Few questions about purchasing an SC
08-10-10, 02:04 PM
#1
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Few questions about purchasing an SC
Hi,
First off, pardon all of my questions.
My name is Brian and i currently own a 2003 Hyundai Tiburon GT (custom turbo, etc), 1971 Datsun 240Z and a 1986 Toyota 4Runner. My Tiburon is for sale and once it sells i'm looking to buy a Lexus SC400. Are there any problems i should be concerned about? How about mileage? I hear that these engines can go 300,000+ without problems, but should i stay away from ones with 150,000+ on them? I have a lot of respect and trust for Toyota (my 4Runner has 248,XXX on it). Also is there are certain years that are better than others? Should i get the 400 or the 300? What's a good price to pay for one? I do like the V8 rumble. Sorry for all the questions, I just like to know all i can about a car before i purchase one.
Looking forward to being a part of this forum and owning a SC400 or SC300 soon.
-Thanks guys!
First off, pardon all of my questions.
My name is Brian and i currently own a 2003 Hyundai Tiburon GT (custom turbo, etc), 1971 Datsun 240Z and a 1986 Toyota 4Runner. My Tiburon is for sale and once it sells i'm looking to buy a Lexus SC400. Are there any problems i should be concerned about? How about mileage? I hear that these engines can go 300,000+ without problems, but should i stay away from ones with 150,000+ on them? I have a lot of respect and trust for Toyota (my 4Runner has 248,XXX on it). Also is there are certain years that are better than others? Should i get the 400 or the 300? What's a good price to pay for one? I do like the V8 rumble. Sorry for all the questions, I just like to know all i can about a car before i purchase one.
Looking forward to being a part of this forum and owning a SC400 or SC300 soon.
-Thanks guys!
08-10-10, 02:09 PM
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08-10-10, 02:20 PM
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Hey Swimmerboy.
The only thing you can do when buying one of these cars is use your better judgment and common sense.
Take a look at the owner, does he look like he is the type to be hard on the car, racing the car, neglecting the car?
Take the car to a mechanic to check it out before you put any money down.
I would suggest not buying a car with ANY mods at all.
Check the interiour of the car. If someone didnt care enough for the car to maintain the basics like the interior we can only imagine the neglect on the mechanical.
Obviously try to get one with as low mileage as possible, although the less mileage the more expensive ussualy.
These cars are priced very unussually from what I can tell.
Certain areas seem to be asking more for these cars than other areas.
Where im from most of the cars for sale have higher mileage -200 000 and up- and they still want thousands of dollars.
Take your time on this buy and keep your eyes and ears open. There is no rush.
Dont be afraid to bargain with these guys.
I was able to find one with low kms and for a good price.
I hope you can do the same.
Aside from that these cars are known to last longer than most other cars and if you look around this forum a bit there is many many things you can do to improve performance and looks.
Personally I prefer the sc400 but that part of this descision is all about your taste.
I dont know anything about the sc300 to be able to comment on other than it is probably better on gas.
Take your time and good luck!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The only thing you can do when buying one of these cars is use your better judgment and common sense.
Take a look at the owner, does he look like he is the type to be hard on the car, racing the car, neglecting the car?
Take the car to a mechanic to check it out before you put any money down.
I would suggest not buying a car with ANY mods at all.
Check the interiour of the car. If someone didnt care enough for the car to maintain the basics like the interior we can only imagine the neglect on the mechanical.
Obviously try to get one with as low mileage as possible, although the less mileage the more expensive ussualy.
These cars are priced very unussually from what I can tell.
Certain areas seem to be asking more for these cars than other areas.
Where im from most of the cars for sale have higher mileage -200 000 and up- and they still want thousands of dollars.
Take your time on this buy and keep your eyes and ears open. There is no rush.
Dont be afraid to bargain with these guys.
I was able to find one with low kms and for a good price.
I hope you can do the same.
