lexxus

Researching tires for my girl's sc300. Tirerack and Epinions people seemed to like BF Goodrich, Goodyear, said Dunlops didn't wear well. But in the back of my mind I wondered if the posts could be shills from every manufacturer. So I went to the library and got the latest(2003) Consumer Reports info. They do not take any money for ads, so they are fairly trustworthy. They rated the Falken Ziex ZE 512 as their number one, and listed the price at $60 per. I called my local tire man, and he said he has them on both his van as well as his sister's car. The next two tires down the list are Bridgestones(they own Firestone); #2 is the Bridgestone Turanza LS-H, and #3 the Potenza RE950. I called, and they were way more than the mag said, about 120 apiece, around $600+ out the door. Four Falkens out the door will be $299. Oh, I had never heard of Falkens before, and I am not in any way affiliated with the company.

My girlfriend's 300 needs tires. I'm going with H rating instead of V, because she drives like a gramma and has little money. But I'm confused. One guy says the new Dunlops are really great, last 50K, cost about $70 apiece. But I like Pirellis, which I could get for the same price(but I don't think that they last as long). Anybody really know about tires? What's the best tire in this price range?

When I was out hunting for my SC a while back, I found one in the paper that sounded ideal. One owner, 70K, excellent cond., $6000. I actually took off work to go see this car, fearing that it would be gone by the time I got off. So, I get there, and the man says that it's his grammas' car, and she's had it since new. She came out and smiled and waved and told me the same story. She was about 85, and just as sweet as could be. She said that she "loved the car", but that she "was going blind and couldn't drive anymore, for fear of hurting other people in an accident." My heart went out to her. The car was burgundy, and looked nice. The seats were worn but acceptable. It drove okay, but it was my first time in an SC, so I didn't really know what to expect. I almost said I'd take it, but I've been burned before, so I took down the vin.# and said I'd get back with them. I got home and ran it on autocheck(2 months for 19 bucks) guess what? The car had 224,000 miles on it! And about ten titles. Proving two things; the SC's really last a long time, and never trust anybody!

Thanks to all who replied! It's very much appreciated.

My girlfriend just got a 93 sc300, 82,000 miles, $8000. It's very clean and I think she did good. But, she has no money left. How long can you wait on the timing belt? It's non-interference, right? I mean, if it breaks it won't ruin the engine will it? And what is a good price for the job when she does have some money?

Flat tire this morning. Thought somebody let the air out. Not so. The bead was leaking. The tire man(I've been going there for a few years) said that older chrome rims have this problem. He took a wire brush to the bead to clean it up, and then spread a sealer all around. He said that there is actually a company dedicated to exchanging rims because of this problem. You give them your old leaky rim, and they give you a new/redone rim(for a charge of course). It strikes me that folks who are thinking of jumping in and buying an older car, even a low mileage car that has been well-maintained, might want to save up and get a newer model. Mine is a 92 SC 400 that I just bought about six weeks ago. I paid 8200, but now I have close to 9500 in the car. I'm not unhappy, but I suspect that since this is an older car, it's going to need some attention here and there.

Hi, I'm the guy with the hot key. Yeah, I did notice heat under the steering as well. I took it to my mechanic yesterday, and he just got a funny look on his face and shrugged. He said that he didn't want to change the ignition switch, because that might not be the problem(he's very honest and tries to save me money.) I definitely do not have the heat on in this weather! I guess I'll just have to watch it. He didn't seem too concerned.

I don't think that my ignition switch is illuminated, but I could be wrong. I have four other keys on a simple round metal keyholder. I'll take the car in to the mechanic tomorrow, since it needs a new coolant overflow reservoir as well. And the air does not blow cold(or even cool!). And I will have to have the driver's seat redone(which I didn't notice when I bought the car). But, it is a looker, has 78,000 miles, perfect garnet paint, no dents or scratches. My girlfriend actually screamed when she saw the car. She was so happy that I got rid of my "old man's car"(the Camry). I'm just hoping that after the initial problems are dealt with, I'll get a breather and enjoy the car without laying out lots of cash. I'm a teacher, small money, street parking, no way to do any work myself. Thanks for the replies! 4_keys

I just came home this evening, turned the car('92 SC400) off, pulled out the key and it was HOT. I mean HOT. I thought that was weird, so I touched the tip of my finger to the place where you put the key in(the ignition switch I guess it's called) and it was hot as hell too. This is in the evening in Los Angeles, and it was fairly cool outside. Is my wiring going to burn up? I just bought the car a few weeks ago, and had to spend a ton of money on the water pump and timing belt($1000). I love the car, and it's gorgeous, I just hope it's not going to nickel and dime me to death. I read through a lot of these posts and sort of wonder about all of the maintenance issues. I just got rid of a Camry that I had for a few years and it NEVER(not once) broke. I changed the oil, and I think I had brakes put on the front, but that was it. No, I don't want the Camry back! I'm just a little worried. So yeah, what's up with the hot key? Is there anything I can do to ward off a costly problem? Or is this normal?