Neil E

I would take a space-saver or a full size spare if possible but I travel a lot so the risk increases. Definitely take a plug-in inflator. If all 4 tyres are the standard 245 40 18 and in very good condition and you are staying on good smooth tarmac, it might be worth the risk. In the last 160k miles I've suffered 5 tyre failures that necessitated a wheel change. In my experience a space-saver gets you to a garage or overnight stop, slowly, hopefully. A can of spray gunk isn't worth having.

Rear sensors were a dealer fit option, well known for not working. A back up cam is easy to fit and so are aftermarket sensors. I find the SC awkward for reversing, all of my bigger cars are/have been much easier.

You can bounce the back of the car to see how it reacts but how does it drive? That's the key. Almost everyone likes Meister. They are better than the originals especially old originals and they are adjustable but there are alternatives. If the standard suspension on the SC was the same as it is in the GS3 is would have been fine but Lexus set it up to be quite soft so the handling is biased that way and therefore compromised. From memory the aftermarket coilovers improved the ride and handling significantly but my addition of very wide low profiles take that comfort gain away. Just replaced the fronts on the GS with original Lexus units and they were about £360 each.

They should be fine with all of that. I had two different master techs do my recalls and it all went okay despite all of the hifi and stuff. On the first recall they also fixed a slight squeak on the steering wheel. First recall went to Guildford and the second was at Gatwick.

Well I would try that before cleaning the tubes🤣 Looks a nice example, I will keep my eye out for it on the highways of Sussex. I would be interested to hear views on a comparison with the GS.

.......I get confused with the different models but don't we push the button on the end of the stalk in the SC?

Lexus sell the pop up headlamp washer as a complete painted piece but you may need the securing clip too. Does the jet still lift and spray without the cover and so pass the MOT? Lift the armrest and the seat heater switch assembly can easily be removed for inspection by hand or with a plastic pry tool. 35.8 mpg indicates a serious connection fault with the floor pedal on the right-hand side of the footwell. 😉 This is why we stopped Bob from attending to judge any SC430 meets after 2019, every detail carefully noted, verified and points dropped. 🤣

Nice one Steve. Make sure you have a Chris Rea CD on board to choose between Driving home for Christmas and Road to Hell.

Lexus Parts Direct SKU: 48530-80244 SC430 £103.57 each + fitting Worth considering doing all 4 corners with aftermarket adjustable coil-overs too.

That may be so but I still want one. 🤣 In dark blue or black and not the rag top. An imported IS 500 - there's a thought. An alternative to a GSF.

John at Roundstone Van Centre will be able to help you. He's worked on many a V8 Lexus.

There's a garage in Angmering that can sort out all things SC430 at good rates, including paintwork.

I would allow about £350 for a decent repair to that. Some might do it for less, some would quote more. I think most sellers would take it into account when considering the price but it's always worth negotiating if you think the price is too high. If I was the seller, I would have had that re-painted before the sale.

There are selling rules to follow. When I get time I will put something up in the proper manner. The vid is a bit out of date now but it's easy to find and in the build thread which also has more recent pics. The car needs to go back to the garage for some minor paintwork in the new year when they can fit it in. After that I'll need to go over it properly to make sure it drives as it should. Then if someone wants it, I'll set it up and reset the ipad screen and the car apps, obd, etc for a new user.

I52 miles in a year says it all really so yes I would sell it to the right person but what would be the reason for removing any of the modifications? There was a time in the project when most things could go back to stock fairly easily but that was a long time ago. Hi Paul, thanks for the comment. 🙂

Yes there is a strict baggage allowance with any SC430 and it's worse in mine but there are some compensations as well as drawbacks. It's not so good if you are on a constant touring holiday but fine having a base for a few days or a 2 week, 2 base holiday as we frequently do. I rarely travel over long distances at high speed with the roof down, it's far more comfortable with it on but then you get some summer days when you can soak up the sun and enjoy the full open top experience.

Yes, it's a bit wild for an SC and yes does have a very expensive sound system that is mostly wasted on radio 2 or whatever channel has the cricket on. 🤣 I sometimes feed it some Pink Floyd but clearly not lately as I've clocked up the work miles in the GS and RX. The shortened story is in the build thread section. It's very much a fun (money pit) project car, not a nice straight-forward example of an SC430.

You know my car surely? It's a dark grey mica with beige interior.

Might be another SC with a light interior coming to the market soon. My car was MOT'd today, no advisories. The garaged did the usual service checks and top ups but refused to do the oil and filter change as the car has only done 152 miles since they last did it, last December when it was tested. 40 of those miles were driven between home and the garage. If someone can send me directions to the walk of shame, I'll take it. Very....... stylish. A neat way of collecting a car part I guess?

Better off with the SC430, boot capacity 368 litres. The LS600h only has 330 litres if the info I found is correct. Knowing how much space the hybrid battery takes up, I did a quick search on the smallest LS model.🙃

Yes a few examples including some with very nice paintwork.

Barely run in for a 3UZ.....and no mention of rust. That's a good price for a bit of summer fun if it's been properly serviced. Probably mostly easy fixes but there may be a few other tired components if the usual suspects haven't needed to be replaced so far. The drivetrain will last for a very long time without too much abuse and regular maintenance. Most of the cars in this age range, even with low mileage, are soon going to need some items like exhaust, radiators, shocks, bushes, brakes, etc.

Worth considering for body condition or a particular colour combination if you can cope with all of the differences in specification.

It's not blue but the one at Hayling Island looks nice. It says 'loved' but it hasn't had much of a life on the road so the service history counts for very little as it hasn't gone very far in 12 years to wear anything out. It's more a matter of what may have decayed, seized or perished through lack of use. If it has always been kept in a warm garage that would help. Tyres and sensors replaced, exhaust was blowing a while ago. I would be looking at shocks, brakes, radiator, bushes, belts too but £14k for a 2005 SC seems very expensive. My 2006 was £8k in 2014.

Looks good Stew. Forgiven, it's from the same outfit. 👍 Clearly has good taste. That's high octane Dufftown race fuel.