2005 Lexus SC 430 - POV First Driving Impressions

300 hp
Engine: 4.3 L V8
MPG: 18 city / 23 highway
Curb weight: 3,840 lbs
Dimensions: 178″ L x 72″ W x 53″ H
Tire size: P245/40R18
Wheel size: 18″ diameter, 8″ width
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[@TheTopher]

This SC 430 is no longer for sale…because my mom bought it right after we filmed this 😂 Expect more videos on this. Thanks to www.butmanford.com for making it happen.

[@yay842]

Your mom has good taste in cars 🤝

[@SAMPLETEXT285]

"Butman" Ford what an amazing name for a dealership

[@ARentz07]

That is too funny. Hope she enjoys it!

[@superbros1690]

Hopefully you were the one who bought it for your Mom...that's what I would of done, Moms deserve the world!

[@CPMUNSEY]

That’s hilarious but not surprising. Your Mom has great taste in vehicles.

[@angeljaimes9703]

Love seeing people enjoy this car. Proud owner here with 260k miles on mine

[@ideaynojodas]

Impressive. Congratulations

[@slimeballinc]

how often do you gotta do maintenance in it

[@angeljaimes9703]

@@slimeballinc how often? Same as any other car. I've had a few things go bad like fuel damper and a sensor but I fixed everything myself, Toyota is very easy to work on

[@redskinjim]

MINE HAS 153 THOUSAND

[@Blassie.P]

Nice

[@2112Burchie]

You guys admiring the knob wood and high-quality build while a Bronco drives by is some good comedic timing.

[@RyuYamaguchiBX4]

My mother had one in 2006 and gave it to me on my senior year of HS. My father hated that she had a small vehicle and bought her an LX to be safer. But, it was safe enough for his son. 😂 I swear I was the coolest kid on the block back then. Really great memories with this car!

[@josephdibenedetto1079]

I'm thinking about getting one as a first car you think I'll have any issues?? barring the mechanic looks at it first and says it's all good

[@RyuYamaguchiBX4]

@@josephdibenedetto1079 I no longer have the vehicle but I had absolutely no problems with it with I sold it in 2014.

[@46HarvesterOfSorrow]

To add, the wood in the 430 era of Lexus(2001-2008ish) was supplied by Yamaha. Their Musical Instrument division. They grow their own trees to make their pianos and such. Lexus spared no expense in the LS430 & SC430. Far better finish than in any of my three LS400s. The Birds eye maple in our 2005 looks new still. And the Nav & Stereo wood covers is just awesome. Wish my 98 LS had a similar feature.

[@TonyKimtheamusementparkfan]

Nothing gets me more excited than a Lexus built V8, especially this nice N/A V8 that was also in the LS 430 back in the day~ That sounds very smooth and proper :) Plus 300 HP and 325 lb-ft of torque is still very respectable in my opinion for a 2005 car today. Older Lexus cars are always a treat, since you know they're going to be smooth, low maintenance, and just have that Toyota build quality to them.

[@joegrahe3958]

The 4.0 I had in my 94 SC was pure silk

[@weirdshibainu]

The early LS 430s were essentially hand built. Lexus knew that had to get their first luxury car absolutely perfect in order to be considered a competitor in luxury market. They lived in fear of having to recall them. They last forever if taken care of.

[@grimmerjxcts2206]

Toyota V8*

[@2ZZGE100]

LC500 is definitely its spiritual successor. Amazing how good the interior looks for something that is nearly 20 years old. Interesting how technology moves forward. Lexus needed a 4.3L V8 to get 300 HP back in the early-2000s. My 2019 IS350 F-Sport with a much smaller 3.5 Liter displacement from a V6 now makes 311 HP.

[@pascutia]

While I agree, the torque curve on these two engines is very different. The V6 makes more horsepower but I guarantee this V8 loafs around much more comfortably. They’re both great engines.

[@hades6933]

Yeah there is even 4 cylinders pumping 300hp now.

