Summer officially starts late in the evening of Friday, June 20, 2025. If you haven’t already, you now have an excuse to grill, hit the pool, or finally get yourself a convertible such as our Pick of the Day, a 2004 Lexus SC 430 hardtop convertible posted on ClassicCars.com by a dealership in Chicago.
If you’re a diehard Lexus fan, your choice of which drop-top to pick can be easy because the automaker has only made three: LC 500, IS 250C/350C, and SC 430. Your circumstances and preferences will dictate which one is right for you. Do you prefer the look and solidity of a power-folding hardtop? Scratch the expensive LC convertible off your list. What about the IS? It has the retractable hardtop and is affordable, but a V8 would be cool. That means this two-owner, 42,883-mile 2004 SC 430 is your best way to go open-air cruising.
In a way, wherever you decide to go in this White Gold Crystal SC, you’ll be in the south of France. Why? Because the hotels, villas, and chateaus of the Côte d’Azur were the visual inspiration for the SC 430’s designers. And you and your favorite shotgun passenger will get there in the comfort of power-adjustable Ecru leather front seats surrounded by a generous amount of luxuries: Bird’s-Eye Maple wood trim, power everything, power tilt and telescoping steering column, cruise control, built-in DVD navigation, and nine-speaker, 240-watt Mark Levinson audio system with an in-dash six-disc CD changer. The aluminum alloy hardtop will keep out the elements and unwanted sounds in a way a fabric top can’t. When the weather is nice, lowering the top to let in the sunshine will only take 25 seconds.
Want to get to your summer getaway sooner rather than later? Thanks to its 300-horsepower, 325-lb-ft 4.3-liter V8 and five-speed automatic, the SC 430 can speed up to 60 mph in 5.9 seconds. If you keep your right foot down, you can cover a quarter mile in 14.4 seconds. After that, it’s just a matter of how fast you want to go (of course, until you reach the limited top speed of 156 mph). But if you want to take your time enjoying the SC’s interior and ride quality, your company, and the sights along the way to your destination, that’s alright. Driving a convertible in the summertime should be pleasant and relaxed—you can stress about getting to the office or an appointment by a certain time in any other car.
If this two-owner, low-mileage 2004 Lexus SC 430 is the right convertible for kicking off the start of summer, you can make it yours for $30,595.
Click here to view this Pick of the Day on ClassicCars.com
