SC400 owners
 

So I've been looking around and im very curious about the Lexus Sc400.
I was wondering what the pros/cons of owning and maintaining one of these is!
thanks

cons : gas consumption.

Anyone know about more mechanical wise? transmission, engline? big problems?

toyota v8 = bullet proof

the 1UZ-FE is bulletproof as is the transmission… i've seen these with well over 500,000km and still never had the heads off or the transmission apart…

one thing you'll notice is that upper ball-joints (comes as a control arm assy) need to be replaced every 150-200k… aside from that… these cars are pretty much corolla like reliable…

dash cluster bulbs and needles tend to stop working after 20 years tho…

I owned a 92 SC400 for 3 years. Great car!
All I had to fix was front wheel bearing and front sway bar end links.
No other mechanical issues.

My only complaints about the car:

Heavy doors. On some cars the hinges are failing.

Not much space in the back seat or for moving anything bigger than groceries.
Backseats don't go down and the fuel tank is behind the back seats.

Dash cluster needles and bulbs do go out but there is a company that will rebuild it for you in the colors you want.

Gas mileage is not great but it is a 4.0L V8.

I've heard stories about expensive starter replacements
They're located inside the V of the engine, requiring the removal of many components to get to it...

Thanks guys! I see that there are plenty of SC fanatics! Anyone know much of a difference between the 92/93 etc. compared to the 97+? Im hearing that its mostly just the VVti and 5 speed auto transmission

There were some minor body changes. 95-96 got a different front bumper and tail lights
97+ Got a nicer front bumper, side skirts and door caps, rear bumper, and the nicest tail lights IMO.

How bad are these on gas? Saw the 92/93s go for pretty cheap on craigslist awhile back.

I got one, its a project tho haven't driven it yet, soon though :)

few years back I was seriously considering one of these, I probably went to see 10+ of them. ALL OF THEM were beat in some ways, either it was poor body condition, ripped leather, cluster/ lcd out, or damaged ac vents, door panels.

just seems like all of the owners neglected them.

pros is I guess they are pretty bullet proof if its been well kept,

cons is finding one in a worth while condition to buy and since its a slush box gt car, you better be happy with the power cuz trying to extract more out of the v8 adds up very quick and it won't be a high hp monster.

Very true. Not much support for the V8. I put a Nitrous Express 150shot wet kit on mine :D Fun times!

I've owned 4 of these cars, a '92, '95 and two rare '99's (they only made 905 1999 SC400's) - I kept them all in immaculate condition. My current one is a black '99 with only 80k (for sale in the classifieds unfortunately). I've got a bunch of performance and handling mods done to it, and its by far the funnest car I've ever driven. Only thing its missing is a manual transmission (which I'm looking into swapping in if I end up keeping it) which would essentially make it the perfect luxury sports car for me.
IMO I wouldnt even look at pre 98 SC's as the power difference, drivability, and small upgrades around the car make it a night and day difference with older SC's. The upgraded vvt-i and 5spd transmission really bring the car to life. The bolt-on mods I've done to mine serve to do so even further (the Supra LSD = WOW!).

As far as maintenance, what everyone else said is accurate. Keep up with regular maintenance and you shouldn't have any unexpected surprises (as long as you buy a well-kept one). The SC does have its share of small common issues; stupid things such as failing trunk shocks, yellowing headlights, etc. all of which can be easily fixed if you follow the many detailed DIY's on ClubLexus.com.
As far as modding, this will decide whether you buy an SC400 or an SC300. The 400 has decent power out of the box, with a few bolt-on mods (things like BFI, headers, etc) which bring it to life - my 400 has pretty much everything available done to it minus a tune. However if you're planning on highly modding it then I recommend the SC300. The 2JZ obviously has a multitude of mods (turbos, etc) available, if not swapping a 2JZ-GTE or 1JZ-GTE completely (not saying you cant do the swap on a 400). Basically any mod available for the Supra is a direct bolt-on for the SC, as well as stock TT parts (breaks, suspension, LSD, etc etc). The list is endless.

Anyways, if you or anyone has any questions about SC's then feel free to shoot me a PM. I'm quite active on ClubLexus and can steer people in the right direction if they're considering an SC. I dont mind showing you mine if you want to see what the 98+ models have to offer.

I have a soarer, Exact same car but has a 1JZ and its RHD I love the car a lot but it does suck the gas up.

had mine for 3-4 years. For me its a mid luxury powerful V8. Interior is very comfortable and well designed. Unfortunately, I’ve had problems with low engine pressure..maintenance at dealership is ridiculously expensive. If I would have to do it again I’d probably go for SC430

dont hate on the video lol I sold the vehicle in 09’


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2n3I...ma::spamarama:

To the best of my knowledge they're considered one of the most reliable cars made and the 1UZ won numerous awards in its day. Supposedly the biggest "problem" is the transmissions tend to go after 500,000 miles (miles not km).

I have an ls400, which has the same drivetrain... Love the motor/trans. It's butter smoothe.