Aside from that these cars are known to last longer than most other cars and if you look around this forum a bit there is many many things you can do to improve performance and looks.
Personally I prefer the sc400 but that part of this descision is all about your taste.
I dont know anything about the sc300 to be able to comment on other than it is probably better on gas.
Take your time and good luck!!!!!!!!!!!!!
08-10-10, 07:12 PM
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Hey Swimmerboy.
The only thing you can do when buying one of these cars is use your better judgment and common sense.
Take a look at the owner, does he look like he is the type to be hard on the car, racing the car, neglecting the car?
Take the car to a mechanic to check it out before you put any money down.
I would suggest not buying a car with ANY mods at all.
Check the interiour of the car. If someone didnt care enough for the car to maintain the basics like the interior we can only imagine the neglect on the mechanical.
Obviously try to get one with as low mileage as possible, although the less mileage the more expensive ussualy.
These cars are priced very unussually from what I can tell.
Certain areas seem to be asking more for these cars than other areas.
Where im from most of the cars for sale have higher mileage -200 000 and up- and they still want thousands of dollars.
Take your time on this buy and keep your eyes and ears open. There is no rush.
Dont be afraid to bargain with these guys.
I was able to find one with low kms and for a good price.
I hope you can do the same.
Aside from that these cars are known to last longer than most other cars and if you look around this forum a bit there is many many things you can do to improve performance and looks.
Personally I prefer the sc400 but that part of this descision is all about your taste.
I dont know anything about the sc300 to be able to comment on other than it is probably better on gas.
Take your time and good luck!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The only thing you can do when buying one of these cars is use your better judgment and common sense.
Take a look at the owner, does he look like he is the type to be hard on the car, racing the car, neglecting the car?
Take the car to a mechanic to check it out before you put any money down.
I would suggest not buying a car with ANY mods at all.
Check the interiour of the car. If someone didnt care enough for the car to maintain the basics like the interior we can only imagine the neglect on the mechanical.
Obviously try to get one with as low mileage as possible, although the less mileage the more expensive ussualy.
These cars are priced very unussually from what I can tell.
Certain areas seem to be asking more for these cars than other areas.
Where im from most of the cars for sale have higher mileage -200 000 and up- and they still want thousands of dollars.
Take your time on this buy and keep your eyes and ears open. There is no rush.
Dont be afraid to bargain with these guys.
I was able to find one with low kms and for a good price.
I hope you can do the same.
Aside from that these cars are known to last longer than most other cars and if you look around this forum a bit there is many many things you can do to improve performance and looks.
Personally I prefer the sc400 but that part of this descision is all about your taste.
I dont know anything about the sc300 to be able to comment on other than it is probably better on gas.
Take your time and good luck!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for all that man, the help is greatly appreciated.
08-10-10, 07:35 PM
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Just to add on to what 1Willy1 said, if you are looking for a car to do some serious mods/engine swaps/etc. too you should go with the 300, the 400 has more power stock but there are not as many cases of engine modification, also if you are willing to spend the extra time and a little extra cash go for a sc400 98-00 because they have 290hp stock as to the 250hp or 260hp
08-11-10, 04:04 AM
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Just to add on to what 1Willy1 said, if you are looking for a car to do some serious mods/engine swaps/etc. too you should go with the 300, the 400 has more power stock but there are not as many cases of engine modification, also if you are willing to spend the extra time and a little extra cash go for a sc400 98-00 because they have 290hp stock as to the 250hp or 260hp
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08-11-10, 06:25 AM
#8
(the question is really how hard it would be...)if you are serious about the sc4, check out Lextreme Forums, all about the Toyota V8s, from maintenance to upgrades.
