Well, after all the stops en'route on this adventure, I've got some positives and negatives about my beloved SC430:

Positives:

-After 13 hours and 850 miles, nothing is sore and I could have driven more, Kudo's to Lexus for making the seats the most comfortable I''ve ever taking on a long road trip.

-The 8cyl 300hp has been so amazing in the mountains and when needing to pass (BIG THUMBUP)

-The convertible factor is FANTASTIC and I love not having to worry about getting a soft top vandalized at a hotel overnight

- After leaving Chicago, I have yet to see another SC430 (WOW!) --but I am in Seaside, OR tonight but was suprised to not see any in Seattle or Tacoma.... go figure!


...and now for the negatives:

--- NAV SUX! Sorry, but this thing has gotten me lost several times and been just plain useless with lack of current information. It has almost no info for Montana and only listed one hotel in Kalspell, MT (which we stayed at BTW and it was even mislisted as a BestWestern -- Outlaw hotel is now a Red Lion facility) It said my cousin's house in SEattle address didn't exist (he has been living there for 7 years now) and when I got there to say MARK point, it came up with a completely WRONG address. WTF! Seaside, OR proved even more useless again with getting us lost and only listing one B&B that doesn't even exist any more. Also, the number of dropouts has been outrageous. Our handheld GARMIN does better! I have some serious doubts about wanting to fork out the extra $$$ again for a Lexus NAV if I ever buy another Lexus that is.

--- This suspenion is total crap.... sure it is a cushy ride but that is the problem.. it is too much like a Cadddy.... No wonder the Europeans hate this car so much... it is total SLOP on twisy roads out west and through the mountains. I keep hoping Gene's TEINed SC430 sells me to keep the car because that is probably my biggest gripe about the car right now!



..o.k. getting tired.. off to bed now... not sure when I'll get a chance to check in again... night night

 

Thanks for the up date. Keep em coming.
I agree yith you on the seats we took a
12 hour each way trip and it was great.
We also had nav. problems in Bolixi Ms.
What about the newer ver. we have a 2000
ver. I read some where the 2003 ver dvd is
out and cost 300.00. I think the update should
be a lot less than that. We all ready spent
1200.00 dollars.

Joe The HatGuy

 

Thanks for the GREAT commentary. Better than all the car mags put together.

Enjoy the rest of your journey.

 

Thanks for sharing your impressions, Ceboyd. I took a trip last year from Miami to Orlando and the NAV system kept trying to take me off the Turnpike (which is a MAJOR highway) and onto congested state roads. When I programed in the Portofino Hotel at Universal Studios it took me to the employee backlot. I had to ask a Universal employee for directions!

Re: the suspension, I totally agree. The V-8 is one of the best in the industry but the chassis just can't keep up. I never feel totally in control of the car when I pick up the pace. I'm not sure I'd go so far as to say Caddy, but my dad's '73 Pontiac Grand Am comes to mind. Some of the guys over at the FreshAlloy forum can't believe I'm giving up an SC430 for a G35 Coupe, but as you mentioned in an earlier post the SC makes me feel "old". The G is just the opposite. I'm sure it's a mid-life crisis thing!

Anyway, I read on the GS forum that Lexus still has plans to introduce an SC330. If they do, and if it comes with a sport suspension and a manumatic I may be back. If not, maybe the next GS!

 

Thanks for the commentary, keep us updated & post whenever you can.

Enjoy the the rest of your trip !

 

dseag2,

As much as I like (not love) my SC430, I'm waiting for Toyota to introduce the new Supra in 2005. Supposedly competition for the G35 Coupe ut more sports oriented and with a possible 350 hp V8 !

 

Well, we are in Cresent City, California tonight.. It took us 9 freekin hours of torture driving on the 101 down from the top of Oregon at Seaside... ..and it was ONLY a little over 300 miles!!!!!

This suspension is so wishy-washy on these twisties that it made us 'motion sick' and the drive has become anything but pleasurable..

We are now revising our trip to go back to the Interstate (5) instead of continuing down the coast right after we visit Redwood's national park tomorrow morning...

Fortunately I have AAA maps, guidebooks, and trip tik to help with the roads, hotel and eateries because my NAV (2000 V1) is so useless at this point... what a total waste of money for that required option IMHO!

