Thinking about Buying a 1995 SC400, Have ?s

[moonunit]

Hi,

After driving my mother's 1997 LS400, and enjoying the quietness and nice ride, I have been intrigued at the SC400 to maybe buy for a daily driver.  My inclination is to buy a 1998-200 vintage, but they are rare, and have over 200K miles.  I found a one owner 1995 SC400 with 67K miles for $4500.  Does this year have OBD1 or OBD2?  I really enjoy using a OBD2 Bluetooth device, which connects to my android smartphone, running TORQUE.  

The car is about 6 hours drive from me, but being retired, I don't mind driving.  If the car is as immaculate as the seller says, what should I look for?

 

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

Seth Anderson

Moon, VA

 

[TrevC]

Hi Seth...welcome to the Forum

The car sounds like a great deal and I would be very tempted to make the journey to check it out

As for OBD, it may be the first generation of diagnostic interfaces and only running the K-Line which would be limited in data but you may be able to get the basic information from it.

Keep us updated on how you potential purchase goes

Cheers  Trevor

[moonunit]

I spoke to the owner, a Wells Fargo Manager who purchased the car recently from the Original owner.  He sent me a few photos.  The interior photos look nice.  No sunroof, so with me being almost 6'2", not a problem.  Also, passenger window needs motor.  Also said there was a vibration at speed, flat spotting perhaps? The car also has some unusual wheels, that were purchased at the dealership new.

Ever seen wheels like these?

 

 

Looks clean inside, from the photo.

 

 

Toyota battery is cool.  Looks pretty clean except leaves under the wipers.  Seller also said a couple of the rear speakers were maybe due for replacement, and finally, he said an idler pulley squealed a little.  He has not got the title, so I am waiting for it to arrive so I can drive with a friend, and drive it back to VA, if it is as nice as he makes it out to be.

[moonunit]

I have also found a 1998 SC400 with more miles, but with the VVTI engine and 5 speed automatic transmission for about $2000 more than the 1995.  Is there that much difference between the years in performance and fuel economy to warrant the extra money?  The newer car has a sunroof, heated seats, and a Nakamichi sound system, which the 1995 lacks.  Is there much more headroom without the sunroof?  My son may be driving the car and he is 6'3".

 

Any advice would be appreciated.

 

Seth Anderson

Moon, VA

[TrevC]

The pictures are missing now

[moonunit]

The seller started getting so many calls, he took it off CL and gave me first dibs on the car.  I am going to see it tomorrow, and if I decide to get it, my plan is to rent a U-Haul car trailer and tow it back to my house in Virginia.  Most of the cars that are for sale with less than 100K miles are listed for $8000 and up, so this car looks like a good deal.

 

Seth Anderson

Moon, VA

[moonunit]

An Update:  Drove to Winston Salem, NC, a 4.5 hour trip from my home in Virginia.  My 34 year old Son-In-Law, whose 2001 Jetta TDI needs a steering rack and/or pump and has 300K miles and has been looking for a late model car to replace the Jetta, rode with me to look at it.  The car looks very sharp, but I noticed a few quirks:  Passenger Window doesn't move, driver side headlight has water inside, side mirror controls doesn't work, maybe a blown rear speaker on rear deck, steering wheel in full Greyhound Bus driving mode (I already know the fix, after doing it on my mom's LS400}, some seat leather paint flecked off driver side bolster on the seat, a 1/2 inch portion of the speedo needle and gas gauge needle is dim/or not lit, and rear bumper has some barely noticeable spider cracking on top center.  Looks like a 66K mile time capsule car.  

The test drive:  The car had some Firestone Precision 225/55-16 tires that still has the new tire prongs on the sidewalls, and like new tread, but the seller said the car had a vibration, and he was right.  The tires were flatspotted from sitting in one place for a while, The seller also said the car had a little hesitation from a stop, which I noticed, also, so I had my SIL take it for a drive, also.  He came back with a grin, and he checked with a friend who owned an SC400, and gave him the details about the car, and he said I had better buy it.  The seller had taken it off CL a couple of weeks ago and was waiting for a Title to come in, so he held the car until I got a look at it.  I asked him if he could do better than the asking price, and he said there was a subsequent caller who offered him more than the asking price, so money swapped hands, and we were on our way back to VA.

I drove the SC400 the first 100 miles or so, and I noticed the vibration that I noticed started dissipating after about 20 miles of interstate driving, so that was a relief!!!  I noticed that my SIL seemed very excited about the car, so after stopping for lunch, he drove the rest of the way back to VA.  A severe thunderstorm warning came up on my smartphone, the skies darkened, then the traffic on I-95 came to a standstill.  I could smell the stong scent of pine needles, which came from hail shredding pine needles, then saw tree leaves and pine needles, then noticed the shoulders of the interstate covered in hail!!!  It had been 81 degrees, now 56 degrees, and also had 1/2 inch of hail on the road between the tire treads in the lane.  Also interesting was the fog that was coming off the hail that was all over the place.  Glad we stopped to eat, rather than go through the drive through!!!

I had asked my son, who is almost 16 if he wanted to join us, but he didn't want to ride that distance in the car, and would rather hang out with his friends, so my idea of giving him the car upon graduation from HS kind of tanked, so I told my SIL that while I wanted the car, he needed a car, and that if he wanted it, he could have it for what I paid the seller.  He has already fixed the steering wheel, ordered a remote mirror module, and is tinkering on other things on the car.  He said he wants to drive it a couple of days.  He was concerned about the gas mileage, but I think the experience of driving such a clean, good looking car will outweigh a few more dollars for fuel.  My Jetta's tags are on it for now.  VA requires a front and rear license plate, NC only the rear.  Anyone have a front license plate bracket that I can buy?

So, for now, the car is at my daughter's house, and I think I will be soon looking for another Lexus!!!

 

Seth Anderson

Moon, VA