By Dave Smith
They say you never forget your first love, but in my case, my first love was a $1,000 disaster found on AutoTrader. My relationship with cars has been a 40-year journey fueled by high-revving dreams, a few “what was I thinking” moments, and a persistent itch for the perfect driving experience.
My passion started early. By 16, while my parents were away for the weekend, I convinced my sister to drive me to pick up a 1972 Porsche 914. It looked beautiful to my teenage eyes, but it was a rusted unibody nightmare. I spent my high school years trying to revive it, only to donate it to the Salvation Army when I left for college.
Twenty-five years later, the Porsche bug bit again. I found a 2005 Boxster for $19,000. After incessantly pestering my wife, we brought it home on New Year’s Eve. It was an absolute joy to drive, but life had other plans. With five kids at home and a wife who got car-sick every time we hit a corner, the Boxster spent years sitting in the garage before I finally let it go.
Fast forward 15 years. My kids are grown, and my son recently reignited my “car buzz” by purchasing a 2020 Subaru BRZ. Driving his car put me back on the hunt. I looked at everything:
2015 Infiniti Q60 Coupe: Powerful, but didn’t quite stick.
2002 Porsche 911: The price was right, but I just couldn’t get past those “fried egg” headlights.
2016 Jaguar F-Type: Stunning looks, but the reliability reputation gave me pause.
2017 Ford Mustang: A great machine, but it lacked that “spark” of excitement.
I nearly settled on a low-mileage Mazda Miata, thinking it would be a fun project. But fate stepped in when the dealer sold it mid-negotiation. In hindsight, that “broken deal” was a gift. It forced me to re-examine my real objectives: Power, Style, Comfort, and Reliability.
While surfing Marketplace, I saw it: a 2003 Lexus SC430.
I remembered the polarizing reviews when these first came out, but as I checked my boxes, it made perfect sense. It had the power, the “posh” interior, and a quiet cabin that meant a much lower chance of my wife getting car-sick. Yes, it’s an automatic, but for a family-friendly cruiser, it’s the right call.
Last weekend, amidst a winter storm and the unrest in Minneapolis, I drove to St. Paul to seal the deal.
The Specs:
Pedigree: A Florida car until five years ago; kept in a heated garage since.
Condition: Perfect interior, flawless top, no warning lights, and updated with CarPlay.
Maintenance: Complete history provided by the owner (the son of the original buyer).
Price: $12,500.
The only “gotcha” was the dreaded timing belt. As I write this, it’s 10°F outside, and the car is headed to my mechanic for a deep inspection and a full AISIN timing belt kit. After that, she’ll sit on the battery tender until the Iowa spring finally arrives.
I’ve come a long way from that rusted 914. I’ve learned to embrace the polarizing style and the rock-solid build quality of the SC430. It’s a car built for cruising, and I’ve already found a fantastic community of owners who feel the same way.
The wait for spring is going to be long, but the journey to get here was worth every mile.
Zoom, zoom.