hmmm, ill take a guess...

control arm bushings... about $400
power steering hoses... about $350
belts... about$160
valve cover gasket... about $250
coolant expansion tank... about $300

and the list goes on and on... did i hit the nail on the head?

 

Not taking ANYTHING from an SC ( I love mine like a child ) but you cant campare it to an 8'er.
They should ride/drive nicer than an SC....and they do.

BUT, The Lexus will be alive and kickin way past 200k...I dont know of many 8's that have reached that type of milestone.

The Sc400 is a far better value and its still very reasonable to maintain. Even today, you get a lot for the money you're spending. You'd be hard pressed to find 'more car' at the same price.

 

which is more of a head turner emerald? 850 or sc4

 

A bicycle with a flat tire.

 

For some reason that reminded me of when I saw a new-ish 740i on the side of the freeway with it's bonnet open and the owner chucking a tantrum...

Anyway, I'd say it all depends if you're looking for a 'fun' car to drive. The BMW might have it's problems but they are more fun to take around corners (imo) compared to my car. Let's face it, the SC/Soarer is more of a highway cruiser compared to most BMWs. I don't know if the SC and Soarer share the same spring rates etc. but the Soarer is too floaty around corners, I reckon a decent intake/exhaust set up and suspension tweaks will keep you happy along with the reliability that Lexus is known for

 

I have a 95 SC 5speed and my brother drives a 01 BMW 328Ci, I actually like my lexus better, it's older with alot more miles but the bimmer doesn't seem to have any more power and i hate the way the clutch/shifter feels when changing gears, the clutch is too springy and catches right off the floor and the shifter is like rowing a boat, imo. the only advantage is the technology, the bmw has more toys than the sc. Plus it seems like everyone i know is driving bmw's now. there are 4 people at the dealership i work for driving 3-series. i am only 1 of 2 SC owners in my town and the other one is an older guy with a 94 SC400 with like 30k on the odometer. He brings it to my toyota dealer for service and i'm always tempted to switch his nice clean interior with my worn out one!! lol.

 

my guess is HER SC haha. I look ato both the same personally that is....

 

I'm laughin' over here because people act like cars can't be modded.

My 97 SC400 will / has easily outhandled many bmw's in extreme driving situations.... DUE TO HIGHLY MODIFIED SUSPENSION for not too much money... some money, but not too much. Tokico Illumina coilovers for the supra ( 2.25" drop ), daizen sway bar and control arm bushings, and all of that floaty feel goes away.

I think the bang for buck / value factor weighs in favor of the lexus. I think the reliability factor weighs in favor of the lexus. Personal preference in design / feel is truly subject to the driver. I like some bimmers, and not all,... just the same with lexus. I almost bought a 840 in place of the SC400, and some how, I'm not regrettin' my choice,.. .considering I bought the car at 48K and now have 209K, and the first thing has broken on the car since it's inception... ( dash board lights ).

I'd say,... get the SC and drop it!!!

 

On the whole technology thing in the newer cars, I personally don't mind the lack of it. In my mind, the more things to mess with, the more things that can go wrong. I dunno, maybe I just like simple things in life. Drive up the gravel road, tend the chickens and water the garden.

I have a 93 sc300 with the 97+ body stuff on it. I like the smoothess of the interior and how well it flows. I'll admit the older shifter is ugly on the older years but for the rest of it, its quite united. I have no cd player and the leather is warn, but all that can be changed if I really wanted to spend money on it. Can't say much about BMW though. Good luck with your adventure and with what ever you choose.

 

I owned a BMW E36 325i, and the reasons you mentioned, are the same reasons I bought my 1999 LS400 about 6 months ago.

As far as which will turn more heads between the SC and 8 series, it is clearly the 8 series.

 

the only reason the 8 is more of a head turner is because you rarely see any. The SC4 and 840 were made to go head to head with each other. If you compare the two cars the SC4 is the better car, but when you bring in the 850, forgettaboutit...I'm of the camp that would want an 850 as a project car, only to bring out on "special" days.

Speaking of 8 series there was this chick who was learning to drive her mom's 850, I was annoyed, but it was out of jealousy....

 

The 840ci was not built to compete with anything. It was created to drop the 100K price of the (V12) 8 series....in an effort to to move product from the e31 platform.

The 8 was created with a blank check. Back in 1988 they started out on the project and had dumped over a billion into the development without an actual car to sell. They knew that they wouldnt make money on these cars after the first year of development.


An all hand built car (850i) with a throttle by wire V12 back in 1989.

They didnt come close to making back the R&D money before they started on the 850ci (biggerV12,etc),840ci (8cyl) and the oh, so sexy 850CSI ( the perfect car )

They (E31) are nicer than an SC in just about every way (engine, suspension,electronics,technology), but the Lexus didnt cost an arm and two legs to purchase and maintain.

My sc400 turns heads, I guess (sometimes turns them away ) but ive put a lot of work into it to make that happen. My daily 850 is bone-stock and does the same...but in a different way.

head-to-head, the 8 series wins hands down. What favors the Lexus is: Bang for the buck, cost to maintain and gas milage...which dont really factor much to the owners who went out and spent 100k for a new 8 when they came out.

My lil brother has a Civic thats faster in a 1/4 mile than 95% of the SC's on Club Lexus (including my SC's) but theres no way I'd ever consider trading my Lexus for it .

My philosophy with cars is to make it perform better than a stock version of the same car. There are too many variables when you go outside the make and model.

I love BOTH cars.