though; I'll give you my thoughts for what they're worth soon after... :)

I think you will find just switching the front is a no-no, in slippery conditions, the rear will break away very easy, as the front will grip harder than the rear, have a look on you tube.

Not sure I'd want to. For me the height is a definite plus - especially through our local floods!

I sometimes wonder where on earth some of these comments come from. It may be that I'm an experienced automotive engineer with body structure design in the portfolio, and having had the pleasure of working with Lexus design and Manufacturing Engineers in the Motomachi Plant in Toyota City for some time, to hear comments like 'they did a half-arsed job' is just completely disrespectful to the team over there (who put out the LFA not so long ago...). Tooling-cost savings on a 'lower-volume' run product like the RCF alone would probably have been reason enough to develop the hybrid chassis option whilst introducing the newer welding technologies that the GS-F will now benefit from. Toyota = Evolution, not revolution. Secondly, why would you even consider spending £65K on an RC-F when you can get one a week old for £45k?? Get one with the TVD whilst they're apparently giving them away and you'll have a real handler right there. And how much of an issue is the weight in your daily driver?? Not a problem in my hands, and similar to the GS-F in weight I believe (which apparently has no problems with weight)? Two doors may also be a preference on a number of points including styling amongst others, especially if you don't have to ferry kids around and want something that looks really good (looks far better than the four-door configuration in my humble opinion.) Many of the comments appear to be a mash-up of all the 'faults' the sponsored media churn-out whilst looking for a story, but my comments are based on a real ownership experience; I think your short-changing what is an excellent piece of engineering here, but then with all due respect it depends on what your own personal values and expectations are. Check-out some of the more recent on-line videos where the story is changing. There's a bit more love now for the RC-F and it's ability to get the power down where and when it really matters; I don't think many RC-Fs will be spending that much time on a race-track - surely you'd by a Cayman GT-4 or similar if that's what you were after.

A couple of points: 1. I have a blue one, and they are definitely faster! :D (Lovin' that red colour too - beautiful AND a bargain my friend!) 2. What's the issue with the depreciation? I had a pretty much fully loaded £67,000 BMW M4, purchased last November, and after 4 months (and a few issues with it...) the best price I could get was £50,000 (thank you Lexus), and most others were offering nearer £45k; that's a potential hit of £22,000 in 4 months!! Depreciation is only really an issue if you're looking to sell your vehicle early doors - but I've had so many people comment about how beautiful the RC-F is, and how fantastic it sounds, I've never had a car that still put a grin on my face after 8 months of ownership every time I sat in it (see BMW M4, which lasted only 4 months...), and I'm looking forward to driving it home from work tonight. Simple answer; make it a 'keeper' and the depreciation won't be an issue - it suddenly becomes a value proposition, and a motor you can be really very proud to own. Compared with the 'opposition', I believe the price I paid for this exclusive vehicle wasn't excessive, and I'm very confident that it'll still be purring beautifully in 10 years time (for whoever owns it!) 3. The paintwork issue puzzles me. I don't have any minor scratches or swirls on mine at all, and I was told it has a 'self-healing' clear-coat lacquer that fuses with the UV light from the sun's rays(!?) I'm not sure, but whatever it has, mine looks great, and maybe the red one had healed nicely by the time it was collected from the dealership after being left out in the sun for a few days... :hocus-pokus: Mark.

Check the wiring is sound?

Bad customer service? Lexus Woodford are famous for that. Back in August of this year a sales person advertised an 06 Gs300, made out in the ad that it was mint, so naturally I placed a bid, but I lost it to someone else, anyway a few days went by and u get an email from a Nick Bremmer from there saying would I be still interested as the winning bidder pulled out, this should have started alarm bells ringing but I thought it's a Lexus dealer so what could go wrong. So about 10 mins before we set of Woodford I called Nick and i asked I don't mind a few marks as it is an older but is there any major marks bumps, he said no nothing at all and it's very mint. So we drove down me and my brother, went into the dealership but nick wouldn't come out so he sent some other salesman out to show us the car, now I'm no body worker and i noticed this straight away but my brother was a body worker, the car was damaged repaired, and what a rubbish job it was, over spray on the rubbers on the doors, filler work on the rear doors, the doors were not lined up properly. So we pointed all this out, and the salesman made oh the car had a minor scratch and the bodywork is good. My brother said a scratch? He told them you can tell it's been hit on the os front and rear and ns rear. He said you made us drive down all the way here even though we called you 10 mins before setting off asking about any major issues and Nick said there wasn't, at which point he walked back in and never came out.

No excuse for such poor performance from Lexus dealers - I wonder whether they are all owned by the same parent co? Recently had the GS450h serviced by Lexus Cambridge (Jardines). I was given a literally brand new IS300h with all toys for the day (4 miles on the odo and untouched), the job was done in full, plus the MOT, and full Gold Member discount applied to what was already a competitive deal. I also get the same discount on all parts, and the Cambridge parts department are first class with their advice and customer care - have not come across better in many years......... Next in to Lexus Cambridge is the SC430 for the airbag recall which is 2 days work! hmmm, wonder if they have an RC-F? ;)

Its scrubbed up nicely. No sign of swirls or light scratches. The wheels are a pain to clean though .