SmartTrac

Here is the road test that I promised from the Lexus SC430 press preview that I attended.

The road test is at http://www.familycar.com/RoadTests/Lexussc430/Index.htm

abdul10000

Hello,

It was very nice to read your article, and the pictures were great. Thank you.

"One disappointment for me was the absence of the Lexus trademark electro-luminescent instrument cluster in favor of more traditional black face gauges with white numbers and red pointers. Lexus-Link (the Lexus version of GM's OnStar) was also not available for the 2002 SC430 but may show up next year."

Why do you think lexus did that? and do you think they will change that in the future?

Abdulrahman

SmartTrac

The people that I asked didn't know why they used conventional gauges this time. I doubt that they will change to the fancier setup any time soon. You will probably see the Lexus-Link in a year or two.

An interesting thing that I noticed was that the speedometer goes to 180 MPH, even though there is a speed limiter that is set to 156 MPH.

Could this be a harbinger of things to come?

I understand that TRD has a couple of cars that they are working on, so we may see some muscle-building kits become available in about a year.

Right now they are selling all the cars that they can build. Don't expect any changes until the supply is greater than the demand. That's when we should see some L-Tuned models.

abdul10000

Thanks for the additional information.

abdul10000

Hello,

I noticed that on the first SC430 that Lexus brought to the Chicago auto show had the electro-luminescent instrument cluster, where the second one had the traditional black face gauges. The only time I sow this happen before is when the Lexus ES300 was first introduced in Saudi and it had the traditional black face gauges, at that time I attributed that to the fact that the ES300 was selling for $25000, but the SC430 is not.

Abdulrahman

exsilio

I am looking very seriously at this car. So it was great to read your in depth article. And pictures are ALWAYS welcome. The trick is to try and get a local road test. Around where I live, even if you have a deposit down on one, you can't roadtest the ones they have available...wild.

Thanks again.

attack

Hi Folks -

I'm on the waitlist for a BMW M3, but my jaw just dropped when I saw the production version of the SC430. So I'm thinking about changing allegiances. I know the wait for an M3 is up to 2 years now. Can anyone tell me what the wait is like for an SC 430? Are they selling at MSRP, above, below?

Thanks for any input...

Matt

abdul10000

Hello,


To my understanding there is 9500 SC430s sold from a total of 12,000. If you log on to ebay, you will find that there is allot of people that are offering their spots. You may find some one selling his spot for a reasonable price. I hope smarttrac answers your question, because he knows allot about the SCs and that's his job, cars.

Abdulrahman

SmartTrac

My suggestion is that you get yourself over to a Lexus dealer and ask. The figure of 9500 sold was before the advertisements hit TV and also before my article was published. Lexus frowns upon dealers who sell for over sticker but they can't legally stop them.

The SC430 won't perform like an M3 but it sure will turn more heads.