Mi-foodie

I am thinking about purchasing an SC300 to mod. I like the style and want something that will do a 0-60 in 4.5 or less. Is there a preferred year? I have seen early SC300 for as low as $ 5 K and with very high miles. I would think that if all other running is OK I would get the engine rebuilt and modify the suspension, brakes, etc. and have a nice car. Or am I better off with a newer lower mileage car but higher initial price? What is your opinion? How much do I need to add to get the performance? I am looking for the best 'value'.

OK. I just bought an Autosharp pen and will see how that works. My past experience has been with the bottle of touch up paint and I always seem to put on too much and end up with a bubble of paint. That would be OK for some colors but black...I think not. In any case it is leased and I just want to make it less noticeable since I have 3 years and 9 months more to go.

:o I just baught a 2004 ES330 and love it ! Black paint and all. However, after 1300 miles I now have 2 small paint chips on the hood from stones. They show the white primer but no metal. Should I repair these and how? Can the dealer do a better job than me?

Thanks for the advise and my serach is over. Just got done driving the ES330, Gs430, LS430 and SC430. Best of the lot was the SC430 for pure grins. I ended up with the ES330 because of some family considerations with the lack of rear seat in the SC. The Gs was faster but overall not as satisfying to me -- it seemed that there was too much road noise, etc. I also drove an Acura TL which was fast but quite noisy and not nearly as refined as the Lexus. Really happy with the ES and will look forward to every mile. Thanks again all :P

:( I just can't decide. I really want an SC430 but it is a bit too high right now. So I have a choice '04 ES330 which I am leaning toward or a 1992 SC400 for $ 11K that has 85,000 miles. Are the SC400s that much fun?

I am considering buying an SC430 in the spring and must get a used car (can't spring for a new one). Any comments on the following questions? Do you have any good tips on how to get the best price? I see a lot of Pre-owner cars for sale outside my area. Is it hard to deal that way and then get it shipped? How much do 'normal' tires cost in case I need to replace run flats? Sounds like they run without problems - should I be concerned about mileage? I usually keep cars until they drop and plan to keep the SC430 a long time.