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I've been toying with buying a 430 for a year now. May eventually do it. One thing that's cooling my heels is the weird nastiness Car&Driver throws at this car: http://www.caranddriver.com/cartrims...xus_sc430.html

I'm comfortable enough with their sneers about the front seats: tons and tons of people report nothing but comfort, so I ignore that. But THIS worries me:

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"The SC430 is full of body roll and understeer when pushed"
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should I figure they reviewed with the run-flats on? And that Car&Driver "pushes" a lot harder than I ever will?

GSteg

iTrader: (15)

Magazines will always push the car harder than the general public. They floor the car, hammer it through the turns, and brake harder than most of use will ever see. The SC430 does fine for around the city driving. Taking a turn at 10mph or so wont make the SC roll that much.

But if you have ever pushed your (stock?) SC430 hard, you'll witness the excessive amount of body roll. This applies to most stock cars on the road./

Pearlpower

iTrader: (2)

As you are new here, I will answer politely and just ask you to conduct a search on this site on what most here think of Car and Driver.
They rate last in about every opinion on just about every car forum out there on a great many areas.
That said, why are you looking at the car if your only interested in what magazines state? I get that from the fact that I do not see where you drove one , yet you mention that you have been thinking of one for a year or so.
I would highly recommend to everyone out there to drive a car before they pin their hopes on it-especially for this length of time.
The SC430 is not a Porsche and was not designed to be one. But...without extending a thread on a subject that has been asked and answered over and over and over again on this site-do a search. There is a wealth of information on the exact topics your bring up. My SC430 stock had much less body roll than any other Lexus I have owned-GS400/SC300/SC400.

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Thanks, GSteg, that was helpful. I'm not looking for sinewy performance, but I hate to sink $65K into a car that doesn't have a reasonably generous buffer beyond what I'd need in everyday use, y'know?

Pearlpower, thanks for answering politely.

Pearlpower

iTrader: (2)

I find the SC430 forum a bit different vs other forums on this site as well as other makes and models for a variety of reasons. Please do feel welcome here.
I guess the short end of my response is to go and drive one. I wanted a Viper for the longest time spending hours online with research. Finally drove one and it was not for me-not even close.
The SC430 can be made to handle very nicely with mods if so inclined but most other than those here keep it stock. Swap out those run flats and that transforms the car instantly.

encore888

The experienced and respected staff at C&D has been largely replaced by young 20-somethings who expect hybrid cars to be cheaper than regular ones, among other new-to-luxury thinking.

But the original SC 430 preview, with test drive impressions, was more positive yet truthful:

http://www.caranddriver.com/previews...xus-sc430.html

In general, this C&D article liked the SC 430.

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Yeah, for sure. But I'm trying to do lots of research (and soul-searching, as it IS a lot of money!) ahead of time. I don't put much stock into magazine reviews, especially when their conclusions don't jibe with consensus I see among owners, here and elsewhere (incluindg C&D's own forums). However I don't disregard them, especially as the roll issue has been corroborated here. Also, as you know, more and more convertibles are coming on the market, muddying my focus on the Lexus.

One issue is that I've never test driven a car before! I'm guessing the dealer wouldn't be thrilled about my, like, wailing around corners....?

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Interesting, enigma888, thanks. Even with that more measured review, I still feel like I'm compromising. I'm also compromising by getting into the whole spare tire/kit/sensor clogging morass, and as someone only recently quite poor, I need to do some pretty powerful mental adjustment to reconcile to the notion of spending $65K on a car that entails compromise. Of course, EVERYTHING entails compromise, but it's shocking to discover that this truism extends even into this economic realm!

That said, I do need to try it....though I'll be trying it with runflats, so it'll still require a leap of faith....

Collins

In my opinion Car&Driver has always had a negative bias toward foreign automakers especially Japan. I wouldn't give them an ounce of thought...Buy it, drive it and love it!

GSteg

iTrader: (15)

I wouldn't necessarily say that. They favor Honda and BMW a lot. In fact, they favor import more than domestic!

dseag2

You haven't really indicated what you're looking for in a car, but if it's a hardtop convertible that holds 2 people comfortably with a back seat for storage, has a reasonably large trunk with the top up and enough space for groceries with the top down... this is it. This is a 2nd car for me, so utility isn't that important. I did consider every other hardtop convertible on the market. Following are my personal observations:

Volvo- nice outside but dull interior, slow
EOS- didn't even consider
BMW 335i- IMO, about as exciting looking as a bar of soap (like the coupe though) and not very upmarket interior
Pre-owned M-B SL500- still expensive, and not that reliable
Jag XK- Beautiful inside and out, but expensive for a soft top w/ small trunk

That led me back to my 2nd SC430. I traded in an '06 Miata MX-5 for it. The Miata carved corners like nobody's business and was really sweet to drive with the top down. However, on the highway with the top up it was like nails against a chalkboard. Very loud. The SC430 is much less tight through corners, but it's much more luxurious and serene. It's a compromise.

If I drive my M35 for a couple of weeks (which has excellent handling) I notice the difference as soon as I get into the SC430. It feels heavy and soft. However, after I've driven the SC430 for a while I think it's the greatest car I've ever driven. Without the runflat tires, it is a capable handler, although I would not personally push it really hard.

If you're looking for performance, the BMW would give you what you need. However, it would probably be less reliable and it doesn't have the luxury of the SC430. Your choice. If you don't want to pay $65k, you can wait until the IS350 hardtop convertible is introduced. If the sedan is any indication, it will perform better than the SC, have somewhat useable backseats, and cost less. I know you're concerned with paying so much and then having to compromise, but I think every car has some compromises... regarless of the price point. I haven't personally found the perfect car that does it all. If I had, I'd be driving it.

flash_e_gt

Didn't read all the comments above...but the car does body roll and understeer when pushed....what do you expect it's a cruise...stop pushing it so hard!

TOMLEXUS

My BMW 2007 650 CIC got less body roll for sure, but my SC430 is 400 lbs less weight, if add 400 lbs to SC430's body, I think it will get less body roll too.

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Thanks, everybody, especially dseag2.

I've got a follow-up, but I'll post a new thread...