View Poll Results: Can you buy a $50,000+ car easily? ($1000.00+ monthly payment)
Easily Afford, but I love my SC300/400 too much
85
13.82%
Easily Afford, Other reasons why I don't buy a new car
60
9.76%
Can afford but would be tight on cash afterwards
108
17.56%
Can't afford yet, but will be able to soon
63
10.24%
No, can not afford
299
48.62%
Voters: 615. You may not vote on this poll
How many SC300/400 owners can buy a $50,000.00 car?
05-07-07, 10:30 AM
#121
Lexus Champion
Thread Starter
05-08-07, 07:13 PM
#123
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I bought my 1993 SC300 brand new and paid cash for it. It was in the Lexus booth at my local car show. I used to buy a new car every 2-3 years, but I have not bought a new one for several reasons.
1. I kept my car because they never changed they body style until several years later.
2. When they changed the body style, I didn't like it.
3. Between the door dings, bird ****, and the idiots who have hit my car, I decided that a new car wouldn't really be new car for much longer after I bought it. So, what’s the point?
4. My lifestyle has changed. A prestigious car doesn't mean to me now what it used to mean.
5. I still like and enjoy driving my old SC300.
I realize that I’m an SC300 owner from a different background that most of you guys. Some of you will take a classic car like this and turn into a caricature of itself and ruin it. So many of them now look like the funny car version of a car.
I see pictures of SCs posted here with absolutely awful looking car stereos, PCs, and video screens. They have been lowered, they've had crappy looking ground effects type stuff glued onto them, and they've had all kinds of silly looking gauges and dials glued and bolted on that look out right pathetic.
Why does anybody want to take a classic car and **** it up?
05-09-07, 06:23 PM
#124
Smark, have you voted in the "how old are you?" poll? I'd guess you're somewhere close to the top of that age range.
Me too.
We know how history treats modded cars. After all, we did it to the Chevys, Fords and Mopars in our day, and our elders thought we were nuts. Chop & channel, blah blah blah.
This generation is doing the same thing, and will learn the same lessons as they get older. You get a really cool car like an SC for not a whole lotta dough, and you decide to make it "your own," and "unique," and you make a lot of mistakes. And you learn your lesson when the time comes to sell it: Bone stock cars are worth more.
Of course, there are exceptions. Really good cosmetics and performance mods can retain and even add value, just like they do with Porsche and BMW. But the radical, slammed, pimped ones just end up as scrap, sooner or later.
So the really clean, original, well-cared-for cars are the ones that have potential for "concours" status as they gracefully age...we've learned that, and this generation will too...after all the crappy ones have been wrecked, or abused to death, there will be fewer good ones left, and they will be worth more.
Remember, back in the 70's, you could buy a halfway decent, complete XKE for 3 grand? Today, a good one in fine condition will cost you thirty times that much. And the SC, IMHO, has the potential to be another XKE. I've got one of the good ones, and I intend to keep it pristine and unsullied. So, all of you young guys lusting for 20's, fart pipes and coilovers, and multi video screens, go at it! Have fun! I will sit back and watch...
Me too.
We know how history treats modded cars. After all, we did it to the Chevys, Fords and Mopars in our day, and our elders thought we were nuts. Chop & channel, blah blah blah.
This generation is doing the same thing, and will learn the same lessons as they get older. You get a really cool car like an SC for not a whole lotta dough, and you decide to make it "your own," and "unique," and you make a lot of mistakes. And you learn your lesson when the time comes to sell it: Bone stock cars are worth more.
Of course, there are exceptions. Really good cosmetics and performance mods can retain and even add value, just like they do with Porsche and BMW. But the radical, slammed, pimped ones just end up as scrap, sooner or later.
So the really clean, original, well-cared-for cars are the ones that have potential for "concours" status as they gracefully age...we've learned that, and this generation will too...after all the crappy ones have been wrecked, or abused to death, there will be fewer good ones left, and they will be worth more.
Remember, back in the 70's, you could buy a halfway decent, complete XKE for 3 grand? Today, a good one in fine condition will cost you thirty times that much. And the SC, IMHO, has the potential to be another XKE. I've got one of the good ones, and I intend to keep it pristine and unsullied. So, all of you young guys lusting for 20's, fart pipes and coilovers, and multi video screens, go at it! Have fun! I will sit back and watch...
Last edited by strongsail; 05-09-07 at 06:32 PM.
