Barbary

I,m in the process
and when it can't run no mo' I,m putting it out front & just look @ it, cause its so PRETTY !!

JoeSchmoe

I agree with the post that mentioned how an old SC can be very expensive. But most people don't know any better and wind up paying big $ to keep an old SC going.
Funny also that someone mentioned the overpriced 240SX. The prices for those cars really are a joke. I saw one on CL for big bucks and the guy kept repeating over and over in the ad, "I know what I've got." I was thinking to myself.....yeah, you've got an old wore out underpowered POS that I wouldn't want even if you gave it to me!
Figure it took 50 years for the American muscle cars to gain value. SC's are still not that old, and they are fairly plentiful, although nice ones are hard to find.
Someone mentioned they're looking for a 99/00 to keep forever, and they read my mind. Thing is, they didn't make many of those years and they're pretty damn rare.
Also....and I don't want to cause a ******storm by this comment....but the SC is sadly a favorite of hoodrats who run the hell out of them and drive the cars into the ground.
Funny story...I answered an ad for an SC on CL, think it was a 92 400, ad said "72,000" miles.
In the hood. Got there, dude claimed his grandmother was the original owner and had to sell because she was going blind. Car looked pretty worn, pedals a clear giveaway. Ran the Vin. #
and the car had 224,000 and God knows how many owners. The current owner had just bought the car. In other words, everything the guy told me was a lie.
However, I have to admit that the car actually ran fine, a testimonial to the crazy longevity of these cars.
For a super cool and reliable daily driver for someone on a budget, the SC can't be beat.
But if I was going to make a race car, I'd choose something else.

eknine9

iTrader: (8)

You gotta be careful with that. The ball-joints on the Control Arms are the part you really need to worry about. Failing bushings will just make a rougher ride, a failing ball joint is dangerous and once it goes the car is undriveable and if it happens while you're driving it can become a very dangerous situation. Which is why it's best to just get new Control Arms if you're going to be replacing the bushings.

If you want to save money a lot of people on here get Supra Control arms because they're the same exact size but cheaper than the SC arms. The bushings also run a little tighter but some people prefer that as it feels a little more connected to the road than the SC arms. I'm about to take the plunge on those myself in a bit.

KahnBB6

iTrader: (5)

^^ This. Always go for Supra MKIV front LCAs. And there is an aftermarket company now selling replacement SC/MKIV font UCA's with new ball joints. Eventually some company will set in and do the same for the LCAs once they are out of stock. Now the rear suspension. That's where there is currently no alternative other than Lexus OEM.

KahnBB6

iTrader: (5)

I'd like to think so but it's not a level playing field. In the middle 90's I was fortunate enough to be able to get a '69 Mustang fastback. Nothing powerful under the hood but it was a great car (that handled like a tank). Back then the purchase price was $6k in very good original condition with 50k miles. It was a 27 year old car at the time. Only four years later (kicking myself for this even now) I sold it for $6.5k in semi-restored condition with a few bolt-on upgrades and nice American Racing wheels but it was still basically the same car. That selling price was not a lowball at the time. The car was in very good shape and had an original engine and transmission but $6,500 was a fair selling price. I believe I listed it at $7,500 or $7,000. Today times have changed for early Mustang values.

When I bought my stock SC for $5k it was 17 years old and now it's 21 years old. That same older Mustang is now a 45 year old car and (I've looked recently) you can't get the same quality example in a Fastback for less than $15k-$18k+. Now back in the 90's if you were looking at a special high performance edition like a GT 351 or GT 390 you would be spending a lot more. A manual GT 428 was getting into big bucks and an original Boss 302, Shelby or super-rare Boss 429... unless you had the money to spend, forget it. But a regular Fastback or convertible... that was attainable. Not any longer unless you find a boxy Coupe.

As the SC series gets to the same age range there could be value creep or no value creep but I don't think it will appreciate like old Detroit muscle cars did. In their own time they were popular for the high performance editions available.

Any 2800-3600lb car that offers 300+ reliable horsepower and a stick shouldn't be laughably undervalued compared to used offerings with the same general specs but for the most part non-orginal examples of anything won't accrue in value all that much.

Even Supra MKIV NA's converted to nearly original TT status with a GTE and 6-speed swap aren't considered in the same ballpark as original TT's.

Yeah, folks who drive SC's into the ground have done a lot to harm the general value of the cars and 240SX's are not worth the high price they go for in bombed out stock form. Unlike the SC, the 240SX doesn't even have a USA legal Nissan turbo engine that can easily be swapped in and there was never an edition sold in the USA that gave it a lastingly notable power to weight ratio (1998-2000 SC400 VVT-i). It's a great cheap RWD sports coupe when money is poured into it but seeing a clean one is incredibly rare. I suspect the FR-S will follow in that trend after so many years but that is OK... cars like that sold in so many numbers just need to keep being produced. They are bound to be owned by a majority who won't take care of them and a minority who will. The near fifteen year gap between the last laughably overpriced 240SX in 1998 (I remember seeing one of the 155hp wonders with a $28k price tag at a dealer in '98 -- adjust that for inflation) and the $25k FR-S means for those years the former and the AE86, etc. were glorified simply because there was nothing else available like them brand new at an attainable price.

And I suspect the 240SX market will settle after some time and possibly be heavily supplanted once USA exempted RHD original Silvia SR20DET cars trickle into the used gray market with slightly different buyers looking for original classics.

