LionsTent

If the SC300 is the "Poor Man's Supra", is the Solara the "Poor Man's SC300"?

scsexy

iTrader: (1)

no the Solara is a chick car. the Sc300 is a poor mans supra because it has a supra engine still..

97-SC300

iTrader: (17)

SC300 is referred to as a poor man's supra because the market prices are significantly lower. It's a similar chassis.
Solara is based on a Camry platform.... so you do the math.

DrAtomica

Just like 97-SC300 said, Solara is basically just a coupe camry.

Even though the SC and MKIV have a similar chassis, I hate to call it the poor man's supra, both have great designs and express to different styles. The SC actually does look like a luxury/GT vehicle, as for the Supra it's just an aggressive looking vehicle and is designed for such behavior.

Duck05

Visually I had thought the Solara got some key notes from the SC and would think "SC wanna be" when I'd see one.... But, when you do a deeper dive it is really a two door Camry and pretty much ends there....

When the LC500 hits the streets sometime in 2017, no one is going to be comparing that to a Toyota....

oSUPRAo

I don't take any front wheel drive cars seriously. I will admit that I have seen some that are impressive though, like the new Civic Type R and some custom 600+hp civics on youtube. Personally I would NEVER dump money into a front wheel drive anything. It's a shame too because if a car like the Acura RSX was rear wheel drive it would have been amazing. I think that's one of the best looking JDM cars of all time, especially the bright blue 2004 Type-S with the wing...

BenStoked

iTrader: (3)

The SC and the Solara were designed by the same team, which is why they have many visual similarities.

Ali SC3

iTrader: (10)

The thread title alone has devalued the SC300, thanks.

KahnBB6

iTrader: (5)

I once had a Toyota salesman attempt to convince me that a Solara was a sportscar.

I had a good laugh aloud at that one...

NO, LionsTent. There is no comparison between a Camry and the SC300/SC400/Soarer.

The Camry line, which includes the Solara coupes and convertibles, represent very good, reliable and competent front-drive cars which are prone to understeer and floaty handling. That's it. They aren't overbuilt like the SC and MKIV, don't even remotely drive like them, don't look as nice and they certainly aren't rear-drive double-wishbone suspension GT sportscars which are proven to handle 1000whp+ drivetrains.

BenStoked, I was not aware that the Calty group designed the Camry Solara. Interesting... and I like their designs. Still, totally different cars even visually.

A real poor man's SC300/400/Soarer would be a Nissan 240SX S13 or S14.

mikef

iTrader: (3)

Solara is probably one of the ugliest Toyota I have ever seen

Bdub215

iTrader: (1)

Ahem:

The Camry/Solara came with a supercharger as a factory option among other things( skirts, wheels lip kit etc all from TRD)

The SC300 nor the 400 had force induction as an option or anything really. Soarers don't count as it was never sold here.

So what's actually better? Lol

Signed former Camry/current SC owner

mikef

iTrader: (3)

you can blame lexus for that, they were new and didn't and to take any risk with the sc300, just softened it up, made it emisions friendly,if toyota wanted that chassis in the US it would have TRD options probably gte.

the market wasn't there at the time for another big sports coupe in 1992. todays market is different, people want sport cars from all car companys,

KahnBB6

iTrader: (5)

Yes, TRD made a supercharger kit for the later Camry/Solara 1MZ V6. It's also very rare and has long since been discontinued. I know they can be pieced together these days but I also don't see another forced induction option being sold for 1MZ-FE V6 engines outside of perhaps an old wrecked Lotus with a supercharged Toyota V6.

Body kits... are available for nearly all cars. I know there are some nice ones shown off here but anyone can get any model body kit and put it on their cars, TRD or not. That has nothing to do with the original vehicle styling or the chassis design and drivetrain layout. Camrys are good cars-- my family has had two of them and I've driven every model generation sold in the USA. I'm not arguing that they aren't good cars.

But they aren't rear-wheel drive GT's and they don't run the gamut of horsepower holding potential from 225hp NA to 1500whp turbocharged. They do not handle the same way at all and are not designed for throttle-induced oversteer.

"Soarers don't count as they were never sold here"??

Ah... heh... in the real world my friend we have been getting 1JZ-GTE and 2JZ-GTE engines and associated parts shipped in from Japan for years. Whole sections of the SC300 and SC400 are parts-interchangeable with the MKIV Supra and JDM Soarer vehicles. There are an endless number of aftermarket companies in the USA and Japan that cater to higher horsepower versions of all the xJZ-GTE engines. We have limited slip differentials that fit in from the Supra and Soarer as well as aftermarket LSDs being available. There are several turbocharged-engine-capable transmission options for the JZ engines in both auto and manual categories. Even the SC400's 1UZ V8 has a proven way to swap over the W58 5-speed manual to completely change the character of that model under power.

Not to mention... 1991 Toyota Soarers are now 100% legal to import in 48 states (excl. CA and HI. CA registration is a no-go unless you have the engine legalized VERY expensively through International Vehicle Importers and G&K Auto. HI is a no go for grey market entirely) since they are 25 years old and exempt from US-DOT and EPA restrictions for foreign cars. And each year another model year newer will become 100% legal for importation

The JZ drivetrains were designed from the factory to be boost machines, even if they didn't come that way from the factory in every single model trim. NA-T builds with 500whp and up are not uncommon in the SC world.

So what's better? I guess it depends on what you like more and how far outside the box you are willing to think. In the real world of performance automobiles it does not matter what did or did not come from the factory or what model was or wasn't originally offered with forced induction in the United States. The Z30 Soarer, SC300 and with some more work the SC400 are platforms that were engineered for serious rear-drive performance applications... and the Lexus versions are currently very affordable and therefore accessible to use as a base. It doesn't matter that Lexus USA decided to deny us the 1JZ-GTE engine from the Soarer. Turbocharged SC's in the USA are utterly numerous.

A 5-speed manual Camry or Camry Solara with an original TRD supercharger kit will be a nice machine for sure but I would not compare it in terms of performance potential or platform focus to the MKIV or SC300/400/Soarer.

They're just very different cars from the drive layouts to the feel to the ridiculous overbuilding of the iron-block JZ engines that rival GM, Ford and Chrysler V8's in terms of ultimate power potential to the rear tires.

Going back to the OP's original question I still have to say that the "poor man's SC" is a Nissan 240SX. I met with an old friend and former 240SX S14 owner just yesterday and encouraged him to take my car for a spin. He remarked that the SC300 felt, to him... "like a bigger and more luxurious 240". And when you look at how both of those cars have similar things in common I have to agree. The SC far surpasses the 240 in ultimate potential (and interior quality) but there is a similarity in how the two cars are laid out as RWD 2+2 coupes with available manual gearboxes, how they were sold with more powerful turbocharged engines in Japan and how they are near endlessly modifiable in the engine/drivetrain department.

Camrys and by extension Solara coupes are good cars and honestly taking a 5-speed Camry with a TRD blower for a spin sounds like a lot of fun... but they are completely different from SC300/400's, Soarers and of course the MKIV's which have a heck of a lot in common with SC's.

Luxor

iTrader: (15)

LOL @ Solara

Mephobia

Funny this topic came up. Back in 2001 when I was shopping for my first SC the dealership had a 97 SC400 on the lot but it was priced beyond my budget ( I think it was around 23,000). The salesman tried to offer me a convertible Solara. If looks could kill I'd be in jail right now.