I am actually so fed up with the sloppy ride/handling in the twisties that I am seriously considering a trade in at the next Porsche dealer we see! (YES, it is THAT BAD IMHO)

I know once we are back on the open highway going straight, all will be roses again though... ...and at home there simply isn't much of any twisty roads in my daily commute in the flatlands of the midwest BUT I wish I brought the Porsche instead on this road trip at this moment!!!

BTW: NAV drops out more than Sirius on this trip... I'd say it's close to a 30 to 1 ratio on dropouts actually. The only time we lost Sirius Signal was in Glacier national park and I blame that on trees and smoke (YES, it is burning like crazy still) not much to see there..

So we have officially put on 3228 miles as of tonight....

Did I forget to mention the tracking of the car with the stock run flats is pretty terrible too.. it seems to want to follow any rut in the road like an old 60's era tire I don't remember this happening with my non-run flats so I wonder how much is related to this darn run flat technology????? This too makes the drive less enjoyable


BTW: Thank goodness for the Injen Intake.. at least we can hear a the engine a bit when climbing the mountains at full throttle

 

Ceboyd, it sounds like you absolutely HATE this car, which is a real shame. I totally agree with you re: the sloppy handling and the NAV system, but I am by no means disgusted with my SC430. I just know that it's time to move on. I took my third G35 Coupe test drive yesterday (yes, if I'm going to give up an SC430 I want a worthy replacement) and each time I am more amazed at how much fun I've been missing.

With that said, I took the SC430 on errands today and just stared at the interior, knowing that nothing else would probably ever come close (especially the Infiniti) and that I'd have to put $thousands$ into the sound system to make it sound half as good as the M-L... but then I took a corner too fast and threw my passenger against the door...

I know, I know... it's not a performance car, so I'll just come off it and move on. I think the true frustration for we owners that criticize the suspension is that we love this car but just wish Lexus hadn't made it such a heavy cruiser. It's obvious by this forum that not everyone who has the money to afford an SC430 is looking for an LS430 with a drop-top.

 

ceboyd,

I was going to suggest that you not go so far along the coast. I know the SC may be slushy, but my wife and I drove it in Boxster S and it still made us sick too. So, don't put all the blame on the SC. You still would have had a really long trip. I disagree with dseag2 that the majority of this forum is disappointed with the handling of the SC. You guys are both more aggressive drivers and need a more aggressive vehicle. Both of you guys have defended the SC very strongly in your past posts. I think you guys are ready to move on to something else, and a Porsche and a G35 are both amazing cars. They will give you what you want. I think the SC is perfect for the way I drive and I really like the comfortable suspension. Plenty of sport for me. I mean, I know the G35 is fun, but it's pretty d--- fun pushing a button and the hardtop goes in the trunk. To each their own. I hope you have a great trip and arrive safely home.

Doc C

 

I am waiting for the feedback after ceboyd meets up with Gene. I know the Teins made a big difference in my car in terms of adding to the aggressiveness while keeping the ride comfortable. Gene has the Flex and if that is too stiff for some reason, there is still the CS. I am considering the SC430 in a few years and will definitely upgrade the suspension if the ride stays the way it is now. Just curious if that is enough for ceboyd. It is crazy that the suspension is THAT bad to the point that someone would get rid of the car because of it.

 

Doc C- You're absolutely right. My remarks have always been very positive about this car... and I still think it is a wondeful vehicle... but it is time to move on. I will still be the first to admit that there is no feeling like cruising in the SC430 with the top down and listening to the ML sound system. Even when sitting in rush hour traffic with the top up, that beautiful interior is always a pleasure to look at.

So that I don't appear negative about the SC430 or slant the opinions of other owners, I'd like to explain my change of heart. When I purchased this car, I really wasn't interested in the convertible feature. My schedule dictates that I am primarily in stop-and-go traffic inhaling exhaust fumes from semis and have very few occasions to actually enjoy top-down driving. I bought this car simply because I had owned an Audi for 8 months, the service was horrible, and I wanted to go back to Lexus. I had already owned a GS300 and the LS430 was a little too relaxed for my tastes, so the SC430 was my next alternative. I'd also owned an SC300 and was ready for a beautiful coupe to use as a daily driver with the reliability and service offered by Lexus. Taking German cars out of the equation, in 9/02 there was really nothing else to consider.

