I saw an SC on a lot the other day and today I passed by and saw that it is a 92. I think it is a 400 judging by the blackish multi-spoke Lexus OEM wheels. I don't know anything more than that. Here are my questions:

Anything specific I should look for, power stearing, water pump, etc?

Are the 300/400 more reliable, and if it is standard, other than more rare, anything additional to check for?

Anything specific to that year as it is the first year of the SC if I'm not mistaken?

How many miles are "too many" miles? I know they are bulletproof if taken care of...

I did a quick search and they seem to be going from $3-7K. I don't need another car, but the wife is in a good mood and if I can get it for a couple G's, I might just do it. I'm no mechanic, but I know a bit and usually go on instinct and I've done OK so far. I have an RX330 and love it and would like the SC for an around town fun car to drive. My family is my wife, my 1 mos. old, and myself, so I'm sure we would all fit should we want to take a highway cruise. I love to drive, highway, city, etc. and I think this would be a great car.

Thanks in advance and I look forward to your comments...I'm jealous of all you SC owners, hopefully I can join you...

 

definitely a great car..most people think 150-200k is just breaking the car in..
however look for everything you can possibly find to lower the value of the car so u can get a better deal
usually with a car of this age interior isnt in great shape..cluster lights normally barely or dont work...bushings are usually worn on suspension and steering rack..
but overall just check for the usual when going to purchase a new car

definitely check to make sure all the electronics work theres quite a few(locks,seats,mirros,tilt etc) also make sure they have a key that opens the trunk/glove box if not talk them down some more thats another 70 bucks to get a master key made(ask me how i know )

either way good luck and yes these cars are very reliable each engine has its good/bads
and yes a manual tranny is pretty rare in these cars..

 

When looking for SC's check for water pump, power steering, burnt out needles/gauge cluster lighting, blacked out radio and climate control displays, timing and other belts, and other components of the typical 90k/180k service.

The fuel pump ECU issue is an issue that most people don't know of. You won't know if it's out unless you drive the car for a while and the engine starts randomly shutting off.

I would say the SC300 and SC400 are equal in reliability. The SC300 is easier to mod if you are plan to build a high performance SC. The SC400's 1UZ engine is legendary for reliability. Toyota spent over $400,000,000 in research building that engine, so that may help boost your confidence in buying one. As long as the car is in decent shape, you won't have too much to worry about.

I'm not too familiar with the 5-speed SC300's in terms of maintenance. I would check out how the car shifts and whatever else the average manual transmission car would need as far as maintenance goes.

Since it's a 92, it may have a front lip if it's an SC400. Because it's the oldest SC you can buy, it's usually the cheapest SC you can buy if it's stock. If you go with a pre-95, you won't have fog lights, temperature gauge, and various other little things that were included in newer SC's over the year.

I wouldn't buy an SC with over 120,000 if you plan on getting something that will be clean and will need little to no work immediately after purchasing it. If you buy one in the 80,000-110,000 mile range, it may not have the big 90k service done. The same goes for SC's in the 170,000-190,000 mile range and the 180k service. The best way to go would be to find an SC in good shape with all of the maintenance done. Miles won't matter if the previous owner took care of the car.

 

Yes manuals are more rarer.

If your looking for just a DD I wouldnt buy over 120 either ^^^...

If your not mechanically incline have a trust one look at it for you.

 

I drove by it last night and am going to stop by shortly. It does have a front lip and I'll try and post a picture of it.

When I say daily driver, I mean to the office and back which is 3 miles, so if something happens, I can probably figure something out. I have the RX which my wife drives, although she spends most of her time with out newborn now.

I'm going to head out and take a quick look at it and see what they are asking, etc.

I'll check what you mentioned and hopefully they have some of the service records. It is a lot that is selling the car so my guess is it was bought at an auction. I'm hoping it is in the 175-200K range and is clean. We'll see.

 

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I just drove by, they don't open for another hour or so. The front looks like it was upgraded and I always thought it was black until I took this picture. Who knows.

I'll go check it out here shortly.

 

The hood doesn't flush with front bumper. It might've been in a front end collision. If you get a bunch of pics, that would help greatly!

 

^^ agreed more pics will hep

 

No need for more pics. I had only driven by it. I stopped by a minute ago and checked it out.

Salvaged Title
Green w/tan interior (good shape)
247,000 miles
Asking $4,500

I didn't even ask anything else. I thought that was high, but maybe I'm wrong.

I'll keep looking, hopefully I can join the SC club one of these days...

 

wow thats really high..at least for here in florida i see ones in mint condition for that price with low 100k

my 92 with clean title 139k and very very clean int. was only 1900

 

I'm looking for your car's twin...

I'd love to steal a clean SC for less than $3K.

 

theres an sc400 local to me if you're willing to travel for 2300obo
http://tampa.craigslist.org/pnl/cto/2021893742.html