3ztwint

Hey guys, was just thinking about getting a cheap(er) sporty car when I sell my mustang and while I was looking around at 3000gt's, Z's, etc. I thought to myself, why not just get and SC? seems to hold up better than all the other possible sporty cars (other than say a celica (stupid autocorrect tried to make that 'celiac' HaHA) or MKIV supra NA) AND I think it would look more modern and classy to boot, esp considering I am approaching 30 and prolly won't be looked kindly upon driving the cars I have been. Plus I have already owned virtually every body style of sporty car from the 90s to the early 2000's except this (had 3000gt's, 3 eclipses (RS, GST, GSX), 4 celicas, couple 300ZX's (one a TT), 240SX, Hondas, mustang (but no camaros) etc... you get the pic)
Bottomline: 1. which is better in your opinion, the 300 or the 400? I'm leaning on the 300 b/c of fuel economy and from what I'm seeing, seems just as good as the bulletproof 1stGen LS sourced 400 drivetrain (see my post today about a 300 w/500K on it I saw on CL)
2. Should I go cheap or not? I kinda want a project and have seen some diamond in the ruff types where they seemed mechanically sound and had say 120K on them and just needed some paint and interior work for say 1500-3000 bucks, but I have also seen really clean ones of the pre-97 refresh going for only say 3500-5500 (I know there are many out there more $$ than this, but I have seen deals ilke this all the time). I feel like at 2-3K I can get a decent 92-96 and make it real nice!
3. Any pitfalls to watch out for on these? (IE, known common issues like the balljoints on a 2nd gen Gs, etc)
4. Any must haves? All I really know about these is that they had the (almost impossible to find) manual transmission in say 92-93, but I don't know of any other variations to look for that may be more desirable (plus, somebody correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't the manual only in the SC300's?). Yes it would be awesome to get an SC300 with a manual, and drop a GTE TT in there, but I just want to find a decent one for now, and maybe then I will become a multi-car SC owner like I have with the ES in the past....you just can't beat the quality of these cars, IMO I would take a 15 year old lexus over most of what they (other car companies) are putting out today in terms of reliability, etc.
5. When do you think that the SC430's will ever be reasonably priced? (less than 10K for an ok one, or 15K for a pristine one?)

Thanks a million!!

J

gtsfire

iTrader: (4)

There will be several people come in here and flame you for not searching. I, however, am not of those people.

The SC's are not sports cars. They are luxury GT's. (Grand Tourer).

When deciding on 300 or 400, you'll need to decide if you want to do any modifications. The 300 is easier to do engine swaps and such.
If you're not wanting to modify then the 400 is a good choice. The difference in gas mileage is negligible. I get 25 hwy mpg in my 400 and in both 300's I had averaged 26-27 hwy. The 400 is a much smoother cruising car.
Lower control arm bushings are the main pitfall to either car. Also rack-n-pion bushings. The pre-97 instrument clusters burn out, they have phallic like gear shifters.
Other people will chime in with their opinions.
Good luck. I love these cars. Timeless design and packed full of awesome. I'm 42. Don't let your age dictate what you drive. I also have a 400 hp MKIII Supra.

As for SC430's. Ugly. And you typically see older women driving them. Ugly is my opinion. Older women is my observation.

1JZPWRD

iTrader: (59)

Things to look for in both models are.....
failed cluster needles
popping door hinges
blackened lcd or climate control
bad lower control arms bushings
bad rack and pinion bushings
cracked upper window trims
bad window regulators
bad door hinges
foggy and leaky headlights


these are just a few. all of these can be fixed pretty easy. good luck in which you decide.

One HoT

iTrader: (5)

All of above are great suggestions...Also consider the repair bill may be quite hefty in price...Say LCA may cost upwards of 500-700 dollars in parts and labor..Headlights may cost as much as 800 brand new....etc etc..

OG Dada

iTrader: (10)

^^^He pretty much said what needs to be said when choosing between the 2. I went for the 400 cause I don't find 'boosting' or 'speed' appealing, but want it when I NEED it. IMO, common problems with these cars will go out sooner or later, so if it was me choosing again, I'd go for a cheap SC but with a great body. If you do it yourself, it's easier to repair/change parts that go out in these cars than repairing body flaws(like paint or body damages). Cause at the least you can still use your SC while doing small items at a time rather than it spending time in the body shop for repairs. If you check my restoration thread, you'll see I've replaced/repaired almost every common problem SC's have and it's equal if not a little bit more than buying an expensive or overpriced SC. It's really your choice, if you wanna have fun building it, or just enjoy a pristine one. Good luck.

For common problems to these cars, you can do a quick search and there's tons of info on it.

3ztwint

This guys, yeah probably should have done a more extensive search, but it is still nice to have some pros rattle off the common stuff off the top of their head, plus maybe there would be something I wouldn't have found. Great replys (n quick too!) Yeah I guess it is really more of a GT, but I still think it is more highly regarded than say an eclipse, etc of similar vintage. I am actually really curious about the whole MPG thing, do you guys think its pretty much only gonna be a 2 or 3 mpg diff? If so I might just get whichever I can come across first; actually missed out on a decent 400 that just needed paint for 1800

J

3ztwint

Ha, that's interesting on the 430's, I do agree that they are typically driven by older women and I thought they looked stupid when they first came out, but they grew on me..a little, just think they look more modern (but, given the MPG might as well have the 01+ LS). Does your MPG drop significantly in combined use (city/hwy say 50/50)? Just curious, b/c the ES's I have seems to get a ballpark of say 24 in the city and can get as high as 30-31 on straight highway (even took a pic when I had gone about 350 miles on 2/3rds of a tank b/c I couldn't believe it) and I end up with 26-28 combined. Thanks for the informative post too, BTW!!

play123boi

iTrader: (1)

Just get a SC300 and call it a day I had a 400 and a 300 and trust me you will get the mod bug! I have done a 1jz-gte swap and that make the 300 a blast to drive! I sold that one and now just bought another and I love the SC it is a timeless design and they really hold up well if you dont dog em, I see that all the time and it breaks my heart!

LunaVyohr

*Sigh*

Most everything you need to know about these cars can be found here.

Really, just spend the extra money and get a good one that wasn't thrashed. It will be cheaper and less of a headache in the long run.

gtsfire

iTrader: (4)

My combined mpg is usually around 22 mpg. I've never been below 20. At 70 mph the SC300 is going to be around 28-2900 rpms. The 400 cruises at about 2300. Makes for a much nicer drive. Unless you're going to go for performance mods, the SC400 is the way to go. I've got over 220k miles on mine and I still can't feel it running at the stop lights.