opisdfagjo

I bought my 1992 SC400 in 2015 from my neighbor whose dad originally bought it in 1992. It currently runs OK, but she didn't take very good care of it and it needs work. It currently has around 225,000 miles on it. Most were highway miles because she and her husband drove it to Utah. I think I put about 100,000 miles on it.
I tried to think of a list of things that need to be fixed and or changed and this is what I came up with:

- Paint: Clearcoat is peeling all over the car. There is heavy chipping on the driver door near the hinge where it used to get stuck when trying to open the door. There is also another big peeling/hole where the paint is coming off near the bottom of the passenger door. Like right below the lower part of the door jam. Also it was in a crash (previous owner) and the passenger side of the car paint doesn't match exactly. There are a lot of scratches and small dents from *******s hitting my car with their doors. There is also a stress crack on the front bumper.
- Coilovers: I'm pretty sure these are the original coilovers. My car is low and I don't like it. I have to go over bumps very slowly. I prefer the stock height.
- AC Compressor: I think my AC is leaking slowly because I usually have to recharge it every couple of months. It was converted to R134 by the previous owner.
- Fender: I rear ended an old lady at about 5MPH (I was pulling forward and looking at oncoming traffic behind me) and it bent the driver side fender more. I think both fenders were a little bent before I bought it but now they look even more bent. The front bumper is also bent and goes under the hood a bit on the drivers side of the car.
- Moon/sunroof: I think someone tried to break into my car via my moonroof because one day after work it wouldn't close all the way and it was working fine when I was driving. Now only one side moves while the other doesn't. And it is not completely flush, and it looks like a metal piece that redirects water flow is loose and can be taken out. If I try to lift it up only one side goes up.
- Cluster: The lights are all pretty much dead in my cluster making it extremely hard to see my speed, RPMs, temperature, and fuel. None of the needles work and the backlight is very dim on one side only. The other side is completely black.
- Sideview mirrors: These were glued in place by the previous owner. The passenger side mirror glue is gone now and sometimes if it's windy it blows my mirror into the closed position or the opposite way so that the mirror is facing away from the car.
- Control arms: I don't think these were ever replaced either.
- Engine gaskets/seals
- Windshield: My windshield has 3 or 4 noticeable chips in it.
- Power steering: I've had a bad power steering leak for a while now. It's gotten all over the bottom of my car. I keep meaning to get the Edelmann hoses but for the longest time I was just so busy with full time work and full time school.
- Window: The driver side window doesn't work sometimes. I can hear the motor starting I think but the window usually won't move more than an inch and I have to press the button and use my hand to push the window closed.

The interior is in decent shape. I took a set of fabric seats out of 1993 SC400 and swapped them with the leather ones in mine. I followed a diy door repair to fix the cracked door panels and it looks a lot better now and the door isn't lose and doesn't rattle at all like it used to. Some of the air vents are cracked and a piece of one snapped after I tried to remove an air freshener but other than that the interior is OK.
I like the car but sometimes I wonder if it's better to just get a newer model 1997-2000 SC400 or a completely different car.

Should I keep it or get something newer or something in better condition? I'm not even sure I have thought of everything that needs to be fixed/replaced.

atoledo

^^^ Completely agree with kitabel.....You could spend 5k and still not be as happy with it than just buying a clean 97+.

ThomasGS4

iTrader: (19)

If you aren't emotionally attached, get another one.

opisdfagjo

Yeah there's no emotional attachment. I paid $1000 for it and it really hasn't given me much trouble until last summer.

ThomasGS4

iTrader: (19)

You put 100k miles on a car you paid $1k for. That's a great investment. Unload this one and get a newer one.

slappy96

All good advice given the things going on with the car. I actually just made the opposite decision mainly because I can't answer no to the 26 year emotional attachment question...

CELSI0R

The main parts I would say to keep are the fabric interior pieces, like the seats. Those a really nice to have, in my opinion; not to mention, rare in SC's (even though they're more common in Soarers).

I would also keep any useful engine components, like the airflow sensor and any new parts, as well as electronics (like the dash cluster), so you have spare parts for another SC or to sell.

opisdfagjo

Yeah I really like the fabric seats they're a lot more comfortable than the leather ones and they don't get worn as easily. I bought them from a scrapyard for $30 and just rented one of those upholstery cleaner vacuums and they look good.
And the needles and lights on the cluster are out, isn't it expensive to get that fixed? That's why I was looking at a later model like a 97-99.

CELSI0R

From what I've read and seen online, the cluster needles can be expensive to replace if you send it to a professional, but it's not bad if you do it yourself. It just takes a lot of patience, careful soldering, and time. Here is a video I have bookmarked, in case I ever buy an SC. I prefer the earlier models for simplicity reasons, but the later models are quite nice, too.

Still, it may be nice to have the cluster for spare parts, in case pieces like the bezel are the same on your newer SC. That part may have been changed, but I'm not sure.

Also, that's great with regards to your seats. I have the fabric seats in my LS, and I too like them very much.

SCDual