Hi everybody,

I am 19 years old and I currently own a 1988 Mercedes 300E. It is a great car but I am looking for something more of a daily driver so I keep the miles down on the Benz and it needs some work in engine as I have a small idle misfire.

I know of a guy who is selling his 1992 SC400 and I was wondering if there is anything I should know....

....It has a damaged rear bumper, wing and tail-lights after a small accident.

Car is 140,000 on it too.

What type of issues do these SC400's have engine-wise? I know with my Mercedes, rough idles is a common issue along with wiring harness' etc.... so what am I looking at in the current age of the car/in the future as to repairs?

How many miles do these car's generally last for? As far as I know, there are no mechanical problems in the engine...

He is asking $1,500 for it

Thanks,
Robert

 

These engines last a long time. I think that sounds like an ok deal if there is no frame damage. Just make sure timing belt has been changed, etc.

 

Good man! Getting away from the Mercedes Sounds like a good car, just make sure all the service has been done.

 

Anything else other than the timing belt at this point? Anything big down the road that may need to be done? I know on my Benz the big ones are timing chain + head gasket....but I still got a while til those will need to be done.

How well do these do MPG-wise?
I have read the official is 18 city 23 freeway....Is that reasonable accurate?

 

here in hawaii where i do like all city i get around 15-16 mpg. but then again i'm kinda heavy footed. when i hit freeway and just cruise it, i def get 20+

Peace out

 

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=266465

 

Incase you dont know Toyota/Lexus = Lasts for ever. I went 200,000 without a timing belt...oops...didnt know it hadnt been changed and my car is still running like a champ at 209,000. everyone on here says something negative bout gas but whatever its there and we have to pay it. Its not the greatest mileage but it works. Let us know whats up!

 

for 1500 that is a deal... I would get it checked out by a mechanic and see what will be needed. If the total work recommended or required is under 2k I would do it. That means for max of 3.5k you get a very reliable ride with out a car payment I don't see a problem at all.

 

$1500 isnt too bad. if he isnt firm about the price, try to get him to go lower.

 

These are a well made car but there is a reasonable list of things that go wrong with these, but they don't all have to be fixed. If you pick up a well maintained car then a lot of this might have been done.

At that sort of mileage and age the interior will be well worn, both window trims will be broken and possibly have torn material, the door panels will have numerous cracks and broken clips.

Window regulators and door hinges on at least the drivers side will be due.

The climate control LCD will likely have dark spots and the dash gauges might flicker. Some button backlights will be out.

The front suspension bushes and shocks all around will be due. The ride will be a bit floaty and the front end will be clonky.

If it hasn't been serviced then things like brakes, ignition overhaul, and all fluids could well be due. The AC might not work or cool properly and the radiator will nearly need replacement. Hopefully when the cambelt was done the waterpump was replaced.

The good thing is that the engine and trans are pretty solid on these and go for a long time, well over 200k miles easily and for $1500 you will have a bit of a buffer to sort out the things that need to be done. A lot of these probs can be lived with, just don't expect to not have to spend anything on it.

Matt.

 

i'd go ahead and upgrade to all 97+ parts (bumper, tails) if you get it fixed.

 

Great information thanks. I know for sure the radiator + water pump was just replaced....I'll have to grab more info on it. I'm getting pictures later today so I'll post up the damage and see what you guys think.


I know they are, but I was not sure how the V8 motor stacks up...After a little research it seems a solid, well built engine.
Gas isn't a huge deal to me because I only drive ~100 miles a week so its not a huge deal. People always say "Your car gets horrible MPG", but the price goes up for everybody the same -- Its proportional so effectively they are paying the same % increase as me either way. Like I said above, I don't drive too much so not a huge deal.

I probably will although I have some great equipment in my garage. After the work on my Benz trying to resolve a misfire I have built up some equipment. I would like to consider myself reasonably good at DIY. I replaced valve stem seals in my Benz and fiddled a lot.

I will indeed after seeing the damage! I'm hoping $1k - $1.2k would be nice.

I'll look into it and see what I can find.


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Thanks to everybody for your responses!

 

^ Looks like the lights need replacing too -- getting yellow.

Needs cleaning up but that's the extent of the damage.
You can see the rear wing was torn off but he has the wing.

 

better then how I got my car.

 

We'll see how much he will give her up for. Hopefully I'll be back in a week or two with the car