dseag2

I've been negotiating for a GS350, but Lexus quoted me crazy prices so I went with another M instead. I went with a 2-year lease, so I told the Lexus salesman I might very well be in to see him when my leases are up on my M and MX-5 because I'll be looking for a hardtop convertible. I also told him I hoped they enlarged the SC430 so it could carry 4 people. If they did it would be a serious contender for me.

He said the SC430 will be an 8-year model cycle, so no replacement until 2010. I realize salesmen are sometimes the last to know, but he seemed pretty knowledgeable. Just thought I'd throw in my .02.

Pinball

That salesman better hope he's wrong! The current SC is not fundamentally changed since its intro in Spring 2001 as a MY 2002 car. Other than the upgrade to a 6 speed tranny last year, nothing of significance has changed and there are some glarring omissions, e.g., air cooled seats, Gen 5 Nav, etc. Here it is at the end of the model year and Longo is still sitting on 20-30 new '06 cars. Have you seen the sales figures for the SC recently? They're rigfht in the toilet!

Remember, the mighty SC400 went from 250 hp to 290 hp in the last 2 years of production. No such luck with the SC430 it seems.

D-MAN63

Its better for us that the SC isn't selling that much.. We are that much more rare on the streets !

dseag2

That's one way of looking at it, but it doesn't do much for resale. It is good for you guys that the style of the car will stay current. I just hope Lexus doesn't let it die on the vine like the first gen SC. Remember, that car was introduced in 1991 as a 1992 model and ran through 2000 fundamentally unchanged. There was no 2001 model, and it was replaced by the 2002 SC430. If Lexus follows the same path, it will be 2010 before a new SC is introduced, but unfortunately the marketplace has changed.

DriftNsc3

I'm not saying anything bad against you, but I think that was a dumb thing to say. If it doesn't sell much then Lexus will discotinue the SC line and then we'll be forced to go to other companines and leave the Lexus family. Just my .02.

Ice350

iTrader: (1)

Good point. I'm a coupe man and the only coupe Lexus offers is too small for me. What a crock. That's why I had to go the the G35. I do not understand who Lexus is aiming the SC430 at...women and smaller guys? They are missing so many sales. No offense to you guys who have one, I'm just confused....and loving my G35 but missing a new Lexus coupe. At least I still have my SC300.

mjr24

Resale I thought was higher on these cars? You can easily get a SC430 for $30k with maybe 75k miles. I just sold my CL500 for $27,500 with that mileage. Difference is the SC is 65k new and the CL 95k. In other words, resale is pretty darn good for the SC still.

I also don't think much has changed in competition. The SL came out 1 year after the SC.....the 6 series came out 2 years after but doesn't even have a retractable hardtop....so Lexus is ahead there. I think the 6 and SL will be the same for a few years at least. There are no other competitors Lexus needs to change for. The only really new car coming out in the next few years is the new CL....which looks hideous. Even though Lexus had their retractable 5 years ago...how many cars have that today? The SL.....G6....in other words, the SC430 is still very much modern and will be in 2-3 years as well.

LeslieRC

I traded-in my `04 SC430 in July for a CPO `05 BMW645ci concertible. The SC had 11.8K miles, and I was able to get $45.8K for the trade after some back-and-forth negotiation. I still think the SC430 is a gorgeous-looking car and I did not have a single problem with the one I owned. However, after a test drive, it was clear to me that the SC430 couldn't match the 645 in power/torque, handling, and size. Two people can, actually, ride comfortably in the 645's rear seats. The 645's top can be operated remotely with the key and while driving the car under 30mph. I hated to part with my SC430, but I had found a worthy successor.

dseag2

You're right... the new CL is pretty hideous.

My statement re: the changing market wasn't so much referring to the competition as it was the fickle nature of coupe buyers. Since coupes are so high-style and coupe buyers tend to be style-concious a new model is hot for a while and then the market tends to lose interest pretty quickly. If you look at the sales figures for the SC430 that pretty much illustrates the point. When I first looked at the SC430 it was in such high demand there was a waiting list and dealers were charging over MSRP for used ones because you could take delivery on the spot. Same with the CLK. Over the years, sales have consistently declined because it's not the newest and hottest thing anymore. I know this happens with all new models but even more so with coupes. The one exception seems to be the G35 Coupe which continues to enjoy high demand.

Re: the competition, it is my understanding that the IS will be introduced in a hardtop coupe sometime in the near future, as will the G35. Neither will have the ultra-luxury materials the SC430 has, but I'm sure both will be luxurious enough, stylish, technologically advanced, hold 4 people and have better performance at half the cost. In a sense, Lexus will be competing with itself. I do hope they will introduce a new, more spacious SC within the next couple of years. It will be on the top of my prospect list.

Gojirra99

Well, the current SL came out one year later than the SC430, but look how extensive their recent upgrade is with the new 380+ hp engine compared with the upgrade the SC430 got last year - a 6 speed auto transmission - the SL got their transmission upgraded from 5 to 7 speed ONE year after its introduction for the 2004 model.
The last SL lasted like 12 years & I think the current one will be around for a few years more if not as long as the previous, so it makes sense for them to keep refreshing & upgrading to stay competitive.
Lexus ( & Japanese cars in general) usually have shorter life cycles for their models, but I think they either have to keep upgrading the SC (more extensively like bigger engines, more engine variations ,etc,) or switch to a new redesign after 6 or 7 years, or else it's sales will shrink to almost nothing towards the end in the U.S. like the previous SC (actually I think the previous SC was discontined in Canada after 1997 because they sold so little here)

mjr24

I actually test drove and almost bought a SC430 back in December until they tried ripping me on the trade for my CL. I never really considered the 6 series because they are depreciating ALOT and for the fact that they still have the soft top convertible. That.....I don't understand.

I think ultimately, even more than the lack of engine upgrades from 2002 until now is the SC size. It's just too small for a car that expensive. It seems more of a compact type car in the size range of a 3 series convertible or CLK/SLK....none of which are running anywhere close to 65k. I think a 3 series is half that....and the SLK is 20k less....CLK 10k-15k less. I think if the SC was priced at 10k less.....55k new, that sales would be better. A bigger one would justify 65k if not more....maybe somewhere in the 6 series range of $70k-75k. The SL is overpriced at 95k....which is why I would never buy one brand new. I see 02 SL's for 30k whereas the 03 with MORE mileage is 2x as much.

D-MAN63

I respect your comments, there is a reason why I said that, you might not agree with it, but this is the way I think..

With me, I don't care about or worry about the resale value, I don't care if lexus discontinues the SC line.. ALL I CARE ABOUT is that I bought this car because *I* like it.. I like to mod, so the fewer the SC's are on the street, the better/rarer an SC looks all modded up.

If I am the only one in the world who THINKS this way, you know what, I really DON'T CARE !!

margaux01

Well said D-Man The lesser SC430s are on the road, the more unique the car feels They just shine even brighter among other pretty cars!

Max707

How is it to small for you? I'm around 5'11" and weigh 210 lbs, kind of wide because I pump a lot of iron. I fit fine and I know if I was over 6' I would still be fine. How is a G35 bigger on the inside then the SC430? I'm not talkin about back seat room.

Max707

Your arguement doesn't make any sense? The SC430 and the SL500 are the same size. Check out the spec's. It's a Luxury hardtop/convertible sports car. How big is a 911?