Murco

iTrader: (1)

I think the 240SX will be the new '69 Camaro for younger generations in the not to distant future. Think about how many have been wadded-up, pimped-out, cracked-out, and been modified in ever more hideous manners. Original, clean examples of S15, even US versions, will bring big dollars in about 15-20 years.

And the "what's next" is answered, power steering pump and rack! Yea, that's what I was wanting. To spend yet another weekend underneath this car in one of the messiest repairs on any car! I'm amazed the alternator still functions, I literally poured P/S fluid out of the case! Another $400 too, but that isn't the most irritating point. My time is worth a hell of a lot more than this car!
So I've dropped about $4500 on this car since buying it a year ago, but the time under it is just too much when I have other things I'd rather be doing. I just ordered a new Audi, the mileage difference alone will make half the car payment!
So, this beast is officially for sale. I love it, but my time is becoming too precious...

JoeSchmoe

I think the SC's are creeping up. Check out the offerings nationwide on Autotrader.
Some of the prices are pretty insane, and many of the sellers are asking double or triple
KBB.
One in my hood is a 95 400, low miles, and the guy is asking 11,500.
He said it has "added value" because it's like new with 60K miles, but no way I'd give the dude
more than $6000, half what he wants. I think he's in for a rude shock as it goes month after month and no buyers and very few calls, but I could be wrong.
Maybe these cars are actually trending higher?
Also possible that the current crop on Autotrader just happens to be crazy.
The red 99 300 with super low miles is still on there for some crazy high price, I think it was
$18,000.
Has like 20,000 miles and looks like new, but the ad has been up for a very long time and
the guy obviously doesn't care if it sells or not.

t2d2

iTrader: (8)

By your own examples, only asking prices are creeping up. Stuff that hasn't sold in forever is hardly indicative of selling prices.

Does anyone even use AutoTrader anymore? It's absolutely worthless around here, with nothing but heavily inflated dealer ads.

KahnBB6

iTrader: (5)

^^ So far that seems to be the case (asking prices). As for AutoTrader, I still use it. Reason: when you're looking around for just about any low volume or low-numbers special edition high(er) performance car with a stick... or even rare editions of Mercedes or BMW diesel vehicles, you at least have the option of a statewide or nationwide spread to find listings. When only five examples of something truly rare and merely cult-status is available in the whole country and you're willing to actually consider going far to get it (or just want to see what average condition and asking price for a rarity is) I think it's still worth it.


The phrase "added value" would do nothing for me but I dislike that phrase used in any context to sell anything. A 95 SC400 with only 60k miles might be a good find but it's not significantly different from any other 92-96 (and 97 is mechanically the same). If he had added common performance hardware, or even a properly sorted aftermarket stereo or upgraded aftermarket suspension or other small improvements like factory options that came in later years... then I'd consider there to be added value.

t2d2

iTrader: (8)

Makes sense. CA has a much bigger collector car market than OR, so all we get is collector car prices on run of the mill cars, with little to properly fill out the pricing profile.

KahnBB6

iTrader: (5)

I guess it does. I've seen many rarer (read: difficult to legally import) running around in Florida though. Still in CA if I really wanted to find, for example, a Celica All-Trac or Galant VR-4 in good shape or bad I'd still have to look VERY hard. Unless I got lucky.

Here you do see one or two SC300 5-speeds listed most of the time but sometimes they are the same ad you've seen for several weeks or months. SC400 VVT-i's are not common to see listed.

I agree with you though, it is a market that bends more to the oddities. Hell, there is a restored Subaru Brat rolling around here which I saw a couple of days ago.

But still, even with the location, when I car shopped for a short list of cult models a few years ago I had some trouble finding more than one or two of something at a time if it was made in extremely low numbers. And at that time there was only one SC 5-speed, which I bought.

JPJJPJ

If you will take a look at eBay, there are a number of low milers in at $10,000 up to $14,000. It is simply a supply and demand situation and since so many SCs go for so long the low end of the market is saturated with cars that have 200-350,000 miles on them. There were so few manufactured by comparison to other vehicles that the market has now recognized the vehicle and the low milers, as with any car are becoming sought after.
Very few understand the durability of these vehicles. I owned a 92 SC400 from new and put 412,000 klm on the car. That's why I have a 93 SC400 with 53,000 miles on it. Believe me when I say, the cream will rise and it has already started.

t2d2

iTrader: (8)

^^^ To my surprise, there are indeed some low mileage SC400s that have sold for $9k on eBay recently. I wonder if that's the exception to the rule, with bidding frenzy out-pacing more typical market demand?

bigwhite

Low mileage is the biggest price determining factor in an older car, and these cars hold up well with low miles. Just got to find the guy willing to buy. Id rather have an SC than an old ( classic) american car.

KahnBB6

iTrader: (5)

Fair enough but don't knock a well sorted classic American car until you've tried it Many of them can be quite fantastic if you enjoy the feel of them. All their electronics, their entire drivetrains, and often their suspension systems can be updated to not state of the art obviously but much much more modern and livable technology if someone desires to. It's only money. And even without an open checkbook so many of them offer enjoyable and unique driving experiences.

That said, the SC is already a classic Japanese car in the same vein as some of the most notable Detroit classics and one of the best timeless muscle car designs to come from Japan. The styling was made to suit Americans after all.