lexxus

My girlfriend's 94 SC300 pings like hell. I accused her of using regular, and she says she always uses premium. Must be something wrong. Any ideas? I don't mean a loud knock either. It's not a bearing. it's definitely a ping like bad gas, and it's been that way for a while now...

I need to get some paint work done. Anybody know of a good and reasonable shooter in LA?

The dealer wants $435 for the power steering hose. There has to be a better way. Also, where besides the dealer can I get the front licence plate braket?

I've said it before...my girlfriend's 300 (with the bad lifter) feels more responsive to me than my 400. My 400 feels like a big boat. Her 300 handles better, to me. Maybe it's my imagination, but it seems like I can feel the extra weight of the 400, compared to the 300. The 400 sounds cool, but it isn't really very fast. But I'm a guy who had early 60's Vettes. And, maybe my 400 is slower than it should be. Also, my 400 is a '92, and it's broken down on me a few times, and I think I've only had it about eight months or so. So, I'd like a newer 300, for both the handling and the reliability. The problem is my budget...

I had knock and ping in my 400 whenever I pushed it, and thought maybe the timing belt was off. Then someone said to run two cans of Techron(which I did) and I quit Arco and use only Chevron gas now, and the ping is almost gone. It's very slight now. But I still want a newer 300.

Could I get your email/phone? Thank you.

I've been looking for an SC300 with low miles for a long time. I'd really like to find a 95 or newer, with 50K or less. I know, it's tough, but they are out there. Anyway, there was a 93 SC300, with 46K, beautiful original, on Autotrader in Phoenix. I'm in LA. I called the man, and he was very cool. The car was $9400. Anyway, I could have been the first to see it. I checked on the plane ticket, and calculated the loss of pay(might have been more than one day to get it back here) and the cost of the mechanic's checkup) So, I'm about to go for it, and I made the fatal mistake of talking to my girlfriend, who said what if the car sucks, you'll miss work, pay big for the plane ticket...sucked the steam right out of me. Another guy bought it the next day, sight unseen!

I came out of the camera shop today and my left front fender had been sideswiped. It looked like hell, with big wide scratches from mid fender to the headlight, looked like both white and black paint from the other car. The attendent said he didn't see anything. I was livid. Anyway, I come home upset, and grab the rubbing compound(the kind okay for clear coat) and my three stages of Meguire's cleaners, polish and wax. In twenty minutes or so, I got rid of almost all of the damage! I stared at it in disbelief. There was only a small place where the paint had been cracked, a line about three inches long. I laid some touch up paint into the long crack, and you can barely tell anything happened. A similar thing happened with a Nissan Altima I had a couple of years ago, and the paint just peeled off in a sheet!

This kills me. I've always heard how "rare" the 5 speed 300's are, but I see 'em ALL THE TIME in the ads. And every ad claims that these are hard to find. If you watch autotrader as well as your local paper, you'll find one easily. The thing is, I figure the stick car has been run a lot harder than the auto. And if you buy it from some hot rod kid, bet that the motor is toast. Another key, IMHO, is aftermarket wheels of any kind.

The car is worth whatever somebody will pay for it. Cars with miles that low are VERY hard to come by. I have, I hate to admit this, about 11K in my 92 400, with 83K. It's nice, but it's been a pain. For that mileage, it doesn't sound bad to me. And screw the sunroof. Who cares? Check it out on Carfax or Autocheck, to be sure the miles are accurate. And have a mechanic check it out. No offense, I think that if it's gold, it might be a little less desirable, but that's an individual thing. If it was black, you wouldn't have a chance; it would already be gone. In the end, is it what YOU want? Yeah, if you do an "ALL" search on Autotrader, you might find something else, but it might take months and a big airline ticket and you might go on a wild goose chase to find a piece of crap at the other end. Sellers LIE. I wish I could have found one with 50K. But I also wish that mine was a bit newer. I know that my advice is rambling and contradictory! Sorry. Go with your gut.

I just had to replace the computer in my SC400. The electrical guy(who has been in business for 47 years!) said that "these things never go out." I replied that that is what people keep telling me, and asked what would cause a computer to go out. He said a power surge or jumping the car. Later, I remembered that a while back the car wouldn't start, and AAA jumped it with one of those new jump starter portable boxes. The AAA guy proudly told me that the new machine had "a lot of juice." This does not seem like a coincidence to me. I was really mad at the car.

CR rated #1. Got them for my girl's 300, they're great. And at a good price. The owner of the tire store has them on both of his cars.

The electrician originally wanted to get a "rebuilt" computer for $800, and then the labor was around $250, but I balked. He said a used one might only work for one week and then I'd be screwed. But I just could afford the $1100 hit, and I called around until I found a used one for $300. So, all the total damage for computer, labor, rental car, and some lost work time is probably about $750. And I'm praying that the used computer will work out. I'm suing the guy who sold me my girlfriend's 300 with the bad lifter that sounds like it's coming through the side of the motor every morning. His lawyer sent me a letter telling me to lay off. I'll post after we go to small claims.