alexus93

I would strongly recommend having it checked out at the closest Lexus Dealer/Service Center. They have something called a Safety Inspection that costs in the range of $95 - $125 depending on different dealers. But it is well worth it - Lexus tend to be reliable. But when they need work to be done on them, they can be pretty expensive - unless you are going to do it yourself. If you have already got that inspection done, I suggest adding the comments given by them in this forum. Then people can give you more specific advise. BTW - have you checked if timing belt was changed at 90K? V.V.Imp. Also - how much is it working out for?

let me add a few more details - the light first flashed and i immediately turned it off. after a few hours when i tried turning it on - it continued to give me the same problem. but when i let it rest for a night, and then drove for a while next morning - i turned it on and it seemed to be working fine. but immediately after that, when i tried to turn the a/c on when it was stationary the engine stalled immediately. is my compressor a problem?

this just happened to me....can either mberrett or jzz30 tell me what to expect when i take it to the mechanic this week? i am on vacation now, in a place that is fairly cold...do you think i should not turn it on at all?

Thanks! I'll keep that in mind if it ever happens to me.

good luck with the site - i will keep an eye on it for changes. hope you have RSS configured

lot of suggestions have already been exchanged for similar profile cars with similar problems. recommend you sift through the threads.

Although I am not into any mods that are no in-sync with stock parts, I know that replacing the SC400 engine is not a popular route. Most people here seem to have SC300s when doing that sort of thing. But may be there will be someone with that info too. I do know that the guys at lextreme.com will be able to help you out.

The FAQ's on this site should help you out: http://www.intellexual.net/faq.html#06 Also check out some of the posts of members who have done a lot of work in this forum - I can recommend you to one I have seen - the member name is 'Jizzy'. He has a pretty comprehensive and helpful posts.

That is definitely a good price. Be sure to note that with 67k you are around the corner on some work for the car. Another 15k miles and you will need a new timing belt (recommended at 90k). Check out if this SC suffers the chronic issues that plague the rest (they aren't anything drastic, but worth a look). These are listed here: http://www.intellexual.net/faq.html#06.

this has happened to my car, and continues to - i have had the rear wheel bearings replaced on mine, and also the entire suspension. i have also replaced my brakes (rotors/pads) recently - and they didn't solve the problem. the most likely thing that i read as the cause for this is 'lower control arm', but since i have already changed it, i am not so sure. i guess this isn't the best advise, but it should at least be useful considering i have a SC as old as you, and just spent money doing a lot of work to resolve similar problems.

With all due respect to all online book-keepers, and actual amounts paid by fellow-buyers, for cars that have crossed a decade in age and 100K of running, I am not sure these form the best indicators. With multiple owners and varying driving conditions, one needs to look closer at inspection performance and relative under-use of wear-and-tear parts if they really want to compare true value of cars. With older cars, one runs a greater risk of buying a lemon than in the case on one that is new.

'96 @ $3400 - thats a pretty good deal. But the 180K would bother me too. I recently (4 months ago) bought a '93 SC400 with 125K on it. Your car has probably done most of the miles in more recent years - since they weren't daily-drivers for the people who could originally afford them when it was new. This means you should have the vehicle thoroughly checked out for the high-wear parts (brakes, suspension, door-joints) - these can get to be a pretty expensive job. Not to mention you are on the second timing-belt change, water-pump etc. These cars can be very expensive to maintain when it comes down to it. That said, they have bullet-proof engines and tend to be very reliable (even CR gives them a top pick - they won best car awards for 3 years in a row back then). I am aware of many people who have purchased these vehicles even when they have clocked over 200K - so the mileage would not concern me, as long as the car checks-out with a good mechanic. Set your expectations with him, about what you are looking to spend in due course of time, and then seek his opinion. Hope that helps.

Legend of Josh - I am not sure if this is going to be useful, but I hope you verified if the car had timing belt changed. The SCs need a belt change at the 90K mark. If that hasn't been done, I strongly recommend you do it, cause there is no fail-safe for that. While the belt is not all that expensive, having it done by a professional is advisable - and due to its labor intensity - it is an expensive job.

I recently replaced the right rear wheel bearing - part cost $136.67 from the service center. You probably could get for cheaper. But other than that, you might want to look into the lower control arms - I have had some squeaking, and they too can cause that. But get a second opinion on this one, cause this is an expensive affair. I just got this done on my car, which has almost 140K on it. Both the lower front control arms with labor cost me $1500. Thats a lot - although you can get the two together on ebay for about $800.

I bought my 93' SC400 in June with 125K on it. I moved to Seattle/Bellevue in August and since then have had to do two major services on it. Perhaps most of the work done on it was due on a car this old, but I think I am paying a lot more than I should be, especially when I make a price comparison of the parts with ebay or other sites selling car parts. Is there a reliable and reasonable service shop in this area that does not rip you off constantly. Moreover, is there a place that wouldn't mind if the owner purchased the parts themselves and paid them for the labor? Please help. So far I have spent close to $7000 on this car since I purchased. Here are the major work I have done on it so far, with approx cost (include parts & labor): 1. Timing Belt ($1100) 2. Brake Job - Rotors & Pads ($900) 3. Suspension Job - Struts, Mounts, Front Control Arm ($3250) 4. Complete Steering Gear ($600)