Neil E

If you have the tools, it can certainly be done. The 3UZ on the SC430 is a little easier than the 1UZ on the LS400 or Soarer. I would say 4 hours would be a very quick time for one person. I would pay for Lexus parts at a dealer and find a trusted mechanic if Lexus want to charge too much.

Some details can be gained on line for free, there are also subscription services that provide known service history, number of owners, and details of accident damage, finance owing, etc. It's had a few issues to resolve in recent years. Looking at the history, the front and rear tyres are wearing on the insides so perhaps an alignment check should be done if it hasn't been done by the dealer.

Rest assured Malc, that SC430 is a very lucky car. 🤣

The 03 blue SC430 has only had minor issues and advisories throughout its MOT history. I never like to see cheap tyres on a performance car, that always speaks to me about the owner or the dealer selling it but from the pics it looks in reasonably good order. The later 6 speed would be my default choice as it's a better newer car but I can't see where it's being sold or any details about it to make a remote assessment.

Ah yes I've seen that bill for the reluctor rings. Just didn't join the dots.🤣 Go gently with the error 4 as I don't think I have the old head unit, it could be mislaid in the depths of the big shed but I think it was the only item stolen from the garage a little while ago. I do have a spare double din Alpine HU (no good to you) .....and half an original 2006 SC430 in the normal shade of grey. 🤣 Paint to the sill in that colour should be easy enough. Bits of the interior appear to need some unclebob rejuvenating treatment but the leather seats looks pretty good in the pics. The grubby seatbelts are always a pain and the speaker grills just gather dirt. I didn't bother trying to restore them I just bought new. I think they were £180 for all 4. Beige mats no longer available but the speaker covers were.

Oh no the Lexus police are back on duty with a new squad car. Good to have you back Bob. It looks a nice example. I assume it's clean underneath, what needs to be done before the next show?

My SC was always a project Soarer and a car to be used and enjoyed. I just didn't realise how long it was going to stay with me. It's fun but you have to be prepared to write off significant sums. Looking quickly over the spreadsheet, in round figures for my car £4k exhaust, £5k audio £5k bodywork, then wheels, brakes, suspension £5k. That doesn't include any allowance for my labour and you begin to see what some of those cars must have cost to build, maintain and detail.

Yes £400 ish + parts, about 5 hours work for someone quick who does it regularly. Purchase the parts from Lexus/Toyota and use a trusted mechanic. I can recommend one in Sussex by the Sea.

Yes a 50+ page build thread and north of £21k on additions and modifications so far. 🤣 I do think a build thread backs up a good service history. A prospective buyer looking at Glyn's thread would, I'm sure, be assured that it has been well cared for 😇 and the next owner of mine has comprehensive evidence that it has been thoroughly tested and abused.🙃 Returning to the theme of the thread, I recall LOC Europe/Germany had a nostalgia thread where contributors put forward notable SC430 from around the world. So looking further afield, a few more candidates in the customised category. Some of these have obsessive owners. Purple Lexon and this is SC Obsessive The General OTT Audio

It's not white but the beige/ecru interior is also known as ivory. If you want the experience to be a bit more fun then the later version is certainly worth considering. They are great cars but I think they are still a bit overpriced at present. Black interiors are much easier to maintain. The beige is hard work with heavy use and Lexus no longer make the beige mats so black is the only replacement option.

The UK resource was removed unfortunately but I've found an old link for you. WIL 44 and a couple more. Coventry Dr Will HCW MR2 Meet

Glyn's car is another stunning low mileage example. Blue again. This is how to make it your own without going overboard. Some of these are so well kept with not so much as a bonnet stone-chip, I would be afraid to use them and that defeats the object of enjoying the car for what it is intended to do. After owning two of the earlier Soarer models and moving on to other V8 Lexus saloons, the course of WIL 44 convinced me that with a little 'help' the SC430 could be more like the car I wanted so in the early days this was the car that I followed.

LT09BXH Later dark blue / black leather M888VMG Blue/beige @unclebob 's second immaculate SC. SC03HAN Blue / beige was CFs of Sleaford - not on here. WIL 44 Blue/black Steve's Seen in a few threads on LOC and all over the internet for many years. They can be seen in the various good and not so good you-tube videos of past events at Coventry, Sleaford, Hatton Country World and even Bluewater.

UK cars only - Nominees Most Iconic WIL 44 - tastefully enhanced and a UK pioneer for modifying the SC430. Best original condition LT09BXH Winner LW meet 2019 Judged by the MR2 owners club officials M888VMG Runner up LW meet 2019 (runner up by the finest of margins) SC03HAN Winner SC430 Meet 2021 All of these are or were, low or lowish mileage vehicles. All are blue.

Needs to be seen but it appears to be a genuine car with a few minor niggles and some paintwork to sort out. The audio door fault will probably be an easy fix - dodgy switch connection at the back of the ash tray. @Mossypossy you may want to try a later SC430 with the 6 speed box, etc. Equipment levels and standard suspension/handling are a bit closer to the GS.

Do you mean run the car or run the road? I'll pass on running it on foot but it's one of the better driving roads in the UK, some would argue the very best. I'm not sure the front end of that batmobile would survive some of the dips and tricky bits at speed but then again the SC430 is quite low and that coped okay so you may be okay to don the cape and roar out of the bat cave.

Make sure you document progress with a build thread. 🙂

Wrong car but mountain roads are more fun.🙂

Spend a bit, save a bit and afford yourself a little smile that you found the SC430 to have some fun with.

They are all manual lift but I think someone in the US was trying to fit a switched boot lid actuator but I don't recall it being completed. I would be very interested in it with the extra weight of mine.

I think history confirms the LC500 is really the latest generation V8 Soarer. Based at 'GS' level and aimed at a slightly different market, the SC430 was a slight deviation in the line as it lacks some of the very best tech and extra luxury fitments of its time but it is still a Soarer.

There are so many options, it just depends very much on what you want for the car. It's probably worth searching previous threads on wheels and if you want to go aftermarket, scroll through the thousands of images on the internet for SC430 alloys to find what you like. There is a set of the later 2006 onwards original alloys on ebay or you might find an owner with a spare set. As per the set on ebay they usually need a refurb so add around £70 per wheel for that. If you want to go from 18" to 19" and or wider or change to a staggered fitment check here to make sure they will fit.

We were expertly marshalled as I recall. Missed it this year as I was working up the road in Birmingham all weekend and 'making do' with the GS. With a few new members, I wonder if there might be any interest in an Autumn meet?

Do you have any pics of the car?

That makes perfect sense to preserve the original mats but at his own car show where it's being judged on interior, CF said he didn't like the original beige mats so I marked him down for that. 🤣 It was still the best car there.