By no means do I mean for this to be a for sale ad or anything else, just looking for advice. I purchased my 1995 SC300 about 6 months ago and recently I have been contemplating selling the car. I love the car to death but as a college student I work and go to school 7 days a week and put just under 300 miles a week on the car. I have owned 2 IS300's before purchasing the SC and have really considered buying or trading for another IS or even a GS. I guess what I am needing advice on is realistically how much should I put it up for and how much can I even expect to get out of the car, and also advice on maybe how I should go about selling the car. I'm not really wanting to deal with the normal craigslist people offering me $5000 less than my asking price or kids wanting to trade their civic for it. The basics on the car is 1995 5 speed SC300, clean title, G Spider wheels, window tint, hids in the low beam and fogs. All cluster lights, radio and climate controls all function as normal. Steering wheel and memory seats don't work. Keyless entry works but is missing the button. I have a stack of paperwork on the car since 2007 and it is registered on Lexus.com with about 6 pages of service records. The car was resprayed in 2007 due to a front end collision. All emblems, headlights, fogs were replaced at the same time. I have recently had the valve cover gasket, plugs and oil changed within the last 700 miles. The only real negatives about the car is it is about to need struts and the speed sensor if off sometimes. Speed sensor works properly for a few days then the next few days it will ready about 8 to 10 miles an hour slower than normal. Sorry for writing a book, mods if you feel like this is a pointless thread I completley understand. Nothing wrong with the interior other than the drivers door panel has 2 spots on it from closing it. Thanks everybody.

 

I pass that car ALL the time. I was wondering with the wheels if it were an enthusiast owned car. Is a clean car but around here you aren't going to bank much. Over the summer a 98 sc3 with black interior and around 100k sat on Craigslist for $4500 nearly a month and a half before the guy sold it for $4k. If I were you I'd take it to Atlanta or Knoxville and sell it.

You didn't list a mileage which is its biggest factor, but the average for that car is 140k so ill go off that. The car has been wrecked, does not have a clean car fax, does not have oem paint, has a few little items to fix...... I think within 100 miles of this town you'll be doing good to get $5k. Might get closer to 6 in atl or Knox where they will appreciate the 5 speed a little more.

 

If you trade that, or if anyone else did, for a Civic... I'll pray for you!

 

So... you want to sell it to, avoid putting miles on it?
Or do you think you are putting more miles on the car than it can handle?

Personally I would keep it, but I love almost every SC to death and know how hard it will be to find another one if you ever sell it.

 

Ok man, I'm going to try and put this into perspective. We will start with what I have been through/personally own at the minute. I have a gs300, just got rid of my is300 and now own recently a twinned 1jz sc3. I drive to school every day, 4 days a week, there and back 40 miles each way. So about 320 miles, just to school everyweek (this is neglecting the at least 100 mi with other random daily driving). I see absolutely no difference from my is300, gs300 and sc300 (the sc being the only manual, of course not my first manual) in mpg. The SC is by far the best handling out of the three, although I have a much better setup on my new sc (full coil/adj con arms/wheels/sways)(the IS only struts/spring/sways) but still I have driven, of course, many IS's with the same setup as my new sc, literally to the brand name, and the sc simply handled better IMO and to my consideration and personal liking. Since you only bought the car 6 months ago, possibly you don't know exactly how to get the best mpg yet since it is stick (assuming your first manual) perfectly, in order to get the best gas mileage which I think is the main reason why you are talking about selling? What exactly is your reason for selling this car is really a question I should ask before talking any more about my experiences with the car you now own, and the two other cars you are willing to possibly purchase. Bottom line is if I were to choose out of the three, or pretty much any car for that matter for a daily, or drift machine , I would choose the SC. It could be a huge possibility as well that the previous owner or you have not treated it the way it needs to be tuned and nurtured. Just because it is a lexus/yota doesn't mean it doesn't need just as much care, so this could be a huge factor in why it might need just some simple replacements and work to get it back and running to maximum potential which will end up thriving in all spectrums (mpg, handling, horse, torque, performance in general).

Keep in mind, all of what I was talking about were just assumptions, I am in no way talking down on your ability to take care of a car or your driving abilities. Please give more information on why exactly you want to sell your car and I am sure I can give you WAY more advice with specific reasoning between the cars you are choosing from since I have had a ton of experience with all of these cars, own them all, and love them all equally in different ways. It is very possible that a GS or IS might be for your needs, but you need to give a little more info in order for me to help you justify why.

 

whoever redid the front end, did it well! doesn't look like it's ever been in an accident. as far as the price, depending on current mileage, i'd say just about 4500 - 5000

 

Sorry for taking so long to reply to this thread, the car has 152,779 miles on it currently and I consistently get 21-22 miles per gallon. I can't complain about the gas mileage at all. I'm not worried about putting miles on the car or the reliability of the car. I guess I am just at a crossroads with the car where I am either going to keep it and put money into it that I will never get out of the car or I can trade it for an IS or GS. Just like eknine9 said I realize how hard it will be to find another SC in the same condition as this one. O.L.T. if you ever see me out make sure and say whats up.

 

This car is far from practical and I understand where you're coming from, but I don't think you'll find another like this for a very long time or ever. 5k sounds pretty reasonable though. If you ask me the SC is a car that will keep going down in market value especially because of how poor their conditions become, but it's a priceless gem to an enthusiast in this condition.

 

I couldn't have said it any better, this is exactly how I feel right now.

 

If you trade for an IS or GS... will you be putting money into that?

I guess what my question really is, are you thinking about trading to avoid costs, an recoup more value? Or are you thinking about trading to get a car you would prefer?

If you think you would genuinely prefer an IS or GS over your SC, then go get it. If you are really trying to recoup costs or avoid a slide in value or avoid, just try and quantify how much the SC is worth to you. If you see yourself avoiding more cost than the SC is worth to you, it's a no brainer. But if you value the SC more than the avoided costs, stick with the SC.

 

Any time you sell your personal car your pretty much guaranteed to take a loss on it. Unless you got it for a steal of a deal with plans of flipping it for more, or find the one in a million buyer who just wants what you got regardless of the cost and can't see the defects or just doesn't care.

Personally I think you got a nice ride, and I would keep it, and fix it's problems. You seem to be getting good gas mileage too so that's a good sign your car is in great shape.

 

^^+1 it'll be very hard to find another offer like that

 

I also second the notion to keep the car. Its a beautiful car, but some people just get bored with it. Good luck on your decison man.

 

Keep it buddy, seems like you have good paint and clean interior. I have 280k miles on mine and about to complete a 2jzgte swap in a few months, nothing is wrong with my engine, its well taken care of and could probably go another 100k miles.

It would just suck if you sold it, got bit by the SC bug again and you wound up selling the perfect one.

 

I wouldnt take less then 4k for that, looks really clean. You can probably get anywhere between 4-5k if you wait for the right buyer. I would put the stock Lexus wheels back on tho maybe that would help your sale a bit. Good luck on what you do.