Hello,

I am Kal, its is nice to be a part of this forum.

I am considering to buy a 95 SC400 with 170K on it. Clear title and new water pump and timing belt. Drives smooth and everything, however, that 170k is kinda worrying me.

I am not much of a traveler so I put around 10k a year on my current car and dont expect to exceed that by much. I just want a nice car to last a couple more years. Dude asking for 3

What should I know about this car before I buy it or no? Is the 170k miles a problem? what are the problems I am most likely to face while owning this car? I read so many reviews on kbb giving it good reviews on 180k and over 200k miles, but I still feel its a lil too much.

What do u guys think?

 

Mileage is not an issue. With proper care and regular maintenance, 300k is very doable.

I would be more concerned about the service history and overall condition. Spend some $$ and have it inspected by an experienced mechanic. If it all checks out, it's worth whatever you think its worth.

 

Yo Kal, welcome to the forums! If you do a little research you will find that the SC400 is legendary for it reliability. I have heard of a couple people with LS400's (which have the same engine as the SC400) that have 500,000+ miles with nothing but routine maintainance being done to them.
Some of the most common problems that I'm aware of are leaking powersteering pumps and hoses, rear main leaks, valve cover leaks amd power window motors go bad. One thing that I recently experienced that really sucked was that, from the day I bought my SC, the a/c compressor was empty and when I went to refill it I discovered that the older sc's used r12 instead of r134 refrigerant, so I had to convert my a/c system to r134 which cost me a pretty penny.
All of these problems are pretty easy fixes and don't really cost that much or take a lot of time, and the cars that these problems tend to happen to are ones that haven't really been taken care of in the past.
Good luck with your purchase, you will be very pleased.

 

For 3k... why not?

 

Depending on how clean the car is. IE exterior & interior. 3K might not be too high, but if the leather is bad & its got any major dents or bad paint, then Id try to jew him down. The miles are no problem at all, like Matt said. Ive got 200K on my SC400. The only other thing he didnt mention was front lower control arm bushing & ball joints. Poly bushings are pretty hard to come by these days. But brand new Supra control arms, which are the same, can be bought for $250ea. Good luck with buy!

 

Thank you everybody for the warm welcome and thank you for the replies.

I will take it to a mechanic tomorrow morning with the guy and do inspection as suggested and will note the common problems mentioned to be checked.

PS: sorry for the double post it was unintentional. Mods please merge this topic with this one

- Kal

 

From what I've been able to tell from lurking around here, the SCs are bulletproof- period. They each have their little quirks, but as long as your mechanic gives the go-ahead I think all is on the up and up.

 

Ok I got the car, I paid 3 for it but somehow I still feel a lil bad about it. Not sure why!

• 2 tires need replacement (from the stock wheels) and 1 from the after market wheels.
• it failed inspection today (again) for the tires and because the airbag warning light came on.
• I know I need to change the engine cover (when I drive fast some oil drops fall on the exhaust) other than that no leaks and she goes pretty fast on the highway.
• Timing belt and water pump were chaged in 2008 at 158K miles or so. now its 172K (not bad for usage for 3 years). Was bought in 07 at 144500.
• the interior is not all that, I know I have to either get the leather redone or some seat covers from advance auto or something.
• Also pas door panel looks like a piece of sh... garbage. What a long day!
• No dents, new paint, still looks fresh

Quite honestly Im only enjoying the performance and the exterior, interior not so much, actually hate it except the AC.

I can probably cancel the purchase by tomorrow or just sell it. These are some photos of it

 

a few more photos

 

The interior is beat up pretty bad.

 

Not a bad deal for 3k, really. I had a '92 SC300 that I paid 3500+500 delivery in 2008 that had a LOT more issues.

See the thread regarding what to expect when buying an SC for more details. Aside from the interior, which you said you weren't thrilled with but didn't mind- it looks pretty good.

The airbag issue concerns me, though. Thankfully, in GA we don't have safety inspections- just emissions.

 

too bad you didnt post the pics before hand, the interior is real rough.

Anyways 3 k isnt bad ,it might be wise to so some maintenance, tune ups etc...

Good luck and welcome.

 

Don't get cheap slip on seat covers. YOu already spent 3k, might as well fix it up right and get new skins. I've sen them on ebay for around $450. For you, I would definitely recommend them and you will feel way better about your investment.

 

Yeah, or check out leatherseats.com for other options- especially if you decide to go custom.

I might get some of these myself once I decide the direction for my interior.

 

Thanks for your kind reply, I was kinda mad yesterday, but now its over with Ill just go with it. At least I dont feel I got ripped off as much as I did. As for that airbag light I just dont know where it popped up from. How do I check where the error is coming from?

Thanks, yeah I think if the mechanical side is not too much of a hassle the cosmetic side is a little better to deal with, especially that its mostly DYI and dont really need a shop for it.

You are 100% right, and I am not planning to get something of low quality. I've checked the 450 ones u mentioned and they dont look that bad... Ill just have to wait till I get some more bread. or find something a little cheaper and of similar quality. Its just that shopping online is not reliable when it comes to seeing it physically and determine which options are more comfortable. I think Ill hit up shops and see what they got and whatever I like Ill look for online.

I seen leatherseats.com and they charge a bit too much. I just dont feel Ill spend 6-7 on seats and then another 5 fixing other stuff. Its just out of my budget atm.

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In general I am pretty much thrilled with the performance especially after a few nice looking cars wanted to race while stopped at the light (LOL) it kind of made me feel better.

A few more things other than the seats like the pass door panel, the hand break leather, the shift **** need to be changed. Where can I get pretty decent interior parts for decent prices? So far I havent found anything satisfying.

- Kal