gerrb

iTrader: (34)

^^^ I will once he comes around today and I snap pictures .. you will be surprised why only $3k. In fact I was just talking to him minutes ago that I will snap pictures of his car when he comes around because I was talking about its great over all condition here on the forum. I am glad I was able to convince him to keep it and I wouldn't mind helping him out build a fast SC300. I am not even nit picking on anybody's car. What I am trying to say is for $6k , if you do your homework , that is a lot of money to find one of the best shell you can build on for a fast SC. That is based on my own personal experience and the cars for sale I see around.

He is the guy with that stubby antenna replacement thread, bboykid10 . Here is a picture he posted from that thread but not much to see ... Wait till you see the all around and detailed pictures of the car , lol.

97-SC300

iTrader: (17)

Definitely post them please, along with interior pics and engine bay, some info on the car (mileage, previous accidents/paintwork, number of owners, service history, etc.) All those things matter to someone looking to pay top dollar.

gerrb

iTrader: (34)

He definitely is not selling it anymore . Besides I made a deal with him , once he is done with his boosted SC and still wants to sell his SC400 , I don't mind having it ... 90k miles 1UZFE has just passed its break in period . The older 1UZFE has the better internals so it maybe worth keeping knowing they run forever if well taken cared of . He passed by with his girlfriend so I did some quick snap shots.

For $3k against a $6.5k to start with as a shell for a 900rwhp boosted SC, I believe on my end I will choose the cheaper one knowing that I have no rust to deal with. Let us face it . Rust bubbles on a car paint are not even the whole story . They are just the worst part of the rusted area. The only way to find out to what extent is the damage is by stripping that area of paint. So your cost on that $6.5k shell will even be more because of glass removal , body repair and repainting . Though you can offset some of the repair cost by selling the engine and trans maybe from $1.5 to $2k . When rust have started on a car and is not taken cared off soon, it spreads and becomes worse. It is the cancer disease of cars meaning externally the car may look good but when you strip that paint away , you might be surprised especially if you already see rust bubbles.

97-SC300

iTrader: (17)

gerrbs it might be the lighting, but in the last pic the quarter panel looks like a different tone than the driver door.

In any case, and I don't know how the discussion shifted into talking about bare shells, neither one of these cars is a shell and we have to look at what you're actually buying, which is a complete car. A 5spd SC300 is almost always going to cost more than a stock SC400. Having said that, without seeing both cars in person you cannot tell me this guy's car is not worth $6500. And there's probably a good reason that **** guy is not selling it for $3,000 anymore, he probably realized it's worth more than that lol.

gerrb

iTrader: (34)

Its lighting , You well know that a shiny car will have different shades depending on lighting. On a white car since you don't see a lot of the shine , you don't see a lot of color variation due to lighting. You need to see this car in person.

We came into bare shell discussion because the OP said even if the car will just be used as a platform for a 900rwhp car which means the whole drivetrain is useless for that power goal. All we are talking about is the shell.. go back to the past posts. In that manner , it is not worth spending $6.5k for a shell to start with just because I personally bought a lot better cars for $3k and less and you all know about the Black Pearl since it has been pictured here by the past owners many times and on my own thread many times. Aside from being a 1997 SC300 original 5 speed , I didn't buy that as a bare shell .. it came with all the goodies for $3k, lol. Just a few of the goodies is already worth that amount.

Having this car in front of me , I would rather pay $3k for this car which I have inspected personally in and out rather than paying for $6.5k for a car which definitely has rusts according to the owner. Again as I have said in my last two previous posts which I emphasized .. we are talking about a shell to start with for a 900rwhp boosted car. I knew the topic of "wait a minute this is a 5 speed car" will come back... lol..."so it is better" . You know for a 900rwhp car , all that drive train has no meaning , it is being thrown away or on this instance being used to offset some of the cost to repair that rust , lmaol. Then the only difference will be one has the clutch pedal and some other small things and one will be more than double the price of the other.

Now if you are just buying a running SC300 5 speed and just a running SC400 and compare the two as is ... then that is a different story. A 5 speed SC300 car will definitely top an SC400 , no question asked assuming they are in exactly the same condition. That is.... if there was no plan of having a 900rwhp boosted SC , But the OP started saying building a 900rwhp and start with his $6.5k shell as the platform. Exactly the reason I said , "if you are building a 900rwhp SC, you can find a shell that is worth a lot less than $6.5k" then you said , "it is worth paying $6.5k for the car compared to your friend's $2200 sh?tty car that needed a lot of work . Go back a couple of posts buddy !

97-SC300

iTrader: (17)

Sounds good man, I see your point.

I guess just a clean shell may not be worth $6500 depending on the area and who you talk to, but that car as a whole in my opinion is well worth it.

Either way, these are very old cars now and to find a 92 SC300 that still has the original paint and rust free is not going to be easy. The only thing going against the OP's car is the windshield rust.

When we went to Nevada, I noticed all the older cars are spotless in terms of rust, literally did not see a single car with rust. But the exterior takes a beating from all the sun and heat they have. CA cars are the same way.

To find a clean one that doesn't need a new paintjob and isn't rotting underneath is going to be difficult no matter what part of the country you're looking to buy from. You'd have to find one that was garaged and kept out of hte sun as much as possible to find an SC that's as clean as OPs.

It's going to come down to the buyer, what they're looking to get out of the car and what they think is worth it.

Aron9000

That gold SC400 would fetch a good bit more than $3,000 if you put it on a national e-bay auction. There is an enthusiast group for these cars that will pay good $$$$ for a really nice one, but its very niche. However no matter how nice of condition that SC400 is in, there is one big thing going against it IMO. That damn gold paint, I HATE that color and would never buy anything painted that color. I know there are other people who feel the same. Also my car doesn't have fogged up headlights. Tell your boy to get a hair dryer, remove the headlight bulbs and dry the moisture out of the headlight. Once all the moisture is gone, put several layers of electrical tape along the top the headlight with the hood popped. I USED to have a problem with headlights fogging until I did that. Just replace the tape every few months/year.

ThomasGS4

iTrader: (19)

You know what, you're right. It's clear to see that both the front fender and rear quarter panel is darker than the door itself, in both pictures.