TMaxxTim

I found a SC400 with 190k at a local used car dealer for $4900. Its not in the best condition inside (leather), but I would purchase new seats for it if I did get it (hopefully through that cool group buy if I get a car in time), but I was wondering your opinions on it and what I should look out for.

What I'd like to do is take it to Lexus for the $75 pre-purcahse inspection and look at anything it needs and the price as bargaining value and give a low-ball offer for the car.

Problems I saw already:
Guy said dead battery, but getting replacement on Monday (wonder how long the car has been sitting there).
Antenna snapped off

Sub Cover held on by wood screws

Interior not in the best shape.

Radio missing faceplate (I would use my own though, but I'd tell em they needs to deduct for that)



The exterior is pretty much flawless, the car hasn't been washed in awhile (lots of pollen dust on it), It has no dings, scratches or noticable difference in painting. Carfax said it didn't have any major accidents.



What worries me is 190k, and the fact that if the interior is in bad shape, I wonder how it was taken car of mechanically?

Does Lexus charge to look up all records for service done to the car at their dealerships?

This car is right around the price I wanted to pay for one (not including my trade in, a 92 accord). But would you continue looking or try to pursue this one further. At first glance I didn't think I liked it, but now that I look at it again, I think it has some possible potential if I invest a little bit of $$ over time and a mechanical lookover doesn't reveal any problems. I'll look at the P/S and see how well the inside of the engine has been taken care of also. Just wondering what fellow Lexus owners had to say!!

O. L. T.

iTrader: (17)

I'd only give $3800 for it tops.

TMaxxTim

Yeah, I was hoping to get it around that price and maybe $3000 after I trade in my car.

Hopefully, I could doa ny repairs it needed myself as I'm pretty mechanically inclined...I'd definately get a service manual for it. I'm going to try to go tomorrow or tuesday to look at it again.

TMaxxTim

Here's some pictures of the inside, I don't like the wood screws on the sub cover though.

Nomis

I'll be honest, if you purchas the car for only say, 4K , then you could easily spend another 4K on replacement parts and repairs. The vehicle depicted in the pictures is in rough shape, the front seat looks like it was in a knife fight - and lost . You could probably find a much better specimen for 8K and save yourself a lot of aggrivation. I would recommend against buying from a used car dealer for obvious reasons. Instead, have you taken a look at autotrader.com and carsdirect.com to see what's for sale in your area? It's much easier to wheel and deal with a private owner, plus many times they have service history documents and such. The car does have traction control which some may appreciate, but it doesn't offset the fact that the vehicle has had a pretty rough life.

siaxazn

i would not pay more than 3500 for that. Make sure its had its 2nd timing belt done and a recent tune up.That would set you back about $1500 alone so if those were done then you'd save yourself a load of cash. it up. The interior is beaten up badly you definately need some nice seat covers for leatherseats.com If its on its original suspension then you bushings are probably gone and 1 or 2 of your struts may be leaking and your rotors may be warps ect. You'll have to spend at least $2000 fixing it up to be as good as new if most of the things i listed havent been taken care of yet. If your planning on putting on an aftermarket suspenion, big brakes ect. then this sounds like a good car to work with as long as the price is low. the engine on that is very strong and you should not have a problem hitting 300k with it. I'd recommend get it checked out by lexus as there must be lots of worn components that need to be replaced.

hellasboy

one thing i've learned is don't settle when looking for a used SC. you're not going to like it in the long run.

just by looking at those pics here is what i can see is wrong with it (including the obvious)
new seats
new rear deck (i'm not sure if grill is ever sold separately)
window sills are crack in a number of places (can't see any rips)
brown center piece has some material ripped off (~35$ off ebay)

at 190k i would think that the shocks and springs need to be replaced, bushings, a new timing and accessory belt would be needed soon (pretty much a full servicing). Torque converter should be reconditioned, as long as that's down; new transmission mounts. it wouldn't surprise me if the speakers were blown or getting there.

if you're willing to go through all this work and if the paint is in good condition, then i would say go for it. you would have a practically new SC400 for 10k (6k in all the work, i'm guessing).