sorka

We bought an '07 SC430 with 11K miles a few months ago. We still have our SC400 and I drive both. Just wanted to throw out some observations and comparison.

1) SC430 floor mats suck. The SC400 has a much higher thread count in general and also has a super dense count pad underneath the drivers pedals where the drivers heels typically rest. When we bought our '07, even though the car looks and smells new, the floor mats were pretty much trashed(my definition of trashed meaning not looking new after cleaning with only 11K miles). We bought new Camel mats from an online lexus parts supplier. I haven't opened them but they're just being stored until the old ones are too gone to look at any more. In the meantime, I bought the exact mats because it's clear the factory floor mats won't survive the kind of beating the SC400's did.

2) Looks. Hands down the 430 is light years ahead. I sometimes still almost gasp when I see it. The interior design, the colors, etc, are all amazing and feel like leaps and bounds ahead of the SC400. That's not to say that the SC400 isn't still attractive, but it doesn't have the rich look. When people see the inside with the top down, they're certain this is a new current model. When I tell them it first came out in '02, their draw drops.

3) Paint. The factory paint on this car is not durable. It scratches just looking at it. Yes it's black, but so is our SC400.

4) Handling - SC400 wins here but not by much. This is to be expected with the 430 being a convertible. I wouldn't trade back for the SC400. The 430 is still more fun to drive.

5) Drive train. Hands down the SC430 is better in every category from power, braking, and transmission. However, I get an odd rough downshift that lurches me forward every so often when decelerating. It only occurs on ECT power mode, so I suspect this is normal. The transmission downshifts much sooner in this mode.

6) Streering column - The SC430's steering column is not as stiff or solid feeling. It has the same power adjustments as the SC400, so it's not that. The SC430 has flex. It';s not loose at all, but it flexes when you push it up or down. Not a big deal, but you notice it sometimes and it makes the car feel a little cheaper.

7) Technology - No doubt the SC430 wins but of course it's newer. The ML sound system is awesome. However, not having a built in aux input jack is unforgivable. Seriously, they could have deleted the tape deck and replaced it with an aux input and it would have cost them less and they would have made more people happy. Yes, there're be a few unhappy customers that could no longer play their 8-track...err I mean cassette tapes. I added Vais with the input in the center console plugged into a A2DP stereo bluetooth that powers on from the power port in the center console. It's a TuneLink. When I get in, my Galaxy S3 connects and the last music I was playing when it was previously connected continues to play...even from the middle of the song if that's where it was which is pretty cool. Not having a backup camera from the factory is the other unforgivable omission. They should have included that in the 2006 refresh. The climate control is of course better and having dual thermostats and heated seats rocks. Also, I get hot air immediately from the heater when starting the car when it's cold. Does anyone know why? Is there an electric backup coil until the engine warms up? Does the SC430 store hot coolant and then dump it into the engine core like the Prius does on cold startup?

8) Interior noise. The SC430 is certainly a quieter car with less wind noise even though it's a convertible. However, after 13K miles, it has some annoying creaks and rattles. Our SC400 is a '95 with 320K miles on it and it has no creaks or rattles. I suspect the SC430 is like this because many more of the interior pieces just pop into place without screws or bolts. When I was installing the Vais, I was shocked that pretty much everything comes apart just by pulling. The only thing I had to unscrew fasteners on was the head unit.

Other nits but not a big deal:

1) Why can't the convertible top work at say 5 MPH. It stops midway if I exceed 1 MPH even if it's almost finished. They really could have been a lot smarter about this.
2) Don't like not having a transmission dip on the 2006+ model. It means I can't change out the usual 2 qts of fluid every time I also change the engine oil.

