1992 Lexus Sc400. The guy I bought it from told me that the previous owner "burnt it" to lower the car. What's my next move? Thanks.

 

we need more information..

I'd say look under the car at what looks burnt, broken..

if you dont know anything about cars and don't have any friends who do either take it to an alignment place thats got a good reputation and they won't align it if things are broken but they probably will tell you/show you whats wrong / why they cant align it

 

It sounds like he torched the coils to get them to lower. That in turn ruins them and they will break. You cannot put heat on a coil spring. Your only move is to get rid of the struts and replace with either stock or aftermarket. This is a very old school way to lower cars and not safe by any means.

 

Exactly what I was thinking , he torched the springs , replace the whole strut assembly as I'm sure the factory OEM strut is done for or soon to be . Or look into coilovers. Used/new. Or for someone who has a set at hand

 

Im in the same boat you are in from previous owner...I decided to just get tein coilovers for now because i would like to drive the car, ride is pretty bad

 

Why do you guys buy cars that have been F***d like this? SCs are so damn cheap these days for a clean oem one that it boggles my mind someone wants to get a beat to sht car and spend thousands restoring it back to stock.

If someone told me the car I am buying was "burned" (I don't even know wtf that means to be honest) I would run back home and look for another one.

 

A lot of people don't realize that on their first SC. And let's be honest, there really aren't a lot of SCs out there, so someone who wants one might jump on the first cheap option they find. I wouldn't think Texas would be limited availability, but it's a big state geographically...

I've posted this before, but to reiterate: There were 82.5k SCs produced. That means ~55,000 still on the road. That's a little over 1,000 per state, meaning some states might only have 100 or so once you account for the big states having way more than that. And of those ~1,000 per state, how many are for sale at any given time? Probably around 1%.

As enthusiasts, we think of the SC as a fairly common car. Most people never see or notice them unless they know someone who has one.

 

It's a rare car, sure, but with any older car you should do your research beforehand to know what to expect.

My buddy liked my SC so much that a few years back went and bought a local one, 1992 with 120k miles for $2,200. That car is probably put together from 3 differenct SCs judging by the mismatching VIN's and previous collision and paint work. Almost every panel is rotted out from teh inside out, he had his rear subframe collapse due to the amount of rot on the undercariage, etc. Every engine seal is leaking, original timing belt (LOL). And he dumped so much money into it now only to have a car that can keep moving on the road, it's still completely beat to sht, interior looks like dogs lived in it for years and chewed on everything. He realized by now he could've just spent $5k and bought a clean one.

SCs are rare, but not that rare that you have to settle for a neglected, ragged out car and be forced to restore it. I am sure in a few decades that will be the case, but we ain't there yet.

 

That just builds character.

 

My suspension wasnt burnt but it is almost undrivable...meraculously enough the sway bar and tie rods and bushings are just fine...In my area there are no sc400s and this car, being the desert is rust free...even the pinch weld is completely flawless. At 130000 and didnt run...this sc400 will have a great money turn around even if i were to give it away for 2500...comparible to other sc400s, once running and fixed, its a solid 3000...its that nice gray color too