Taken

Hey CL, so I currently ride in a 99' SC300 with 43k miles ..and well, lemme say ..my baby is as clean as they come. But from the first day that I bought my SC, about two years ago, I've wanted to swap the auto transmission out and go 5-speed. No turbo, I'd rather just have the car be stick ...yah know?

Anyway, I was looking around and came across an original 97' 5-speed with 145k miles.
The guy isn't too far from me and the car looks to be in good condition, but pictures don't always do justice. I'm probably gonna go check it out this weekend.

In all honest opinion, would it be worth to buy the 97? Or just stay with the 99' and do the swap?

1JZPWRD

iTrader: (59)

I say swap out the tranny. With your car you know up to date. Buying another used car may add to later headaches that they didn't tell before you bought it. Jmo. Plus your car has alot less miles.

Taken

Yea, that's the answer I kinda hoped to read.. I just worry that I'll still run into headaches if I do swap out the tranny due to the whole OBDII, CEL problems ..

scENFORCER

There's a thead on here that details quite nicely how to deal with all the CEL's on a '99 sc300. It can be done and apparently it's really not that difficult (just swap all the solenoids from the auto tranny to the manual one gets rid of most of them).
It's worth stating though that if you get the other car, you'd be in the prescious 1 of 120 club

1WILLY1

iTrader: (9)

u WILL run into problems with a 5 speed swap unless your a master mechanic, and IF u were a master mechanic u wouldn't be asking opinions.

u will always find a high percentage of big talkers online, saying yea man swap ur tranny, swap ur engine, its easy, yet most of them cant change a tire.

honestly u have an extremely low mileage 99, your proper options are to sell it and buy a 5 speed, or buy the 97 and have both( if u have the extra money and space) , dont butcher your pristine low mileage 99

KahnBB6

iTrader: (5)

Either or. The 97 5-speed has far greater rarity and not incredibly high mileage. And the dash cluster is already set up for a manual. You can always restore it if it's got cosmetic issues. With your '99 I'd say you could also go ahead and swap a W58 in and use Cartmill's threads as a guide. Alternatively it might be possible to use a 1998 Supra NA (VVT-i) 5-speed ECU with some minor rewiring-- if you can find one. It will just be an involved project.

If you have wanted a 5-speed SC from day one I would at least try out the '97 car. There are many things about an original 5-speed that shouldn't be dealbreakers (such as a worn out clutch, worn suspension or minor cosmetic issues) but judge the car's condition for yourself. You will not see them come up often. The factory '97 car will be far less work and will allow you to concentrate on other things like suspension work, LS400 brakes and an LSD swap.

MikeFoxx

iTrader: (8)

Keep the current and buy the other... If you're not there yet just keep stacking your money. U may come across a manual with lower miles in just a month or two. Your current will be faithful till you have more poker chips to play with.

Biddles

iTrader: (2)

Definitely keep your 99 as clean as you can. They are hard to come by, they didn't make many of them. At 43K that thing still holds pretty high value.

I say if you can afford the 97...get it. Use that as your more heavily modded car.

Vrank

iTrader: (4)

Hahgahahaha at swapping the auto solenoids onto the manual. Not even close.

Taken

Damn, I guess I'll always see mixed opinion ..
I can buy the 97' ..and agree that it'll save me the whole swap issues. And the whole 1 of 120 thing would be pretty cool ..but it isn't a major selling point.

Were I to find a master mechanic, would the swap be a safer bet? The money it would cost me to buy the car would buy me a fully rebuilt w58 ...and then some ..so, I'm still kinda iffy.

Kohinoor

iTrader: (22)

it is not worth the cost and loss of value IMO. take it from someone who is doing a swap in a 99 auto car - the transmission is dirt cheap compared to the cost of labor for replacement of the tunnel, pedals, driveshaft, clutch ms, clutch, and diagnostic issues you will run into. also if you REALLY REALLY wanted to do this, it would be better to go 6spd, given the costs involved.

my advise - sell the 99 easily for good money and buy the 97 and be happy or mod the f out of it and be happier.

bznhornets

When I was looking to buy an SC I asked a transmission shop about doing the swap. He said would cost about $5000 and be a PITA. Don't walk, run away from this idea. Get the 97. IMO
Good luck.

eknine9

iTrader: (8)

If the 97 is in good shape buy it and sell your 99.
I know you've got low miles and you think it's worth something, and it is worth something, to other people. You want a stick I guarantee you'll be happier with the 97 5 speed. And your 99 will never be worth more than it is now... i mean unless you hold it for another 15 years. Do you really want to drive a stock 99 sc300 for another decade just to get some more money out of it?

Sell the 99, and buy the 97 (if it's in decent shape) and you should have a good bit of cash leftover to mod the 97 to your pleasure, or handle any mechanical issues the 97 might have.

scENFORCER

Why don't you enlighten us then. According to a number of obd2 swap threads this method got rid of most of them.

Taken

I do indeed intend to keep the car for as long as I can. She's my baby, I can't let her go, lol.
And honestly, if I do the 5-speed or even a 6-speed (but I feel it can get too costly) it will finish that sport luxury look I've been intending on.

Is that maybe because of where you live? I've asked a few shops down here and I've gotten a range of prices between $1-3k installed and all. As well as these mechanics saying that they've done this type of swap a ton of times without too many (or any) issues.