CE for sale

I must ask, is that a normal price range for a CE?
Damn, maybe I should go over to the states, buy one and take it to Sweden... ;)
 
I have spoken to the seller and going to look at it today. I have the name of the garage that serviced it since 2001 and will be calling them soon to find out more about the car. The car was owned by the seller's elderly father since 42K, 2001-present. He recently passed away, and that is the reason for the sale. It sounds very clean and everything works on it. Issues are: Driver's side mirror dimming fluid is no more. Sounds like the rocker in front of the rear wheel is just starting to rust. I imagine this was due to the sunroof drains getting clogged. It is a two owner car with clean Carfax. Depending if the car is clean and the rust is very minor, I may take it home. I am hoping to get it in the $3,500-3,800 range. I think that is more in line with what these things are actually selling for based on the research I've done. The CE may add some minimal value but not much.

It is either one of these (97-98 LSC) or an early Lexus SC300-SC400. I have looked at three of the latter so far and have passed on them all for different reasons. The LSCs are easier to find for sale and cheaper for sure. I could get a Lincoln LSC with low miles for what a high mileage Lexus would cost. The best deal I could find is a SC300 with 94K in excellent shape that needs NOTHING for 6K.
 
I spoke to the mechanic who last worked on this car in Jan of 2011 at his service shop. At the time, the elderly owner was no longer able to drive much anymore. He said the car was in excellent shape and was put through a full diagnosis. No issues were found. Car received a new battery, coolant flush, and fuel filter just because. It was also fully detailed in and out at the time of service. He said it was one of the cleanest ones he's seen and that the owners were some of the nicest people he had dealt with. They were also fanatics when it came to up keeping their cars... We will see in a couple of hours if he is right. :)
 
Well, I looked at the car yesterday. While it was in good overall shape, there were some issues cosmetically with it. Mechanically, I could find nothing wrong other than needing tires sooner than later. The exterior of the car looked great from 10ft away. The paint was shiny with no evidence of fading. Once up close, the rear bumper was pretty scratched up from people loading and unloading things from the trunk. The front bumper had tons of rock chips on it, and a scrape in the corner from someone scraping something with it. The roof had a baseball size size near the rear window that I am not sure how could be taken out. The front driver's side fender had two good sized dents near the top of the fender like something fell on it. The passenger side rear fender and door had numerous dings from probably being parked in a garage next to another car. There was a tiny amount of rust starting in the rocker in front of the driver's side rear wheel. The interior was excellent. The driver's seat bolster where you get in was a little smushed and worn due to the prior owner being a big guy who had trouble getting in and out. Overall, not a bad car. Guy is looking or around 4K. To me, I'd rather spend another 1K and get one with a little nicer body on it. If I were to buy it, I'd have the bumpers resprayed and paintless dent removal done, and get new tires.
 
Sounds like too many flaws for a $4000 car, plus the rust would be a deal breaker for me..even if it is a small amount it won't take long for that spot to become a hole in the rocker panel which will spread fast, especially if you drive it in the winter. Paintless dent repair won't be cheap for that many dings and dents, usually they charge 30-40 per dent plus extra charge for interior panel removal if need be, and forget about it if you plan on getting the rust fixed and repainted..start with something cleaner..nice cars are out there for the same price, id go check this one out

http://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/cto/3102676072.html
 
If I am going to be picky, I want a gray, black, silver, or white LSC with grey or black interior. The reds are just okay, but I am not a fan of tan interiors. I knew within the first five minutes of looking over the car, this particular one was not for me due to the cosmetics and exterior color (Cordovan is nice, but Torreador is nicer). I still drove it to see if it would change my mind. It drove nice. I have looking at SC400s, and I like the way those feel and handle better than the Mark VIII, which is like driving a speed boat. The Mark is definitely quicker than a SC400 though, and the interior is more plush. I would argue that the SC400 is built better, but they are more expensive than a Mark every time.
 
Dealers are outrageous on pricing those sc400s..just because its a Lexus (glorified toyota)..oooo wow big deal, they are nice, but not worth the amount people ask for them. People think Lexus and toyotas are the best thing since sliced bread but in the end its a machine that needs maintenance just like any other vehicle. Worst part about finding those cars now is the fact that a lot of rice burner idiots bought them up and modded them like they would a supra..
 
