From: battan@sequent.com (Jim Battan)
Subject: Lexus SC300 owner's report
Organization: Sequent Computer Systems Inc.
Date: Sat, 5 Sep 92 16:16:13 GMT

I've had my Lexus SC300 for six months and 7300 miles now, so I
thought I'd give y'all an up-close-and-personal on it.  FYI, my
previous car was an '88 Honda Prelude Si 4WS.

The rumors are true:  They don't like to negotiate ("at least we
don't add ADM like many popular-car dealers do", the salesperson
told me).  I finally got them to throw in the trunk and floor mats
and the wheel locks (which come on all coupes, even though they're
"options") for free.  Of course they forgot they had agreed on that
until I reminded them when they produced the paperwork.  The base
price with automatic was $32,000, plus I added the CD changer
($900), traction control ($1,600), and leather/memory package
($1,700), for a selling price of $36,600.  A healthy chunk of
change, in the price neighborhood of the 300ZX TT, 525i, 100CS,
and 3000GT VR4.  Interestingly enough, though, is that after my
50% down and accounting for inflation, 3 years of payments are less
than they were for 5 years on the 'lude.  A comparably-equipped
SC400 (bigger engine and wheels) would have been $6,200 more.  A
guy that lives close by won a free SC300 by hitting a hole-in-one
at a recent golf tourney; must be nice.  Now with the only major
unpleasantry about the car out of the way, let's move on.

The actual buying process was much more pleasant than my last two
car purchases.  The salespeople and financiers are very professional
and polite.  I had to wait 6 weeks ARO before my car arrived.

The first thing you notice about the Couple is that it's long!  It
sticks out of most parking spots, especially since its low front
overhang keeps me back from the curb.  It has classic lines, or
should I say curves.  There's hardly a straight line on the thing.
It is shaped much like the new Thunderbird, but is much more rounded.
Visually, I like the front end better than the back.  The back
looks a little too bulky.  The car is a dream to clean due to its
lack of corners.  I get lots more "beautiful car" remarks than any
other comments.  It's true, this car is more "beautiful" than
"aggressive" or "sexy".  Its style appears to appeal a little more
to women than men, especially younger men.

The fit and finish is, of course, excellent.  Besides the dreaded
clearcoat that I hate on any car because of the swirl marks that
inevitably show up, the paint is perfect.  It stood up to a
sandblasting from a dump truck full of sand on the freeway.  I
bought the almost-white ("Diamond White Pearl"), but would have
preferred a bright arrest-me red.  Black and the jade green are
both great looking, but much too hard to keep clean.  The car looks
bad in the beige and brick red, and okay in the "silver spruce".

The interior has the best ergonomics of any car I've sat in, and
I've sat in most; I'm the kind of guy that goes to the auto show
twice when it's in town.  It is extremely comfortable in all
respects, from the sensuous feel of every surface to the positive
action in each switch.  The seats are soft yet supportive, like
the NSX's, and were unnoticeable on my recent 1,400 mile weekend
jaunt, a vast improvement over the Prelude's.  The only complaints
are that the parking brake sits just where my right knee falls,
and the automatic steering wheel retractor tilts down before
telescoping out when I put the key in, banging the top of my knees
(it does tilt up before telescoping back in, though).  I'm 6'4"
and fit just fine.  I couldn't, however, get the optional moonroof--big
bummer--or I wouldn't have fit.  Without it, I have 2" to spare.
But the roof angles down before the glass starts, so I have to lean
substantially forward to see the stoplight when I'm first in line.
There's plenty of leg and hip room.  I've fit three others in the
car, but the rear passengers don't have much leg room.  The memory
system is great for two drivers (yes, I do grudgingly let the wife
drive the car :-).  It sets 5 seat adjustments, outside mirrors,
and steering wheel position.

Almost every conceivable feature is there, but in an unobtrusive
way.  I especially like the entry using a radio transmitter inside
the key, the projection headlights, the instrument panel, the LCD
rear-view mirror, the three odometers, ignition-off window operation,
and the extensive interior illumination system.  Some things I miss
are fog lights, counter-phase 4WS (like I said, it's a long car!)
and a little more trunk space (with the gas tank, four audio amps,
a 10" subwoofer, and who knows what else between the rear seat and
the trunk, I'm not surprised by 9.3 cubic feet of trunk space.
It's enough for a week of groceries or 4 suitcases though.

