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All, call me dumb but I made a impulse buy yesterday online purchased a 03 SC 430 with 130k on it. The history is was well maintained no accidents, good many service records, virtual tour and virtual drive went well. That said, my first exposure to LEXUS and this car. I seen where drivers loved the 430 and dove in. I hope to get eyes on it first time this week, it should be shipped soon. That said, I just read the this is the worst car ever made, and other articles on issues with the car handling, etc .. coming to those that own this car, what can I expect? I am so excited yet now terribly nervous. I will post pictures when the car arrives.
All, call me dumb but I made a impulse buy yesterday online purchased a 03 SC 430 with 130k on it. The history is was well maintained no accidents, good many service records, virtual tour and virtual drive went well. That said, my first exposure to LEXUS and this car. I seen where drivers loved the 430 and dove in. I hope to get eyes on it first time this week, it should be shipped soon. That said, I just read the this is the worst car ever made, and other articles on issues with the car handling, etc .. coming to those that own this car, what can I expect? I am so excited yet now terribly nervous. I will post pictures when the car arrives.
Did you read the below thread “nice reading for the SC” ?
All, call me dumb but I made a impulse buy yesterday online purchased a 03 SC 430 with 130k on it. The history is was well maintained no accidents, good many service records, virtual tour and virtual drive went well. That said, my first exposure to LEXUS and this car. I seen where drivers loved the 430 and dove in. I hope to get eyes on it first time this week, it should be shipped soon. That said, I just read the this is the worst car ever made, and other articles on issues with the car handling, etc .. coming to those that own this car, what can I expect? I am so excited yet now terribly nervous. I will post pictures when the car arrives.
Each of us has certain expectations when purchasing a car.
The folks saying worst car were expecting a sports car with high end performance (Porsche, Ferrari, etc.) in acceleration, braking and cornering ability. The SC430 met none of those goals.
The SC430, IMHO, is in a class that used to be termed Grand Touring.
Grand Touring: Such a car could travel with distinction at high speed, seemingly effortlessly - accelerate, brake and handle competently. Not to mention not needing a chiropractor after a long road trip. Large trunk space wasn't necessary - Enzo Ferrari once answered a question on luggage space for their Grand Touring machine by saying something along the lines of "hire someone to follow with your luggage in their car"
Then add in the Toyota/Lexus near legendary reliability and you get an SC430. If you want to fast forward 20 years, then look toward a LC500
An SC buyer isnt like a normal car buyer. An SC buyer knows EXACTLY what he/she wants from a car.
Do you enjoy comfortable and effortless cruising?
Do you enjoy a convertible expeirence that wont break (20+ years of proven reliablity)?
Do you love a NA v8 that is so quiet, you can barely hear it engaging while it sits at below 3k rpm at 70mph?
Do you love one of the best seats in the automotive world? With plush, rich, full leathers so thick that it never rips in 20 years of operation (i havent seen any ripped sc430's)?
Do you love styling that is utterly timeless and still turns heads today?
Or
Do you want performance? because if you do, youre barking up the wrong friggin tree here. 0-60 isnt impressive, neither is the handling.
Know thy Self and the SC430 will recpricate what you put into it.
An SC buyer isnt like a normal car buyer. An SC buyer knows EXACTLY what he/she wants from a car.
Do you enjoy comfortable and effortless cruising?
Do you enjoy a convertible expeirence that wont break (20+ years of proven reliablity)?
Do you love a NA v8 that is so quiet, you can barely hear it engaging while it sits at below 3k rpm at 70mph?
Do you love one of the best seats in the automotive world? With plush, rich, full leathers so thick that it never rips in 20 years of operation (i havent seen any ripped sc430's)?
Do you love styling that is utterly timeless and still turns heads today?
Or
Do you want performance? because if you do, youre barking up the wrong friggin tree here. 0-60 isnt impressive, neither is the handling.
Know thy Self and the SC430 will recpricate what you put into it.
If you came here, a forum for SC430 enthusiasts, looking for someone to tell you that you made a dumb choice, well...
It might be a long wait.
The folks here, by and large, revere these cars. I know I'm extremely fond of mine.
I had a pristine 2008 Honda S2000 that I sold prior to buying this car. I would do it all again in an instant.
The S2000 was a great toy. Not something for long term usable and comfort. I see people reporting they have 250k miles on their S2000 and I wonder how.
