i found a CLEAN sc400 in my area thats almost 3,000 under kbb. it has under 120k, black on grey leather. im going to be checking it out in a few hours and i was hoping some of you had some advice on what to look for specifically? are there any common sc400 problems?

thanks! and wish me luck!

 

A coworker of mine has a '04 and she loves it. She only has mentioned that the tires are mucho $$$$$. She probably only has 20-30K on it since it is only one of many Lexuses in their stable.....

 

04 is an sc430, he is talking about the 1st gen sc.

120k is just getting started on this car. Aside from the usual wear and tear, they do not have very many problems at all if they are well taken care of, and often run over 250k miles with no major problems. Check out the SC section of clublexus.com for more info!

 

ARGHHHH it got sold.....now i have sc fever and the cheapest one around is no less than 5k

 

Meh... Tires are mucho $$$$$ for all women.

 

my mom had one, I think it was a 97. Had it for a few years, man do those things do bitchin burnouts Car was trouble free except for tires

 

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be patient and find one in good shape- you will not be disappointed

 

Very true...but their shoes are NEVER too much for a woman

At least a car can wear the same pair of shoes for several years....

 

Aren't they heavy?

 

What, women??? Sometimes

 

extremely. over 3500 lbs.

 

Let me know if you still want one. My Friend has a 1993 sc400 only about 70-80k miles. Original.

Let me tell you, it is the cleanest car I have ever seen. Not a scratch inside or out. I am tempted to buy it. Ill see if I can get some pics.

 

My dad had one. It never had a single problem outside of the one time the battery blew up. Haha, I dont know if thats the right way to explain it. But we were leaving a parking lot, and he turned the car on and then a loud boom, and the battery was fried and charred. No effect on the engine though... weird

 

I have a '99 SC300, but was considering the SC400's as well. The 1UZFE found in the SC400's are extrememly reliable, so you shouldn't be afraid of high mileage, but at that many miles lots of things need to be changed; timing and driving belts, waterpump, sparkplugs, trans. and diff. flush, etc. Some of the common problems are electrical, but not as bad as you think. Lots of blacked out/dimmed lights such as in the guage cluster, digital A/C/Heat unit, radio. Others are simply aesthetic and common such as cracked leather, dashboard, window trim. Door hinges can wear out due to the door being extremely heavy, suspension bushings, and possibly the most serious is the power steering fluid leaking. All these problems are found in the older SC400's. Personally if I were going to purchase an SC400 today I'll be looking at the '98+ since it has the VVT-i version of the 1UZ-FE v-8. This engine is the same found in the GS400; very powerful and torquey (300 hp), plus it comes in a 5-speed auto. The pre-98 models, although nice, was allright. IT had 260hp, but was slightly quicker than the '98+ SC300's with VVT-i. The VVT-i motors make a hell of a difference in the powerband. I've driven SC's with and without it and without VVT-i the car is noticably slower. Whatever color you decide upon, make sure you pick one with the black leather interior as they are HIGHLY desirable, rare, and generally command a premium, but trust me its worth it! Good luck!

 

alrite i found another SC, its a sc300, AT, with 180k

180k seems kinda high, but the price is pretty good. how long do the timing belts last on these cars, he had it replaced at 91k but i hope its not due again

 

heres some more info on that car

its grey on grey. the body and interior and in good shape, a few dings but nothing bad. the interior seats are almost perfect, there is cracks on the arm rest though (common problem)

mechanically, he just had the coolant system replaced and a minor tuneup. he said it leaks a little oil. the tires are also brand new. the car drove very nicely, perfect idle, no sqeaks or anything. transmission shifted fine (its original tranny though) i checked the coolant fluid and it was clear. everything seems good about the car, however i at 180k im really worried a timing belt, head gasket, or transmission problem will arise and break my pockets.

blue book value for a sc300 in FAIR condition with 220k (i put the miles higher because i intend to sell it by 220k) is 4800. the guys accepted my offer of 3500. so its a pretty good price.


heres a picture of it, it also has ls400 rims on it (i think they are ls400, some kind of OEM lexus rims)

 

get a sc300 and a turbo. you will be set.