Japanese Car Auction Find – 2008 Lexus SC 430 Convertible

Yesterday we saw a cool new teaser from Lexus for a new convertible they plan to reveal next week at the 2014 LA Auto Show. The new show car is called the Lexus LF-C2 Concept. While we still don’t have any clue as to what exactly the concept will be, one of the possibilities we stated was that the LF-C2 could preview a revived Lexus SC 430 convertible concept.

Naturally, that got us thinking about the old Lexus SC 430 today we quickly dug into our Integrity Exports Japanese car auction database to find this silver beaut’ up for sale:

This is a 2008 Lexus SC 430 hard-top convertible in classic metallic silver. Interestingly, the SC model made its debuted in Japan just a few years before, at the end of 2005, and it was actually the first car sold under the Lexus marque in the automaker’s home market. As a 2008 model, this would’ve been the most up-to-date SC 430 available in Japan. The only more recent model would’ve been the limited edition SC 430 Eternal Jewel, which was a 200-unit production run in 2010 to celebrate the SC’s last year alive.

Looking a little closer at this particular Japanese car auction find, we can see that it’s in pretty good condition. The overall rating is a 4.5 with a B-grade interior, and only a few minor scratches(A1 and A2) across the entire exterior. Speaking of the exterior, be sure to note the sleek, inlaid twin-spoke alloys that Lexus put into this second-generation model. Looking at this car, it’s easy to see why long time Toyota fans are still hoping for a revival of this car.

Under the hood, it becomes a little clearer why the SC 430 got axed; it’s a bit of a gas guzzler. The massive 4.3L V8 engine sitting under the hood is plenty strong with 288hp, but you pay the price in fuel economy… The convertible gets 16mpg city and 23mpg highway. That being said, drivers everywhere agree the SC 430 has a remarkably quiet and well-crafted interior, plus buttery smooth driving dynamics. So, as Edmunds originally wrote in their 2008MY review, you’d do better calling this a luxury cruiser than a true sporting roadster.

Nonetheless, the luxuriousness of the interior shouldn’t be understated. We’re talking heated leather seats, a modern all-black color-scheme, built-in navigation, plenty of front leg room, infotainment options, automatic air conditioning and more.

All in all, this certainly isn’t the greenest car Lexus has ever made, but there’s slim pickings for hard-top convertibles; especially ones as reliable and plush as this 2008 Lexus SC 430. Keep reading below the auction sheet for a detailed translation of the auction sheet:

“Interior B, first registered April 2008, FAT, AAC, SC430 model, original AWs, power steering, power windows, leather, original TV, original navigation system, airbag, AM radar, black leather seats, spare key, original multifunction system, some service history by Lexus dealer (6 pages), steering wheel worn, seats worn, wheels scratched, scratches and dents, marks as per map”