A 1993 Lexus SC 400 is hardly the general fare for Barn Finds. Actually, Lexus’s (or is it Lexi?) don’t make the cut often, and that’s with good reason; they’re generally not the stuff of what’s been found, languishing in a barn for years. That said, Lexus makes, and has made, some very fine cars, and the SC series is right in line with that claim. Today’s find, surfaced by Curvette, is one of Lexus’ more sporting models and appears to be a sound example. North Tacoma, Washington, is where you’ll find this 129K-mile two-door coupe, and it’s available here on craigslist for $9,200.
I’ll admit it, I had a thing for both the SC 300 and 400 back in the early nineties. The “thing,” though, as I recall, was tempered by price, and I suppose that’s the reason for no action taken on my part. Anyway, Lexus’s SC series was introduced for the ’92 model year and continued, mostly unchanged, through the 2000 model year. A redesigned version two went to bat in 2001 and lasted through 2010. The first-gen SC 400 was a single, two-door sedan (with a B-pillar) body style that managed to rack up a little under 10K units of production in ’93. The seller refers to this car as “very clean, completely stock…always been stored inside and is in great shape.” It presents well, the finish isn’t faded, and there’s no indication of body panel damage. In particular, the large, painted bumper covers show no sign of parking by ear, and the headlight pods are still quite clear and not fogged.
The interior just screams nineties Toyota – it reminds me of my ’90 Supra, and the leather upholstery of this car has held up about as well, maybe a bit better, as mine started to go south with heavy creases and cracking early on. The seller adds, ” Interior is in great condition, but there is one small rip in the driver’s seat.” All in all, it’s still very presentable.
Powering this personal luxury coupe is a 249 net HP, 4.0-liter V8 engine lashed up to a four-speed automatic transmission – it’s a proper longitudinally mounted engine driving the rear wheels. The seller tells us, “This car is an absolute blast to drive…had a new radiator and alternator about 1,000 miles ago. The power steering pump was rebuilt about 4,000 miles ago. It has next-to-new tires with about 4,000 miles on them. Brakes and struts were done about 4,000 miles ago, the timing belt and water pump were done at about 123,000 miles.” All of the conducted maintenance and parts replacement is certainly reassuring!
Well, time marches on. While I don’t think I’d be too interested in this car, or its lesser SC 300 sibling today, I’m certain there are those who can appreciate this mid-sized coupe, which harbors a V8 engine and drives the rear wheels – a layout not found too often today. With a dearth of potentially future collectible cars having been produced in more recent times, is it possible that this Japanese coupe could be an appreciating member of a new generation?
I’ve always loved the styling of these coupes and with a V8 engine and the right exhaust system would make a fun driver.
I could daily drive that sucker. What a beautiful original cared for Lexus that still has another 100k of life in it. What a pity I am not in the US or I’d be all over that like Trump on orange.
I own a low mileage SC430 but would love to add an earlier addition to the fleet. With proper upkeep this will last another 100K . The models to have are the 300’s, 6 cyl with a 5 speed.
TOTALLY agree, Bigcat! Back then I was working for Lexus (corporate) and drove several iterations of these. My absolute favorite was an SC300 with a 5 speed gearbox. I had it as an assigned company car, and got in trouble with the vehicle supply department for keeping it too long. Wonderful car and good memories.
Just a great car at the right price.
Popular w the drifting crowd 🏁
I owned a 1992 SC 400 which I bought from my dad (original owner) in 2000. This was a great car which I might still have today if I had not moved to Thailand. Quality, comfort and performance were top notch.
Michael Jordan’s dad was robbed and killed in one of these whilst off the road taking a nap. They caught the perps, who they traced using his cell phone.
Sometimes it is the little things that are off-putting: not bothering to vacuum the floor mats before a photo shoot? What else is neglected?
Not much if all the maintenance listed is correct.
I like the Lexus coupes, the four doors not so much. The RC series might be approachable someday like these have become. The sedans though, the older they get the more they just resemble soap bars that have been left in the shower too long.
These are really cool! I kind of considered these V8 versions of the MK4 Supra. I don’t know if they’re built on the same platform, but they seem similar to me. And these can be had at a reasonable price, unlike the MK4 Supras.
Over priced POS toyota. No excitement here
Same way I feel when I see yet another aftermarket catalog rebuilt first gen Mustang….Not really. To each his own.
“POS”?, Prince Of Sedans?
Lexus didn’t make the SC 400 until the 2000s so this has to be the LS coupe of the earlier 90s its a nice version of one though
Wrong, note the attached from Lexus.
https://web.archive.org/web/20120212224640/http://www.lexus.com/contact/pdf/1992/1992SCspecs.pdf
JO