$18,950 – 22,000
Collector status: buy and hold
When Toyota launched its upscale brand in 1990 with the Lexus LS400, there was no doubt it would put a dent in the European’s dominance in the North American luxury car market. Refined appointments and exquisite build quality met Japanese reliability and it was an immediate success with both the public and the press.
Lexus followed it up a year later (as a 1992 model year in the U.S.) with a two-door coupé, the SC400 (and later the I-6 SC300), and it too went on to high accolades, including Motor Trend’s Import Car of the year and Car and Driver’s 10 Best for several years running.
While they had never lost their ’90s appeal or popularity, the SC400 didn’t catch the attention of collectors in the following decades. A quality SC with around 50,000 miles could be had for well under $10,000 ten years ago. But that’s changing. There’s a renewed appreciation for its elegant yet sporty styling—largely driven by children of the ’90s—but also a keener interest in Japanese cars generally, and in particular, those with more sports or grand touring intentions. Even though the automatic-only SC400 would not nor should not be called a sports car along the lines of its progeny, the LC500, they were—and remain—a comfortable, capable means of enjoying the B-roads.
As with any collectible, mileage sets value, but there are enough lower mileage (under 50,000) examples still inside of $23,000. But perhaps not for long.