View Poll Results: Who thinks the SC will Be a "Classic" in 30+ years
Voters: 86. You may not vote on this poll
Will our cars ever become valuable as "classics?"
01-28-14, 10:31 AM
#76
^^ They didn't actually. They sold plenty of these cars. The fact that they didn't have hardware that would have made them truly iconic is a shame (5-speed models and the overbuilt early 2JZ-GE's aside) but I've brought up points about that in another thread. I personally think they played into the isolationist mindset that Nissan also had in the 1990's (no Skylines in the USA or SR20DET for 240SX's) as well as caved to pressure from Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Cadillac to tone down their sporty luxury coupe. I'm sure they also thought an emissions-compliant 1JZ SC for the USA would cannibalize Supra Turbo sales, given the many more SC's sold than Supras. Maybe... but this was more of a BMW/Benz competitor and the Supra was a Ferrari and Corvette competitor.
Whatever the reasons, they suck because there is scant used competition even today for what these cars represent once you do an engine swap and tighten the chassis.
But Lexus USA made a bundle, have no doubt.
Remember, there are MANY cars that STOCK SC's were compared to in the 1990's that will NEVER have a chance of being considered anything more than old junk even to gear heads like us let alone non-car-enthusaists. The SC series, crippled or not, has survived that fate and that gives it a chance as long as many of us take care of them and preserve or remake the parts that are hard to find, expensive or completely discontinued.
Currently WE are the determining factor in how well preserved or modified these cars are when they're up for further re-evaluation down the road. Never expect the classic status of a Supra MKIV but these are certainly acknowledged brethren.
Whatever the reasons, they suck because there is scant used competition even today for what these cars represent once you do an engine swap and tighten the chassis.
But Lexus USA made a bundle, have no doubt.
Remember, there are MANY cars that STOCK SC's were compared to in the 1990's that will NEVER have a chance of being considered anything more than old junk even to gear heads like us let alone non-car-enthusaists. The SC series, crippled or not, has survived that fate and that gives it a chance as long as many of us take care of them and preserve or remake the parts that are hard to find, expensive or completely discontinued.
Currently WE are the determining factor in how well preserved or modified these cars are when they're up for further re-evaluation down the road. Never expect the classic status of a Supra MKIV but these are certainly acknowledged brethren.
01-28-14, 11:45 AM
#77
Granted I don't know much about the SC series in general but this thread alone has caught my attention. I have had many people mention to me that my car is timeless and I feel the same way. Depending on where you are, it's pretty uncommon to see SCs travelling on a daily basis. I really believe that these cars will always be classic to those who know the true value of it. I wouldn't trade my SC for the world, it may be bought for cheap but it's the most expensive in mah book <3
As for your choice in paint, I agree on that being a personal preference. I am looking forward to a paint job soon and I am sticking to the original color. i always told myself that if I wanted to play around with colors on my SC, I'd just plastidip it because I'm too afraid to make it permanent haha.
Once again, I also believe that they somewhat did resurrect the idea of the SC. The only coupes they really had were the SC, the ISC and the LFA. The ISC is just ewww. Well I think personally that the RC is the bridge between the SC and the LFA. You can easily tell many of the LFA concepts in the RC and Lexus came back with a coupe to re-live the days of the SC. Maybe it's just me?
Then again, I'm just a young grasshopper, what do I know about life.
As for your choice in paint, I agree on that being a personal preference. I am looking forward to a paint job soon and I am sticking to the original color. i always told myself that if I wanted to play around with colors on my SC, I'd just plastidip it because I'm too afraid to make it permanent haha.
Once again, I also believe that they somewhat did resurrect the idea of the SC. The only coupes they really had were the SC, the ISC and the LFA. The ISC is just ewww. Well I think personally that the RC is the bridge between the SC and the LFA. You can easily tell many of the LFA concepts in the RC and Lexus came back with a coupe to re-live the days of the SC. Maybe it's just me?
Then again, I'm just a young grasshopper, what do I know about life.
01-28-14, 12:38 PM
#78
Like aformentioned, it will be another good 10-25 years before our SC's will become real "classics", if they ever do. Because of the fact that there are still 1999 and 2000 SC400's rolling around. Once those become 20-35+ years old, then they'll become classics.
Both NADA and KBB have 1992 in the "classic" catagory. (On which I disagree if it's a 1990 Ford Escort...)
Both NADA and KBB have 1992 in the "classic" catagory. (On which I disagree if it's a 1990 Ford Escort...)
