riknchar

Fellow Club Lexus SC friends: I've come to the conclusion that it's time to make the move from the SC430 to a newer, more modern IS350C. Heresy, I realize--and if anyone would like to try to talk some sense into me, please feel free...

My SC430 is the 2009 Pebble Beach (silver/ecru), and mine is showroom condition with 14K miles. For those in the market for such a car, I've posted the details on the Club Lexus Classified site: https://www.clublexus.com/forums/lex...ml#post8863943

This will be a tough trade, as I do dearly love the exclusivity of the SC430, and have babied my "garage queen" with the thought that I'd own it forever.

I've read everything that's been written comparing the SC to the IS350, and understand that I'll be giving up a lot in some regards and gaining a lot in other aspects if I proceed with this trade. On the giving up side, I'll be losing that sweet 4.3L V8, the amazingly soft leather, the birdseye maple wood trim everywhere, and the chance that the car will become a future collectible car. On the gaining side, I'll pick up a modern navigation unit with an integrated backup camera, parking sensors, ventilated front seats, paddle shifters, slightly improved fuel economy, and more useable rear seats.

I'm open and interested in hearing the opinions of anyone who has traded similarly (either traded an IS350C for an SC430 or vice-versa). If you know anyone in the market for one of the finest remaining examples of the 2009 SC430 Pebble Beach, please steer them my way soon.

Thanks!

SlvBullet

iTrader: (8)

Good luck and best wishes. Yes you are gaining new technology, a larger back seat and more trunk room but you loose the uniqueness of the SC430. You might want to look at the IS 350F Sport as long as you are going that route if you like the sport option. Remember you will lose your casette player too!

I am still having fun with the upgrades and will probably not sell anytime soon but will continue with more mods as a hobby.

Gojirra99

I think a RC convertible might be coming, but not confirmed, even though my low mileage SC430 is a 2002, I would still rather wait for that instead if it was me, that one will be way more attractive than the current IS350C, which I think is not a well thought out design at all, more like an after thought ...... just my opinion ......

Taysdad

Rick,

I actually own both of these cars right now (2002 SC430 with 34k miles and 2011 IS350C with 37k miles). They defintely are both nice, but both different. I've posted a few times about the pros/cons of each.

If you'd like to know more or have specific questions, PM me.
Are you lookign to buy new or used BTW?

Michael

DarthSid

I too recently made the hard choice to sell my 02 SC that I owned for the last 12 1/2 years. It was a bitter sweet choice with many nights trying to decide if I should jump at the chance to own the car of my dreams. 30 plus years ago I owned a Porsche and one day I knew I would own another. It was a hard choice let me tell you. My wife also offered to sell her car so that I may keep my SC due to the limited garage space. Utlimately I could not see myself selling her pride an joy, so the rest is history. I now own a 991 7th generation 911 Porsche limited editon series number 1180 out of 1963. I will post pictures soon.

DarthSid

Here are a few pictures of my 2014 911_50

SlvBullet

iTrader: (8)

Wow!,, that's a real beauty. Congratulations.

Taysdad

DarthSid,

That's just awesome! A very worthy successor.
Somebody also got themselves a very nice SC430.
Post some pics of the interior when you get time, I'd love to see it.

Michael

JETII

The last time I was at the Lexus Dealership the Service Manager told me Lexus was eliminating convertibles. I'm not sure how to confirm whether this is accurate info.

SlvBullet

iTrader: (8)

I don't think they can actually do that in the long term. All the competitors offer convertibles. They could I suppose consider a roadster with a targa top but they will lose cstomers to BMW, Mercedes, VW, Infiniti etc. They can keep the IS-C and go through upgrades until they have a replacement if they don't want to do it with the RC. The IS line is popular so they have a bit of time to consider their options. I expect no formal decision has been made but certainly that option has been on the table.

riknchar

Michael, You are in a unique position to compare these two amazing convertibles, so I definitely appreciate your advice!

I do love the styling of the SC430 (always have, always will), although it seems to really be a Love/Hate thing for the general population, with many people firmly convinced this is one of the ugliest cars around. I enjoy the luxury feel of the soft leather seats, and the amazing Mark Levinson audio system. When I test drove the IS350C, I immediately noted how much lighter/quicker the IS seemed. The steering was much sharper, and the general "eagerness" of the 3.5L V6 seemed very different from the laid back smoothness of the 4.3L V8. I also drive an LS600hL with all the electronic bells and whistles, and I have to say there are several modern "conveniences" that I sorely miss in my SC. Especially things like the push-button start, backup camera/parking sensors, ventilated front seats, streaming blue-tooth audio, rain-sensing wipers, etc...

So I'd be interested in your perspective on the relative merit of the newer technology in the IS vs the more "prestigious" nature of the SC. When you drive your SC, so you miss the technology much, or are you content to keep it "old school?"

I've settled on a used 2012 IS350C that I discovered on AutoTrader.com. The car is located in Eau Claire Wisconsin (what a rotten place to own a convertible!), is a 1-owner car that was traded in on a new Audi, has 12K miles, is the color combination I want (silver exterior, saddle interior), and was originally purchased in April of 2013 (meaning the bumper-to-bumper warranty is good for over 2 more years). The dealer has had the car since July and has dropped the price quite a bit to get it gone ($35.8K selling price). My local Lexus dealer has agreed to buy the car, have it shipped into Omaha, and allow me to trade my SC in on it with a $34K trade allowance, which seems about right. So the deal will be pretty close to a straight swap.

Any other thoughts on this deal or the general pro's and con's of one car over the other? Thanks!

Taysdad

Rick,

First - I'd say you negotiated a pretty good deal. While I am not the best at wheeling-dealing, your deal seems fair on the face of it to me.

I was going to suggest that you target atleast a 2011 or new IS350C as the headlights and few interior changes are nice upgrades over the 2010 model IMO. Your deal already does this.

As for the key differences, I think you've hit them on the head already. The SC430 is a luxury cruiser that really has a sophisticated and upscale feel (trading off the performance end of things). The IS350C is faster, more nimble, turns better, and has all the modern bells and whistles. In just about every "measurable" way it's better than the SC430. However, it doesn't have the same "soul" or air of sophistication that the SC430 does. The other thing you'll notice is the drop in frequency of when people tell you "nice car". It's not because the IS350C is not nice (it really is), but because it's pedestrian and like a lot of other cars out there. It just doesn't get noticed like the SC430 does.

In my case, I gave my SC430 to my daughter and bought a new IS350C for myself. I really like the IS350C, but there are many times I wish I could take back my SC430 despite it's obvious deficiencies in both performance and electronics to the IS350C. It weird really because all the measurable say that I have the better car. On the other hand, my heart tells me that I lost out.

Having said this, they are both GREAT vehicles and I think you'll love the IS350C too.
BTW - the windscreen really does work for the ISC and is very much worth having IMO.

Michael

Lexeffect

You will live to regret this decision in a few weeks time...

riknchar

Michael,

Thanks for the info! Pretty much jives with everything else I've heard/read. I'm actually okay with keeping a low profile--I do get the occasional "nice car" comment on my SC430, but I don't need to hear it to know it...

Only time will tell if this turns out to be a good decision. I'm not the kind of person who looks back with regret much; worse case scenario if I'm not as happy with the IS350C is to sell it and buy another SC430--they still seem to be fairly plentiful on AutoTrader...

Thanks again for your unique perspective!

riknchar

You may well be right... only time will tell if this was a good call or not. I'll keep everyone posted as I begin the ownership experience with the IS350. I'm guessing this is of interest to several members who may have tinkered with the idea of switching.

Thanks for the candid feedback!