Can someone here explain why there are so many of the IS convertibles that are for sale with rebuilt titles? Seems like every other one I come across has a branded title. The second question is, ISC or SC430? Which would you search for and why? The third question is, 250 or 350?

 

No idea regarding the rebuilt titles, that does seem odd indeed...

SC430 vs ISC - for about 5 years my wife and I owned both a 2006 SC430 and a 2012 IS350C. I would say the ISC is sportier, the SC430 is more of a cruiser. In actual performance they were quite similar, but the SC430 was more of a relaxed driving car. We also felt that the interior materials in the SC430 were higher quality (not that the IS350C is bad...) which would make sense since the SC430 sticker price was in the $70K range in 2006 and the IS350C was in the $50K range in 2012. Looks are obviously subjective, but the IS350C is more practical - they both have 4 seats, but in the SC430 the back seats are useless for passengers (unless they have no legs), where the IS350C seats can actually be used if needed. With either car, but especially the SC430 you are looking at older cars, so tech will be outdated - especially in the SC430 where tech really didn't change much from when they came out in 2002. Lexus makes very reliable cars, but service records and lower milage will be very important for either model. I drove the SC430 up to close to 100K miles, and the only non maintenance item was the cable that connects the steering wheel audio etc controls went bad. We eventually decided we only needed one car so we kept the IS350C since it was newer and had the better back seats.

And definitely 350C - I test drove a 250C before we got the 350C and it just felt sluggish

Good luck with your search!

 

Most informative, but I've never thought of the IS-C as having practical rear seats. The front seat would have to be a long-way forward for an adult to sit in the back.

 

LOL - I guess it is relative... Compared to the SC430 the IS-C rear seats can work for shorter distances with a good bit of compromising between front and rear occupant, and ideally with the top down to make it easier to get in and out... In our case, if we have a single houseguest we can go to dinner or do some local sightseeing without need for another car. Anything more than that would not work...

 

It is very dangerous to sit in the rear of an open-top car

 

Not really—at least for average size people. I have been in the back seat behind my wife in the driver’s seat with it at my distance and I was not cramped or limited. I’m 5’8” but Shaq would not fit. And regarding your other post, the back seat of the IS-C is not inherently more dangerous. The rear seats are cocooned in the body and there are built in roll bars.