Opinions? car buying
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Hello Everyone. I am torn and would like some other opinions. As time nears for me to buy an SC3. I have been looking on Craigslist and Auto-trader for the past couple of months. There are a quite a few SCs in my area and in my price range (3k-5k). All of which are in relatively good condition. Little to no body damage a little wear and tear on the interior. I have also seen SCs out of my price range (5k-8k) that is damn near perfect. And a little closer to more of what I am looking for. I would love a SC with black interior. But I could settle for the tan interior. What I would like your guy’s opinions on is. Should I just go ahead and buy one or save up a little and buy on that is damn near perfect? Do you guys think it would be worth the wait? Mind you once I get home I am selling or crushing my MKIII supra so my F350 will become my daily driver. Thanks in advance. -Tim
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I personally bought my 1995 SC400 for $1800! However I am in the process of replacing the interior and small exterior items due to the car being a LOANER car for 5+ years apparently. I was working with a budget of 2400 at the time, so I grabbed what I could. I recommend trying to buy a near perfect one as you can get.
I am already spending hundreds to replace interior trims and pieces. In the end I will probably spend around 5g to get her to an acceptable ''clean'' stock look. Good luck!
I am already spending hundreds to replace interior trims and pieces. In the end I will probably spend around 5g to get her to an acceptable ''clean'' stock look. Good luck!
#4
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Defnitely get the black interior, it's worth the wait, and extra cash. Repairing things on SC's to make them perfect is a hassle, and expensive, so I feel it's better to buy a great one right from the start. I made the mistake with my first one thinking I'd fix the exterior, interior, and had engine problems, it wound up costing me about $4500 total, and now it's sitting waiting to be parted because it's still a piece of crap. Found a new one for $2600, 117k, mint black interior, engine and suspension is perfect, and it only needs a little body work, I got quoted $1000 yesterday to make it look mint....
#5
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i bought mine "92 sc4" 5 owners, 300k and beat up for 3,000 a year ago. here i am 7,000 into the car and it still needs work. engine is going soon. definetly save up, or just finance one.
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When i first read that, I thought you said 700k into the car and im like WHERE DO YOU DRIVE, JEEZ. But then I realized that's how much you put into the car. Okay, glad I cleared that up. LOL.
Hello WildWest, and an early congrats to you on buying an SC. I would say to save up and by the SC in better condition because when you think about it.. if you buy one that is like 5k and it needs work you may be just pumping that same money into the car when you could have bought it in better condition.
When my dad picked out the 95 SC i have now it was about 7k with around 100k miles on it, if that. The interior was in good condition (still is besides some ripping of the leather), minor issues under the hood, paint was decent and there were 19s on it with some pretty bald tires. I don't know how many owners there were previously, but the last owner took amazing care of the car because it always had services at the dealership. That's about it. I never really had problems with the SC and its been in our family since 2006.
Actually the only big money we had to spend on it was $600 to rebuild the ECU but I can't complain because it's a common issue. Granted since we got the car though about 2k was put into the car (round figures to date) which was including that ECU rebuild and the rest was cosmetics, maintenance and customization. Right now I'm at 123k and she runs like a dream. I mean I will be putting more money into my SC in the future and I'm glad that the 7k paid off because the money will be going for cosmetic fixes rather than fixing it up to run right lol.
I think it would be worth it to save up and get a quality car, but there are also people out there who find a beat up car and sees the beauty within that. I guess it's a matter of if you're willing to put the money and time into fixing it up. Also if you're looking for an SC with black interior you could always dye it
but I wouldn't know how expensive that is. I've seen a member on here with it and you'd never know the difference.
Regardless the choice you make I hope you end up with the perfect SC for you.
Hope I helped. Then again, what do i know about life. LOL.
Hello WildWest, and an early congrats to you on buying an SC. I would say to save up and by the SC in better condition because when you think about it.. if you buy one that is like 5k and it needs work you may be just pumping that same money into the car when you could have bought it in better condition.
When my dad picked out the 95 SC i have now it was about 7k with around 100k miles on it, if that. The interior was in good condition (still is besides some ripping of the leather), minor issues under the hood, paint was decent and there were 19s on it with some pretty bald tires. I don't know how many owners there were previously, but the last owner took amazing care of the car because it always had services at the dealership. That's about it. I never really had problems with the SC and its been in our family since 2006.
Actually the only big money we had to spend on it was $600 to rebuild the ECU but I can't complain because it's a common issue. Granted since we got the car though about 2k was put into the car (round figures to date) which was including that ECU rebuild and the rest was cosmetics, maintenance and customization. Right now I'm at 123k and she runs like a dream. I mean I will be putting more money into my SC in the future and I'm glad that the 7k paid off because the money will be going for cosmetic fixes rather than fixing it up to run right lol.
I think it would be worth it to save up and get a quality car, but there are also people out there who find a beat up car and sees the beauty within that. I guess it's a matter of if you're willing to put the money and time into fixing it up. Also if you're looking for an SC with black interior you could always dye it
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Regardless the choice you make I hope you end up with the perfect SC for you.
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Last edited by SPLiFFY; 11-06-13 at 08:17 PM.
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Thanks again everyone for the input. I know excatly what I want and I wont make the purchase until I find one that meets my standards. Sucks that I am going to have to wait even longer but I know it will be worth the wait.
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Well I'm glad you decided what you're going to do. You know, when I got my SC and I didn't have the money saved up to do mods I would just look online and make a wishlist in my mind of all the things I wanted. Lol, sounds lame but it passed the time and it motivated me.
Remember that nothing in this world comes before its time.. I am sure you're gonna get the perfect SC for you
And when you do, make sure you post pics for us!
Remember that nothing in this world comes before its time.. I am sure you're gonna get the perfect SC for you
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Whats up Kress. been on here for a while now. lurking around and trying to learn a thing or two.
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If you can, always try to find one that has impeccable maintenance records. Keep in mind you will likely need to replace vacuume lines, rubbers lines/hoses, fluids, spark plugs/wires, and other wear items. Bushings will be a good idea and will take some labor, however, I recommend doing them yourself. Trans and engine mount will likely be due for replacement as well.
#15