01-29-14, 12:49 AM
#79
Once again, I also believe that they somewhat did resurrect the idea of the SC. The only coupes they really had were the SC, the ISC and the LFA. The ISC is just ewww. Well I think personally that the RC is the bridge between the SC and the LFA. You can easily tell many of the LFA concepts in the RC and Lexus came back with a coupe to re-live the days of the SC. Maybe it's just me?
Then again, I'm just a young grasshopper, what do I know about life.
Then again, I'm just a young grasshopper, what do I know about life.
It looks like a Honda Accord coupe with an electric razor for a grill. No stickshift offered (typical Lexus, I'm not surprised), and the RC-F seems a little neutered to me but I guess they can't push too far past 450 hp otherwise the LFA might be a little obsolete.
I say all of these things, but if they can make it fun to drive I will forgive them everything.
01-30-14, 06:31 PM
#80
It's funny about these cars. They raised eyebrows when they were new, they've been mistaken for everything over the years, but there's just something about the SC...
I do think they'll be classic, albeit to a certain subset {tips hat politely to Kahn). These cars are simple, relatively speaking, and have enough options and quirks to be considered unique. LSD, electro-luminescent gauges, projector headlights, and who can forget that crazy useless cupholder?
But I think part of the classic car charm is a reminiscence about what the car was built for. The Cobras, the Cudas, the Stangs- purely for speed. Anyone who disagrees, I invite you to take a cross-country trip in an old classic muscle car (Dad had a '69 Judge). Not terrible big on comfort.
And as a corollary, I offer the Bug-eyed Sprite or the Lotus Elan. Not terribly pretty (either) in my humble opinion- but they were built to have character and be fun little cars to drive on great days. Not drive far, mind you- but enjoyable while they still worked. The Alfa Spider is another example.
But the SC- that's a boulevard brute, for certain. Sporty, yes- but too heavy to be a contender (in it's day) for Ferrari or Porsche. But it wasn't designed to be. This was a car designed to take two people in exquisite comfort (when was the last time you got to use that word?) across great distances. Or across town in a very relaxed manner.
But its party piece was that 2JZ/1JZ engine. In the hands of an old grandma, just a comfortable manner to run to the beauty parlor with good air conditioning and heating. And those seats would give you great back support and keep you warm in the winter. In the hands of the Little Old Lady from Pasadena- a recipe for a great drive.
I always liked that they kinda reminded me of the Porsche 928 (SC400, since it had a V8). Not as powerful, of course, but a cruiser- Something that oozed.... presence. That's why we still get people asking what kind of car it is and stopping us to tell us they owned one or their memories of it.
That's a pretty awesome responsibility, when you think about it. And that's what classic cars tend to do to audiences whenever possible.
I do think they'll be classic, albeit to a certain subset {tips hat politely to Kahn). These cars are simple, relatively speaking, and have enough options and quirks to be considered unique. LSD, electro-luminescent gauges, projector headlights, and who can forget that crazy useless cupholder?
But I think part of the classic car charm is a reminiscence about what the car was built for. The Cobras, the Cudas, the Stangs- purely for speed. Anyone who disagrees, I invite you to take a cross-country trip in an old classic muscle car (Dad had a '69 Judge). Not terrible big on comfort.
And as a corollary, I offer the Bug-eyed Sprite or the Lotus Elan. Not terribly pretty (either) in my humble opinion- but they were built to have character and be fun little cars to drive on great days. Not drive far, mind you- but enjoyable while they still worked. The Alfa Spider is another example.
But the SC- that's a boulevard brute, for certain. Sporty, yes- but too heavy to be a contender (in it's day) for Ferrari or Porsche. But it wasn't designed to be. This was a car designed to take two people in exquisite comfort (when was the last time you got to use that word?) across great distances. Or across town in a very relaxed manner.
But its party piece was that 2JZ/1JZ engine. In the hands of an old grandma, just a comfortable manner to run to the beauty parlor with good air conditioning and heating. And those seats would give you great back support and keep you warm in the winter. In the hands of the Little Old Lady from Pasadena- a recipe for a great drive.
I always liked that they kinda reminded me of the Porsche 928 (SC400, since it had a V8). Not as powerful, of course, but a cruiser- Something that oozed.... presence. That's why we still get people asking what kind of car it is and stopping us to tell us they owned one or their memories of it.
That's a pretty awesome responsibility, when you think about it. And that's what classic cars tend to do to audiences whenever possible.