tfischer

I had an SC400 for many years before I sold it to my brother when I purchased my SC430, which I have driven for about 12 years, and so I also have some basis for making comparisons between the two.
I agree with almost all of Sorka's well thought out observations, but I offer, gratis, the following notes and comments.
First, floor mats. This is first? Floor mats aren't very important, are easily replaceable with upgrades or downgrades, and after many years with the 400 and many years with the 430, I didn't really notice any substantial difference. Moving on . . .
Looks. The 400 was strikingly beautiful in its day, and the 430 at launch received some criticism for its less streamlined look. Today, the 400 looks nice but does not stand out anymore, while the 430 looks better and better with each passing year (the same thing happened to Sophia Loren and Steve McQueen). I also get many comments about the good looks of the car, and just last year I encountered shock when disclosing the age of my vehicle. I like it more now than I did when I picked it up in 2001.
I'm no technician, but I'm pretty sure you can't get warm air from the heater on startup. I think perhaps these comments are due to the fact that people who live in California don't know what a cold morning is.
Finally, I don't mind that the top does not operate when the car is in motion. Small price to pay for all the other goodies.
The 430 has been and continues to be a wonderful car for me, and I still can't think of a satisfactory replacement.

sorka

Odd. I wonder if the heater thing is something that was added in 2006? I live in the central valley and it's in the 20s every night this week. Yesterday morning my heater blew hot air immediately upon startup. I've never had a car that could do that before.

SC4Hundred

My 08 GS blows hot air immediately as well, I don't remember my 06 did that.

Harold57

I suspect that the mats look bad because they were treated bad. I have an '02 with 92kmi on it and the mats almost look new.

With regards to the electronics being outdated, you'll find several threads with folks complaining about that. I surmise that what happened was that Lexus saw that the SC430 was such a low volume selling car that they decided to not invest any money (or at least only minimal money) in upgrading it along the way. Frustrating to owners. Not upgrading the car other than some minor tweaks at 2005 & 2006 and later at 2009 & 10 probably exasperated the low volume sales and in the cancellation of the model after 2010.

Unfortunate but probably all straight business decisions at high levels in Lexus. Maybe those executives just never owned one.

OBP

Interesting discovery on the immediate hot air availability. I know my 2005 requires the engine to have warmed up a bit before it will blow hot air on a cold day. So maybe this is a 2006+ feature ?

mandyfig

The newer models might have Aux heaters that turn on on demand, hence instant electric heat. Not waiting for the engine to warm up (hot water for the heat exchanger).

huy33

I think it depends on the surrounding temperature of the car. Mine is an 09 and it's garage at night but in the mornings when it's about 30 degrees out, it does take a bit for the heater to kick in. I have my heater set at 68-70.

sorka

I might believe that if the rest of the car hadn't looked showroom new. It only had 11K miles on it and was pretty much perfect. But if you haven't seen and felt the thread count thickness of the sc400's mats with the sc430's, it's really hard to make a comparison.

sorka

Hmm. When it's cold out, (mid 20s this morning), I immediately crank the thermostat to the 85 setting and hot air starts coming out within about 15 seconds. If there is an aux heater element, it might only activate when the user says "hot now" by turning the themostat up. Just a theory. I really have no idea why it blows hot air.

The one thing that is interesting is that I hear a pump after I turn the car off that sounds almost exactly like the one in the Prius. This makes me wonder if there's a thermos to store hot coolant as part of the emissions equipment. On the prius, it shortens warmup time thereby reducing fuel consumption and hydrocarbon emissions.

johnnyreno

SOME time the people at the dealeship switch the nicer ones to their own car

kjcole

Haven't noticed cabin heating in my '02 that would suggest anything other than a normal heater core/thermostat setup. Curious about what they've done to the '06+ ?? Such a feature surely would be bragged up in the owner's manual or advertising literature. That's not something Lexus/Toyota would implement and not market ...... loudly. IMO


Kelly

Solman

Sometimes I think that suggestion takes over. Someone makes a comment like my SC creates instant heat and all of a sudden I too have instant heat. Or someone says push that little button on the dash and puff, your roof will just disappear. I know mine is always disappearing!

sebtown

I read this thread yesterday and checked my 02 today. It was a chilli 50○ at 5pm, started car turned on heat immediately and it was blowing warm instantly. But then again it took me 10 months to notice the light on the radio door button!

suprarale

Since this thread was written to compare the SC430 to the SC400, could you tell us if the floor mats on the SC430 will fit into the SC400. This is an issue because new floor mats for the SC400 are hard to come by.