tuterz

iTrader: (11)

i thought my deal was good.. haha.. i paid 3200 for it.. 92 with 130k... had 2 problems when i first bought it.. one was rough idle due to a vacuum leak... then two the car was bucking because i guy i bought it from adjusted the throttle position sensor to raise the idle because of that vacuum leak.. both problems fixed with no money.. body needed a little work.. but the total spent on my sc now is a couple bucks over 4 grand and it runs great.. leather is still pretty good also..

SPORTcoupe

iTrader: (2)

I think this is like asking "How many licks does it take to reach the tootsie roll center of a tootsie roll pop?"
At the rate that I'm going...the world may never know.

For the sake of my own piece of mind, I've accidentally lost track of how much I've spent. Life has seemed much happier since. In the process, I did learn how to rebuild an engine, which will probably come in very handy in the future. =Þ

If you want a worry-free daily driver, buy something with a warranty. And by 'something' I do mean a Toyota, because if you get a Ford (for example), your most commonly used daily driver is likely to become a rental car.

Cheers,
~Alan

5sp_jzz30

iTrader: (2)

i got my 93 sc300 5sp with 114k on it for 5000 from florida. good overall condition, except the interior was shot. i had a really good hook up on parts

so in the end i spent 6000 and got the following including the car: tokico shock, eibach springs, all new brakes, new front control arms, exedy clutch, new steering column(my motors stopped working), timing belt, water pump, all new seals, and a full tune-up. oh and also a set of 97 5-spoke wheels and tires., and JIC racing bucket seat. pretty good deal for it all. if i didnt get that deal it would cost way to much to fix it all and wouldnt be worth it.

rpx13

iTrader: (3)

Agreed!!! However, lets take into consideration what each individuals budgets and needs are. Another $1,300 to you may mean nothing, but to another it may mean more. Don't give me the "he shouldn't be driving a Lexus then" bs. I've seen it too many times on this forum.

blacksc400

iTrader: (4)

I respect.

But when comes time for me to get a SC. ( I have had 9 SCs total, and 2 in my garage now. ) I get clean ones, even though it costs little more, I learned from the past, this will save you a lot of time and headaches.

O.L.T. I am with you.

5sp_jzz30

iTrader: (2)

with our cars its a LOT more cost effective to find a clean car then to get a "project" and fix it up and make "like new". the only way the project idea work is if you can do all the work on your car yourself and you have access to cheap parts or someone that parts out Lexus cars....like me

simontibb

No....SC's are cheap cars to buy and maintain if you DO THE WORK YOURSELF, lol. A few friends have both bought a SC300, and a SC400. Both for under 2500. Both needed work. But not any real issues. A few trips to parts stores and salvage yards and a few hundred dollars later, like new. The cars are easy to work on.

5sp_jzz30

iTrader: (2)

^^^i agree they are a blast to work on. very easy. the mechanical parts are not expensive. its the cosmetic ones that are. i got ripped off when i bought my car because i bought it on ebay from florida and kinda bought a cat in a sack. but i got amazing deals on parts from my boss so it made up for the disappointment. not its fun and reliable. knock on wood.

C-Thrilla

I bought Mine as if it rolled of the lot new. I found a gray hair in the back seat and knew it had never been ragged out! I was the second owner. It was pretty much my dream car Still is! It is newer one so it was more $$ but as far for me It was way worth it, I took it off the lot for 14,000 for a 98 with like 69,000 I was willing to pay like 16,000 from what I've seen on Ebay and auto trader I couldn't find anything at the time best Buy ever! I bust a nut every time I walk up to it in any parking lot and cant believe it.

O. L. T.

iTrader: (17)

Bumpski for the newbs coming in with $500 SC's lately. Your SC may be out to get you, watch your back.

Vadim540i

This is very true. Many people on here get very old one, put turbo on it and drive it. Even tho the interior is trashed. People just don't care. I mean why would you care about non working climate or LCD is you just got out of 240sx or some old crappy mustang. This is what happens when luxury cars get older and cheaper.

attzor

iTrader: (1)

Exactly, I don't care if my leather has a few rips or my climate control has some bleeding, I want to enjoy the car. My last SC had no AC, heat, radio or PS, and I loved the car, aside from the radio I didn't have any plans on getting those things working either. It's pointless, the cars value will barely be offset by fixing the little things.

CloudNine7

I do not yet have an SC, but I'm looking to buy one.

For those that have already had their SCs for a couple years, have kept it maintained, etc., how much would you say you average a year on maintenance?

The way I see it is that if the car is paid for, I'd still be paying waaaay less in the end than if I had a new car (and I know that new car wouldn't be nearly as luxurious!). Isn't the average new car payment about $400 a month? So that's about $5000 a year! No thanks.

Also, after watching this Dave Ramsey video on buying a new car, I have chosen to never, ever have a car loan. http://www.daveramsey.com/article/drive-free/

313sc3

Id pay $1500 for the beat sc and do the work my self. Also the steering rack is $280 with the core. As for the good sc id offer $4000. If they wouldnt take it id walk away. There are way too many sc's on the market.

KA8

iTrader: (1)

This can be said about any car. You spend a little more upfront to get one in good condition. I would buy a beat up car and do all the work myself IF I had alot of time. But I'd rather buy one in good condition and enjoy the ride right away.