A vin to a lexus parts shop by any other year...
 

Pt. 2: my dealer lcaims he can't tell differences, if any bet. a 2001 and 2002 pass. side mirro, only the vin/paint and accessories rel. to the VIN! They can't tell ome if an 02 will fit the 01! I wasn't aware of differences, but are there? SC430 US spec indig ink blue.

I don't think there are any 2001 SC430's. If so, I've never heard of them and was always told my 2002 was the first year it was available. Please check your year and report back. A 2002 side mirror should fit up to a 2009. 2010 has the puddle light and thus is a totally different side mirror.

There were 2001 SC430s but they were called 2002.

Would it be reflected in the VIN (ie. JTHFNxxxx2001xxxx)? Also, OP any mirror up to 2009 should work with your car, plug and play/bolt on. You will have to remove the interior passenger door panel to access the wire harness.

I don't know what the VIN will indicate. I think that they were actually 2001 1/2 but were still called 2002. (There are a few members on this forum that own the 2001 models but they rarely post these days.)

I would also think that any mirror up to 2009 would be equivalent. There are a couple of threads that provide instructions for removing the door panel. It is not that difficult but you do have to be careful.

...yea this is somewhat correct.....2002 was the first production year for the Sc,but the production of the vehicle started in late 2001& some were sold in that calendar year

2001 rhd
 

Hi Guys,
Not sure when the LHD versions first went on sale but Ive seen a few RHD 2001 cars advertised over the years in Ireland and the UK. Just been looking at a 2001 registered Sc for sale here in Ireland (http://www.carsireland.ie/detail.php...%3D371%26g%3D0)
If the car has a 2001 reg plate it would have been registered and sold by the dealer before Dec 31 2001. As an owner I am probably a little biased but whether its a 2001 2002 or 2010 these cars are still a class act and pretty rare. Was out for a drive with the wife on Thursday and while sitting at a pavement cafe having stopped for a coffee saw 3 xk jags , 5 porsches numerous MBs and a maserati and can honestly say with hand on heart I would not have even considered a straight swop with any of them. Keep on rollin.

IIRC, there are some minor differences between the "2001"s (officially sold as 2002) and the 2002s but I don't remember what they were. I do remember some of the longer members mentioning that some of the early 2001s didn't have the NAV option though, but I've never seen one like that. (The cars of both of the members here in the Dallas area that I know that have a 2001 have the NAV option.) I suspect that there may be more than just two 2001s here locally but I personally only know two. (There's a lot of SC430s here in the DFW area.)

I'm just wondering if someone who believes their SC430 s a 2001, can verify if their VIN number reflects a 2001 in the digits or a 2002. Would be strange for a 2001 to have a 2002 in the VIN, right? Anyway, at this point only BuggerOff can verify since he says he owns a 2001. Hope he will reply.

the 2001 sc is the same one published in 2002, that is because the manufacturing started in july 2001 but it should be the newer shape

Regardless of the make (Toyota, Honda, GM, Ford etc), next years production always begins the year before. You could go to a dealer right now and purchase a 2016.

My 2002 SC430 was purchased in 2001 but it is still a 2002.
The car was built in Feb 2001 and the tag says NO.58, it is still a 2002

http://www.toyota-global.com/company...618/index.html

I do believe there was a 2001 Soarer.

I'm sure that they were marketed as 2002 models. Both TXFM & antigeek have 2001s but they rarely post anymore, though both posted this year.
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sc4...members-2.html

Ok, I guess I'm still confused... and I really am sorry for hijacking this thread but I hope the OP got the answer he was looking for. Basically from my experience of adding puddle lights to my 2002's side mirrors, I found that the mirror style stayed the same up to 2009. 2010 changed b'c they have the OEM puddle lights and turn signals. Therefore, any mirror from anything up to 2009 should suffice for a replacement.

Now back to the question at hand, so even if someone bought their SC in 2001, the model should be a 2002, right? I mean from my understanding then, there is no TRUE 2001 SC430, correct? If so, I'm just wondering what the VIN on a 2001-purchased SC430 would indicate. Sorry if I'm just misunderstanding the concept.

Yes, you are correct. There is no "true 2001 SC430", but there were some very minor differences between those called / built 2001 and those in 2002. (Mine is a 2002 built in June.) With regards to the effects on the VIN, I don't know.

With regards to the mirror, I agree that any mirror up to 2009 should be interchangeable, though I've never checked it myself.

US Law (forget which agency) says that in order for a manufacturer to assign a model year to a vehicle, that vehicle must have been available for retail sale in January of that year. If no SC430s were for sale in January 2001 then they begin with 2002, even though they may have been built early in 2001. There are situations where production of a vehicle began late in one year (let's say 2000) but they were not available for sale in January of the following year, so they are model year 2 years past their build date (2002 in this example).
My 1993 RX7 was built in April 1992. Although RX7s were available for sale in Jan 1992, they weren't third gens, so it's a 1993, first model year of that generation.

Jonas