i have owned two sc300 (both 92s), it is a great daily driver. My current one is really beat up with 250k+ miles on it but never gives me an issue. Starts up everyday and i make the 30min each way commute everyday. As with everything you just need to stay on top of the maintenance and it will do you just fine. They also use a lot of mk4 parts so its easy to find parts. Such as suspension pieces.

 

Al, you've basically touched on every part of the SC chassis that has issues. To my knowledge the only leather change occured in 1998 when Lexus went with perforated leather for the seats. The 92-97 leather is awful and unless it was well taken care of will crack over the years. The tilt steering is a common problem and is a result of a plastic gear being worn. The fix is to remove the gear and space it out with washer so the teeth on the gear that have never been worn are now making contact with the motor. Simple fix which should last several years.

You'll find that most SC's have gauge cluster needles that don't light up but there are several companies that can rebuild them.

The control arm bushings in the SC are softer than the Supra bushings and they'll wear out prematurely. You should inspect the bushings on any car you look at. The power steering rack bushings are also notorious for wearing out and you'll have slop in the steering. They should be replaced with poly bushings.

 

I daily a 99 SC300 with 160k miles and coming up on a year of driving 18+ miles each way to work and back, the only part I have had to replace is the starter.

Everything works in the car including the cd changer, tilt steering, sunroof, radio, gauge needles etc.

I guess I am pretty lucky.

 

had a white 1995 SC400 on new GS wheels with 150k on the clock. put over 25k on it before i sold it, nice exhaust and aftermarket stereo. felt really lazy, only thing i had to do was adjust the throttle cable. later got a new MAF sensor IIRC. smooth ride, silky engine, 1UZ is great. gauge cluster was perfect, never had any electronic problems with the car. A/C blew cold. leather was cracking and previous owner didn't care for it either, started to get grainy. had a few XF10 and XF20 LS400s, none had any squeaks or rattles- even living in the suburbs of Dallas with crap roads. the one with 292,000 miles was just as solid as the others- 1UZ is stout for sure.

 

Thanks for the info! A couple more questions:

How are the newer vvti models, mainly the SC300? Pretty peppy down low with the vvti? Any better on gas mileage?

A buddy of mine has a Solara 4 cyl vvti, and it is really peppy down low for a 4 cyl. Though the 4 cyl is a little noisy.

I assume a t-belt change on a vvti 2JZ is similar to a regular 2JZ?

How about a t-belt change on the 1UZ, pretty complex?

Thanks again,
Al

 

I've got a 99 SC300 too. VVti, and it is reasonably peppy for a stock car of its time. I've had it since 2008 - bought it with 80k miles, now has 157k on it, and I've been dailying it for the past year or so.
Issues thus far: window motor, starter, had to replace and reroute engine harness (my car is very lowered and for some reason Lexus thought running a major engine harness right over the wheel well cover was a good idea) so after a few years of rubbing it wore through and my lights wouldn't turn off. Also, had a PS belt pop, and just last week my Accelerator Pedal Position Sensor gave out (that was kinda pricey). But other than that, all good, and I'd drive it anywhere. Oh, and I also don't have any gauge or dash lights out. Mileage, on highway road trips I've gotten as much as 450 miles out of a tank (about 19 gallons), but with mixed driving I get about 330 or so (I have a heavy foot, to be fair)

 

Thanks for the info!

Were you able to diagnose the pedal sensor yourself, or did the dealer?

Is the DBW throttle response pretty crisp? I saw a review saying that it may not be, since it was in the early stages for Toyota. Personally, I hate the thought of electronics controlling that.

I was leaning towards the 98-00 cars for the extra boost of the vvti, but may look for 1997 and older to avoid the DBW BS. Sounds like a PITA.

Thanks,
Al

 

I have an independent shop walking distance from my house run by a guy who was a Lexus Master tech, so he figured it out almost immediately.
The SC section on clublexus was helpful as well.
As far as the response, it's pretty good, especially if you put the tranny in sport mode. I can tell the difference since I replaced the sensor as well. Just remember it's only 225hp/220tq, but it drives like more than that IMO

 

Ive owned 2 in the past 6 years and had my current one going on 3+.Common issues not brought up are also the ac control head bleeding(still work just cant see setting) and brittle door panels.As far as reliability there rock solid like any other toyota/lexus vehicle.

 

1998 SC300 Owner. Get the 98+ if you can. They have the better transmission and interior and of course the exterior looks way better. Other then having to do the timing belt and water pump around 90k no issues what so ever. Bulletproof cars and would highly recommend. If you were closer we could probably work out a deal for mine.

 

+1. I've also has 3 SC's. '92, '95 and '98. Also a lot of the above issues mentioned like the leaking a/c control screen, burnt out needles, etc have mostly been fixed for 98+. Overall bulletproof cars.

 

Also a small item that I don't believe has been mentioned are the trunk shocks known to give out on these cars, but they're cheap and an easy change.

 

On the SC400 in particular, the telescopic portion of the powered steering rack is more fragile than the tilt, but the 'worm gear' fix is possible that was mentioned earlier in this thread.