1ton

I'm interest to find out what type of people drive the SC430 that are in this forum. I don't know anyone (personally) with an SC430. Just curious I guess. Things such as gender, age group, employment, marital status, etc.

DeniskaGS4

22/m single tech 03 sc430

rcf8000

I think of the SC430 as a woman's car. I bought "mine" for my wife. She's a 52 year old housewife and mother of a 16 year old daughter. Incidentally, the back seat is far from "useless" as some critics claim. My wife uses if fairly frequently for her daughter's friends on short trips. Although I think it's a marvelous car, I rarely drive it. (My daily driver is an LS430).

MarsB007

wow, you actually fit people back there? Talk about cruel and unusual punishment.

And I don't view the SC as a woman's car. I view it more as a midlife crisis car. Actually, I rarely see any women drive them here in Miami. The women go for the BMW 3 series convertible, or the MB CLK convertible.

25/m, single, 04 sc 430

1ton

In Orlando, I see a lot of older men driving this car. I am female, 28, married and work on software.

As for the back seat, I took a couple of my girlfriends for a test spin and the one that sat in the back said it was not so bad. I tried it myself, was a bit uncomfortable but for those who like to sit straight up it is not so much a problem.

tfischer

It took the crisis right out of my mid-life.

dseag2

It's interesting to see so many people in their 20's responding, but I guess that's somewhat skewed by internet utilization. I wish I'd been lucky enough to own a car like this when I was in my 20's!

Anyway, I owned an '03 SC430 until recently (1 year, 14,000 miles). I'm 46, single, and a director of sales. What I also find interesting is that you guys in your 20's love this car, and even though I'm in my 40's I never found it to be sporty enough to suit my needs. I didn't really need a mid-life crisis car, and I'm not really about the "show", so I traded it in. I bought it originally because I'd already had an SC300 and a GS300 and didn't want something as large as an LS430. I tried Audi for 8 months and came back to Lexus because of the service and reliablity. Consequently, the SC430 was the only thing that made sense.

Believe me, there was nothing as satisfying as cruising top-down with the Mark Levinson cranked up on a weekend afternoon. But unfortunately, the top-up weekdays in rush hour traffic just weren't all that satisfying. I live in Miami, and 9 months out of the year it's either too hot or too rainy to put the top down (and BTW, I see just as many women driving these cars as men).

I ended up trading back to a GS300 in September... but this time it's a Sportdesign with L-tuned springs, steering ECU, and shocks. It delivers the type of tight, precise driving experience I missed in the SC430, and it's a lot more low key. The Mark Levinson isn't quite to the caliber of the SC, but it still has that beautiful saddle interior. I've never regretted the decision.

I still think the SC430 is a great car... just not for me. Hey, at least I lowered the median age by trading it in!

MarsB007

I think anyone is lucky/fortunate to drive a 60K car in general... much more so at such a young age. I actually did the exact opposite with my cars... went from a GS300 to the SC430. I feel the SC is much sportier (especially when it comes to body roll). The acceleration is like night and day, although I really do miss the trunk space (stereo system purposes). I do appreciate the convertible top though in Florida (at night), when it's no longer hot outside, but I have to be careful, since Miami is not the safest of all towns, especially at night. The New LS430 doesn't really feel as big as the older 01 I had. I donno why. Maybe it could be the Sport suspension setting, although it could just be in my mind.

Overall, I am happy with the SC so far, although my color choices were retarded in retrospect. (Black/Ecru). I end up spending way too much time detailing the car... time which I don't usually have!

Doc C

mars,

I must have missed your post...did you get that acceleration problem fixed?? I hope so. It's not a Ferrari, but it isn't a Hyundai either. Happy driving. Zaino that sucker. I have the indigo ink pearl and it seems easier to keep clean with that on it. Take care.

Doc C

MarsB007

yes, the throttle problems were fixed. I have no idea what they did. I did notice improved acceleration after receiving the car back though. I know they reset a bunch of stuff, but that's about it.