09-04-07, 04:31 PM
#126
Racer
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Join Date: Feb 2003
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my vote should be changed from "Cannot afford" to "Can easily afford, but love my SC400 too much." Buying a newer car such as a CTS V8 or a BMW 3 or 5 series would be no problem, in fact I could pay off most of it in cash and finance the rest, the reasons why I don't include "My SC400 is exactly what I want, its plenty fast enough for the little driving I do, theres no point in buying a brand new toy when it would just sit used once or twice a week anyway." And of course Id rather just save the money for other investments.
I think I'm lucky that the SC got handed down to me 
09-04-07, 05:30 PM
#129
Lexus Champion
Thread Starter
Actually the poll makes great sense. It says something great about a car when you choose to keep it even though you could afford something newer. It is an old poll though.
09-05-07, 01:56 PM
#130
Driver School Candidate
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: california
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yes i can affort it but wouldnt have money for other stuff. On less the Real Estate market picks up. because is dead in CA. Sorry can buy a house at this moment. Old threat.
09-05-07, 02:49 PM
#131
Smark, have you voted in the "how old are you?" poll? I'd guess you're somewhere close to the top of that age range.
Me too.
We know how history treats modded cars. After all, we did it to the Chevys, Fords and Mopars in our day, and our elders thought we were nuts. Chop & channel, blah blah blah.
This generation is doing the same thing, and will learn the same lessons as they get older. You get a really cool car like an SC for not a whole lotta dough, and you decide to make it "your own," and "unique," and you make a lot of mistakes. And you learn your lesson when the time comes to sell it: Bone stock cars are worth more.
Of course, there are exceptions. Really good cosmetics and performance mods can retain and even add value, just like they do with Porsche and BMW. But the radical, slammed, pimped ones just end up as scrap, sooner or later.
So the really clean, original, well-cared-for cars are the ones that have potential for "concours" status as they gracefully age...we've learned that, and this generation will too...after all the crappy ones have been wrecked, or abused to death, there will be fewer good ones left, and they will be worth more.
Remember, back in the 70's, you could buy a halfway decent, complete XKE for 3 grand? Today, a good one in fine condition will cost you thirty times that much. And the SC, IMHO, has the potential to be another XKE. I've got one of the good ones, and I intend to keep it pristine and unsullied. So, all of you young guys lusting for 20's, fart pipes and coilovers, and multi video screens, go at it! Have fun! I will sit back and watch...
Me too.
We know how history treats modded cars. After all, we did it to the Chevys, Fords and Mopars in our day, and our elders thought we were nuts. Chop & channel, blah blah blah.
This generation is doing the same thing, and will learn the same lessons as they get older. You get a really cool car like an SC for not a whole lotta dough, and you decide to make it "your own," and "unique," and you make a lot of mistakes. And you learn your lesson when the time comes to sell it: Bone stock cars are worth more.
Of course, there are exceptions. Really good cosmetics and performance mods can retain and even add value, just like they do with Porsche and BMW. But the radical, slammed, pimped ones just end up as scrap, sooner or later.
So the really clean, original, well-cared-for cars are the ones that have potential for "concours" status as they gracefully age...we've learned that, and this generation will too...after all the crappy ones have been wrecked, or abused to death, there will be fewer good ones left, and they will be worth more.
Remember, back in the 70's, you could buy a halfway decent, complete XKE for 3 grand? Today, a good one in fine condition will cost you thirty times that much. And the SC, IMHO, has the potential to be another XKE. I've got one of the good ones, and I intend to keep it pristine and unsullied. So, all of you young guys lusting for 20's, fart pipes and coilovers, and multi video screens, go at it! Have fun! I will sit back and watch...
Lighten up!
09-05-07, 03:06 PM
#132
Pole Position
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Arizona
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ltz
yeah. almost sold sc's and bought a duramax/allision 2500hd LTZ. but.. would be kinda tight since i love spending money.. and if my roomates moved out it would be even tighter. but being 21 and knowing i could afford it makes me feel good. 
09-06-07, 04:22 PM
#135
Lexus Champion
Thread Starter
First off, this would assume they live at home with their parents or have no plans on owning a house or paying a marginal rent.
A GOOD car payment for a $50k car would be around $1000 or more per month. That would be only reduced with a heavy down payment of around $8K or more.
Technically the math generally dictates that you shouldn't spend more than half your anual income on a car.