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The issue I see with going to another SC, is you are unaware of any issues it may have. You may find yourself in a worse scenario than spending the extra time and money to fix the known issues you have now. I sent you a PM also.
Yea this is what scares me. I know the maintenance on my vehicle, and will do my best to maintain it by fixing things before they break. It needs some body work, which sucks because body work can be very expensive, and really hurts the clean sc appearance, but other then that my car is solid. When the tranny starts to go on mine(Stock @ 130K) I'll switch to manual. Other then that it's a slow restoration in progress. If you don't dump too much money into it at once and get in over your head, you'll be fine just fixing things little by little until it's perfect. Well worth it too. It's easy to just dump it onto someone else who won't fix it, then find something cleaner. I think restoring it, and keeping it is the way to go.
I have an SC300 with 160k miles that needs several thousand dollars of repair to get it back into the shape it was when I bought it. (seats, dent repair, transmission, ball joints, etc.) I plan on going through with the repairs, doing a little bit at at time, because this is my dream car. I searched and saved for months, and got exactly what I wanted, all the way down to the color combination. So to me, it's worth fixing. Hopefully it will last me a lifetime....
Will you continue to maintain and fix your car when it has 300k miles? 400k? At what point would you scrap your ride and buy a lower mileage SC?
Just curious
How I see it, the things you've named are on total opposite ends of the spectrum. Body work and seats can wait as long as you need until you have the money to do it right or find a great deal on what you want. The transmission and ball joint/LCA are an almost immediate need. What I have done and what I would also recommend for you is to prioritize the projects on a list with prices and check them off as you go. As you see them getting checked off it'll not only build more confidence in the vehicle but will also show you there is a means to an end... I can literally, right this second look at my other monitor to my left and there is a blue Windows note titled "SC400 build". There I have listed 2 categories, Maintenance and Performance. It definitely helps me, OCD? Maybe...
As for your question: I think if your car is fundamentally sound ie; engine internals and true frame, you should keep it. Fixing and maintaining a vehicle is something you are/should be doing on any car you ever own, for the rest of your life, plus its a great skill to have unless you have plenty of money and time to waste, while you wait for it to be done at the shop. Plus, it helps that our cars are fairly common and parts are just as common to come by.
You have to love these cars, they are iconic. Bought my car for 3k knowing it would need some things, I' have alot of experience, so no big problem. By keeping your car along time you tend to know it well inside and out. by buying another one you can just open a new can of worms and get a whole lot of somebody else's headaches and heartaches. I'll keep mine till the day I die, then my granddaughter will inherit it.
I agree with that ^^^
I have found that having to fix regular crap on the car has shown me the "ins and outs" of the vehicle. I am gaining an understanding of her that i have never gotten on a car before, ie design and build quality standards. ive built out hot rods and german classics, but seeing some of the things that Yoda did to manufacture these cars has been an eye opening experience. Dispite the issues that ive had to fix this thing is built very well, with quality materials for once. (exclude power steering system) mine is going on its 3rd.
I looked at this car nonstop for two years before i got mine, i got it salvaged and repaired it, 1999 Golden Pearl SC400.Fully loaded with nakamichi system, heated seats, the carphone thing. traction control, everything! the exact way i wanted it. People always ask me how much and proudly say its not for sale. As most guys said you know what you put into it and how rewarding it feels when you fix it / repair something. I dont know why, but something about these cars just pulls you in and wraps you up lol. I don't call my car a girl name, it's my friend.
10-14-14, 06:02 PM