[@BandoLando]

the 3uz is capable of handling 3x the power of the 2GR you have, this is just a toyota thing where they underpower heavily built blocks to keep them extremely reliable, the UZ line up are known as million mile engines for this reason in particular

[@benjaminwiner6220]

Ideally a NATURALLY ASPIRATED engine would produce 75-85 lb•ft of torque per liter or approximately 80 lb•ft of torque per liter. 2.0 L V4 160 lb•ft 2.5 L V4 200 lb•ft 3.0 L V6 240 lb•ft 3.5 L V6 280 lb•ft 4.0 L V8 320 lb•ft 4.5 L V8 360 lb•ft 5.0 L V10 400 lb•ft 5.5 L V10 440 lb•ft 6.0 L V12 480 lb•ft 6.5 L V12 520 lb•ft And 50-70 horsepower per cylinder V4 200 - 280 hp V6 300 - 420 hp V8 400 - 560 hp V10 500 - 700 hp V12 600 - 840 hp

[@benjaminwiner6220]

4.3 L V8 should produce 344 lb•ft of torque and 398 hp to 418 hp @ 7,000 RPM

[@ryanb8736]

These had more than 300 hp. Very underrated. Change the suspension and put good tires on it, and it’s a super blast on back roads. Amazing.

[@Susucaru]

Is this firsthand experience? Looking for a fun vert atm and if so.. will pull the trigger on this 100%

[@TIMMY.2V]

@@SusucaruI have a 2004 and it truly is a awesome car to drive it’s smooth in town but a blast through turns. Highly recommend

[@africanq_ab4342]

has the interior looks of a jaguar....which i LOVED old time jaguar interiors...but this has the insane reliability, the perfect coupe

[@igeekone]

This car is hugely underrated. I had the pleasure to drive one and it was a fun experience. It's a fantastic cruiser, not a canyon carver.

[@weirdshibainu]

I think that's one of the reasons it didn't sell in large numbers. It wasn't a sports car as many might expect it to be with a v8. It is a great cruiser.

[@lynluvbil]

Just inherited my Dad’s 07 SC430… Will keep this one for the rest of my life!!! Read a lot of reviews, this one was the best!!! Thank you for sharing!!!

[@ccvr6]

These father/son videos are straight up gold. Love this 👏🏾 👏🏾

[@lpflood]

Great video. This was really the golden era of Lexus.

[@ztech4k969]

What a surprise to see this car on here. I got mine as a first car last year and I was really excited to see how I could prove top gear wrong. Unfortunately, I could not find a single review of the car from any top reviewers (very few here and there) which I was really sad about, so I was really happy to see your video here. The car is a freaking tank, can run forever, you feel like James Bond sitting in it, and to go fast you just need a pedal modulator. Thanks for the video guys!

[@gettcouped]

My dad bought a 1993 SC400 brand new. What a car this thing was. We used to own a mechanic shop back in the day and the way they presented it in the showroom was perfect for us. You walked in and there were mirrors on the floor underneath the car. This showed us perfectly, as a mechanic, how well built the chassis was. My dad was so impressed he even got on the floor and crawled under just to admire the engineering. The car was insanely reliable with the only a issues being control arm bushings in the front after about 130k miles. The other issue would be the door card up on the top would crack on both doors. Finally, the backlight and needles of the cluster would go out. Had a guy in the neighborhood who specialized in repairing the door cards and on EBay you could send out the cluster and they would rebuild all the lighting to the color of your choice. Of course I did green lights to match the exterior. Looked great after that. Absolutely loved that car. Another cool thing, we were shopping against the Eldorado (which was overall faster) and the Mark VIII. The other thing about the SC400 was that it was the fastest BY FAR between 50-70 MPH. The car was almost a full second faster there than the Eldo. So anytime you were getting on the highway this thing absolutely FLEW because of that perfect gearing for highway merge. Also it was rear wheel drive where the Eldo was front and I forget what the Mark VIII was. And yea smooth isn’t the word for this vehicle.

[@jml9550]

Had a 1992 SC400 as well, sold it a long time ago with 155k miles in her. Still missed her, will probably pick up an LC500 soon once my sons goes to college in a couple of years.

[@DanielChristopher96]

My fave car of all time.

[@chettylewis]

these sc’s are always super cool

[@arow4096]

I love how this guy reviews Lambos, Porsches, Ferraris and is absolutely gawking over this '05 SC430. Lexus for the win

[@ideaynojodas]

One of my favorite lexus ever! Beautiful.

[@donnamicci9996]

I've been driving that car since 2001. I've had four of them. The one I am presently driving is a 2004 that just turned to 62,000 miles. For 22 years I've been driving the same car and honestly I have had hardly a problem. Incredibly reliable, smooth as silk and still a great pleasure.

[@CPMUNSEY]

My friend Kevin dad bought a champagne gold one brand new in 05. He use to let me drive it and I was always impressed with its build quality and effortless power. There are still quite a few of these on the road here in the Knoxville,TN area. Great cars still to this day.👌🏽🔥🔥

[@ryanb8736]

These were such great engines. I had a GS400 and 430.

