SCdriver

I would have lexus do a certification check for $90-100 and run the lexus service history as well as getting the carfax history before buying any used lexus. The SC400 has power steering pump failures at 75-100,000 mi which require rebuiding it with new seals or replacement. The timing belt is expensive at $1200. The 1993 has R12 AC and if it leaks or needs recharging or switching to R34a it can also be expensive. I suggest getting a 1994, 1996 or 1998+ SC400 and skipping this one. Check Yahoo used cars, Ebay etc and remember it is cheaper to ship or pick up a good car than trying to do a lot of repairs on a local one. Good Luck

You might want to check out planetsoarer.com as the people in Australia seem to have done just about everything to the Sc400 engine.

I drove an early BMW 530ia for 25 years. It had a slightly modified suspension, straight through exhaust with headers, wider tires and was just so good I didn't buy another car until recently. I never liked the modern BMW 5 series styling. Great engines and superb road manners but uninspired interiors and exteriors. The lexus SC400 is my favorite car and that includes a porsche boxster S. If you do some minor upgrades you get a great handling car that is comfortable for long trips. I suggest keeping the standard wheels and getting 225/55 16 Goodyear eagle F1 GS D3 Tires from tirerack.com. They have the best wet tire traction I ever experienced and are quiet to boot! Try upgrading your brakes or brake pads and if you want you can upgrade the air intake and torque converter. You'll end up with a grand tourismo auto; comfortable,quiet and able to stay with most sport cars on the road today. The major problems are with cars that have not been maintained properly and the common power steering leak that occurs at 75-100,000mi. Check out the site for more info.

Check the lexus &/or owner's records first to see if the timing belt was already done. If not, this sounds like it is in the ballpark if it includes all the parts and labor. You can easily call a dealership and get another estimate for the same work for comparison. I still think it is worth the $90-100 to have the car fully checked out before starting a big service. You might want to know if there is hidden damage to the engine,transmission,suspension etc before you start spending as it may pay to get everything done at the same time.

Bring your car to a lexus dealer and have them check it out (pre owned certification check) for approx. $90. They should also pull the service records and give you a print out. This should have been done prior to your purchase as well as a carfax check. The power steering usually fails at 75,000mi and can leak ultimately causing alternater/electrical problems. You can usually get a rebuilt power steering pump or rebuild kit on ebay etc and save a small fortune. You should probably change the oil and brake fluid and transmission fluids and filters if they have not been done recently. Lexus should be able to determine any transmission,engine,suspension, brake and electrical problems. See if you can find a good local mechanic with lexus/toyota experience as lexus charges a small fortune $99/hr for labor and high prices for parts. Try googling for lexus parts. I use the-best-source.com for oil filters,belts,etc.

This is a fantastic product if used properly. It is mildly abraisive and should be used with moderation. I use it with a mixture of 1 part woolite in 5 parts of luke warm water and do not scour too hard but go gently over small areas and repeat the process if necessary. After using the soapy mix with the magic eraser, I wipe the area clean with a cotton or microfiber towel. To finish, I treat the leather with a conditioner and hand buff it dry. My interior looks new and is easy to maintain.

I believe that they just dropped and emptied the transmission pan and did not do a complete flush of all the transmission fluid. Check your owners manual to see what the real capacity is for your transmission oil. I believe that you should be replacing your transmission oil with the upgraded toyota type 1V which was not available in 1994 as far as I know. It will take several 2-3 qt changes to replace most of your system's oil. You might want to check with lexus regarding a complete flush like AAmco advertises but I'd be sure to bring my own toyota type 1V fluids as I doubt they have it.

I agree that different sized tires and rims can change you odometer readings if they change the rolling circumference of your wheel. Keep your tires properly inflated and you might try adding 20oz of techron complete fuel system cleaner into half a tank and then fill it up to 3/4 to full and run it through. If you have not changed your air filter in the last 20,000mi or so you might consider doing it now. Otherwise,your you might ask Lexus if your differential leak is causing slippage and poorer gas mileage.

There are no easy or cheap mods to make more hp and more lower end torque that you will actually notice in daily driving. I suggest you spend your money on good tires (Eagle F1 DS D3) and perhaps change your transmission fluid to the newer toyota type IV.

Check Ebay Auto parts etc under SC400 and see if they have a parts car someone is taking apart.

You might want to check Ebay Auto parts section under SC300 or SC400, as they often have a car that is being dismantled and sold for parts.

Don't buy an SC before you get it checked out by a Lexus dealer for approx. $90. You can get their service records and should also get the carfax history. Keep checking ebay and you can do a search on Yahoo. I suggest the 1994 model for the 250hp engine and the 1996 for the 260hp and the 1998-2000 if you want the 290hp with a five speed auto. The pre 1994 cars have the old R12 AC. Some people have reported low end acceleration hesitation on the 1995 model. Still the SC400 is best looking car they have made. It pays to ship a good car than to do a lot of repairs on one that is close by.... Good Luck.

Rim size and rubber choices all come down to what each individual is looking for whether it be looks or performance or some combination thereof. If you plan on driving a lot and your roads are very smooth 20" tires have a short sidewall height which might be OK but if you drive on roads with potholes etc. you will most likely end up damaging your expensive rims. Look at the choices available for different tires and rims at tirerack.com and check the advice of other members in the tire forum section. I use stock 16' rims with goodyear F1 GS D3 tires and my sc400 handles almost as well as my porsche and is a lot more comfortable. The rims may not turn heads but it is the rubber that will give you the performance. The ride quality will usually get harsher as you lower the sidewall height. A good compromise might be to go with 18" rims and tires but ultimately the choice is yours.

