so I'm looking at a 300 and a 400 and cant decide.
The sc300 is a 95 with a 2jzge naT with a gt35 62/67 with a w58 tans swap, has is300 coil pack, has a jdm artisto ecu with an apexi safc ii. turbo is smoking so it prlly need a rebuild/replacement. assuming its getting to much oil. persons asking 5500obo
The Sc400 is a 94 with a widebody kit, missing all trim and rear seat. was going to be a track car but never finished. comes with a 5 speed out of a s13 sr20det with sr to 1uz bellhousing adaptor. waterpump has a slow leak. person is asking 2500obo
I can get a complete 92 with so issues for 800ob to complete the interior in the sc400.
I've researched the 1uz and the 2jzge pretty intensively just looking for that final nudge in either direction. Thanks in advnce for any advice

 

All three are great deals, other than the maintenance unknowns. That's a huge risk with buying any car modified for high performance.

I would personally go with the M/T SC400. $2500 basically covers the cost of a manual tranny swap. You can make your money back on that easily if you decide to go a different route. Interior bits aren't too expensive to add. The turbo SC300 could be a much slipperier slope once you get under the hood.

 

I talked to the guy with the 300 he said 4600 if I get it and 4700 he delivers. The turbo smoking concerns me. He is unsure why its doing it. In perfect world I could replace the turbo and the oil feed and return lines and solve the problem. He's running 7-8 pounds of boost so I assume hes using the stock 0.010 head gasket and so compression is most likely 10:1 or 10.5:1 so I know a thicker head gasket will prlly be in the future of this car.

The biggest issues with the 2 400s is I live on a military post so having 2 cars here until I swap the interior is a pita. Also to what I've read doing a water pump is a relatively big job.

 

I would stick with a 2jz, simple and easy to work on.

 

$4600 is getting tougher to say no to... I'm leery of taking on someone else's failed performance parts, so it depends how brave you are.

Honestly, I would just drive the SC400 with a stripped interior and add bits as you see fit. I've thought numerous times about stripping my interior just to be done with all the things that are prone to breaking. As for the water pump, a) if it's a slow leak, you may not need to deal with it immediately, and b) it's a good excuse to do the timing belt and have a fresh start with your new ownership.

Either way you go, you're paying a super low price with the trade off of having a fair bit of work on your hands.

 

buy as stock as you can, modify to taste.

 

I'm going late today to look at the SC300 might some cash and see what happens. 100 dollar bills in person do a lot more better then in a text. If he say no I'll look at the SC400 tomorrow. The transmission and bell housing adapter or worth decent money if I decide not to swap it in. If neither deals work out it 60 degree with a clear forecast in CO. I've go a motorcycle begging to de ridden.

 

I've seen both of these on CL.. my 2 cents..

the 300 has a CX racing kit, he's getting rid of it because he doesn't want to deal with the smokey turbo.. (IMO) cx racing is the affordable option, good as a somewhere to start but eventually you get what you pay for... rebuilding a cx turbo might not be a good idea youll be in the same boat in a few thousand miles... theres a guy selling a rebuilt holset 7-blade hx40 you might want to look into...

the 400, he knows the water pump is about to die.... once it starts leaking out the seep holes its only a matter of time.... might have to tackle everything else including various gaskets ,spark plugs/wires, cap and rotor, timing belt, tensioners.. and the 5spd swap down the road.. sounds like fun after all the elbow grease, always wanted a manual 1uz..

 

Ooh, I thought it was already swapped. That reduces its value a bit.

 

No the SC400 isn't swapped. He's asking 2500obo I was going to offer 1800 and see what happens. I looked at the SC300 and it need was to much to be worth 4600. Basically need all the body panels for the nose, windshield and sun roof. Contrary to what I was told its peak boost is 15psi, with the uncertainty of the head gasket its asking for trouble.
I know with what I'm willing to spend I'm not going to get a perfect vehicle but I still doe have some expectations that need to met.

 

Go 400 and make it 5 speed !!! save yourself the $$$ and have bad@$$ v8 then slowly fix the things you mentioned, V8 is way more reliable than a half put together NAT setup and not many people have 1UZ 5 speed so points on that!

 

That's my plan. my schedule has gotten pretty busy this with my honors detail for the Army so I wont be getting anything this weekend. As of right now I've got Tuesday off so hopefully I can look at the SC400 then. When I have to be at the hanger I commute 18ish miles a day so hopefully the slow leaking water pump will last till April or May when I can have my motorcycle everyday.