01-31-14, 10:47 PM
#82
It's funny about these cars. They raised eyebrows when they were new, they've been mistaken for everything over the years, but there's just something about the SC...
I do think they'll be classic, albeit to a certain subset {tips hat politely to Kahn). These cars are simple, relatively speaking, and have enough options and quirks to be considered unique. LSD, electro-luminescent gauges, projector headlights, and who can forget that crazy useless cupholder?
But I think part of the classic car charm is a reminiscence about what the car was built for. The Cobras, the Cudas, the Stangs- purely for speed. Anyone who disagrees, I invite you to take a cross-country trip in an old classic muscle car (Dad had a '69 Judge). Not terrible big on comfort.
And as a corollary, I offer the Bug-eyed Sprite or the Lotus Elan. Not terribly pretty (either) in my humble opinion- but they were built to have character and be fun little cars to drive on great days. Not drive far, mind you- but enjoyable while they still worked. The Alfa Spider is another example.
But the SC- that's a boulevard brute, for certain. Sporty, yes- but too heavy to be a contender (in it's day) for Ferrari or Porsche. But it wasn't designed to be. This was a car designed to take two people in exquisite comfort (when was the last time you got to use that word?) across great distances. Or across town in a very relaxed manner.
But its party piece was that 2JZ/1JZ engine. In the hands of an old grandma, just a comfortable manner to run to the beauty parlor with good air conditioning and heating. And those seats would give you great back support and keep you warm in the winter. In the hands of the Little Old Lady from Pasadena- a recipe for a great drive.
I always liked that they kinda reminded me of the Porsche 928 (SC400, since it had a V8). Not as powerful, of course, but a cruiser- Something that oozed.... presence. That's why we still get people asking what kind of car it is and stopping us to tell us they owned one or their memories of it.
That's a pretty awesome responsibility, when you think about it. And that's what classic cars tend to do to audiences whenever possible.
I do think they'll be classic, albeit to a certain subset {tips hat politely to Kahn). These cars are simple, relatively speaking, and have enough options and quirks to be considered unique. LSD, electro-luminescent gauges, projector headlights, and who can forget that crazy useless cupholder?
But I think part of the classic car charm is a reminiscence about what the car was built for. The Cobras, the Cudas, the Stangs- purely for speed. Anyone who disagrees, I invite you to take a cross-country trip in an old classic muscle car (Dad had a '69 Judge). Not terrible big on comfort.
And as a corollary, I offer the Bug-eyed Sprite or the Lotus Elan. Not terribly pretty (either) in my humble opinion- but they were built to have character and be fun little cars to drive on great days. Not drive far, mind you- but enjoyable while they still worked. The Alfa Spider is another example.
But the SC- that's a boulevard brute, for certain. Sporty, yes- but too heavy to be a contender (in it's day) for Ferrari or Porsche. But it wasn't designed to be. This was a car designed to take two people in exquisite comfort (when was the last time you got to use that word?) across great distances. Or across town in a very relaxed manner.
But its party piece was that 2JZ/1JZ engine. In the hands of an old grandma, just a comfortable manner to run to the beauty parlor with good air conditioning and heating. And those seats would give you great back support and keep you warm in the winter. In the hands of the Little Old Lady from Pasadena- a recipe for a great drive.
I always liked that they kinda reminded me of the Porsche 928 (SC400, since it had a V8). Not as powerful, of course, but a cruiser- Something that oozed.... presence. That's why we still get people asking what kind of car it is and stopping us to tell us they owned one or their memories of it.
That's a pretty awesome responsibility, when you think about it. And that's what classic cars tend to do to audiences whenever possible.
That's what I like about these cars. It is a shame Lexus nixed the 1JZ engines, R154 5-speeds and Torsen LSD as options but even with those things you have a practical, simple and luxurious (for its time) cruiser that can do a lot of what traditional muscle cars can do. And you can drive them every day.
I don't think they will ever be forgotten models by any means but they will always be overshadowed by other sports/GT/muscle cars that are still appreciated for what they were intended to be from the time they were new.
Still, what does it matter? No matter what classic car you own and no matter how much or how little you drive it there should be a smile on your face before anything else every time you turn the ignition key.
Life is such a compounding of different kinds of experiences over time I'd rather enjoy something great that I've rebuilt now rather than worry about what kind of investment it will turn out to be.
I think I've seen it, O.L.T. I'll have to search it. Interesting that the re-evaluation comes up every so many years.
Last edited by KahnBB6; 01-31-14 at 10:51 PM.