As you can see, the emphasis is on luxury, but, as Road & Track's
recent comparo pointed out, it doesn't give up much to the BMW 325i
in driving performance.  It certainly doesn't feel as natural
flogging around turns in a Lexus as doing so in a Bimmer, but it
is much less dramatic.  Speed and cornering just happen.  The ABS
is virtually undetectable, while very obvious in the Bimmer.  I
occasionally think, "boy, I should have bought the SC400 for its
engine", but every time I do and look down at the speedometer, I'm
in gross violation of whatever the speed limit is, so it's best I
"only" have 225 HP.  I haven't taken the Coupe over 100 yet; guess
I'm getting old.

The traction control system activates surprisingly often, especially
when accelerating around turns, obviously.  It's nice to be able
to punch the accelerator in some situations (I won't say how I got
into them! ;-) and have the system get you going as quickly as
possible.  I'll be eager to try it on snow and ice.  I wouldn't
have bought a rear-wheel-drive car without TC, and I would have
preferred AWD.

The steering felt hyper-sensitive when I got the car.  I thought
it might feel that way because of my previous front-wheel-driven
car.  I asked them to check the alignment, and they said it checked
out fine, but they must have done something, or I've gotten used
to it, because it does feel fine now.  The car does track ruts,
probably because of its wide (215 mm) tires; this can be scary when
changing lanes and accelerating from 75 MPH on the highway.  The
tracking upsets the car's balance momentarily and causes a little
sympathetic fish-tailing, so I make sure both hands are on the
steering wheel when at speed.  I still vote the 300 ZX, especially
the TT with its 4-wheel steering, as the handling champ.  The
Goodyear Eagle GAs are very quiet and stick well.

The car has a better stereo than my $2100 home stereo, in features,
quality, AND sound!  It does have a little more distortion than
I'd like (I didn't get the high-grade Nakamichi option, which might
be better), but I only notice when the engine is shut off and I'm
doing critical listening.  I guess the thing could be a little
louder sometimes too, but hey, 210 watts should be enough.  The
unit has the best logic (especially in the tape deck) I've seen in
a system.  I highly recommend the trunk-mounted 12-CD changer, even
though, not surprisingly, it skips like crazy over washboard dirt
roads.

Extensive sealing and deadening materials produce a very quiet
environment, especially at idle.  But the air-tightness does make
the doors and trunk tough to close on the first try.  Lexus needs
to adopt Acura's power-assisted closers.

The car is rated at 18/22 MPG; I get 20/25.  With premium gas
required and a huge tank, fill-ups are expensive.

The service experience has been wonderful.  Again, the service
advisers are extremely professional, knowledgeable, and polite.
Its first two services at 1K and 3250 were free.  At the 1K service
the tech noticed a "faulty spot weld in the exhaust system, nothing
to worry about but not perfect".  They replaced that and a spotty
instrument panel lens under warranty.  All service appointments
include a hand wash and vacuum (plus chocolates--ah, isn't that
nice).  I got one phoned and two mailed QA follow-ups, one of which
was a four-page questionnaire, after my 3,250 service.  Everyone seems
genuinely concerned about my opinions and needs.

The one dark cloud in my Lexus's history occurred when I was driving
it to its 3,250 service.  I was calmly sitting at a stoplight when
I heard four squealing tires and looked up to watch a 20-year-old
female plow into me at about 25 MPH.  After $2,800 of rear bumper
fixing and weeks of hassles with their insurance company, I can't
find a flaw in the result, but I wouldn't recommend the experience!
Half the reason for me replacing the 'lude with the Lexus was
because the Prelude came out very poorly in the gov's crash test,
so I had already resigned myself to surviving, and therefore having,
an accident in the Lexus.  It held up well in this relatively minor
fender-bender.

So to sum up the new Lexus Coupe:
    o Looks - beautiful
    o Comfort - superlative
    o Performance - unobtrusive
    o Price - bad, it's bad!
    o Sales Experience - professional
    o Overall Ownership Experience - wonderful

-- 
Jim Battan - Sequent Computer Systems, Beaverton, OR
battan@sequent.com or uunet!sequent!battan
+1 503 578 5129
Newsgroups: rec.autos