If you really want power, the i6 sounds pretty damn good, too, and there is tons of aftermarket support for the 1/2jz (meaning the same $$$ up front, less down the road, and more HP for less)
08-11-10, 04:46 PM
#9
1willy1 covered just about everything, and I can tell you from experience that his advise is good. I've purchased 2 SC400s, both times in unmodified, stock condition, from "older" gentlemen who serviced them religiously. I still own the second, a '97 that I flew from Calif. to Dallas to buy. The interior was in great shape, the car had been serviced, and always garaged, with low miles. I paid a premium for it, but it needed almost nothing, and I've driven it for the past year as a great daily driver with no issues. Be patient - half the fun is searching for the right car. If you can find a '98 to '00 with VVT, so much the better. Good luck - these are great, great cars. If you get the right one and take care of it, you won't regret the purchase.
08-11-10, 04:46 PM
#10
Welcome to the forums man! If you're looking for an SC400, I would go with a 98+ since they have the updated body kit, more horsepower, and nicer interiors. The only drawback is that most of them, at least in my area, are priced extremely high and go for twice the price of a clean pre-97 SC. Go for a lower mileage car, but also make sure you get one with the 90k service maintenance already done if you get one with 80,000 to 110,000 miles. Good luck with your search for an SC!
Last edited by Kira X; 08-11-10 at 06:57 PM.
08-11-10, 11:08 PM
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1willy1 covered just about everything, and I can tell you from experience that his advise is good. I've purchased 2 SC400s, both times in unmodified, stock condition, from "older" gentlemen who serviced them religiously. I still own the second, a '97 that I flew from Calif. to Dallas to buy. The interior was in great shape, the car had been serviced, and always garaged, with low miles. I paid a premium for it, but it needed almost nothing, and I've driven it for the past year as a great daily driver with no issues. Be patient - half the fun is searching for the right car. If you can find a '98 to '00 with VVT, so much the better. Good luck - these are great, great cars. If you get the right one and take care of it, you won't regret the purchase.
Welcome to the forums man! If you're looking for an SC400, I would go with a 98+ since they have the updated body kit, more horsepower, and nicer interiors. The only drawback is that most of them, at least in my area, are priced extremely high and go for twice the price of a clean pre-97 SC. Go for a lower mileage car, but also make sure you get one with the 90k service maintenance already done if you get one with 80,000 to 110,000 miles. Good luck with your search for an SC!
08-16-10, 11:05 PM
#13
Mortgage Slave
Hi there and welcome
First of all ask yourself... what do YOU want out of the car? That should be able to determine if you want to search for a 300 or a 400.
Want a nice daily with a respectable amount of go? I say get a 400. We never got the later VVTi 400's here in Oz (hell, we didn't get the MkI SC at all) but if the 400 is anything like my Soarer 4.0GT-L it's like you're cocooned in your own little world. Keep in mind that the Japanese spec model has a lot more fruit (so it seems) than the US spec model but still has many of the important stuff. Find a good one and they are a solid unit.
If you're looking for something to modify I say get a 300. Compared to a 400 it's aftermarket parts galore and lets itself very well to a 1/2JZ conversion. If this is the case I say get an clean, older example so you'll have some cash leftover to swap out the suspension and up the performance.
There's nothing wrong with buying a car that's been modified. Just make sure that you have a good look at what's been done and ensure it's all done properly.
First of all ask yourself... what do YOU want out of the car? That should be able to determine if you want to search for a 300 or a 400.
Want a nice daily with a respectable amount of go? I say get a 400. We never got the later VVTi 400's here in Oz (hell, we didn't get the MkI SC at all) but if the 400 is anything like my Soarer 4.0GT-L it's like you're cocooned in your own little world. Keep in mind that the Japanese spec model has a lot more fruit (so it seems) than the US spec model but still has many of the important stuff. Find a good one and they are a solid unit.
If you're looking for something to modify I say get a 300. Compared to a 400 it's aftermarket parts galore and lets itself very well to a 1/2JZ conversion. If this is the case I say get an clean, older example so you'll have some cash leftover to swap out the suspension and up the performance.
There's nothing wrong with buying a car that's been modified. Just make sure that you have a good look at what's been done and ensure it's all done properly.