02-10-14, 07:25 PM
#84
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I've said it before: our cars are classics to the Supra as plain old 70's Plymouth Satellites are to the Plymouth GTX or Coronet 440's or Superbirds. As mentioned above (Mikef and kbb) the RHD Soarers will be more immediate "classics" like the 93-98 Supras because of what drivetrain and in some cases interior hardware they came with from the factory.
With the possible exception of the SC400's (especially 98-00's) the 92-00 SC series will probably be valued more as "collectible/modified" cars. They should have been identical to the Soarers but weren't and most of us who are interested prefer to put the sportiness back into these cars that Lexus tried so hard to take out.
I think the value will go up a bit, yes, it probably won't ever be significant for the Barrett-Jackson crowd in 20 years unless: A) It's a ridiculously low mileage unmodified car (20k for example) or B) It's a very tastefully modified car with either beautiful engine work, immaculate and tasteful paint jobs and a very, very clean swap with manual transmissions, LSDs, uprated brakes, etc. being sought after options.
Of course there is also the problem that the supply of new cosmetic parts for these cars won't last forever and Toyota has also decided in their wisdom not to keep producing aftermarket-only 1JZ, 2JZ, R154 parts as Ford does in their annual racing parts catalogs. Many American classic cars benefit from aftermarket reproductions of preciously rare, expensive and long discontinued interior and exterior trim pieces not to mention a glut of engine parts listed for "off-road use only" or only for use with certain year vehicles due to emissions controls.
Many formerly bland vehicles from 1964-1987 or so have leveled off in respectable but very attainable values due to their entire drivetrains being swapped from something else. The difference with SC's is the connected lineage with the Soarers and MKIV Supras which should help a bit.
But 1971 Trans-Am 455 SD's these will never be.
With the possible exception of the SC400's (especially 98-00's) the 92-00 SC series will probably be valued more as "collectible/modified" cars. They should have been identical to the Soarers but weren't and most of us who are interested prefer to put the sportiness back into these cars that Lexus tried so hard to take out.
I think the value will go up a bit, yes, it probably won't ever be significant for the Barrett-Jackson crowd in 20 years unless: A) It's a ridiculously low mileage unmodified car (20k for example) or B) It's a very tastefully modified car with either beautiful engine work, immaculate and tasteful paint jobs and a very, very clean swap with manual transmissions, LSDs, uprated brakes, etc. being sought after options.
Of course there is also the problem that the supply of new cosmetic parts for these cars won't last forever and Toyota has also decided in their wisdom not to keep producing aftermarket-only 1JZ, 2JZ, R154 parts as Ford does in their annual racing parts catalogs. Many American classic cars benefit from aftermarket reproductions of preciously rare, expensive and long discontinued interior and exterior trim pieces not to mention a glut of engine parts listed for "off-road use only" or only for use with certain year vehicles due to emissions controls.
Many formerly bland vehicles from 1964-1987 or so have leveled off in respectable but very attainable values due to their entire drivetrains being swapped from something else. The difference with SC's is the connected lineage with the Soarers and MKIV Supras which should help a bit.
But 1971 Trans-Am 455 SD's these will never be.
02-10-14, 11:01 PM
#85
My father owned one of those new off the lot and I always knew it to be a Trans-Am Super Duty model, not a 455 HO. I always thought he had a 1970 or '71 but apparently he had a '73. I've been trying to figure that out for years and since he's not really a car guy despite having owned one back in the day and he's been scant on specifics-- it was just a cool daily car to him. He had it for about ten years and sold it. If he'd only kept it in the family... those things are a fortune today.
02-15-14, 08:17 AM
#86
There's not many clean, stock SCs left. Most are bought by young people who put cheap **** on them and then drive them into the ground.
I think a very clean, unmolested, stock SC could be a valuable car. But as for the car as a whole? Nah, probably never.
I think a very clean, unmolested, stock SC could be a valuable car. But as for the car as a whole? Nah, probably never.
02-15-14, 10:48 AM
#89
I already consider my SC a classic. I hold the title of owning the cleanest old school Lexus in town.
Most of the older car guys I meet consider it since they all owned one during the early to mid 90's. I'm not sure if I would hold it in the same regard as a 69 Camaro or Corvette but it's a classic Japanese car to me.
Most of the older car guys I meet consider it since they all owned one during the early to mid 90's. I'm not sure if I would hold it in the same regard as a 69 Camaro or Corvette but it's a classic Japanese car to me.