Sc300 For My First Car?

[shnookie]

Bide your time and wait for the right car. I would suggest staying with An SC300 for the first car. Plenty fast enough, and an almost bullet proof 2JZ engine. Go out of your area if you need to. I live in Denver,CO. which is also pretty barren of SC's. I always look for a Florida, CA or Texas car. bought my 97 SC300. Green on tan, 66,000 miles. $11,000. Bought it from CA. on Ebay. There are a lot of reputeable dealers on there. Make sure to check feedback, and call them. Bought my last three cars that way. Ask them to send you additional pictures. Then Fly out and look at the car. Also watch autotrader online. It is better to spend 3-400 for a plane ticket than get a suprise off a trailer. Who knows, you could get some good practice driving it home. :)

[seang]

That is very good advice.

I do have some time to buy a car, like 4 weeks. However, there won't be many new (used) Lexus SC300/400 cars for sale in the area by then. I just want to get this over with soon and own my first car, a Lexus SC.

Going out of my area to see a car would be the best option, but I don't know if I should do that. I have little knowledge of cars and what I should look for. I do see cars on Ebay that I would buy on the spot for BuyItNow, once I have cleared them with carfax.com. If you have to fly to see them, after you buy it, then I would probably waste thousands of dollars...

I watch Autotrader.com alot, as they have the best range of vehicles.

Thanks,

Sean

[shnookie]

If you see a car you really like, call the Lexus dealer in the the area the car is in. Most of the time, they can do, or can have done, an inspection on the car. The person I bought my car from, had just sold a 5 series BMW. The purchaser had him take it down to the local BMW dealership for an inspection before the deal was finalized. The inspection cost him $250. Most areas have independent inspectors if no dealer is close. It seems Ebay also has an inspection deal with PEP BOYS for a $24.99 inspection. Having lived in PA. I will not buy a car with higher miles from the northeast due to rust. If you find a car in your area, I would definately have the local Lexus dealer look it over.

Good Luck. Hopefully you'll find an SC you just love.

[seang]

Yep, the Pep Boys will be the way I go.

I checked out the 93 SC400 with 129k miles. At first I kinda liked the thing, but after I got home I did some research and thought of that needed to be fixed on it. The dealer wants only $7500 for the car, but now I can see why (other dealers have very similar cars for $9-10k).

The car seems to run fine even with the miles on it. Mechanically, it seems stable, but there so many other problems with it. I want a car that looks good right off the bat, without dents and other problems.

This car: moisture in the driver's side front headlight, cracked driver's side rear light with moisture, 50% paint on the rims and a rough surface, radio antenna didn't go up, CD changer didn't function or the button didn't respond, heavy creasing on the front seats and a tear in the seat driver's seat, the floor mats are quite stained, AC wents were cracked, the doors were windy at 60 plus, 2 big dings in the passenger door with scratched paint, heavy rust on the part behind the rims, rear seatbelt feed partially cracked off... I'll keep looking, as I would rather pay more money for a car in better overall shape...

I forgot to check to see if the timing belt had been marked as changed recently. At 129k miles, it should have had at least 1 or 2 (depending if you think 60k or 90k changes). $700 to get it done at Lexus I hear :/

[shnookie]

I think you can do better. Some of the things listed are not common problems and lead me to beleive the car was not taken care of.

1)Tear in drivers seat

The leather on these cars is pretty well bullet proof.

2)Doors windy @ 60+

Shouldn't be. Coud possibly be either dried out weatherstripping (Florida heat)

or a collision repair that wasn't recorded.

The car seems to have every other costly problem these cars have. (minus the speedo / cluster light problems.) Most I've seen have one or two, but not all of them. I'd say move on.

[seang]

Well, I did find something I do like alot. It has all the right qualities so far. I will test it on Sunday.

1992 Lexus SC300, red/tan, 82k miles. I would really buy any year, since the car really didn't change from 92-2000. The miles mean alot to me. This one is only a few miles away, was owned by a woman, well-kept, garage kept, premium sound with CD changer, great looking leather, power all, etc. I'll let you know what happens :)

[SPORTcoupe300]

Hey Sean,

I just bought a 1996 SC300 yesterday.

I've been in the market for a new(old) car for a while now, but being 19 and previously owning a 1998 Camaro I had never really even considered a LEXUS.

That was until I talked to a local used car dealer who told me that Lexus runs forever. He told me a story of a guy he sold a 1992 sc300 to a few years back.

He said that the car now has 260K miles on it and still running on the factory engine and tranny.

This amazed me, especially after I replaced the camaro's tranny at 60k and engine at 75k(never touching an American car again. EVER!)

Anyways, what I wanted to tell you is that it's WAY better to buy the car off of someone's hands. Dealers just rip you off.

I guess I got pretty lucky because I found this car the next day after it was posted and bought it the next day. It's a 96 with all options except heated seats.

It's got exactly 100K on it but the guy threw in some stuff with the deal. He gave me a set of 1 year old MKW rims ($1700 on receipt) and it has Eibach springs already intalled.(Which was gonna be my first upgrade)

I ended up taking the whole package for $11,000.

I couldn't be happier.

Oh yeah. I am a "strictly-stick" driver and i think with the SC300s, 1 in 30 comes with a manual. I found the one car in town with a manual.

