VJZ

iTrader: (3)

Go with the 1JZ and save on gas.

You'll be glad you did. A buddy of mine with a 400 is killing himself because of the cost of gas

Salil022

iTrader: (1)

98+ SC400...more reliable, enough power for daily driving gas mileage pretty decent, i have a 99 SC for sale myself that i don't want to sell but financial problems are forcing me...If you want to check it out , its on vehicles classifieds

SC400DAVE

I average 23-25 mpg in my SC400 all day long with a lead foot!
20-22 mpg in ECT mode!

FormosaSC

i like the sc300 with 1jz. A turboed car actually burns fuel better and doesnt waste too much gas as long as you dont get it over 3000rpm

CCC-TT

iTrader: (1)

to specify more, get a 1jz and go with a big single turbo, you wont spool up as quickly andwill save gas. I was able to get 20.8 mpg in my 1jz not spooling it up more than a couple times on that tank.

aka paco

iTrader: (15)

I honestly was in the same boat as you, i couldn't find a clean 98+ SC4 in my price range though and i came across a deal on a 95 so i went with a 95 and did a auto 1jz, rims, suspension, hids, few interior things ..

i honestly have to say although a 98 SC4 is sweet and looks newer with the updated body, i must say after driving a sc4 it doesn't even compare to the fun of my 1jz, when i did my 1j swap i replaced as much as i could, with new oem parts so i would definetly say my car should be pretty reliable and i still have AC, cruise, ps .. if you have 10k and want a toy and a comfortable car in one package go with the 1j sc..

1jz's are dirt cheap i picked mine up for 1k at Jhot and bought a spare transmission local for 150, and you can always reuse your GE block later, mine is my only car and i daily drive it and love it..


a 98+ sc4 will probably not be any more reliable as far as the motor/trans goes, it might actually be hitting the point it needs some major maitnence even if not a 1jz with new parts on it shouldn't give you any trouble and if you run into any problems 1jz stuff is pretty dirt cheap.. i would keep the stock twins as well, if your not making big HP it's going to feel slower then the stock twins IMO.

Brendon

iTrader: (1)

I know you'd expect a small 2.5L 6 cyl to be more fuel efficient than a 4.0L V8, but that's not true in this case. Toyota designed the JZ series with wide-angle performance DOHC and the UZ with narrow-angle economical DOHC. That's why the UZ's acronym is 1UZ-FE, while the JZ's is 2JZ-GE, or in your case 1JZ-GTE. My 97 SC400 can average over 30 MPG on the highway (at the speed limit), and it doesn't even have vvti. None of my friends believe me that any 8 cyl engine could do that, but its true. With vvti, the 98 SC400 will be even more responsive and fuel efficient than my 97', and it'll blow the JZ out of the water (or rather gas).

SC400DAVE

Hard to believe, but true. The SC400 gets outstanding mpg!

CCC-TT

iTrader: (1)

this is all speculation, and who really drives the speed limit on the highway? Based on facts, the 1jz will do better on gas, has more performance potential, and parts will be cheaper. This also doesnt include how much easier it is to work on a 1jz than a big *** 1UZ in the Sc engine bay, and the FUN factor of the 1jz.

aka paco

iTrader: (15)

I agree with CCC-TT here, the 1jz gets better gas mileage then the 2JZ, and you cannot compare the fun factor of a 1jz to a 1uz, the 1jz is also easier to work on, your going to spend alot of $$$ to make a 1uz as qwk as a bpu 1jz as well..

Brendon

iTrader: (1)

Yeah, if you're a tuner, but if your just looking for a daily driver, the 98' SC400 wins out. Its more than fast enough, pretty fuel efficient (19/25 MPG), and reliable. Its a great grand tourer. Why would you want to spend all that time and effort on a swap for a daily driver?

As for the fuel efficiency of the 1JZ-GTE, I don't know how it compares on our cars, but I do know that the SC300 and the SC400 had the same EPA rating, and the stock SC300 didn't even have turbos. Unless you're going for a 1JZ-GE (non-turbo), there's no way the engine could be more fuel efficient than a vvti 1UZ-FE. Here's my highway MPG tests at various speeds (each calculation is based on 25 mile trips non-stop):

At 55: 32.5 MPG
At 60: 31.1 MPG
At 65: 30.1 MPG
At 70: 28.7 MPG
At 75: 26.4 MPG

Remember, my 97 SC400 was rated at 23 MPG highway (EPA). Even at 75 MPH, I was beating the highway rating by over 3 MPG.

shern

iTrader: (6)

One-jay-hova ftw!

Better gas mileage and much more fun.

lolololol

thanks guys. first i want GS400,but after the gas hit $4 i changed my plan to sc.
my friend told me about 1jz,(300hp 25mpg etc)i got quote the swap is $5k(include everything OC, CA) so if i go 1jz i will buy 95. after bodykit rims bluetooth steelwheels it will around 10k.

so i though sc400(or gs400) got same HP, and for resale i think sc400 may be easier for sale(i plan to change it after 1 year) gs got nicer interior,but only few sc on the street.(also better MPG)

btw i have friend who has 98 sc300 he can get 23 mpg average.

Kaydee

I have an sc400 and i'm happy...getting 2 of them makes me happy x2...get both haha