All,
I've been a member of the forum for a long time. I am about to purchase a 95 SC300 for $6k. I know it's a lot but the price was firm. The seller was not going to negotiate the price. The car interior and exterior is 10/10. Excellent shape. It has 135K miles on it. It already had timing belt and water pump replaced.

One thing in CarFax concern me was the car alternator. According to CarFax, the alternator has been replaced 3 times (once a year) for the last 3 years. The car belong to the dealer so it doesn't know the history of why the alternator was replaced.

The car run great. Should I worry about the alternator issue and what other "things" should I look into before I hand the check to the seller?

BTW: I missed the purchase of the 92 SC400 (166K miles) for $2800 with EXCELLENT condition by 2 min. I went to the seller (private seller) at the exact appointment time. As soon as I got to the door, the seller and new owner walked out of the door and the seller told "Sorry it sold, thank you for coming"

 

Pics or it didn't happen.

 

Here is the link for the SC400 which already been sold.
http://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/de...6302/overview/

Why would I lie?

 

A power steering fluid leak can trash an alternator pretty quickly. 3 times in 3 years is a bit much though,

 

It's a common problem for power steering fluid to leak on the alternator. $6000 is a hefty price tag for an 95 SC300. Bring that up with the owner, and discuss dropping the price to cover the cost to fix the leak. I haven't looked at the car so I can't judge but people who are non negotiable tend to become negotiable when they realize the market on this car after it doesn't sell for a while. You are in Cali....there are a ton of SC's available. At $6000 you can get a really nice one.

 

A dealer that won't negotiate on price? Unless I misread something there, that makes very little sense. Walk away.

 

I hope its a 5-speed sc300 if not thats a waste of money in my opinion

 

Thank you for your comments. I have not see the car in person yet. I only see pictures of it. I know 6K is a lot for a 93 SC300 but I don't might to pay more for a good condition car. In addition, I forgot to mention that it got new timing belt and water pump. I don't know how "new" they are.

I will schedule to see the car today. If everything check out "good" as the alternator is not a major issue, I will get it.

Please. I welcome more recommendation. I won't get out of work til 5:00 PST and the dealer is 1 1/2 away.

Edited:
I just talked to the seller to make appointment to see the car. He told me that the car is not available for showing yet. He is in process of install a new alternator. Really? Another alternator? He told me the previous owner use Pepboys alternator which is "not good" quality so it went out many times. He is installing a "good quality" part. I am a bit of worry here.

 

The Alternator will keep going out until they bite the bullet and pay for either new O-ring seals on the distributor (cheap), or a new Distributor itself if the case is cracked (not cheap). As far as a PepBoys Alternator being not good, don't believe that for a minute, nothing will cause them to break once a year except outside influence, like that oil leak. On the sc400 the power steering pump is above the alty so PS leaks are what kill it, on the Sc300, the distributor is above the alty and thats what kills it on the 300's usually.

The price is entirely too high, even if it was in perfect condition I wouldn't pay more than $4k for it. This one sounds like it's going to be quite a few headaches once you purchase it, and it's not even a stick or a 97+, and it's near 150k.

The biggest thing with these cars is to be patient. Just because you missed a good one by a few minutes does not mean you should dive headlong into the next one you find, these cars really aren't selling like hot cakes and most stay on the market for quite a while. I would run from this one, find another SC, this sounds like more trouble than it's worth.

 

There maybe other common problems that occur, with this vehicle. The clusters burnt out on the gauges or the headunit/AC displays and the amp/speakers blown out. Links show future problems.
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sc-...tart-here.html
Check for all these and more while inspecting the Sc today. And ask how long the dealer has owned/selling the vehicle? The longer he's owned the demand/price is too high, especially if it's an automatic. Good luck and don't act desperate in owning the Sc.

 

You can do better than that WITHOUT A DOUBT! Walk away now!

I just got a mint 5 speed with 68K on it for almost half that price........

Be patient!!

 

strange...... my car pictures are coming up as your signature picture now.

 

Thank you everyone for advise. I decided not to get this one. I am continue looking. Happy car hunting. You guys are wonderful. Many more questions will come when I find another "potential"

 

$6k is what I paid for my 92 one owner with 73k on the odo, and all the maintenance records and zero issues. I think you can negotiate that price a bit. Although the mileage is still acceptable, the car has issues. And as stated earlier, a dealership that wont negotiate on the price is highly uncommon. Even a new car dealer will negotiate the price with you if you haggle them enough.

 

Glad you chose to walk, if you are on a budget of $6k then I'd look for a 97+ SC 300/400. We drive reliable tanks that are fairly common and easy to find parts for. If you turn your own wrench, you should be able to find a very nice one with a couple small things to repair and be really well off. Good luck man!