lexus or soarer?
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Driver School Candidate
Joined: Apr 2022
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From: United kingdom
lexus or soarer?
basically me and my dad recently baught this, its 2jz non turbo, automatic,fully stock. but ive just been trying to reaserch on it but ive realised that its either the toyota soarer or the lexus sc300/400. but this one has a lexus badge, but it says soarer on the back (as seen in the picture) it also has the red griffin badge on the front which im pretty sure is ment to only be for toyota soarers. im asking on hear becuse i cant find any information on this situation so im hoping for some info.
Last edited by PoppyStrud; Apr 15, 2022 at 04:20 PM. Reason: adding photo of front becuse I forgot aha
It's 100% a Toyota Soarer. Looks to be a 1995-1996 model year.
--The rear windscreen wiper was only available on Soarers.
--I suspect it's a non-sunroof model... a configuration available in the SC300/400 but FAR more prevalent on Z30 Soarers.
--SC's are left hand drive only. Soarers are right hand drive only. In the engine bay I see that the brake booster, heater control valve and evap system's charcoal canister are all in the opposite sides of the car from where they are located in an SC's left hand drive engine bay.
--The 2JZ-GE has "Toyota 3000" on the front cam cover. Supra MKIV NA's got that same emblem on their cam covers. The Lexus SC300 had a silver plastic cover with an "L" emblem on it.
--In the Soarer models the 2JZ-GE engine was only available in an automatic configuration. This was usually a lower cost trim level that nonetheless had many desirable creature comforts on the option sheet.
You post no interior shots but I would suspect you have a high quality cloth interior (or maybe the leather option but leather was not standard on most Soarer trim levels) and I also strongly suspect that your steering column has manual adjustment controls rather than motorized adjustment with auto-tilt memory and auto-telescope memory (which was much rarer to find optioned on Soarers other than the very high end V8's or leather trim levels usually).
Your dash cluster will be fully digital rather than the SC300/400's analog gauges.
Also the VIN will not correspond to how USDM VIN numbers and you will see a metal plate with the chassis code "JZZ31" since you have the 2JZ-GE Auto configuration.
--The rear windscreen wiper was only available on Soarers.
--I suspect it's a non-sunroof model... a configuration available in the SC300/400 but FAR more prevalent on Z30 Soarers.
--SC's are left hand drive only. Soarers are right hand drive only. In the engine bay I see that the brake booster, heater control valve and evap system's charcoal canister are all in the opposite sides of the car from where they are located in an SC's left hand drive engine bay.
--The 2JZ-GE has "Toyota 3000" on the front cam cover. Supra MKIV NA's got that same emblem on their cam covers. The Lexus SC300 had a silver plastic cover with an "L" emblem on it.
--In the Soarer models the 2JZ-GE engine was only available in an automatic configuration. This was usually a lower cost trim level that nonetheless had many desirable creature comforts on the option sheet.
You post no interior shots but I would suspect you have a high quality cloth interior (or maybe the leather option but leather was not standard on most Soarer trim levels) and I also strongly suspect that your steering column has manual adjustment controls rather than motorized adjustment with auto-tilt memory and auto-telescope memory (which was much rarer to find optioned on Soarers other than the very high end V8's or leather trim levels usually).
Your dash cluster will be fully digital rather than the SC300/400's analog gauges.
Also the VIN will not correspond to how USDM VIN numbers and you will see a metal plate with the chassis code "JZZ31" since you have the 2JZ-GE Auto configuration.