The SC430 in comparison? I bought my '07 in August last year from a local dealer. I've put nearly 10,000 miles on it at this juncture. In the 9 years I owned the S2000, I put 15,000 miles on it.
Unless your car is a complete basket case and/or you paid way too much for it, you will do just fine.
Read all the various recommendations for maintenance and do them. Change the timing belt if it's more than 7 years old. Put new tires on they are more than 7 years old. Change the engine, trans and diff oils.
And then drive, drive, drive.
It's not a sports car so don't expect that. You can get it a bit closer to a Grand Tourer if you want. Not hard or crazy expensive. I've gotten very used to mine....
A lot of folks moan about how "slow" they are. I have to wonder if they are driving the same car I'm driving. It's not a 650 horsepower Mustang. But my SC is faraway the fastest car in my fleet.
Daresay it's much faster in real world driving situations than my S2000 was.
You run into sites like Jalopnik, etc where the millennials complain about how ugly they are. Virtually every time I take my car out, someone makes a comment about how beautiful it is.
Here she is on the Blue Ridge Parkway last September:
Have fun, post pictures, and read the entire forum. We all have, it doesn't take that long.
As others have said, manage your expectations. It is reliable, smooth, and comfortable, and reasonably fast. The retractable hardtop gives you the best of both worlds. The handling and steering are not great.
Soft top just cant compare.
Its louder inside my LC500 convertible than it is in my 20 year old SC430. Im not talking engine noise, im talking about road/tire/wind noise bleeding into the cabin through the softtop.
When I bought my used 08 in 2016, I loved the concept of a convertible hardtop with a V8 and legendary Lexus reliability. After putting it through its paces, I was somewhat disappointed with the performance--acceleration/handling/braking, but, I still liked the SC and have never had buyer's remorse. The more I drove it, the more I appreciated its ride, comfort, and panache. My appreciation continues to grow, and after six years of ownership...I LOVE THIS CAR!
All, call me dumb but I made a impulse buy yesterday online purchased a 03 SC 430 with 130k on it. The history is was well maintained no accidents, good many service records, virtual tour and virtual drive went well. That said, my first exposure to LEXUS and this car. I seen where drivers loved the 430 and dove in. I hope to get eyes on it first time this week, it should be shipped soon. That said, I just read the this is the worst car ever made, and other articles on issues with the car handling, etc .. coming to those that own this car, what can I expect? I am so excited yet now terribly nervous. I will post pictures when the car arrives.
To alleviate your fears regarding your purchasing choice, let the other forum comments help reduce your anxiety. The SC430 is a Grand Touring vehicle and provides a great showing in that regard. The source of "The Worst Car in the History of the World" opinion was aired in a review on the Top Gear video by its presenters Jeremy Clarkson and James May. You can make your own judgment regarding their justification for using their notoriety to demote the car to the bottom of the heap. Use the links below to learn about their backgrounds regarding their area of expertise in judging cars.
I am writing this for those who have, or still owned or are thinking of owning an SC.
My SC430 came to me last year, so I have owned her for just 12 months. I have been looking for one on and off for several years. There have been a number of false starts.Great stories for another day.
In another life I worked for the company that has a hamburger on its grill - at least that is what we called it at Hamburger HQ in Tokyo. One of my great chores was frequenting the Techincal center of that company. The TC is located in an extinct volcano to prevent onlookers. I was able to enjoy the 350z and the R33 and 34 skylines and numerous electric cars before they appeared in public. Outside of office hours i had access to the auction markets before they became popular and i could buy cars for fun because they were cheap - SL600, Mitsu GTO and so on.
None of those cars have delivered to me the same feel of the SC430. No, it isnt a rocket, no it isnt the best handling car in the world, but when I open the garage door and see it, then get into it, the magic begins. There is a feel that you get in this vehicle that is hard to beat. Its not an appliance. It has character. You begin to love the character or not i suppose. It makes the driver feel special - which is not easy to do.
Then when i go somewhere and walk back to where she is parked, i think wow. Look at that thing. I own that.
Worth every penny.
Not having things break just confirms that you made the right decision. Hell, I dont want to get to know the name of the dealer mechanics....and I dont!
05-07-22, 05:06 AM
New SC buyer -Right Decision?
