Nico72

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...

Thanks for the heads up! I am going to get the leather renovated next month so that will be interesting to see how it will look when done! I will share photos for sure. Right now my car is in garage specialist to get the upgrade done with sat nav, rear camera, alloy repairs... I should have it back by mid next week, so will share photos too.

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...

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!

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....

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...

Thanks Ken! That is an excellent idea regarding the rear camera and use the existing top screen to visualise the rear view. I have now made additional enquiries to look at this option!

Ok, here are a few things that I have so far done and will be doing as part of my project to make the car better than it is now: Lexus alloys centre caps have been placed and I removed the bland ones that were on the alloys, which looked faded. Now it looks better. I also fitted a rubber on the side door (which costed £2! for the set) so that I preserve the paint work whenever I opened the door as they can open very wide indeed... Next steps... I tried to make the current Sat Nav worked with a new DVD navigation that I purchased and sadly, it is not working still. I think the dvd reader in the boot may be faulty. So, I have made a decision with upgrading an audio system with new touch screen sat nav with Pioneer, which will have android auto/apple car play - pioneer own navigation system, Spotify, and dvd/CD player all in one (I wanted to keep that to make it more special) - I am getting this done with audio Auto in Royal Parks and they will also replaced the back leather round tops to 2 new ones as the current rear headrests are damaged. I have the job booked in for Thursday next week, so will be able to send photos to share. By the way, this screen will be at the bottom where the cd music and cassette is as it controls the sounds with speakers. Not sure what to do with the top navigation screen, as I do not really fancy having a second screen mirroring the bottom one. So for now I will keep the old sat nav as it is. In mid-May, I am booking my car to do some minor repair on the body with respray in a few places, so the car will be looking prestine. On the 25th May, I am booking my car to do leather treatment and rejunevation so that the leather seats look absolutely beautiful and with no marks. Will share photos when this is done too. After that, I will be looking forward to doing a few road trips with this car, which I am already loving so much! Really special to drive I must say!

Thank you for the info - I really appreciate it! I will have a look at this as I have never seen this Tesla style before! But I also like the old units as they look as it kind of keeps the charm for SC430. But will check it out. I will also try to be present at the annual meeting in Coventry on the 24th or 25th June 23. Will find out nearer to the date.

Thank you!

Thank you! Believe me, I have been doing quite a bit of research on this and found a few posts about retrofit but many don't really appeal to me. I don't want to have 2 screens with one at the top and one at the bottom. I simply want the top one with a more decent sat nav. So I am looking and I have made a few enquiries. Will share when I know what my options can be...

Thanks. I am doing some research and will let you know if I find anything cheaper. £1,400 is definitely way too much...

Hi everyone, I am super excited to be owning this SC430 2001 model, which will be a keeper in addition with my other 2 existing cars (NX300h and ES300h). I had always dreamed to have this car one day in our home, as I find it really special and iconic with its hard top that comes out elegantly. What a machine I must say! As soon as I bought it, I took it out to Lexus Edgware Road for a full check up and service and all is very good indeed. Whoever owned this car had purchased it from this Lexus dealership so they know the car quite well. Good to know... I have a project in mind, which is to upgrade the sat nav screen and I would be quite happy if anyone would be able to recommend any retrofit specialist willing to do the work. I am interested in getting a more up to date sat nav screen with a better resolution if possible... Meanwhile, feel free to see photos!

I agree with you 100%. It is such an agressive move and really is so unfair to all motorists. Government wants people to own cars but they don't want them to use them in principle. If this goes on too far, the car industry will also suffer badly, if not already suffering due to the recession we are going to be bearing this year. If they really want to remove all barriers and help us get on with our lives without the hassles they have created, it will surely be bringing confidence back for all motorists to drive around without fear of getting fines. I personally would remove the ULEZ as it is not the way forward. They want people to drive cleaner cars, give incentive for them to buy cars offering money towards purchase of a new or used vehicle. Remove crazy parking fees and allow cars to par for the first 2 hours for free in central London, would be a sensible approach to help businesses thrive. if a car stays longer than 2 hours, then charge the full fee automatically - this would tell the driver that we are acting fairly. Remove all speed bumps to bring back the smooth roads, and have the average speed cameras instead if roads have been subjects to road car accidents. bring back all our lanes desperately needed. Bus lane priority, should be spared if traffic is densed. Make our roads for cars as initially intended to be. That is the way to bring our economy going. Get traffic moving, and you get more things done. If road work takes place - impose strict deadlines to minimise interruption to 48 hours max and get companies to work on the clock day and night if need be. Take the example of Japan - they can fix roads in 24 hours after gigantic hole appearance on the road. Get trains moving on time (just like in Japan) and if driver is 1 minute late, the driver would apologise in Japan! Get a whole different mindset altogether and work more as a collective and we can do immense things in this country. The thing is are we prepared to do this? I doubt it...

I agree with your comment and it is an absolute scandal to be in such situation. He is by far the worst London Mayor. He should have concentrated in punishing knife crimes, and made every possible way to improve our roads not reducing the width and lanes. We live in a large city with over 9 million Londoners and they keep building high rise buildings everywhere so more people will be living in congested areas and it means more cars on the road. So how could they think for one second that the roads need to be reduced?? It does not make any sense. We can see Ambulance, Police, Fire Brigade struggling to move around in emergencies. The other day, I drove on Regent St in Central London and it used to be 2 lanes on either side, now it has been reduced to one lane so the bus is on the same lane and cars have to wait for the bus to stop, as no possibility of overtaking it because they spent a fortune raising the kurbs on pavements in the middle of the road so have to stay on your lane or you scrap the side of your car... This is utter madness. Another example: Hyde Park Corner, is now a 20mph road towards Marble Arch (it used to be 40mph for years!!) and down to 1 lane for all cars (it used to be 4 lanes!) so you begin with the 4 lanes at the round about of Hyde Park and then you have to wait for your turn to join the only one lane to drive all the way up to Marble Arch. They prioritised one lane for the cyclist, one lane for the bus and one lane that has been converted into wider pavement. Absolutely stupid in my opinion. So nothing is moving and emergency services cannot get through. Where is the logic in this? And it is 20mph... The world has gone mad.