ScaddenMan

I am looking at buying a 1993 Lexus SC 400. The car is in amazing condition, only 112k miles, and after hearing all the fantastic things about a SC400 I am extremely interested in them. Sadly, this is the only local one in my area for sale.

I am not sure if it is allowed for me to post a link to the listing, but I believe it'll be easier for me to post it then write all the details myself. Do you all think this would be a good buy, or should I keep waiting around for another sc to come up in my area?

*** link removed


Thank you for your advice!

super400

Looks like a really good deal to me. I have a 93 SC400 with 285,300 on the clock and I never want to own another car. I love this thing. Maintenance can be expense especially if not doing it yourself. Lucky they never break down but usually wear and tear stuff will have to be replaced. Check into the usually high wear stuff, timing belt/water pump, lower control arms, suspension bushings etc. Even if some of that needed to be worked on I'd still jump on this.

ScaddenMan

Awesome! Thank you for your feedback! My friend owns a shop that he lets me use after hours, so I am use to doing all the work myself! How long have you owned yours? How expensive are these cars to maintain yearly if I do the work myself?

COOLIS

The engine and transmission on the SC400 are nearly bulletproof. There are, however, a lot of other things that require maintenance on the SC. The suspension will almost always need certain components fixed (control arms, bushings, etc.), and they aren't cheap. The needles and back lighting on the speedometer almost always burn out, along with the LCD screen bleeding on the climate control unit. Many of the early SC models also had issues with the A/C going out. There is also the notorious crack in the plastic on the A/C vent surround and the door panels can also develop cracks. Finally, the timing belt/water pump are a necessity to replace. Overall, I wouldn't let these thing detour you from the car. My 92 SC400, which was previously my moms, has never left either of us stranded. It has had over $10k of maintenance done in the last 7 years or so, but my mom always used the dealer, which is why the cost is so high.

super400

Here's how bullet proof a SC400 is. I'm still on my original water pump and timing belt. Also if my spark plugs are not the originals they were last changed at the 60k service. I've got 285,300 on the clock. Now I'm not saying go that lax on the maintenance. But these cars were built extremely well. Remember this was when Toyota was still trying to push the new Lexus luxury brand. They are waaaaay over engineered. My SC400 has been in the family since 2006 with 73,00 on the clock. My dad gave it to me around 2011 with 211,000 on the clock. You won't regret this purchase. I'm to the point where I'm playing catch up on maintenance but it's well worth it. These things are known to go well over 500k and 600k on the original engine and transmission.

ScaddenMan

Good to hear! I recently sold my 1993 bmw 318i with 418000 miles on the clock so I wouldn't have to do catch up on the maintenance my family ignored over the past few years. All that I have read towards the sc400 is very positive, the most negative thing I've found on them is the needles and dash lighting go out, and the water pump leaking and destroying the alternator as mentioned above!

Well, if all goes as planned I'll be buying the sc400 today! Is there a good buying guide specific for the car so I know what to look for when inspecting it and test driving it?

super400

On the SC400 it's the leaking power steering pump that takes out the alternator. The alternator is right below the powersteering pump. Both are on the left side of the engine if your looking in the engine bay. The water pump is dead center of the engine. Although I'm sure enough leaking from the water pump could hurt the alternator.

super400

Just check the basics. Any leaks, ask about prior maintenance and when it was last done. Look for body damage/repairs. Basically anything out of place. I'm sure some other people could think of some other things.

Ramblerman

Looks ok from the pics, but from what I can see she used to be white. The engine bay is a give away. I would put matching seats in the front though. Check it over very well and try to get a honest history on the car. Other wise have fun, and welcome to CL.

jstrummer

Makes me wonder why the seller changed the steering wheel. Did the airbag deploy? Also, won't the car need a steering wheel with an airbag to pass the safety check?

ScaddenMan

So i went up and looked at it twice, as well had a friend run a compression. Here is everything i have found, after test driving it and having it looked at.

all cylinders are within 18 psi of each other.
spark plugs are brand new
tires are all balding in the middle. He is running 245/45r18 in the front, 255/50r18 on the backs. I think it is due to the car being lowered to much and rubbing. Had my friend jack the whole car up and everything looked solis, tires wouldnt budge.
He only has one sparko racing seat, the others are stock leather with usual tear and wear
Check engine light for o2 sensor
has very little oil leaking from oil pan, as well as back of engine. Back of engine isnt bad enough yet to be dripping.
Left blinker goes on when pressing the breaks. It is solid, doesnt blink. When you turn it on, it blinks twice the speed.
Door panels are a little loose.
3 of the needles dont light up. All the gauges do though.
the unit in the middle that displays ac etc is damaged.
paint is chipping in some areas

this is everything wrong i and my mechanic could find. There is no oil on the sides of the block. I talked him down to 3500, he wont go any cheaper.

As for the steering, he just wanting a racing wheel. He was planning on turboing it, but i dont think he realized how expensive and all the work needed to turbo the car. Pulled a car fax, everything checks out. It does say milage excempt on the title, should that be a concern?

i am going to be buying it tomorrow. I know i should probably be posting this on a regular car forum for advice, but is this a good buy?

super400

If he's put synthetic oil in with out changing the seals the could be your leak issue. I run regular penzoil with no leaks. The one time I did put synthetic i notice the oil light came on a couple of times. Went back to regular penzoil cause I didn't have money to do the seals and I've never had a issue again. The mileage is interesting. But everything else seems pretty normal. I would ask about it being repainted, cause I didn't catch that. The middle of the tires could be worn down faster if he over inflated the tires. I know I run mine over inflated to be a bit better gas milage and handling.

ScaddenMan

Okay, I'll run regular penzoil when I get it to see if that fixes the leak, never heard of synthetic oil causing that. Are the seals on these cars a usual problem?

Ya, I am concerned that the mileage isn't true. It does say it on the dash, but the title says exempt from mileage requirements, which I found this on it "Imagine searching the title for this information and seeing the term “Exempt Mileage.” That might be a warning sign for you as a buyer, but don't be discouraged. The use of this term is actually quite common for cars 10 or more years old. The Federal Odometer Act (FOA) of 1972 protected consumers from odometer fraud.Feb 5, 2015" The car runs really strong, and a visual inspection of the engine doesn't show the usual wear on it from tons of milage either so it could be true.

The car being repainted isn't a concern to me. When I got the car fax there was no reported accidents. Lots of cars when they are repainted skip over the engine bay being painted, after working at a paint shop for a while when ever I told customers how much more it would be for labor to paint the engine bay they usually just asked us to skip it. When he got the tires rotated and an alignment just a few months ago he told me they put the tires at 45 psi, he has it back down to 35 now.

COOLIS

$3500 seems a bit high IMO, but maybe they're getting more money in Utah due to not many being available. Out here in CA, you can typically get one in good condition with no mods for around $3-4K.

ScaddenMan

Ya, they are extremely rare in utah. I've never seen one on the roads before out here, and within a 500 mile radius there is only one other sc400 for sale. Edmunds says the car is worth around $6,000, Kelly blue book says $3,500 in fair condition. Kinda hard to tell what the car values are.