The old, dying side that is. I've been driving gm and jeep for some time now and was recomended by a 240sx fanatic to take a look at sc 300's. I have always liked compact/midsized coupes with 6's. My favorite being a beretta. My biggest reason being parts availalbility and cost. Being as I'm no longer running on a highschool budget I can afford better, but I'm not sure these cars are what I'm looking for.
I like 6 cylinder cars because they have torque and are less front heavy then v8 cars. I have no idea about anything about this car other than tid bits. So I want to ask who I would call the experts.

Are the handling characteristics simular to that of most rwd v6 cars or are they more nimble then expected?
Are the auto trannys as bulletproof as a 4t60?
Are there common drivetrain problems?

I'm mostly looking for a nice, clean car that can take my "drive it like you stole it" attitude and has power and handling to boot.

Thanks for any advice/info in advance.

 

Well sir, they are nice and clean... definitely visually appealing. As far as performance, you will definitely need to modify it quite heavily. I wanna say the 300's are around 225 hp, and they weigh in at around 3400 lbs. do the math haha. the good thing is there's a lot of aftermarket support cuz we are compatible with supras. look into the 2jz or 1jz swaps, that's when the 300's get fun!

 

Just go test drive one. Can't explain how a car feels until you try it.

 

buy a sc and put a chevy motor in it :-D

 

go drive one, youll fall in love. funnest car ever. especially when you swap a 1 or 2 j into it not to mention they are VERY classy cars

 

i vouch, hell even an na-t is fun, but there is something to be said about her curves and that fat ol @$$. I had a 92 and people still broke their necks in to see what it was. Its been a few years and i can't let her go, i shall have another just no where to store it right now.

 

but to be honest..... they are not fast stock cars so dont expect anything amazing.... they drive flawless in my opinion esp the sc400 and its smooth shifting transmission. but yeah you gotta drive it to see. its more of a cruiser at high speeds than a nimble track type car

 

go test drive one the only to tell if its for you

 

well they're not much for performance in their stock form (someone just posted a video of theirs with an exhaust on the dyno and it was 180whp) but the potential is limitless. the 4 major build people do are turboing the stock motor (i dont want to do this so i dont know much about it), putting a 1jz head on the stock block (heard you can make some pretty decent power for pretty cheap), 1jz swap (what i want to do), and a 2jz-gte swap (beast mode).

now as for handling i never drove any other RWD cars before i bought my car (actually its the only car i looked at before i bought it, i just fell in love with it.) but i was really surprised with the handling considering its weight and how old it is (mines a 93). i just recently got new wheels and tires and with the new sticky tires on stock suspension the stock seats are pretty useless for holding you in place. now the only serious downside to the SC in stock form is the open differential but ive heard you can use a supra dif. i haven't looked into it because i plan on just buying an aftermarket one. oh and about your drive like you stole it attitude my car agrees with me that it can take it. and the gas stations around here love me for it.

 

I've recently got mine 3 months ago and I gotta be honest I was expecting a little more power my Solara seems faster stock! lol jk but like everyone has said you have a lot of options, once you start getting some mods on it..it will defentily roll out! I'm very happy w/mine and can't wait to begin modding it! Best way go NA-T, 1jz, or 2jz-gte, but it will spend some $$$ doing it! Simple mods like the BFI ntake made for this type of car (do a search you will find plenty of Threads going into detail about it), exhaust, cooler thermostat, etc. As some ppl have already said go test drive one only way you'll figure it out! Just my .02 cents!

 

They aren't fast stock. But the SC300 is only a turbo conversion or engine swap away from a straight line speed demon. The SC400 can also be made a beast with a turbo, engine swap or a supercharger. As far as handle goes they absolutely blow stock. But add some coilovers and wide wheels/tires with an LSD and bam! And yes they are heavy.

If the weight is an issue put the car on a diet. I love mine due to it being a sexy, long, wide, sleak looking beauty. For more style if you get an older model add a 97+ kit. I surprise people every day with my street sweeper.

With that said, if you have the money it can be a great reliable fast car.

 

its true stock form they arent speed demons especially by todays standards........I got killed off the line by a pontiac grand am a while ago.

Also the v8 1uz engine is actually lighter in weight then the I6's 2jzge-gte.

 

If you don't want to bother with swapping, get a 98-00 sc400. 290hp and a 5 speed auto. It gets out of its own way...

 

you mean you "came to the dark side"

 

"the dark side" being the "dying side".

test drove a 99 yesterday and rather enjoyed it. want a little much for it so im going to make a offer and hope this begins my journey to the side of win.