MrJohnTan

You got the 5 speed. Id say go turbo

thaimonkee

iTrader: (2)

does the redline fluid really makea difference?. i hear they cost alot but nor sure if they actually make a difference. But im going to give it a shot and see what happens.
Mr. JohnTan im really thinking about going turbo but the kits and install cost TOO much. i cant see myself spending all that money. But i still have the urge to. we'll see what happens in the future. Maybe if i find a used kit for cheap i would jump on it. Until then im porbably going to piece it together if i decide not to get my rims.

/Aerostar\

iTrader: (2)

its like $20, and you only need to change it every 50k (to be on the very safe side) and ive heard it made a huge difference...my dad didnt want to dish out the $20 and i was broke when i changed the fluid in my car

also, do the rear differential with redline fluid, that should help some more

but i think we need someone elses opinion, someone whos actually tried it

thaimonkee

iTrader: (2)

what type of redline fluid for the rear difff?..

/Aerostar\

iTrader: (2)

haha, the rear diff uses the 75W90 Gear Oil , 1.4 quarts of it i believe

Since im getting a SC300 very soon I decided to search all around the forums and write down all these important things

SC400Dude

Dude, thats a hell of a deal for $5,500. I need to keep my eyes peeled like you did.

thaimonkee

iTrader: (2)

i think i got a good deal on my car. ive been looking forever for it. its in better condition that my father 95 sc and most other pre 97 sc's.

strongsail

Yeah, sounds like you did OK, there was a 92 5speed in the paper here in Seattle recently, about the same mileage, also white, asking $8200.

The Turbo goodies are spendy, all right - I have heard $3 to 5k - just wait til one of the Turbo Maniacs stuffs his, then buy the pieces

Ryan

Hey Lexusdream,

Congrats! My advice to you would be to start saving your money not for mods, but maintanance. Don't take that the wrong way, the SC is one of the most reliable luxury cars ever made. But once you reach a certain milage and/or age, you will have minor things here and there that will clip you for a few hundred each time. Your car looks great for it's age though!

The thump when you shift might be the transmission mounts. I know it's not the sexy stuff to spend money on, but start thinking about things like timeing belt/water pump, check to make sure no power steering fluid is leaking into the alternator, and do some full service flushes to the tranny and radiator.

You may find my restore project helpful in how to get your SC tip top (thread: the heck with mods...)
On the wheels, 19 is pretty big, I know there are some guys on here that love the way they look, but if you add them to a 1 or 2 inch drop, the ride really suffers when you're not cutting tight corners on perfectly smooth surfaces. If I were in your shoes and hated your rims, I would wait until your tires were ready to go and then buy a set of GS430 rims with tires (all new) for about $1K to $1.5K total. I have easily spent $10K on my car the last few years just getting it to look right. There is nothing more embarrasing than seeing a car at a meet where the guy spent $5K on rims and something else like leather or paint looks like crap. I guess I'm just trying to help you avoid the trap I see so many others fall into.

Have Fun!
Ryan

thaimonkee

iTrader: (2)

hey ryan thanks for the reply. I unerstand maintenance is very important. I plan on getting my car in perfect or near perfect conditon before i buy BIG stuff. But I have to get rid of these ugly wheels and wheel gap. Other then getting tires and suspension the rest is going back into making the car perfect or near perfect.

It would be hard to find some gs430 rims used. huh?

Ryan

Hi Lexusdream,

Steve Ganz at Carson Toyota usually has a set or two around (his contact info is here on the site under the sponsors). That would be my first choice as you know you are getting the real deal and all new. Other than that, there are always auctions going on ebay for these things. Expect prices to be about $1K and $1.5K for the chromed version.

On the suspension, take your time and really read the threads in the suspension section. I dropped the car 1 inch, did the daizen bushings, etc. The car handles great, but is a little harder than I would prefer. There are several others who have had similar experiences. In retrospect, I might have dropped it using Teins and preserved the ride confort a bit more, even though it is more expensive. I would probably also not change the upper control arm bushings. I am not a suspension expert by any means, but I would encourage you spend some time on the suspension section of the forum and really do the research before spending the hard cash.

Here is the old thread on my car, if it gives you encouragement:
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...5&pagenumber=1

thaimonkee

iTrader: (2)

DAMN....ryan your car looks brand spankin new. That money was put to good use. I dont think i can do the same and make it perfect again cause it IS a 11-12 year old car. I dont know how long im going to keep it. Much props though, your car is hella clean.

Kameha

Congrats man.

FLIPMOE

What can I say Nice color, 5 speed, nice interior compare to my 92, I should say two thumbs up.....welcome to the club.

TGRich

The redline does help, do a search- theres a couple threads around for specifics