What it will REALLY cost you to buy a used SC....
05-18-07 | 01:28 PM
#17
why? because it saved me hassle in the end. i had a project es300 before my sc, and let me tell you.. i just got fed up with it. the interior needed to be redone, exterior needed new paint, and there were so many small, but expensive, things to fix. i just ditched the whole idea altogether and sold the car, even when i had a complete kit, wheels, tires, headlights, taillights, etc sitting in my garage to finish it. i would much rather have a nice car as a base for a project car than a junker that needs a major overhaul. but thats just me..
05-18-07 | 01:43 PM
#18
Thread Starter
Keeper of the light
iTrader: (17)
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 34,106
Likes: 380
From: My little world
Some of those parts your going to have to buy no matter what. PS pump is a known defect with these cars. How is having a car that is well maintained going to keep you from needing a new one?
All cars need tune ups, I doubt some one is going to replace every part required for an tune up then turn around and sell it the next day. Most people don't sell a car until its giving them problems.
All cars need tune ups, I doubt some one is going to replace every part required for an tune up then turn around and sell it the next day. Most people don't sell a car until its giving them problems.
05-18-07 | 03:27 PM
#19
Pole Position
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 217
Likes: 0
From: Tis the season for cheesin
sometimes I think I should've thought twice on the SC I bought. But It was in 'decent' condition a Midnight Indigo Pearl so it was a rare color and he was asking for $6,900 and I got him to let me have it for $5,500 cash deal but the bad parts are: It has 146,000 miles and the Speedometer and Gas light is burned out, It had NO service records and when I went to Lexus Dealership they tell me "This is an out of state car and we can't check up the service, You will need to call a Dealership in California but I doubt they will give you the history because you need to prove you are the current owner" and also I'm pretty sure I need to change some things soon like the Tranny Mount, Engine Mount and Timing Belt. The leather seems to be in decent condition, not shot or anything.
How do you tell if the Power Steering whines? Like when you start the car you will hear a whining sound? I never really heard of this before but then again I'm not sure if I paid attention.
How do you tell if the Power Steering whines? Like when you start the car you will hear a whining sound? I never really heard of this before but then again I'm not sure if I paid attention.
05-18-07 | 04:16 PM
#20
Racer
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 1,348
Likes: 46
From: Toronto, Ontario
Good thread
When I was looking for an SC, a was tempted to buy a cheap Soarer TT limited with a 5-speed. As much as I would have liked a boosted, manual car, it would have been at least $3500 of work to get it to the condition my SC400 is in.
I was lucky to find a 1 owner car, with a new PS pump, 82000 miles, and service records. My car is very close to factory perfect. Only things that need to be done are antenna (Just went this week
), and my center hvac register is cracked. So far, I'm glad I spent some extra money on the car initially to find an exapmle that has been maintained properly.
When I was looking for an SC, a was tempted to buy a cheap Soarer TT limited with a 5-speed. As much as I would have liked a boosted, manual car, it would have been at least $3500 of work to get it to the condition my SC400 is in.
I was lucky to find a 1 owner car, with a new PS pump, 82000 miles, and service records. My car is very close to factory perfect. Only things that need to be done are antenna (Just went this week
), and my center hvac register is cracked. So far, I'm glad I spent some extra money on the car initially to find an exapmle that has been maintained properly.
05-18-07 | 04:29 PM
#21
there are common problems but then again that doesn't mean EVERY SC has that problem...many of them yes but then again treat ur car right when u see that mileage sticker due and u lag it...or u notice u need PS fluid and it takes u 2 weeks to get to kragen...or u start feeling vibrations and u decide to drive it off...by the end ur just gunna sell it to someone else and that person will buy it and post his thread on how he got such a great deal...now were back to square one!!
05-18-07 | 09:05 PM
#22
Pole Position
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 300
Likes: 1
From: Missouri
I bought my 97 400 with 89k on it but I didn't know about the 90k maintenance. D'oh! I dropped a couple more grand than I thought I'd have to, but that's okay. Now I have 130k on it and have loved every mile!!!
05-18-07 | 09:23 PM
#23
Ok, you are standing by two SC's deciding on which to buy.
Option #1 looks nearly perfect, garage maintained with all service records and everything is spot on, clean paperwork. This car costs $5800.00 and is a 1995.
Option #2 Looks rough around the edges. leather is shot, LCD is toast on the climate and radio, changer does not work, power steering whines, car drifts left to right going down the road, vibrations (engine related), and a few other gremlins. This car costs $4500 and is also a 1995.
I hate to tell you, but the majority of people will buy the $4500 car and plan on fixing things. Here's what that will cost you.......
leather kit from leatherseats.com- $650
used radio and climate- $250
used changer- $150
PS pump- $200 (or steering rack $800)
New bushings on all arms- $800 (installed)
Engine and tranny mounts- $400 installed
a grand in tuneup maintenance, and that's cheap $1000
Total $2600-$3200+ parts and labor.
+4500 = $7700.00
I don't think the people that are looking at SC's really understand what it takes to get one up and running in good condition. All I see lately is threads popping up "I bought my SC for $2600 I got a helluva deal!". ..........we'll see when you're done building it back to just STOCK clean. Much less the money pit modding it.
Anyone in the market for an SC, do yourself a favor..... find the many threads on common issues, including a thread I did on "common issues when buying an SC" and buy the one in the best condition possible and realize that it IS worth the money.