[@ndenkha]

It's amazing how every button is like new and still working, that's the testament to Toyota's engineering.

[@devonwhetenhale8828]

I love my 2005 with 74k. What's interesting about that car is the weight shift you feel at high speeds when the top is down. It rides more balanced with the top down. Thanks, guys.

[@djzaki]

My neighbor growing up bought this. As a kid I was amazed. It was silver and was just absolutely proper luxury. He ended up selling it and I was so mad I didn't grab it when I had the chance.

[@michaelsteele8515]

I lived in Palm Beach County FL in 2006… these were everywhere there at the time. I always referred to that area as the “Land of Lexus”. I always thought they were a cool, unique design.

[@noelsaw]

I bought my SC430 there a few years ago. Now it’s at 200k miles. It’s a great car! If you can resist doing paint and body work on it and just stick to fixing mechanicals, it’s a good deal. Also I think the hosts said it was $50k brand new but I think it was more in the $60k range.

[@FlowmasterStang]

Of course isn’t palm beach the wealthiest place in florida?

[@wthutch7882]

The wood on the thumbnail immediately caught my attention… only early 2000s Lexus’ could be so easily recognizable from the interior wood trim.

[@aleppo1]

Duo Topher videos are becoming my favorites, great car.

[@pascutia]

Very cool! I think JC’s assessment was very off with this car. As long as you don’t get the run-flats that some of them came with, I imagine it rides beautifully. If one wants a quick, refined daily and the place of residence is in a warmer climate this would fit the bill really nicely. Very nice engine and interior.

[@2014xtep]

Awesome video! Nice to see you guys review this type of iconic cars from the past. I love old cars and I always wondered how good the Lexus SC430 was. I owned a Lexus SC300 coupe and I loved it.

[@jeretso]

Red and Gold. Looks great. The old bright interiors look so much better than the standard dark interiors nowadays where your camera has trouble focusing on the dark hole camouflaged interiors. Even at 2x speed I can see into every nook and cranny of the tan interior.

[@Dav37D]

They're totally solid and well engineered! I loved my LS 430 with the same engine.

[@marcinhernik1270]

Lets not forget these were used in touring car championships

[@SerPurple51]

These were always interesting looking cars. Not my flavor particularly, but not a necessarily bad looking car. And seems to have held up very well as typical of Lexus/Toyota. Oh and as a Floridian, I can attest to seeing these all over still.

[@RSTI191]

Phenomenal vehicle. Test drove an 04 yesterday. Driving this car is like laying on the beach in the warm Sun..

[@theperfectkingcake4374]

Did you buy it?

[@RSTI191]

@@theperfectkingcake4374 No, but will get one eventually. I went to a dealership buy a BMX Z3, (looked at a few) the 430 was there, I drove it for the helluva it, (first time in one) I couldn't believe the interior, build quality of the interior, design, overall engineering. Interior, Those seats!, the leather used, is on par with a Bentley. The car could have used a tad more horse for being an 8 cylinder, but overall great vehicle. It had 179K on it. Looked and handled brand new. I drove a Porsche 996 Twin Turbo for years, the 430 is excellent car. They last forever with practically zero issues. It's a no brainer.. The only reason I went with the Z3 is I wanted a 2 seater roadster for the twisties where I live in the Tehachapi mountains... Amazing handling with the Z3, I just wish it had a 6th gear for highway driving

[@RSTI191]

@@theperfectkingcake4374 Take 2 with my initial response, I don't know what happened. No. I went to the dealer buy a BMW Z3, the 430 was there too. Drove it for the helluva it. Blew me away. I went with the Z3 as I've been looking for a while and wanted a roadster, Z3 has excellent handling, steering was on par with my previously owned 996 Twin Turbo, but that's for another time. The 430 is an excellent car- the interior, The interior quality, design, THOSE SEATS!, THAT LEATHER, the interior build is on par with a Bentley- yep I just said that. The overall engineering is superb. I forget the Japanese designer, amazing job all around. The only 2 things, I would say they weren't issues or a deal killer: It could have had a few more horses for an 8, steering could have been a little tighter. But then, it's not a sports car. It's a cruiser.. and they last forever and practically bullet proof. I'm hoping to obtain one down the line. You won't go wrong if you get one.. Go to Car Car complaints.com and take a look at what isn't there - a million complaints

[@the_dietcam]

This is the only car I'm considering getting after I'm "done" with my 98k mi '97 SC300. We'll see how gas prices are in 15yrs...

