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Exactly my point. Here is another one that came up recently. I just think they're in fantasy land, especially b/c the lower mileage ones probably haven't had a lot of the standard SC issues addressed (control arms/bushings, A/C issues, PS pump, ETC). Sometimes a well maintained higher mileage car can be better than a little driven low mileage car.
Hahaha, that's nothing. I saw a SC400 on ebay for $23,000!!!
Exactly my point. Here is another one that came up recently. I just think they're in fantasy land, especially b/c the lower mileage ones probably haven't had a lot of the standard SC issues addressed (control arms/bushings, A/C issues, PS pump, ETC). Sometimes a well maintained higher mileage car can be better than a little driven low mileage car.
I am sure there are some low mileage cars that have not had any of the issues addressed but at the same time there are many out there that have. Guess it is just the chance you take when you buy a used car from someone. Some people are asking crazy amounts of money for these cars and then again you see many more that are dirt cheap but in just god awful shape!
i would not necessarily say the ones with much much higher miles are better because in reality those cars have a lot of wear and tear no matter what has been replaced on them.
My 1992 has 75k original miles on it and all of the maintenance (Water pump, timing belt, suspension, etc).has been done on it even though i rarely drive it . This car is babied. If I were to sell it I would definitely ask for a lot more than most would because I invested some serious money into this car and it both runs and looks like new.
I see SC in many ways as those old 60's VW Beetles that were on the market during the late 80's and 90's. You could find them dirt cheap back then and no one gave them any credit. I see these same 60's VW's selling for crazy amounts of money nowadays and they are definitely considered a classic today.
Hope the SC reaches that point one day. Only time will truly tell.
I can see a modified mechanical/body Sc selling for more due to the attention given to it. (hopefully good) like yours, you have all the attributes that one would want to style the car to what I think is the "look" these cars deserve. But stock.... meh, they look like a 90s lexus. and should be priced as such. some brownie points to the rare ones of course.
I am sure there are some low mileage cars that have not had any of the issues addressed but at the same time there are many out there that have. Guess it is just the chance you take when you buy a used car from someone. Some people are asking crazy amounts of money for these cars and then again you see many more that are dirt cheap but in just god awful shape!
i would not necessarily say the ones with much much higher miles are better because in reality those cars have a lot of wear and tear no matter what has been replaced on them.
My 1992 has 75k original miles on it and all of the maintenance (Water pump, timing belt, suspension, etc).has been done on it even though i rarely drive it . This car is babied. If I were to sell it I would definitely ask for a lot more than most would because I invested some serious money into this car and it both runs and looks like new.
I see SC in many ways as those old 60's VW Beetles that were on the market during the late 80's and 90's. You could find them dirt cheap back then and no one gave them any credit. I see these same 60's VW's selling for crazy amounts of money nowadays and they are definitely considered a classic today.
Hope the SC reaches that point one day. Only time will truly tell.
I love what you did to the interior!! You guys inspire me so much.
I am sure there are some low mileage cars that have not had any of the issues addressed but at the same time there are many out there that have. Guess it is just the chance you take when you buy a used car from someone. Some people are asking crazy amounts of money for these cars and then again you see many more that are dirt cheap but in just god awful shape!
i would not necessarily say the ones with much much higher miles are better because in reality those cars have a lot of wear and tear no matter what has been replaced on them.
My 1992 has 75k original miles on it and all of the maintenance (Water pump, timing belt, suspension, etc).has been done on it even though i rarely drive it . This car is babied. If I were to sell it I would definitely ask for a lot more than most would because I invested some serious money into this car and it both runs and looks like new.
I see SC in many ways as those old 60's VW Beetles that were on the market during the late 80's and 90's. You could find them dirt cheap back then and no one gave them any credit. I see these same 60's VW's selling for crazy amounts of money nowadays and they are definitely considered a classic today.
Hope the SC reaches that point one day. Only time will truly tell.
Off topic but dude those seats look fantastic! What are they from, do the heated seats/power adjustments still work?
I really don't get the logic of some of you guys. Why buy a beat up cheap one where you'll more likely spend more that the amount of a well taken care of one with a slightly higher asking price? It doesn't matter if it's low mileage or high, it still boils down to how well did the previous owner take care of it. I see a lot of members here, that spend thousands to making it look good, but won't even post a pic of under the hood because it's all leaky and neglected, not to mention a very beat up torn interior.
Off topic but dude those seats look fantastic! What are they from, do the heated seats/power adjustments still work?
They are 1998 MKIV TT Supra Seats, a direct bolt on to the SC, and YES the power adjustments work on them. No heat but I live in SoCal and I don't have a need for that feature.
I can see a modified mechanical/body Sc selling for more due to the attention given to it. (hopefully good) like yours, you have all the attributes that one would want to style the car to what I think is the "look" these cars deserve. But stock.... meh, they look like a 90s lexus. and should be priced as such. some brownie points to the rare ones of course.
