24fps Posted June 1, 2005 Posted June 1, 2005 Newbie here. Happy to have found this forum... was a looker for a while but finally have a post. (month ago) Paid the "Stealer" to have my 120K mi. sevice done along w/ a few other things including new speakers for Nakamichi sys, new engine mounts, yadda ya... Long story short, spent almost $5k for everything... (right around what I could have traded the car in for)------> But thought... wth it's been a family car since new. Do it & keep the car. But the car STILL (nothing mech. btw) has some things I'd like to fix........... which prompted this Q: WHEN IS IT TIME TO SELL THE CAR & MOVE ON TO THE NEXT? Have a dealer fix everything-list that tops around $2k but isn't that hitting around what the cars actually worth? any input appreciated, esp. from high mile clubers. thx.
24fps Posted June 3, 2005 Author Posted June 3, 2005 bump... :D Also, any suggestions on how much to price a strong runnin' MY92 SC400 @ would be great ly appreciated. 24
Sluggo Posted June 3, 2005 Posted June 3, 2005 My '92 400 has 135k miles and needs: - new rear seat headrest leather - new AC panel display - new overflow tank - valve adjustment - new steering wheel leather ... plus all the stuff I'd like to do to dress it up. I'm hanging onto mine because the drivetrain on these cars is pretty much bulletproof and will run forever. It started out as garage queen and has become a daily driver that's also fun to drive. Washed and waxed, it looks no more than 2 years old. What you do with it is entirely based on your needs and wants, but the SC seems to be a very reliable car, and I would say keeping one past 100k miles is as cheap or cheaper than keeping almost any other car past 100k miles. sluggo
24fps Posted June 4, 2005 Author Posted June 4, 2005 ...What you do with it is entirely based on your needs and wants, but the SC seems to be a very reliable car, and I would say keeping one past 100k miles is as cheap or cheaper than keeping almost any other car past 100k miles.sluggo ← thx Sluggo. Yep, still attached to the car as it's been in the family since new. Gotta' say other than some displays & maybe some cosmetic stuff, it's a great car. one regular @ the dealer has 400k on his & it's still beautiful. -got me there. btw: tonight i just got a call as it's getting some more work done @ the dealer. someone just made an offer on it . what tah do...
AppleJack Posted June 4, 2005 Posted June 4, 2005 I would keep the car. Everywhere I read owners praise the car. If you just spent $5K on it - it sounds like a good deal of work was done to it and it's probably mechanically good for another 100K. On the other hand - you know Lexus - their parts aren't cheap - not even justifiable - and the smallest item can cost big bucks. Headlights in Canada are over $600 ... Alternator $950 ...etc I'm kinda in the same boat as you - and will keep it. I heard when this car was launched Toyota put a ridiculous amount of care and quality into it to compete with Mercedes. The paint on mine is fantastic. As a mechanical engineer in the automotive industry - you wouldn't believe some of the short cuts they take nowadays. The car is well designed, very classy looking, and comfortable with only a few notable quarks... Hope this helps!
dcfish Posted June 4, 2005 Posted June 4, 2005 I would keep the car. Everywhere I read owners praise the car. If you just spent $5K on it - it sounds like a good deal of work was done to it and it's probably mechanically good for another 100K. On the other hand - you know Lexus - their parts aren't cheap - not even justifiable - and the smallest item can cost big bucks. Headlights in Canada are over $600 ... Alternator $950 ...etcI'm kinda in the same boat as you - and will keep it. I heard when this car was launched Toyota put a ridiculous amount of care and quality into it to compete with Mercedes. The paint on mine is fantastic. As a mechanical engineer in the automotive industry - you wouldn't believe some of the short cuts they take nowadays. The car is well designed, very classy looking, and comfortable with only a few notable quarks... Hope this helps! ← What are the noticable quarks ? Thanx in advance.
Sluggo Posted June 5, 2005 Posted June 5, 2005 What are the noticable quarks ? Thanx in advance. ← There are some problems which seem to pop up pretty often. The most common include: - power steering hose drips onto alternator, shorting it out - transmission mounts - coolant overflow tank cracks - condensation inside the headlamps - AC / heater display going dark - gauge lights flickering / dead - water under rear seat causing some temporary electrical problems with stereo - CD changer woes on early models - steering wheel leather deteriorating This is actually all the problems I could think of. Of these, only the first two or three are something that even requires fixing. The rest are in the cosmetic/annoying category. IMHO, this is a damn short list for a 13 year old design. People moan (maybe rightfully so) over the price of Lexus parts and the labor charges at dealers, but when you look at the number of times you actually have to BUY parts/labor (in my case, once in 6 years), I can't think of a cheaper car to own. sluggo
AppleJack Posted June 6, 2005 Posted June 6, 2005 That's a very good list - and all true. I'd add the cracking of the vent ducts when the car is hot after being baked in the sun - and upon starting the A/C is cranked on full. By the way - I forgot about the wet floorpan between the passenger seat and the rear seat passenger side... Thanks for reminding me and - what did you do about it?
Sluggo Posted June 6, 2005 Posted June 6, 2005 By the way - I forgot about the wet floorpan between the passenger seat and the rear seat passenger side... Thanks for reminding me and - what did you do about it? ← That's a problem I found when I was looking for the source of a different problem: mildew smell on the driver's side (LHD) seatbelt. Somehow, water gets inside the rear body panel on that side and collects in the lowest spot in the car. I'm not sure how it gets in or why it only gets in on the driver's side, but I put a small bead of clear RTV along the plastic rear window trim and it seemed to get a lot better. The water may also be coming in around the sunroof seal, but I won't be sure until rainy season starts again here :) I fixed the mildew smell by blocking the water from dripping onto the belt. Duct tape uber alles. sluggo
24fps Posted June 7, 2005 Author Posted June 7, 2005 ...I heard when this car was launched Toyota put a ridiculous amount of care and quality into it to compete with Mercedes. The paint on mine is fantastic. As a mechanical engineer in the automotive industry - you wouldn't believe some of the short cuts they take nowadays. The car is well designed, very classy looking, and comfortable with only a few notable quarks...Hope this helps! ← thx. btw: i remember when it was launched & the 1st toyota actually built them @ a loss per unit. something they needed to do to get their "target" to buy & try.------> @ in the long term... they were right. btw: parts are outrageous & re: the vents... changed two out (under warranty @ the time) & they've never cracked since. unfortunately, we may sell it (the "n.o." is gettin' a steal)... just bought a new car this weekend. errrrrrrrr :chairshot:
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