Just bought my 92 sc300 180k.
08-11-14, 06:45 PM
#17
Driver School Candidate
Thread Starter
Congratulations on the car and welcome to CL, sh0rtlee!
You do have a nice example there! It's actually a great car to learn a stick shift on and one of the better used older stick shift coupes you can buy. 180k isn't bad at all. I bought mine with 189k. There were some issues but once addressed everything was fine. These cars mechanically can go many, many more thousands of miles more than that if you maintain them and if the engine has been treated well over its service life. Hope you're enjoying it so far!
As Duck05 said above, you are going to find that while the SC300 5-speed is a really enjoyable classic, costs can add up from time to time and you may be wondering what you got yourself into. But then again, it can be a great learning experience if you're willing to follow the TSRM, use some tools (sometimes), and order your driveline parts from a Toyota dealer rather than Lexus.
Don't hesitate to ask us if you have questions. All the things you mentioned that are not working on the car are all fixable, even the interior (which will be a process of going to ebay, CL classifieds, etc. and occasionally a dealer who can source you a cosmetic part or two, but mostly you'll be looking at ebay used cosmetic parts).
Word of warning though: SC300 5-speeds never came with traction control. I don't know if this is your first car or not but be aware that while it's very safe and has ABS brakes, it is a rear wheel drive car and in rainy conditions it can come around on you even at low speed on slick roads if you push it too hard. Rule of thumb is to drive conservatively in the rain with an SC. A good set of summer tires with very good wet traction is essential. Also, be aware that the stock brakes are not all that powerful. You can upgrade them cheaply to something much better but in stock form they aren't that great.
You'll find more out as you learn about the car. Welcome and hope you enjoy the new ride
You do have a nice example there! It's actually a great car to learn a stick shift on and one of the better used older stick shift coupes you can buy. 180k isn't bad at all. I bought mine with 189k. There were some issues but once addressed everything was fine. These cars mechanically can go many, many more thousands of miles more than that if you maintain them and if the engine has been treated well over its service life. Hope you're enjoying it so far!
As Duck05 said above, you are going to find that while the SC300 5-speed is a really enjoyable classic, costs can add up from time to time and you may be wondering what you got yourself into. But then again, it can be a great learning experience if you're willing to follow the TSRM, use some tools (sometimes), and order your driveline parts from a Toyota dealer rather than Lexus.
Don't hesitate to ask us if you have questions. All the things you mentioned that are not working on the car are all fixable, even the interior (which will be a process of going to ebay, CL classifieds, etc. and occasionally a dealer who can source you a cosmetic part or two, but mostly you'll be looking at ebay used cosmetic parts).
Word of warning though: SC300 5-speeds never came with traction control. I don't know if this is your first car or not but be aware that while it's very safe and has ABS brakes, it is a rear wheel drive car and in rainy conditions it can come around on you even at low speed on slick roads if you push it too hard. Rule of thumb is to drive conservatively in the rain with an SC. A good set of summer tires with very good wet traction is essential. Also, be aware that the stock brakes are not all that powerful. You can upgrade them cheaply to something much better but in stock form they aren't that great.
You'll find more out as you learn about the car. Welcome and hope you enjoy the new ride
Nonetheless thanks for the new info
08-11-14, 10:10 PM
#18
There's a couple of threads going on right now about door handle problems & some further back in the threads, could just be a broken clip on the handle rod. (outside)? Don't put your window down more than an inch or it could jam things up in the door. Of course unless it's just broke clear off. (handle). Welcome to CL & enjoy your SC.
08-12-14, 02:27 AM
#19
Driver School Candidate
Thread Starter
08-12-14, 02:51 AM
#20
sh0rtlee, the no traction control is a good thing for some reasons and not a great thing under some circumstances. MKIV Supra NA 5-speeds similarly had no traction control available (while MKIV TT 6-speeds had it standard). By modern standards it is a very inferior and overly aggressive design that kicks in (on auto cars) too easily. In the rain, however, sometimes I wish I had it because you can inadvertently lose traction even in a low speed corner at a mere 20-25mph. If you know how to control a skid correctly you can stop this but even as an experienced driver I've been caught off guard. Exactly that happened to me a couple of weeks ago when it rained in L.A. and the excessively oily roads created a slick condition. I wasn't giving much throttle input either. To be fair, any RWD car with no traction control or T/C turned completely off can do this and my car also has a Torsen LSD, which exacerbates the issue more than normal.
The reason it's been considered a good thing that the 5-speeds don't have it is that it's easier to perform a GTE swap without it and generally it's ditched for turbo applications. Supra TT guys similarly switch theirs off BUT they often add in some kind of aftermarket T/C plus wider rear tires to compensate. The only modern replacements are pricey systems like RaceLogic's T/C system or a ProEFI standalone ECU's built-in T/C programming.
95% of the time you'll be fine. I've taken mine cross country multiple times through all sorts of weather with no T/C. It's just a car where you should be very aware that your control alone is what will get you out of a bad situation. Having good tires, good alignment and upgrading the front brakes go a long way to keeping everything under control. Throwing on a set of used MKIV Supra TT rims (17x8 front" and 17x9.5" rear) with 235 front and 255 rear tires in the Supra OEM size is actually a great upgrade for your car and preserves the OEM rolling diameter, which will preserve much of your factory acceleration and has the added benefit of far better traction in all conditions.
^^ This is very true. Replace the small plastic clip (it's about $2-$3 at most) that connects the rod of the door lock actuator to the handle assembly while changing this out. You don't want the old clip to break and potentially make you have to replace the door lock actuator any sooner than you (might) have to. DIY's for that too but it's not a fun chore. $360 for the lock actuator and of course you'll want to do it yourself rather than pay someone at a shop to do it.
The reason it's been considered a good thing that the 5-speeds don't have it is that it's easier to perform a GTE swap without it and generally it's ditched for turbo applications. Supra TT guys similarly switch theirs off BUT they often add in some kind of aftermarket T/C plus wider rear tires to compensate. The only modern replacements are pricey systems like RaceLogic's T/C system or a ProEFI standalone ECU's built-in T/C programming.
95% of the time you'll be fine. I've taken mine cross country multiple times through all sorts of weather with no T/C. It's just a car where you should be very aware that your control alone is what will get you out of a bad situation. Having good tires, good alignment and upgrading the front brakes go a long way to keeping everything under control. Throwing on a set of used MKIV Supra TT rims (17x8 front" and 17x9.5" rear) with 235 front and 255 rear tires in the Supra OEM size is actually a great upgrade for your car and preserves the OEM rolling diameter, which will preserve much of your factory acceleration and has the added benefit of far better traction in all conditions.
There's a couple of threads going on right now about door handle problems & some further back in the threads, could just be a broken clip on the handle rod. (outside)? Don't put your window down more than an inch or it could jam things up in the door. Of course unless it's just broke clear off. (handle). Welcome to CL & enjoy your SC.
Last edited by KahnBB6; 08-12-14 at 02:57 AM.
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