Value of our beloved SCs
#17
Lexus Test Driver
iTrader: (3)
shonuff53 I have a plan, from now on all SC owners act snobby, park valet every chance you get, and over price our cars. if anyone ask why say there limited production and the guy who designed them also designed the SR71 blackbird.
P.S. make sure to leave some law school books, or medical practice books in the passenger seat.
P.S. make sure to leave some law school books, or medical practice books in the passenger seat.
#18
#19
Pole Position
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I have a plan, from now on all SC owners act snobby, park valet every chance you get, and over price our cars. if anyone ask why say there limited production and the guy who designed them also designed the SR71 blackbird.
P.S. make sure to leave some law school books, or medical practice books in the passenger seat.
P.S. make sure to leave some law school books, or medical practice books in the passenger seat.
#22
Intermediate
iTrader: (5)
Aside from the examples that stay garaged in climate controlled storage I don't think many modern cars like the SC will survive at all for the next 30-50 years. There is way too much foam and plastic content in them. With age this hardens, chips, and becomes brittle.
Classic cars that are classics now lacked so many plastics and foams. They were made of metal, wood, glass, and rubber that can be replaced. Modern cars have major panels and structures made of plastic.
There are also way too many computers on a modern car. It doesn't matter now since you can always find a used replacement but when the SC line does die off and maybe 5% of the cars still exist and survive it will be slim pickings. Within the next 5 years we will see many items gone from Toyota forever. Then as the early model drop into the below $500 car range while the late models pretty much all go under 4 grand they will drop into the hands of many people who can not care of them properly.
In other words, fix and restore your car now.
The value on the survivors will probably go up cause they will mean nostalgia to the right buyer.
Classic cars that are classics now lacked so many plastics and foams. They were made of metal, wood, glass, and rubber that can be replaced. Modern cars have major panels and structures made of plastic.
There are also way too many computers on a modern car. It doesn't matter now since you can always find a used replacement but when the SC line does die off and maybe 5% of the cars still exist and survive it will be slim pickings. Within the next 5 years we will see many items gone from Toyota forever. Then as the early model drop into the below $500 car range while the late models pretty much all go under 4 grand they will drop into the hands of many people who can not care of them properly.
In other words, fix and restore your car now.
The value on the survivors will probably go up cause they will mean nostalgia to the right buyer.
#24
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I wholeheartedly agree. And this is also a reason why I don't work on modern cars. I have a d@mn Masters Degree and the cars are smarter than I've ever been. I LOVE working on my classics though. How many cars can you stand INSIDE the engine bay and change a water pump? 10 minute starter changes, belts and hoses - he!! thats pretty much all thats there. Nice and simple...and easy to keep running. The other sad thing is that the people who are knowledgeable about these cars are getting up in age. Hardly anyone my age knows how to tune or rebuild a carb.
#27
#28
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In general, all cars will eventually regain their value (assuming you maintain it to showroom quality), but how long that will take is the real question. There has to be a demand for it, and by that I mean a predictable future demand. Some cars like the Supra picked up their value quick since there's such a demand for it from the tuner market and the aging Gen X. The resurgence in the value of the 60s and early 70s muscle cars has to do with baby-booms who grew up on the models, and mind you they too are model-specific. For instance, a 67 Mustang coupe will probably sell for $7,000 but a similar 67 Mustang fastback will sell for $25,000+.
The Lexus SC was revolutionary in its styling. There is no doubt about that. Our car was one of the first, if not the first, cars to be designed using purely 3D modeling as opposed to the conventional 2D drawing. When our cars came out in 1991, it was a shock to the market. The thing is that this alone doesn't make our cars a classic.
The original Ford Taurus was revolutionary when it came out too. People thought the styling was out of this world (hence the reason it was used in Robocop). Most car designers credit the Taurus for moving us away from total box cars. Still, the 1st gen Ford Taurus isn't anything special that you're going to pay $20,000 for. The same with the Lexus SC.
The Lexus SC was revolutionary in its styling. There is no doubt about that. Our car was one of the first, if not the first, cars to be designed using purely 3D modeling as opposed to the conventional 2D drawing. When our cars came out in 1991, it was a shock to the market. The thing is that this alone doesn't make our cars a classic.
The original Ford Taurus was revolutionary when it came out too. People thought the styling was out of this world (hence the reason it was used in Robocop). Most car designers credit the Taurus for moving us away from total box cars. Still, the 1st gen Ford Taurus isn't anything special that you're going to pay $20,000 for. The same with the Lexus SC.
#29
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I think in 30 years a supra will be like a 60s mustang, and an sc300 will be like a 60s cougar. The cougar is more luxurious like the sc300 but not worth quite the same as a mustang. However the cougar is still considered a collectors car like i think the sc will.