Well FSU's car is tastefully done, actually, super well done I'm sure it's a head turner everywhere he goes.
Although in general I don't like to buy people's car with body kits.. If I wanted a body kit I am going to choose my own. Unless it's the price low enough and you are getting it for free, but he said he's not going to let it go for cheap.
Originally Posted by KingPhilip
I really don't get the logic of some of you guys. Why buy a beat up cheap one where you'll more likely spend more that the amount of a well taken care of one with a slightly higher asking price? It doesn't matter if it's low mileage or high, it still boils down to how well did the previous owner take care of it. I see a lot of members here, that spend thousands to making it look good, but won't even post a pic of under the hood because it's all leaky and neglected, not to mention a very beat up torn interior.
That's what I am wondering now.. can I buy a $3000 SC and spend $7000 to make it look and drive like a $10000 one. One can probably do it right? But I know it is not going that cheap or easy having done some of my own restoration.
If people say a $13k SC Is not worth $13K then it must be that we can start with a $3000 or less SC and do our own maintenance and restoration and get the same result, or less money.
I really don't get the logic of some of you guys. Why buy a beat up cheap one where you'll more likely spend more that the amount of a well taken care of one with a slightly higher asking price? It doesn't matter if it's low mileage or high, it still boils down to how well did the previous owner take care of it. I see a lot of members here, that spend thousands to making it look good, but won't even post a pic of under the hood because it's all leaky and neglected, not to mention a very beat up torn interior.
I'd gladly pay more for a well maintained car, but not more than double what the car should be priced at. There is a stock 93 SC400 for sale in Beverly Hills right now with 163,000 miles. The owner states he has put $12k into the car over the past 2 years. Asking price for the car... $12k. It's crazy to me that he thinks he can recoup that money he put into the car. The car should be priced between $3-4k at most. My 1992 SC400 with 133,000 miles is near mint and has had $10k put into it over the past 5+ year... I would be LUCKY if I got $5,000 for it. People need to be realistic.
I had never heard of a Lexus SC400 until a month ago while searching for a decent daily driver to replace a '97 Towncar which was totaled. I came across a '99 on Craigslist listed for $5,000. 3 owners, 169,000 miles, very, very clean car. Man I bought it from owned it for last 11 years. What sold me was the 12 page car fax and history folder 2 inches thick of everything ever done to the car. This car has only ever been serviced at the same Lexus dealership for its entire life. The receipts this owner spent added up to almost $21,000 in this time frame. It has Lexus windshield wipers! The battery is Lexus branded also... I'm in love, I can't take my eyes of the damn thing. And I even talked him down to $4,750. Only $16 out of pocket after getting $4,734 from insurance on the Lincoln.
I'd gladly pay more for a well maintained car, but not more than double what the car should be priced at. There is a stock 93 SC400 for sale in Beverly Hills right now with 163,000 miles. The owner states he has put $12k into the car over the past 2 years. Asking price for the car... $12k. It's crazy to me that he thinks he can recoup that money he put into the car. The car should be priced between $3-4k at most. My 1992 SC400 with 133,000 miles is near mint and has had $10k put into it over the past 5+ year... I would be LUCKY if I got $5,000 for it. People need to be realistic.
Some people look at maintenance as additional value added onto their car. That's very wrong. It simply maintains the value of the car. I'm extremely curious how he spent that $12K living in Beverly Hills and all.
Base it off of the KBB value of the car. That's why there's KBB.
But since this is about the SC being a classic car, does anybody know how professional appraisers appraise classic cars? I watch a lot of Mecum Auto Auction ever since I was kid, the value of any certain model vehicle besides the original condition, restoration quality, tasteful mods, etc. is based on how much a bidder paid for that particular vehicle at one point of time.
And this is exactly what I'm getting at, if people refuse (and mock) to pay a well maintained, all original, great condition SC every time they find one, its value will never go up until it becomes super rare. And as owners who have spent thousands on these cars that's what we all want to see happen in the future.
Classic or not ,as KingPhilip said , "the value of these SCs will depend on how much some people are willing to pay for them" .
It may become classic based on its age once it approaches 30 years old but until the big hitters / collectors are willing to pay a high price for them , their value will remain just like any other car , lower and lower as they age.
reminds me of conversations I have had with my dad about classic muscle cars. 60's era mustangs, camaros, chevelles... in the late 70's early 80's he bought bad running or not running cars for $100-$200, fixed em, and drove em. Now, those same cars restored are selling for $50,000+ all day long. crazy. maybe we will see the SC make a come back in another 10-15 years. I run a Lexus service facility and I still see a lot of stock SC300 and SC400 come in everyday for routine service. Once they become a little more rare they might become "classic" and go up in value. and a lot of the parts are starting to become discontinued so that might help. Who knows. I like my SC and will keep it for a long time. If it goes up in value, great. if it doesn't, i'm still enjoying it.
08-19-15, 01:36 PM
