jeffgwaltney

so sc pros...what say you?? how is travelling and raod trips in an sc430? can 2 folks and luggage (or pet in carrier in back seat) make a 300-500 mi day trip (how about luggage if top is kept up? (2 hanging bags and 2 soft duffel bags? backpacks? - how do you pack for a long weekend or week? (im sure golf clubs are only when 1 is in the SC and placed in passenger seat?

weigh in if you have 1st hand exp...

Prasha

You will be fine if you not plan to top down

jeffgwaltney

thx P - figure you have to travel top up in SC430 til you arrive at your destination, then can unload and enjoy top down

Harold57

The trunk can carry quite a bit of luggage depending on whether the spare tire kit is there. With the top down, the storage area is severely limited but can still carry some. You always have the back seat but traveling with stuff visible in the back seat is not always the best idea due to thieves.

daSC4

iTrader: (4)

The trunk actually has a good amount storage space with the top on. I took mine from LA to Vegas with plenty of room and space for 2. Had to keep the top on until unloaded everything, then proceeded to cruise the Las Vegas Strip with the top down and man it was glorious!!!!

jeffgwaltney

thx da and harold - yes that is about what i thought

da you vegas trip sounds exactly like wed cruise - top up to location, then...TOP DOWN TO CRUISE!!

Prasha

yes, but I not do that anymore, for 300+ miles the car is noisy on freeway, the noise factor bothers me, If I am driving 2+ hours prefer a rental, but for dasc4 that's the 'da', no? we had fun today on PCH and thanks to John and Carol

jeffgwaltney

DJWLDW

Should be no problem. Back when we were full timing in our RV we took our 2003 Cabrio Smart Car to our sons house in VA for a 4 month stay over Christmas. We drove 1040 miles in one day. Based on the sons 2005 SC 430 trunk without the spare tire kit I would say that you would have more than enough room that is assuming that you don't plan on taking the kitchen sink or your clubs.

Dennis

jonas's RX

The SC can fly easily up to 95-100 but with the soft
suspension, I would be a bit uncomfortable taking her
over 100 plus.

whenever I drive on the freeway, hit 85 is so effortless
and With my new A/S Pilot 4, I think I might one day
do 100 😁

Seattle SCone

Three cases of wine, luggage, and we had very pleasant trip up coast on PCH from CA to to WA. No dog though.

OBP

Golf bag fits in the trunk if you have no spare tire kit. My dual strap light bag fits well, including a 44 inch driver. And I can put the top down too. If you have a large full size single strap golf bag, that is a problem.

grabber2

I did mine with 4 duffle bag few ago on a round trip from NYC<->Toronto. Two in the trunk and two in the back seat. No issue with top down.

SC430fun

I took my SC430 to Vegas from Los Angeles and it was comfortable enough even though it took 8 hours.. there was a shooting on the freeway and we were stuck and could not move and had nowhere do go, but thankfully we were comfortable in the car even though I am 6'4" I had my seat back all the way.. We kept our bags in the back seat, and I was able to lower the roof if I wanted to. If you are going on a longer trip and need more luggage, then the trunk will be needed and you cannot use the roof then.

When we were able to move again, I took the car to 120 with wide open road - above 100-110 the car gets floaty. One time I had it to 140 and I was actually scared and I had to back down even though the road was completely open.

I used to daily drive my SC430 and used it for work unfortunately while working for a hospital which I regret (driving up to 200 miles or so a day) since the car only had like 60k or so on it when I bought it and it was over 90k when I stopped using it for work. But I was driving the car a lot, had tools and computers in the trunk, and it worked fine and was very reliable. I just recently ran into problems with my SC430 at 106k since I am having bad luck with radiators - the old one was leaking at the top, so I put a Denso in beginning of 2020 and now its leaking from the same area which I made a different thread for. I wish the radiator design for these cars was not so shoddy.. I mean the cooling system works well and it never goes above middle of temp gauge even in 115 degree heat, driving uphill and with the AC cranked full blast.

My car sat for over a year and I was dumb not to disconnect the battery.. the battery was trashed, but when I put a new battery in it and started driving it, the AC was not working anymore and I think its a relay or something that blew since the AC compressor clutch is cycling normally when I turn it on.

RichardMor

We are expert road trippers in an SC. We have travelled the length of the West Coast on Hwy 1/101 (four times!); down the length of Idaho, Nevada and Arizona: down the length of Utah, western Colorado, New Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma. More than 50% of the miles were with the top down! Our trips typically last 3-4 weeks. The SC will hold an amazing amount of stuff! The key is flexible bags. Remember there is a lot of space above the rear valence without interfering with the trunk lid or top operation.