Learn me: Lexus SC300 5spd

Recently I came across an I6/5spd Lexus SC300 and I've been oddly drawn to it.  I like rare things, and this combination checks that box.  I like a nice smooth straight six, a manual transmission, rear wheel drive, and Toyota reliability.  But other than knowing the V8 cars sound great with their 1UZ and they have some relation to a 90s Supra I don't know much about them.  Can they be fun to drive, like a heavy E36?  Or is it more of a slow lumbering grand touring car?  I've seen a few getting eaten up by Lemons/Chump racers so they can't be that bad.

Def a GT car that can share parts with mkiv supra. That's a clean car in the picture. 

Future classics imho. 

They make fun to drive grand tourers. My friend had one when we were both coming out of high school. His was an automatic but it was definitely still enjoyable during canyon drives. Think more E39 (528i) in dynamics and sense of speed, than an E36/E46 if that makes sense. 

However, if you've ever driven an N/A Mk4 Supra - its almost exactly like that but "softer". 

I've owned both the 300 with a stick & the 400 auto.

The 300 power was smooth but weak through the mid range.

The 400 was a better motor by a mile, but the autobox dampened the enthusiasm a bit.

Neither car was terribly sporty, but not totally boring either. A big steering wheel & slow ratio contributed to that feel.

I'm fairly confident you can pick up the stock 2jz turbo bits off a mk4 supra (I'd try to snag some off a forum from someone who is upgrading) and bolt it on. I've never owned one though or done a ton of research into it so don't take that as gospel. But if you can, and it adds 50-60 horsepower, that would be enough to make it an extremely enjoyable car without going overboard. IMO

If you're looking for a fast, racy auto-cross car that slams your head back into the seat, this is not it.

If you're looking for a comfortable, reliable, yet pretty sporty daily driver with leather seats and Lexus build quality, this is it.

If you're looking for a good platform to convert thousands of dollars into a 600+hp turbo-spooling trans-shredding, Mustang-killing 2JZ monster, this is DEFINITELY it.

i've heard the non-turbo 2jz's have weaker rods, not sure how much weaker but if you aren't trying to make a 'I only roll race Supra' then they can probably still make decent power. Also the non-turbo jz's have a distributor vs. the turbo engines being coils, but probably isnt a huge issue.

maschinenbau said:

If you're looking for a fast, racy auto-cross car that slams your head back into the seat, this is not it.

If you're looking for a comfortable, reliable, yet pretty sporty daily driver with leather seats and Lexus build quality, this is it.

If you're looking for a good platform to convert thousands of dollars into a 600+hp turbo-spooling trans-shredding, Mustang-killing 2JZ monster, this is DEFINITELY it.

Precisely. 

I always loved these cars. 

The V8's only came as an automatic.  Is there a manual transmission that could be swapped and mate up to the V8?

Directly without a adaptor plate?  no. 

In reply to rande :

Common manual transmissions that sit behind the 1UZ V8:

W58 5-Speed, (cheap, won't hold a lot of power, but its a Toyota transmission with tons of detailed write-up support)
R154 5-Speed, (used to be cheap and plentiful, getting more expensive these days. Also lots of support)
V160 6-Speed (prohibitively expensive for most people these days)
CD09, (Nissan 350z/G35 transmissions after 05' I believe. Earlier ones had synchro issues)
RX-8 Transmission (both 5/6 speed boxes) - (Cheap, lightweight, won't hold a lot of power but will handle a stockish 1UZ no problem. 5-Speeds are stronger because they are essentially the same box as the RX7 transmission.)

None of these are "bolt-on" solutions but because they've been done so often, a lot of adapter plates are out there on the market. 

These are the current "car to have" in Champcar.

If you want one of these get a JDM version. Lighter and starts with a 1JZGTE. 

Only reason I would go with a USDM J car at this point is if I was needing to be in a motorsport class that requires the car to be USDM. The Japanese cars are cheaper, better optioned, lighter, and cleaner with less miles. This is true for every single car. 

The stock turbos on the 1JZ are sequential. It's VERY wide power band and amazing to drive. 

If this is a route you are interested in I would go to nobody else aside these people:

http://www.pacificcoastjdm.com/

They are the only trustworthy jdm importers that have had nothing negative said about them. I bought a Skyline through them and it only took me 2 weeks to get it. If you would like a very similar car that is better in every way and don't mind having to ebay parts from Canada or Australia I would suggest a Toyota Chaser, Mark II or Cresta instead. It is as comfy as the Soarer (SC300) but is hundreds of pounds lighter and has the same drivetrain options aside NA 2JZ. The only place it lacks is tire fitment which if you need to put massive tires on you pick the SC300/Soarer or Supra if you want a Toyota. 235/255 is roughly the max setup on a JZX90 without fender mods.

Of course if you ever intend on doing something like Champ car or Autocross in like SM instead of XP you would need the USDM SC300 due to JDM cars being effectively banned. 

Thanks for the information everybody.  The car probably isn't what I want to play with right now, but I've always wanted to know more about them.  I see it has sold anyway.

These are the current "car to have" in Champcar.

That sounds like bad news for everyone else.

I kinda look at them as an IS300 that handles worse and doesn't have a back seat. But i am a sucker for sedans. I like the cars ok but unless you are planning to boost the 2jz they are pretty unexceptional as delivered.