Surprise Auction Win Collection - Lexus SC430 Acquired!

[catsinthewelder]

How many bits did it need chopping into to fit in the Lexus?

[wuvvum]

13 minutes ago, catsinthewelder said:

How many bits did it need chopping into to fit in the Lexus?

None - just put the roof down and stand them upright in the rear footwell.

[hairnet]

waftatron these or is there any sport to them

[MorrisItalSLX]

The last car to come as standard with a cassette player. Which is a plus for me.

[Schaefft]

And we've made it home! No issues whatsoever fortunately, very different from the last time I did the trip in the newer Range Rover with 60k less miles😂

I'll do a quick write up later, I couldn't miss the opportunity to do a quick photo with one of the SC430's fiercest rival however!

[Schaefft]

5 hours ago, HMC said:

Nice! Whenever ive sniffed around those I always felt they held their value quite well.

That's true, naturally this one was cheaper than most, probably mostly due to the higher mileage. Being a Lexus it does wear them well though, it feels like it's in significantly better shape than the XK8 vert.

5 hours ago, Bear said:

That's derided? But it has a V8 and good build. Jealous!

It still feels like a very solid car that has held up extremely well, typical peak Lexus!

5 hours ago, D.E said:

As expected! The exhaust tips don't look too silly in the pez station shot, they somehow seemed bigger in the ad. 

The exhaust definitely is modified, however it hardly sounds different from what I'd expect the standard exhaust to sound like on these. Someone showed some real restraint when they decided to replace the back boxes (or possibly just the tips?). Unlike the Jag there's no drone at any speed, exactly as it should be.

4 hours ago, catsinthewelder said:

How many bits did it need chopping into to fit in the Lexus?

My brother only needed the cat section and back box so 3 pieces for the whole exhaust in total, which amazingly fit into the boot without much trouble!

3 hours ago, hairnet said:

waftatron these or is there any sport to them

Definitely on the wafty side although it does have fairly direct steering and the power/torque to pull away from most cars.

The big question now is, is it really as bad as Top Gear made it to look like? My early verdict: No matter how you look at it (with or without considering it's age/mileage/price), it feels like a proper, well built, high quality luxury coupe from the 2000s. The factory run flats are long gone and were replaced by Eagle F1s (jackpot!), the ride is very similar to the XK8 convertible (although it feels more solid without the worn suspension of the Jag) and it generally feels more modern than the Jag (5 years difference), with a very high-end looking interior that's easily on par. I also think that it's a better looking car in person than on the screen. And with a highly unusual spec like this, Twilight Amethyst Pearl with the Saddle interior, it feels quite special. It's dark now and the paint really needs the appropriate lighting to come across but here are some pics from today:

It's a purplish brown pearl that should look amazing in the sun. I also don't understand why more people didn't order this darker tan interior, it looks amazing.

Couple of things that it will need soon:

- fob doesn't work, like on almost every single car I've bought this year apparently.

- poor radio reception 

- satnav screen door is missing 

- can't see how fast I'm going at night because the backlight of the speedo and coolant temp gauge is out

- pulls to the left slightly 

- brake shudder

I'm the 5th owner but it must have been owned by someone who really loved this car at one point, the excellent tyres and a Motorist sticker indicating that. I'll see if I can find someone in the forums/groups who knows more about it, the guy I bought it from only flipped it so zero history was included with the car. Maybe Lexus still has some service history?

[Surface Rust]

Well bought. When I think of these, it's not Top Gear that springs to mind, but the product placement in Terminator 3.

That's might be more to do with Kristanna Lokens'  red leather cat suit though...

[Schaefft]

22 minutes ago, Surface Rust said:

Well bought. When I think of these, it's not Top Gear that springs to mind, but the product placement in Terminator 3.

That's might be more to do with Kristanna Lokens'  red leather cat suit though...

I completely forgot about that! You are right, she did drive an SC430 and I remember liking it a lot! Maybe a subconscious memory making me buy the car 20+ years later?

[HMC]

Great interior, wonder if the first owner was indeed influenced by the T3 wardrobe? I would be 😂

[GMcD]

That interior is ooooft 😍😍

[Asimo]

I really like these, but why did they have to have that dumb roof?

 So many potentially good cars have been ruined with convertibleness of some kind.

If you don't want a roof, ride a bike! Real cars have lids.

[N Dentressangle]

Nice interior. And it's looking better the more pics of it I see.

Unpopular opinion, but I prefer it to the Jag. Fewer image problems (I'm not a pub landlord. Yet.) and I actually prefer the folding tintop. There are so few times I'd lower the hood, it's more use than a soft top to me.

[barefoot]

Makes me think of Midsomer Murders, 'painted in blood' and Linda Tyrell's very nice ankles.