A few days ago I scooped up a very sweet '97 SC400. My first Lexus, and a far cry to what I had been tooling around in. A lady (friend) bought an sc430 and (I thought) gave me a great deal on her old ride. She really pampered it, I had my Yota mechanic look it over, and jeeez, the thing really is a rocket. Only problem, my son, an 11 year old car nut, does not think that it's cool. Other than that, I'm really pumped. It's the deep white pearl color. And could use some cool rims.

OK, here's the bad news. I did the oil change w/o probs. I'm fairly handy under the shade tree, but not a gearhead at all. The car has three problems. One, the antenna mast was eaten in the car wash. (Only cds so far on the rockin' Namamamma sound system) Two, the driver's side mirror was cracked and is losing its reflective ability. (But who cares what's behind) Lastly, the trunk lid tension is weak, as it doesn't stay up with authority. What's that about? I don't care to be nailed in the head. We have a lot of wind in FLA, along with the ocassional hurricane. It comes down fast and hard.

Can the mirror and mast be fixed by an intermediate hack like me if I order parts? Where to order parts? Hendrick? Thoughts on the trunk.

Unrelated is finding a bolt on hitch so that I can put on a bike rack. We are into biking. I read the forums on whether or not a hitch is proper on an SC400. However, I did not see any info on where to purchase a decent model that fits simply at a reasonable cost.

This car has all the options and is silky. What would did it sell for new in 96-97? Would $12,500 be a good buy today?

And yes I can be shallow. Are there any women at this site?

 

There will be lot's of antenna posts in the electronics forum you can browse, or you may run a search. The info is so vast i dare not even attempt to type it.

The '97 should have heated mirrors, so there is some wiring in the mirror, do yourself a favor, replace it with OEM.

There may be shocks for the decklids that are aftermarket and will fit, once again a search will yield better results, i don't know about that one.

Use as little words as possible in your search, more tips are in the sticky up there ^^^

Welcome to CL

 

as for the trunk obviously you will need new shocks ... ebay is your friend here you can pick up a pair for very cheap. and for the mirrors i agree with olt replace with oem get them from the dealer unless u can find them for cheaper somewhere else and bike rack on an sc?!?!? in my opinion but thats all you

 

you can get a new replacement antenna mast on ebay for 15 bucks and you can also get replacement trunk shocks for 40 bucks on ebay or rockauto.com . I'm sure you can pick up a replacement mirror for 50 on ebay or in the classifieds.

 

Haha! That is a good question. I wonder if I am the lone female on here... and one who actually likes to change my own oil and keep records on mileage..... what? a challenge is fun. Why elce major in engineering?

 

There are a few women on this site who are Lexus fanatics....obviously the more the better

 

INDGOGIRL and Thunder_Cloud are 2 that I can think of.
I'm sure there are a few more, but still not enough.

~Alan

 

Sounds like you got a sweet deal on a mint SC400, the issues you listed are so minor it's not even funny, and that's a good thing for you. You can replace the antenna yourself for under $30. Buy a new OEM mirror and have a body shop put it on if you're not able to do it yourself. As for trunk shocks you can get those off fleabay of you want, or do a search for "trunk shocks" and my user name and you can get some really good ones from the company I got mine from (spoilered shocks have a little extra oomph in them).

All in all it sounds like you're about to start a serious love affair. As for your son, he hasn't been around long enough to know what's cool and what's not, lol. But once you start reading threads here and modding the car I betcha he'll jump back on. Wheels can be had in the wheel classified section of this forum for really good prices. Search is your best friend right now...you have a wealth of knowledge and experience at your fingertips.

As for women on the forum, there are a few that I know if but none that I have ever met in person. I'm not into meeting people/dating over the net so I never really looked into it. In any event welcome to the club and be prepared to be broke!

 

Your son doesnt like v8's? or cars from Lexus? Well he is 11, so I take it he is into the fast and the furious and also cool neon lights. Its ok, he'll grow into the SC.
Your antennae mast can be bought from Lexus, and installed by your Toyota mechanic. So can the trunk struts.

 

Man if you get some trunk struts I'll tell you how to install them, it's not hard at all...and I'm a guy who still pays others to change his oil so you know I'm no mechanic. You said you changed the oil yourself so I know you can install some trunk struts. PM me when you get them if you like and I'll tell you the how-to...

 

Hey man, where in Florida do you live? I could help you with every single one of those problems. Ive already done the trunk shocks, the antennae is easy, and the mirror cant be that hard. As for ordering the shocks, hit up www.rockauto.com for the best prices

 

Thanks everyone.

In the interests of time, certainty and freshness, I ordered my three parts today from Hendrick Lexus in Charlotte at a fairly decent rate. The car is so pristine that I don't want to gerryrig or use parts that may not last. I can't stand something that doesn't fit or looks hokie.

My kid is starting to enjoy the v-8 muscle. Too much fun. He likes VW/Audi..F-1 stuff. He better make some bread and find a good mechanic.

To the guy that offered to help me. We are in the Daytona Beach area. The birth place of speed. My biggest concern is to replace the mirror. That ran $230!

Not only new to the SC, but also this message board stuff. Whew.

Do you all have rallys? I never see an sc around here. I'd like to see some of your tricked out rides.

Looking forward to hanging out w/ you all here in cyberland. Very excited about the car and this group.

 

Yea whast up man, Im over on the other coast, a little south of Sarasota. For meets, check out the Regional Forum, there's actually coming up soon in Kissimmee.

 

You and I both. I also don't like anything jimmyrigged or hokie on my car. What I was suggesting was simply a less expensive route, not a "cheesy" route (for lack of a better term). But if you're in a position where you can absorb the dealer's inflated prices then don't worry about it, the peace of mind is worth the extra cost for some. I saw a Lexus SC300 antenna on fleabay for $17 and a set or trunk struts for $40. There was no replacement mirror that I could find. Good luck though, and check out the gallery section for pics of some hooked up SC's.

BTW, show the gallery to your son, he'll love it!

 

i can assure u the aftermarket replacement antenna and trunk shocks are as good as or better than the ones offered at lexus for 1/3 the cost. I've had mine aftermarket trunk shocks and antenna for a while now with no problems and they look like they will last a long time.