Hey Guys,
I am sure you would rather have me just look at kbb or black book but I was wondering if this car is a good deal. It is a blue '92 sc400 with 47,500 miles on it with all options, traction, heated seats, moonroof, even the analog cell phone. From what I hear, it looks good inside and out with the exception of the vent opening is cracked above the Radio, and there is a scrape about 1 foot long below the passenger side door. It is currently on the Second owner and the first owner is the current owners brother-in-law. I would go look at it but it is in Philadelphia and I am in Seattle. Currently, I wasn't thinking about buying for another 6 months. Is it worth it to get a car with 50,000 miles? Thanks for any help!

percavman

 

Dude, that's way too far I would think. Keep looking in your area for the next six months. Something will surely come up.

 

i went to st louis to get mine a good 600 miles away...but for the price it was untouchable....

 

I got my car shipped from Boston, which was about 1100 miles.. The only way to see if it is a good deal for SURE, is if you go look at it.. other then that, you just have to trust the person you are buying it from, or if you know something that lives in that area, have them go look at it for you.

 

i shipped mine from florida. i did a buyer's inspection on it first, (costs $100) by a third party motorsports place that only deals with high end cars such as lexus, bmw, mbz, ferrari, porsche, etc. i would highly recommend you do this before you buy ANY used car, especially one that's so far away. see if you can get the current owner to arrange shipping and pay for half of it if possible, too.

 

If you want to add to your search, click on the link:

http://classifieds.autos.yahoo.com/c...&cr=Nationwide

This is a great source to find just about any Lexus SC 300 or400
available for sale Nation wide or Locally

 

Percavman -

This is WAY too much- unless the car is in absolute perfect condition. Even with the low mileage.

It's kind of hard to buy a car without seeing it first..driving..getting the feel for it. ya know?

 

Hey,

That car is not in my area but if someone is seriously interested in getting an SC and it is too far from them and the car is in the SF Bay area I will try and take a look for you. I am pretty strict and usually take two hours to go over the vehicle.

What kind of SC are you looking for? Color? Options?

 

The miles .. the miles...

SO many issues not available, but the mileage is SO LOW~!

OK - validate the mileage.

Perhaps set up a quick vacation in the general area of the car's owner.

SEE the car, DRIVE the car, It may be a TRUE low mileage car - INSPECT.


Mike

PS - everyone has a perception of quality.
You must trust yourself, or, someone that can be trusted.

 

Okay
I do understand that there isn't any better way of knowing a cars true value besides "kickin' the tires". What I am trying to understand is that if the seller says it is everything it is. Very good condition, paint (besides the scrape under the pass. door), leather, drivetrain, and miles are 47500 actual miles. He is selling it because and I quote "My daughter just turned 16 & got her license. This car as you can tell by the mileage was a 3rd car.......well she thinks it hers!! NOT! I really don't want her driving a nice car like this so I told her I'd sell it & use the $$ to buy her something more practicable like a Honda." Does it really matter if the car has high miles on it. I keep hearing about how reliable these cars are but when looking should I limit the cars to under 125k, 100k, 75k? The bottom line is, I want this car to LAST. Either way, if I can see it or not, I will send a professional inspector to look at it. Please feel free if I am making wrong moves anywhere, and the only real reasons I am looking out of state because SC4's in Colorado are pretty rare and the price is about $4000 higher, or at leats that is what I have found. Thanks for all your guys' help!

 

We had a small thread on mileage versus age and the only people who posted seemed to agree that these SCs suffer more from age-related problems than mileage-related problems. My 92 SC300 only has 68K verified miles on it, but it has (or had) numerous "typical" SC problems:
-CD changer didn't work.
-one light intermittently out behind instruments.
-one section of AC backlighting is out.
-trunk lid struts are almost shot.
-worn leather on driver seat.
-intermittent problems with dimming LEDs on inside mirror.
-leaky headlight.
-exhaust system probably losing baffles somewhere.
-a little air noise around moonroof.
-AM radio noise due to poor grounding.
-maybe another one or two that I'm forgetting.

The SC400 has the problem with the alternator getting fried from power steering fluid leaking onto it. I would think that is an age thing too.

What I am saying is that if you buy a 92 with low miles, don't expect it to be flawless. You will probably still have the usual electrical problems and maybe some others to deal with, either right away or soon. On the plus side, the mechanicals will be great, but then again, everyone says they are good for way over 200K miles.

I would look at the FAQ thread and any others that list the typical problem areas, then personally inspect for them or pay someone to do the same.

 

Percavman,

Buyer beware...very few owners are aware of a cars true condition. I looked at several SC4s in my quest for the best car....I ended up buying and paying top dollar for the right car. It was a fellow CL member who absolutely loved the car for the first 9 years of its life. What did I pay....13.5 for a 92 SC4 with 70k miles and loaded. Now, that was a year ago but here are the facts that were very important.

Texas car, garaged at night and at work, no paint work ever, no damage ever, 100% Lexus serviced, no sun damage, no salt, no rust, paint looked new, new chrome 96-97 SC4 rims and new tires, all service 100% up to date, no paint damage or rock chips on the front end, no gravel roads and generally a pristine car. It looks like its a year old...really. Mods too...Borla exhaust and intake.

What about the problems with the 92...you bet even a low mileage car will have em. Mine did, I checked...it was all taken care of from the dealer. All under warranty or partial warranty...all the common problems were dealt with already on my SC...ie. PS pump, lower control arms, motor mounts, trans mounts, a/c, headlight housings and the list goes on and on. Bottom line, I felt the major issues with the car were already done and I was right. I have not repaired anything. Period.

Now for the buyer beware. Most people are not car nuts....they see a 10 year old car as just that...an old car. Scratches, lack of maint, dings, generally wear and tear ect, ect. I looked at several low mileage SC4s that were to be in mint condition that I just walked away from. Several in Denver to boot...what were these people thinking? just read above...people see the car as transportation. Thats it. Denver cars are trashed...chipped up and run through the mill. Philly cars? they do see salt, have it inspected by the Lexus dealer at best. Talk to the tech yourself and ask specific questions on the condition of the car. That is your best bet.

As for my SC...its waiting for that first Area 51 supercharger kit this winter. Happy hunting....its worth 13.5 easy if its mint and service is good.

 

Here's one that caught my eye in the Dallas news paper this weekend:
1993 SC300 Pearl/Grey, 119,000 mi., 6-CD, perfect., 5-speed Std.,
$7900. 214-369-6771.

 

You have to look at the big picture. I would rather have a 92 SC400 with 47,000,garage kept,good condition for $16,000 over a 92 SC400 with 100,000 plus, decent condition for $9000-12000. On average a lower miled car will have less ware overall. I looked at SC's for a solid six month's before I purchased mine. I bought my 400 two years ago with 32,500 miles for $16,800. I test drove ones with 30, 80, 100+ miles. The ones with higher miles had worn leather, rougher paint, hoses and belts needing replaced. So add up all the repairs and time, your close to buying that SC that has low miles that's in great shape. Dont go out and buy the first one you see, do your research and test drive a couple SC. Good luck!!!!

 

I bought my 92sc400 with 23000 miles for $12300 now close to 3 years ago. If I could I would buy a newer model with more miles. But at the time the deal wa unbeatable. But cars do wear down with years rather than miles IMO. My SC now has 65K miles and I've spent close to 6 grand in maintenance to bring it to a perfect road condition. My suggestion is to look for 95-97 with less than 75K miles. You should be able to find it for the price range you are looking for.