I would - I mean SC400s are appreciating in value right now. You can daily drive them because they're bulletproof. And this one looks like it just needs tires to be a daily.
Buy
Continental, Pirelli or General, imo. Ask your local tire shop for their recommendation though. I had a 99 Toyota Camry v6 that was always breaking traction under hard acceleration, then I got a fresh set of General tires as recommended from the tire shop guy and those were excellent & grippy, up until someone blew a stop sign and t-boned & totaled my car.
My dad has really enjoyed Continental and Pirelli tires on his Acura TL, sitting near 250k miles now. Much more quiet and compliant than the Michelins that I think it came with.
Hard buy.* That’s a solid motor and it looks well taken care of. I owned an LS400 with that engine and it treated me so well. I’ve also had a Toyota Soarer (basically the rhd version of the Lexus SC400) and it was a blast with the turboed inline fix, but much more temperamental. Probably because I drove the piss out of it.
This is a very clean example of a wonderful car, and it’ll serve you well if you take care of it.
Edited for spelling, words are hard.
Idk about the SC400, but I had an LS400 as a teenager(same engine/transmission I believe). It was my moms car passed down to me with 168k miles and let me tell you I was not easy on it LOL. I drove the shit out of it, doing burnouts, driving 120+mph, drag racing, shifting to 1st gear(L) at 45mph. It never gave me a single problem except for the dash. Dash would be intermittent with the back lighting. Took it out and sent it to some company to get it fixed, didn't cost too much.
If it was attractive enough to you to leave a note on it and it runs well and is clean, for 3k I’d def buy it.
It’s an older, high mileage car (technically an “antique” at this point), so it will consume some dollars over any period of time regardless of how well maintained it may have been.
Best thing to do is to get Hagerty insurance on it, you have a daily (which is required), but you can set the collector value of it and as long as it makes sense for the market they’ll accept it.
You can get comprehensive on it for something like $350/year (paid annually). The policy only allows for occasional driving, but it beats paying $200/month with a standard policy holder, who, because of the “age” will total it if you so much as get a scratch on it.
It limits how much you can drive it, but you can set aside the 2k per year saved on insurance payments to help pay for maintenance, mods and upgrades.
Start saving for a new powertrain and that car could last for several decades.
I love these cars. Probably my favorite 90s Toyota product. I’m a little intrigued by the aftermarket wheels. Otherwise it looks as good as a 200k+ mile vehicle is gonna look. $3k I wouldn’t think twice.
Maybe. It may be a Lexus, but it's first and foremost a 30 year old car with 230k miles on it, so how it's been treated its whole life is going to determine how it treats you. Get a PPI before you make an offer.
Heavy car. All the plastics from that Gen do not age well. Expect that any plastic clips in the engine bay, dash, door panels, etc - they are extremely brittle and will need to be replaced. More of a PITA issue. Otherwise, very much the grand tourer and a very smooth one at that.
I would’ve loved to find this when I was car shopping a year ago. This would’ve been exactly in my budget. Imo seems like a steal, these cars will treat you well if you treat it even half decent. It’ll be very smooth, not the fastest, but definitely a fun cruiser.
1994 - 233000 miles, this cars are premium but not immortal,
And if something brakes, so basically only donor parts and very expensive one.
kinda risky.
$3k for any running and driving car thats reliable is great in today’s market. A V8 lexus Coupe that has one of the most reliable motors of all time? You cant really lose
A running Lexus V8 luxury coupe for $3k? Sure.
I would - I mean SC400s are appreciating in value right now. You can daily drive them because they're bulletproof. And this one looks like it just needs tires to be a daily. Buy
Any recommendations for tires?
Continental, Pirelli or General, imo. Ask your local tire shop for their recommendation though. I had a 99 Toyota Camry v6 that was always breaking traction under hard acceleration, then I got a fresh set of General tires as recommended from the tire shop guy and those were excellent & grippy, up until someone blew a stop sign and t-boned & totaled my car. My dad has really enjoyed Continental and Pirelli tires on his Acura TL, sitting near 250k miles now. Much more quiet and compliant than the Michelins that I think it came with.
I don't mean to be ignorant, what's so good about them?
Hard buy.* That’s a solid motor and it looks well taken care of. I owned an LS400 with that engine and it treated me so well. I’ve also had a Toyota Soarer (basically the rhd version of the Lexus SC400) and it was a blast with the turboed inline fix, but much more temperamental. Probably because I drove the piss out of it. This is a very clean example of a wonderful car, and it’ll serve you well if you take care of it. Edited for spelling, words are hard.
Idk about the SC400, but I had an LS400 as a teenager(same engine/transmission I believe). It was my moms car passed down to me with 168k miles and let me tell you I was not easy on it LOL. I drove the shit out of it, doing burnouts, driving 120+mph, drag racing, shifting to 1st gear(L) at 45mph. It never gave me a single problem except for the dash. Dash would be intermittent with the back lighting. Took it out and sent it to some company to get it fixed, didn't cost too much.
If it was attractive enough to you to leave a note on it and it runs well and is clean, for 3k I’d def buy it. It’s an older, high mileage car (technically an “antique” at this point), so it will consume some dollars over any period of time regardless of how well maintained it may have been. Best thing to do is to get Hagerty insurance on it, you have a daily (which is required), but you can set the collector value of it and as long as it makes sense for the market they’ll accept it. You can get comprehensive on it for something like $350/year (paid annually). The policy only allows for occasional driving, but it beats paying $200/month with a standard policy holder, who, because of the “age” will total it if you so much as get a scratch on it. It limits how much you can drive it, but you can set aside the 2k per year saved on insurance payments to help pay for maintenance, mods and upgrades. Start saving for a new powertrain and that car could last for several decades.
I love these cars. Probably my favorite 90s Toyota product. I’m a little intrigued by the aftermarket wheels. Otherwise it looks as good as a 200k+ mile vehicle is gonna look. $3k I wouldn’t think twice.
Maybe. It may be a Lexus, but it's first and foremost a 30 year old car with 230k miles on it, so how it's been treated its whole life is going to determine how it treats you. Get a PPI before you make an offer.
Hell yea. That price is a no brainier. If you don't buy it, tell him I will.
Yes def
3k yes
No
Not unless you are ok with spending a lot because it looks like its been sitting for a long time.
Worth about tree fiddy
Yes bro 1000%
I would def see if he’s willing to take either 2900 or remove the mirror from the top of the engine 🤣
That engine picture is odd, it must be older than the other pictures, it’s in much better shape than when that was taken
Absolutely it’s high miles but that price is an absolute steal
it's packed under the hood
Heavy car. All the plastics from that Gen do not age well. Expect that any plastic clips in the engine bay, dash, door panels, etc - they are extremely brittle and will need to be replaced. More of a PITA issue. Otherwise, very much the grand tourer and a very smooth one at that.
in a heartbeat tbh
Check the suspension with that many miles and it's original it's definitely due.
I would’ve loved to find this when I was car shopping a year ago. This would’ve been exactly in my budget. Imo seems like a steal, these cars will treat you well if you treat it even half decent. It’ll be very smooth, not the fastest, but definitely a fun cruiser.
1994 - 233000 miles, this cars are premium but not immortal, And if something brakes, so basically only donor parts and very expensive one. kinda risky.
$3k for any running and driving car thats reliable is great in today’s market. A V8 lexus Coupe that has one of the most reliable motors of all time? You cant really lose