[@gbrkura4467]

This SC430 is becoming popular on the used car market as Japanese enthusiasts are buying it back. Because it is an early Toyota Lexus model, Toyota has built it very carefully, so if you take good care of it, you can drive it for a long time. Please take good care of it.

[@fishinmagician89]

Bought my wife one, she says it’s the best car she has ever had. And she never cared about cars before

[@forceuser609]

as if the price of these weren't already ridiculous, thanks for making it even more popular.

[@user59371]

If you can’t afford one, that’s on you buddy

[@mmcin719]

I own one and it is a beautiful car, a great long distance tourer. Jeremy Clarkson is a publicity seeking wanker. Ths SC430 shape has aged very well the interiors are very high quality and do not deteriorate like many cars.

[@samuelegunlusi1017]

My favorite Lexus ❤.

[@Cz007_]

That creamy smooth engine was shared w the flagship Lexus LS 430 during that year.

[@garymingus9550]

Great review! I own a beautiful black/black 2005 SC430. You only missed a few fun details. … the mirrors adjust downward when put in reverse (to see curbs and lined parking, also there’s two storage compartments on arm rest (one locks) and a 3rd behind for CD storage. Individual heated seats, and it should have a Bluetooth phone buttons on the left steering column! Fabulous car! Use Michelin tires and give it love. I’ve got 267,000 miles on mine. Dream car 😊🫶🏻🙌🏻

[@cyclixz5381]

ngl i love thethoper giving passenger seat impressions, y’all should do it more often

[@arthurfranz5653]

I pick mine up in Naples FL this coming Friday AND I CANT WAIT

[@EdwardBoicourtIV]

The best part about these cars besides the reliability is the sound. As with all Toyota V8s a simple muffler delete really brings the sound up.

[@aujeoaurko5807]

Loving these older cars.

[@gkkes]

I have one and everyone remarks about the lack of room in the back. Well, some insurers levy a 2 seat premium, so insurance is less. The area becomes a very luxurious luggage bay, and don't forget the rear seat headrests are explosive roll bars...

[@AlexSchwartzATV]

I've got the GS430 with the same engine. I like it more than my 2jz for sure.

[@Jay-sb2xs]

My favorite Lexus

[@617michel]

Purchased an 05 Egyptian Sand Pearl with cork interior in February. I love the car like crazy.

[@1508matt]

Just sold my Red SC430 (yes I live in Florida) it was a great car and I believe it made its way up to Ohio.

[@762OVERLORD]

You need to hold the top button longer to have the small windows go up... That would make it way more quite

[@oqhr]

What a gorgeous wooden interior. Better than Bently, Mercedes and BMW

[@rahimi4762]

Not better than handbuilt Bentley. The use more expensive wood that goes thru a big process. Exotic woods

[@Allcarnews]

1:18 I see where the new AMG SL got this feature from

[@basedondennis]

IT'S MY CAR!!!!!

[@m3chan1zr]

I believe you can get a Grom kit which allows Apple CarPlay and android auto on the factory nav display. Also, I find this generation of navigation to be very responsive and usable to this day on older/existing roads. Better than many new systems I’ve used

[@_Username__]

OMG THIS IS GORGEOUS

[@bwcastillo]

I still see so many people driving these as daily’s down here in Florida

[@weirdshibainu]

I think Lexus was in it's prime in this era. They looked distinct and had a cache about the brand. Not so much any more.

[@cajunsushi]

I have a 2007 with 110,000 that I bought 2 years ago. Very unique as I’ve only seen a couple in my area. It was called the Jewel of Lexus. Ps, if you keep the toggle down after the beep, the widows go up.

[@micahf0]

This channel is interesting, I never know who to expect in the videos lol

[@JDMintegraVTEC]

My 2008 TL Type S still had Cassette. As well as DVD-Audio for those audiophiles! Great review. I hope to see a 6 speed manual 3g TL Type S review in the future. I think it is has the best sedan interior design of its time by far.

[@ryanb8736]

Search for videos on these with superchargers doing burnouts. Sound insane.

[@amd1055tify]

SWEET RIDE

[@wallochdm1]

When you back up, the mirrors automatically point down so you can see the curb, then return to the previous position. Very smooth car. They don't handle really well, but they were never designed to be a sports car. Listening, Top Gear?

[@dawnpoint]

Put some beefier sway bars in these Lexus cars and they actually handle decent. I have a GS430 with upgraded bars, and it’s no chassis-feel-masterclass, but it loves to be hurled around and it just feels so solid doing it. Plenty of fun while being bombproof.