From your picture it looks like the car has wheels off an IS300 or GS300/400. These are not the 1995 SC400 wheels but a nice upgrade. Ch eck to see if they are 16 or 17 inch wheels. I like Goodyear F1 GS D3 tires for the 16" stock wheels. Best tire I've ever owned.

Some have reported acceleration hesitation on the '95 model. I think you can do better price wise. Check Ebay and autotrader.com to see what similar cars are priced at. Whatever you end up buying, have lexus check it out for $90 and give you the lexus service history and get the carfax history even if it looks mint. The 1996 has a slightly more powerful engine up 10hp from prior years to 260hp and the 1998 got a bigger engine upgrade to 290hp. Good luck.....

Be wary of that salesman. You might get minimally better mpg but you would have to drive for a thousand years to make up the cost difference in buying 17 inch wheels and then adding new tires. Stick with your stock wheels and check tirerack.com's question form for your car and see what their ratings for wear,noise, comfort etc. come up with. I think wet traction is the most important safety factor. If you don't see anything you like check Toyo tires as I think they may be better than Kuhmos.

The 1998 has the 290 hp engine and 5 speed auto while the 1997 has the 260 hp engine and I believe a 4 speed auto. I've driven both and while the 3 spoke wheel looks nicer the 4 spoke actually fits my hands and driving position better. Changing the wheel/airbag can be done but you could probably get more for your money with other upgrades such as brake/tires etc. Check out new mats and the detailing section if your interior needs sprucing up.

It is cheaper to pick up or ship a good car than it is to take a bad car nearby and try to fix it.

As in the movie--"Run Forrest Run!!!" There are plenty of good used SC400s on the market. It may take some time however to find the one you want. Recently a 72,000 mi '93 went for $7500 on Ebay in a nice silver grey color in excellent condition. Whatever year you decide on, bring it to Lexus for their $90 inspection and get their service history and the Carfax history before buying. The 1994 started having the modern R34a AC. The 1996 got the 260hp upgrade and the 1998 got the 290 hp upgrade. Watch out for power steering leaks at approx 75-100,000mi and worn engine,transmission mounts and bushings at 100,000mi+. The timing belt service is expensive so make sure it was done or not due shortly after you buy the car. There have been posts on acceleration hesitation on some 1995 models. I liked the earlier body style of the 1994 and 1996 but the engine/trans/brakes are better in the 1998-2000. Check your local papers, Ebay and Yahoo and you will find a better car and a better deal.

I suggest never using a pressure hose ar any water hose on the lexus engine. I would only suggest doing a bit of surface cleaning by hand when the engine is cool. You can put the degreaser directly on old rags and then clean some of the exposed surfaces and even vacuum out around the radiator and air inlets. My mechanic warned me not to use an engine cleaning system that needed to be hosed off on any lexus and he was correct. A lot of people have found this out this out the hard way!!!!! I use simple green but if you plan to use a stronger cleaner by hand I would suggest using gloves.

Fuel injection cleaners are not enough. You want something that will clean the entire system: intake,valves injectors etc. Try using Techron (22 oz large or two 12 oz bottles and see if that helps clean the throttle body and intake etc. Make sure you put it in when the tank is 3/4 empty and then fill it up. Don't put it into an already full tank. You may have to do this twice. It is an inexpensive procedure ($16) and should clean far better than fuel injection cleaners. If you have already tried this followed by new plugs and still have poor mpg, speak to a lexus service manager.

I have 70,000 on my car, and I put in an AEM Intake with K&N filter so thats settled for my intake system. As for the fuel injection cleaner, I have put numerous amounts at monthly interval. No change whatsoever. The guy (idiot) before me abused the hell out of the car and only used 87 octane. I treat her right now and use 91 shell vpower ONLY. I so far replaced what I could, but now im getting into deeper stuff. If there is a DIY somewhere, please, post it. Because I want to make sure my sc300 is running prime and well. I hate car abusers ←

Get the carfax history and bring it to Lexus for their pre owned inspection $90 and get their service history. A nice 1993 with around 72,000 mi just sold on ebay for $7,500. You have to check the R12 AC for leaks as well as the power steering for leaks. Was the timing belt and all lexus required services done? May need new bushings and shocks etc. If it isn't in good shape there are plenty of SC400s for sale. Take your time. FYI, The 1994 has the advantage of having the R32 AC system and dual airbags. The 1996 got the 260hp engine and the 1998 model got the 290hp engine. Check that the dash lights work, esp the speedometer needles and that the radio/cd and all speakers work and take it for a good test drive ;highway and city potholes. then negotiate the price when you know what needs fixin or move on to another one.

That is way too much to charge to change the plugs!!!! Before you change them, I would run the tank to 3/4 empty and put in a large 20oz container (or two of the smaller bottles) of Techron intake valve and injecter cleaner & fill it up and run until 3/4+ empty. Try this once or twice. I would also make sure that I had a new air filter if yours isn't recent. See if your mpg increase. If your plugs are old you can then replace them. I like iridium NGK plugs which are available for $48-68 on Ebay/Yahoo etc and are good for 60,000mi+. Changing the plugs alone shouldn't be very costly (<$75 for an SC400), just make sure that they are gapped properly. If the oil needs changing, I like mobile 1 but others think regular oil is fine in which case I like pennzoil. Use a good oil filter, toyota,nippon,etc. Make sure your tires are properly inflated and hopefully you should get the proper mpg...