If you look long enough, you'll find your deal. Just keep CarFaxing and good luck to you!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Link to the classifieds page where I found my beauty:

http://www.craigslist.org/sby/car/13237517.html

Link to pictures:

http://photos.yahoo.com/bc/fraktv@sbcgloba...&.src=ph&.view=

(The first picture has the rims that he gave me with the deal)

[seang]

Ahhh, nice find! and CONGRATS! It seems like you scored big time. Show us a bigger pic than your avatar, please.

Speaking of high miles, check this out... 335,000 miles! He admits some work needs to be done, but under $1000 in repairs.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAP...item=2421862167

This car I will see on Sunday is owned by a couple, not a dealer. I was worried about not getting spot insurance and a warranty when buying from a private owner, but I found out that I can get spot insurance from basically any dealer and there is a dealer in my area that will sell a warranty for a car not sold by him.

I'm honestly sick of looking, or finding out that I cannot reach the vehicle, or the vehicle was sold, or never available, or it had a salvage title or any accident, or it had major problems when I see it up-close, etc...

This new one I will see has just about everything I want (mentioned above) plus it is a 1 owner, they will pick me up from a neighboring town's train station. Carfax found it perfect. I'm a little concerned that it spent its entire lifetime in New Jersey with all the snow and bad roads, but they say it was garage kept.

I did find it on autotrader.com as well as Ebay. His starting bid on Ebay was $7500 and ended at $8100 with the reserve not met. He was asking $9500 on autotrader. Edmunds.com says its worth $8700 as "outstanding condition." What is a fair price to offer?

Any advice is, once again, greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Sean

[shnookie]

Besides the usual problems,because of the age, carefully check out the weatherseals around the car and listen to the front end on braking. any kind of cracks are usually caused by dried out rubber bushings in the front suspension. (expensive).

Sounds like the car might be in outstanding condition considering it hasn't seen 8,000 miles a year. I'd offer 8,500 to 8,700 and see what happens. If you like the car and he says no, you can always up your offer or ask him for a counter offer.

Good Luck.

[SPORTcoupe300]

  Show us a bigger pic than your avatar, please.

http://photos.yahoo.com/bc/fraktv@sbcgloba...&.src=ph&.view=

With the 18 inch rims

Stock Rims

[seang]

Ahhh, I love it. Very nice color, rims. I wish the one I'm going to see this weekend was that color, but it's bright red.

Thanks, Shnookie. I just hope the owner of that car doesn't read these forums :)

[AWJ]

I helped you out a little there Sportcoupe. Your images are now in our SC gallery as well if that is ok with you. If not, we can remove them. Looks good. B)

[speedimij]

here's a hell yeah... i'm 18 and i drive a sc300 94 5spd... it's definitely changed my life...

[SPORTcoupe300]

I helped you out a little there Sportcoupe.  Your images are now in our SC gallery as well if that is ok with you.  If not, we can remove them.  Looks good.

Thanks AWJ. Stupid Tripod. Grrr!

I have a few questions about the integrated hands-free cellphone system in my SC and I dunno whether I should post it here cuz this seems to be a polpular thread =)

OR start a new thread with a proper title.

[AWJ]

Start a new thread please. Feel free to use our galleries to upload your photos. Lookin good.

[seang]

Well... good news and bad news in my search saga.

The car I saw on Sunday was very nice. 1992 SC300 red/tan 82k miles. The interior was immaculate, while the outside had a few dings and major, repeated, scratches across the front emblem and extending 8 inches in either direction into the red paint. No big deal... The car seemed mechanically solid, but I am no trained ear. He even let me take some pictures of the car. I told him I needed a day or so to think about it and consult with a knowledgeable friend. The car was sold on Monday to someone else... I missed out.

The good news: I might have found a nice green gem. I will be looking at 1993 SC400 w/59,000 miles in two Saturdays from now. 2 owners, no accidents, all original, power everything, 12 disc changer, etc. Since 1996, the car has been driven less than 3000 miles a year, as carfax.com shows very good records on this car. I think I can get him to reasonable price with car-worth printouts from www.edmunds.com, or is that rude? He wants 2k more than I am willing to spend on it.

That day I will have it checked out at a Lexus dealership for mechanical integrity. He mentioned that he had already had it checked out by a mechanic, and there were no problems, but I need this for piece of mind. Plus, Lexus charges the same inspection fees as a random mechanic inspection.

Thanks for any input,

Sean

[OneHotLexus]

Oh yeah, definetly get an SC300. They have so much performance potential and can be modified very easlily. I have a bright red '96 SC300 w/ tinted windows, a bodykit, and rims and I get so many compliments. Most of the people who see it ask me if it's new-little do they know it's 7 years old (but still running strong).

Oh yeah, I'm 17 yrs. old and this was my first car. Oh and if you have any extra money left over after getting your SC300 I suggest investing in a bodykit- nothing is better than the feeling you get when people gawk at your car and actually admitt to being to intimidated to race you.

You're gonna love this car!!

[SC400SunDevil]

Sean,

Get the SC400, especially w/ that kind of mileage! I've also been ready along from the beginning of your "search" and it sounds like you need a good running car that looks nice and classy. Don't get any mods, espeially if its your first. I have a 400 and it is plenty fast for me. Leave it stock and it's definate that you'll have less problems. By the way, the 400 gets pretty ok mileage for a V8, I get about 20 in city. Hope I could help.

-Robert