[@Orangematz]

I have the LS430 which uses the same powertrain and it still drives like it is brand new.

[@ARentz07]

I love that all the interior features have "doors" hiding them. 😂

[@warkos3591]

What a classy car!

[@robing9278]

The wood is birds-eye maple. Very nice!

[@reverbandchill]

Chris, you can probably fix the roof rattle with some Gummi Pflege and white lithium grease, fairly easily.

[@ENT_PRESTIGIOUS]

Pretty nice car ngl, really like the motorized features and a proper solid roof

[@02_uw70]

THE TOPHER REVIEWED MT DREAM CAR

[@seb5945]

32:39 "Similar tires." Ture, they're all black, close enough.

[@Lexus_SC]

Just bought one after owning a es350 my 03 sc430 is wayy more smoother it took me by surprised.

[@InterstateRaziTV]

The interior is so nice even by modern standards.

[@arow4096]

2000's lexus interiors are far more quality than most new car interiors. New stuff is just cheap black plastic, fake leather and glossy screens

[@FlowmasterStang]

This was lexus flagship car after all

[@baileybrewer1172]

I recall James May describing it as a “bucket of warm wallpaper paste”

[@TheShakir98]

its an excellent car, my only complaint is the suspension setup. Isnt as comfortable as a GT car should imo. Took me a time to get used to the semi stiff ride over the bumps, even without the run flats

[@danielchristopherdc]

Swap in some quality Coilovers and you’re good to go

[@reverbandchill]

It’s amazing how similar the exterior looks to the R171 SLK, though I think the SLK looks better. Lots of similarities, down to the headlights. The steering wheel even isn’t far off, especially if you compare the very similar wood option steering wheel from the SLK (though the SLK’s wood is a much darker one).

[@JM-tb1fp]

How come you can read my mind, I think of particular car then you have a video for it several times already XD Thanks for your amazing video as always

[@jindip9409]

We need a ls430 video if it hasn't already been done.

[@danielchristopherdc]

The Japanese Bentley 🤌🏼

[@infidel900rr]

Always wanted to mod one of these with some quality coilovers, an LSD, and proper wheel fitment. Luxury power-slider.

[@gage4375]

My 18 yr old said same thing ,the brakes are fantastic,she said with a smile😂

[@oluwanifemiogundeko7132]

What a beautiful car

[@matthewthedude146]

Fun Fact! the SC 430 was the last car that had a factory cassette player!

[@Idk_about_anything]

Hello, 👋🤗 im interested in the SC430, but wondering if the facelift model is worth it, its hard to get a facelift model in the UK without falling into the high tax band. In your opinion is the prefacelift model good enough 😮 especially the 5 speed transmission which was replaced with a 6 speed in the facelift

[@mapauich]

it's cool with a porsche cap in a lexus car

[@brq44]

The interior gives me Bentley vibes from the Azure you drove that had 50,000 miles.

[@mrjjthor]

These cars lowered with some nice wheels are definitely eye catching. It's also a great cruiser too and can be had for pretty cheap.

[@richiesworld1]

This with a manual would be sick🤙🏾

[@danielchristopherdc]

There’s a manual swap kit made by XAT racing

[@noneed4me2n7]

No spare on these they had run flat tires that road terrible from the factory that everyone said were crap. Love these and am considering one in the near future.

[@IlIIIllIlIllllIlIlll]

this car is awesome

[@durdicamac9662]

There are several hundred of them missing in the GB. Top Gear guys are probably collecting those in secret garages...

[@TheyCallMePDub]

Nice video. You say this is a heavy car by comparing to the new M2, but this being a luxury vehicle and the M2 is supposed to be a lightweight sports car, isn't that quite a compliment for this vehicle? I realize it is older and newer cars are heavier in general, but 3800 doesn't seem too bad for a V8 luxury convertible coupe.

[@4.N.A.M]

Such a great GT car. If the styling was a bit more conservative I would definitely be looking to purchase one. Still might...

[@bpearr8266]

I would say the styling is quite conservative compared to its competition at the time

[@4.N.A.M]

Actually, I'm chatting shit. The only thing that really rubs me the wrong way are the headlights on the 2001-2005 models, and that is fixed with the mid-cycle refresh.@@bpearr8266

[@kgisabeast]

@@bpearr8266maybe just not in bright red like this one

[@mbank3832]

pls do a 2007 Lexus GS

[@UESide]

Designed to remind us of the French Riviera! If I squint I can see that.

[@adoniss8404]

other than the cheese colored wood, I love it