I have since acquired a daily driver (QX4) for several reasons... 1) I was racking up mileage, 2) wear and tear was becoming a problem, and 3) I was getting tired of the absolute rudeness I was experiencing from Miami drivers simply because I drove an SC430. I will stray from the subject for a minute and give you two instances... 1) I had a guy chase me down because I wouldn't come to a dead stop to let him make a right turn across 3 lanes from the left turn lane. None of the other cars stopped either, but he followed me. 2) I had guys on the other side of a gas pump pretend to clean their windshield while they repeatedly shook the contents of their squeegee on the side of my car. I could go on with tailgating instances, etc., but I won't bore you. Suffice to say, hopefully people are a bit more gentile where you live.

So there you have it. There are many reasons. But first and foremost, since I now drive an SUV during the week I really want something a bit more raucous for my "pleasure car". I'm very aware that there are other owners who are totally satisfied with the dynamics of the SC430. We are all in very different circumstances. Thanks for being so gracious in your response. The one thing I think we can all unequivocally agree on is that the SC430 owners in this forum are some of the nicest people around. CL is one of the things I'll miss most when I give up the Lexus, but I have no doubt I'll be back in the very near future!

DSeag2

 

dseag2,

I know I'll miss you in the forum. Hell, I just dropped $1,300 on Michelin Pilot Sports based solely on your recommendation!! Yeah, it sucks that people do things like that when you have a car like this. Good luck to you with the G35. It looks WAY better than the 350Z IMO. I had a satellite office 127 miles away that we drove to twice a week back and forth. I had an Infiniti I30t. I put 214,000 miles on it and you still couldn't hear it idle. I never had to do any major service to it. Just oil, tires, gas, brakes etc. I sold it to my office mgr. and she's had it for 3 years. She was coming up on 300K on it. She had to put shocks on it, and a new battery, but that's it!!! They make great cars. If Lexus doesn't get off their butt and make a better LX, I'll be buying the new Infiniti full size SUV based on the Pathfinder Armada. Anyway, good luck!!!

Doc C

 

I'm with ya, Gene, but I can't even justify having a $60K car that sits in the garage 5 days a week!

Your long-range plan sounds like mine. I figure with the direction some of the automakers are taking in making their SUV's more performance-oriented I'll trade both the QX4 (leased) and G35 (bought) at the end of 2 1/2 years and buy an SUV that does it all!

Doc C, the Michelin Pilot Sports still make a huge difference and they're still worth the $1,300! Admit it... it was great advice!

 

I don't have the Pilot Sports on yet. I'm waiting for my HREs, but I'm sure they'll both be worth it!!!!

Doc C

 

Now finishing my third summer with the car, 22,000 miles, it is off the road November-April, I run a Subaru Forester in winter. Agree the navigator can be infuriating, it will sometimes pick the most peculiar routings, if its suggestions are illogical I ignore them. On the other hand it has located tricky addresses for me. On balance I find it a plus. Am not bothering with an update. I live in NY City and the map doesn't change much around here from year to year.

As to the car in general, it is what it is and does the job it was designed for, to be a good looking high quality luxo barge. I think the handling could have been much better without damaging the car's pampering image, but if you don't try to drive it like a BMW M3 it is generally satisfactory. Anyway I am not sure that Toyota knows how to make a car handle !!

I think I can and will keep it another few years, unless something startling comes on the market. Among folding hard tops only the Mercedes is its superior, at a much higher price and with reliability and quality issues to be dealt with. The only thing that has ever gone wrong with my SC is a door hinge which was fixed under warranty. The new Caddy may turn out to be a good car but with GM's quality record we will have to wait and see - Buick has managed to get quite good, maybe Caddy will too. A big plus for the Sc against both cars is that the SC has a rear seat which holds a lot of luggage.

So overall I am quite content. BUT be sure to get Michelin Pilot Sports, I finally put them on a few hundred miles back and they transformed the car. I did not get the All-Seasons because I do not drive in winter.



I find the folding hard top