Option #1 looks nearly perfect, garage maintained with all service records and everything is spot on, clean paperwork. This car costs $5800.00 and is a 1995.
Option #2 Looks rough around the edges. leather is shot, LCD is toast on the climate and radio, changer does not work, power steering whines, car drifts left to right going down the road, vibrations (engine related), and a few other gremlins. This car costs $4500 and is also a 1995.
I hate to tell you, but the majority of people will buy the $4500 car and plan on fixing things. Here's what that will cost you.......
leather kit from leatherseats.com- $650
used radio and climate- $250
used changer- $150
PS pump- $200 (or steering rack $800)
New bushings on all arms- $800 (installed)
Engine and tranny mounts- $400 installed
a grand in tuneup maintenance, and that's cheap $1000
Total $2600-$3200+ parts and labor.
+4500 = $7700.00
I don't think the people that are looking at SC's really understand what it takes to get one up and running in good condition. All I see lately is threads popping up "I bought my SC for $2600 I got a helluva deal!". ..........we'll see when you're done building it back to just STOCK clean. Much less the money pit modding it.
Anyone in the market for an SC, do yourself a favor..... find the many threads on common issues, including a thread I did on "common issues when buying an SC" and buy the one in the best condition possible and realize that it IS worth the money.
Here's what I've spent so far:
bought the car for 400 bucks.
mint leathers with new interior pieces: 300
made my own fiberglass interior pieces/eliminated the center AC vents - Free
Need to replace driver's and passenger's regulators - 150
1jz engine - 1250
5spd swap - 1100
wheels w/tires - 600
suspension - 200
exhaust - 350
97 front bumper - 200
FMIC - 100
3" piping - 100
new paint and body work - 1500
That's about it, and all in all, there's 6250 for a fresh car that I can sell for twice the price, since my car is a clean title, and not a salvage. it helps when you do all the work yourself.
05-22-07 | 06:11 AM
#24
Driver School Candidate
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 30
Likes: 0
From: NJ
i recently purchased a clean 95 sc300 5-speed... just under 68k, garage kept, dealer maintained... price was $6800...
there's a lot of beaters, high mileage, or "just needs a few things" cars out there, but having bought used cars before, it's worth spending a few extra bucks (imo) to get something that you "know" doesn't need work to start with, especially if you expect to use it as a daily driver...
there's a lot of beaters, high mileage, or "just needs a few things" cars out there, but having bought used cars before, it's worth spending a few extra bucks (imo) to get something that you "know" doesn't need work to start with, especially if you expect to use it as a daily driver...
05-22-07 | 11:16 AM
#25
thats true.. now im kinda scared trading my showcar sc for the black sc ive always wanted :/ its a 97 with 160k on the clock.. onlything wrong with it is the driver's seat is a little messed up...
05-26-07 | 06:48 PM
#27
Driver School Candidate
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
From: California
I agree! I just found a pretty clean SC 400. My first SC 300 was a desaster with a happy ending. I was able to sell it for more than I paid for it, but it was a learning experience. Even still, with the SC 400 I just got, it's in the shop getting a new PS pump and the rack and pinion rebuilt. (500.00) I'm going to redo the leather which will cost between 600 - 800 bucks but the rest of the car seems to be in great shape. All stock and in goon condition. I didn't realize how good the OEM preimum stereo sounded! (since it was missing in my SC 300).
I'll post pictures when I get it out of the shop Monday.
I'll post pictures when I get it out of the shop Monday.
11-06-07 | 07:50 PM
#29
Lead Lap
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 544
Likes: 0
From: SoCal baby
OLT, i completely agree with your first post, as I have learned first hand the cost of rebuilding an SC300. I bought my car for $2400 from an older gentleman who owned the car from new in 92. With the car i received all the paperwork, including a nice fat bill from lexus of 6000 dollars from a few years prior to my purchase! As soon as I got the car, even though it seemed to be in good shape I began replacing parts that I never expected. Brakes all around, E-brake on both sides, E-brake cable, fuel lines, brake lines, etc etc. Ball joints are next to replace, along with all the bushings under the car. Interior wise, the seats need to be replaced, gauge cluster, climate control, and a few other misc parts. If I had known the cost to replace all of these parts before i purchased the car, I never would have spent so much money on it. I ended up dumping owell over 10k into this car (1jzgte, t61 single, and supporting mods). If i had spent a little bit more on a newer, cleaner shell, I wouldn't have had any of these problems.
I cannot stress enough to people the cost of building and maintaining these cars. Anyone coming over from honda, nissan, or other budget builds will be shocked! (I know i was!)
Just because an SC can be had for a few thousand bucks these days does not mean these cars are cheap! Anyone interested in picking up an SC for the purpose of modifying should realize this, and plan accordingly.
I cannot stress enough to people the cost of building and maintaining these cars. Anyone coming over from honda, nissan, or other budget builds will be shocked! (I know i was!)
Just because an SC can be had for a few thousand bucks these days does not mean these cars are cheap! Anyone interested in picking up an SC for the purpose of modifying should realize this, and plan accordingly.
11-06-07 | 08:26 PM
#30
So far I have been very fortunate. I picked up my 94' SC300 last month for 2500 dollars with 180k miles, it is in great condition! So far all I've done is break pads, o2 sensor, oil change, new thermal fan clutch, and a new stock radio for $30. I estimate around 3800 dollars total including price of the car to get it back to stock standards (still could use transition fluid flush). I've already put a lot of work into this car, I plan on keeping it awhile