You are absolutely correct about ricers building budget Supras out of SC300s. They are basically the same car in a lot of ways, with the SC300 being significantly cheaper and just as mod friendly. I was impressed with the Mark VIII when I drove it mostly due to its power and interior comfort. The handling did not inspire confidence and felt slow and floaty, but it's a Lincoln after all lol, so I should not be surprised. I am going to find a better one. It will come down to the SC400, and the Mark for sure. I think from a driver enthusiast perspective, the Lexus has a lot to offer in terms of of overall performance, albeit at usually a significantly higher price. That is the kicker for me. I know I can get a minty LSC in the 5K range. It would be hard to find a really nice SC400 in that range without it having a lot of miles on it.
 
It all depends on what tickles your pickle. I have a fun daily driver Mark VIII. I've beat a handful of unexpecting motorists. 05 Stang GT, Nissan 370z, Subaru WRX STi, Challenger R/T. These are all cars that should perform better and fetch a lot more money than a Mark VIII would but I overpayed and bought mine for $7K with 72K miles because I loved the look of the car and then decided to go with some bolt-ons. It's stupid easy to make these heavy cars run 13s, pretty much what any run of the mill Lexus "might"(not all of em do) run but for way less money and personally I think Mark VIIIs are more sexy and sound better. My next step is 12s with a blower and working my way towards 11s. Still in a huge luxurious land barge. And what I really like about it? It's a big V8 rwd car. I've loved these kinds of cars since I was of legal age to drive. It's hard to go to something different but ever since I sat in the cockpit of a Mark VIII, I knew I wasn't in a Buick Riviera. :D
 
I think the Mark VIII is more eye catching than the SC400 is for sure. I think the Lexus has less to essentially go wrong on it due to the vast amount of electronic gizmos on the Mark. This car will be my daily driver. I have a SRT-8 Challenger as my fun car. I like larger RWD V-8 coupes, so that is why I am looking into these and the SC400. I am looking around heavily for both right now. The first one I find that is clean, and I can afford, I will get. I am picky this time around. I've looked at three SC400s and one LSC so far and passed on all of them.
 
keVIIIn said:
Dealers are outrageous on pricing those sc400s..just because its a Lexus (glorified toyota)..oooo wow big deal, they are nice, but not worth the amount people ask for them. People think Lexus and toyotas are the best thing since sliced bread but in the end its a machine that needs maintenance just like any other vehicle. Worst part about finding those cars now is the fact that a lot of rice burner idiots bought them up and modded them like they would a supra..
Click to expand...

That is an awesome looking Lincoln. If you are selling, let me know. I'll even forgive the tan interior. :)
 
I'd start looking for cars down south. ALL northern marks will rust eventually if driven a couple winters. It's inevitable.
 
Mark SRT-8 said:
That is an awesome looking Lincoln. If you are selling, let me know. I'll even forgive the tan interior. :)
Click to expand...

Thanks man, I don't know what it would take me to sell it, I've put a lot into it since I bought it last year between the wheels, LSC bumpers and headlights and misc. stuff here and there..plus I plan on a few more things before summers end. When I bought it I really wasn't picky with color combos, so long as it wasn't tan I didn't mind (already owned two goldish tan cars and I'm sick of it) lol..the willow green color has really grown on me, when its clean I think it looks great in the sunlight. And as far as the tan interior..you either love it or hate it haha, Ive always liked dark tan interiors so I don't mind it at all.
 
I already looked at all your old threads and noticed how clean the car was to begin with, and the improvements you've done would have been things I'd do myself. Plus, I think the green on tan looks very nice. I like the 2nd gens a lot, but if a nice 1st gen was out there, I'd consider it. If you change your mind, let me know. I am getting sick of looking at crap. I've looked at 5 cars (only one Mark so far) since May and am still looking...
 
Whatever you decide, good luck! But if you've got some cash for mods, the Mark VIII is a good platform to start with. They are not really turbo-friendly due to the under-hood space but many have put supercharger kits made for 4.6 Mustangs with minimal modifications.
 
Magnetico said:
Whatever you decide, good luck! But if you've got some cash for mods, the Mark VIII is a good platform to start with. They are not really turbo-friendly due to the under-hood space but many have put supercharger kits made for 4.6 Mustangs with minimal modifications.
Click to expand...

If you have enough money to build the 4.6, you can run a blower and go terribly fast.
 
sbcaprice305 said:
I'd start looking for cars down south. ALL northern marks will rust eventually if driven a couple winters. It's inevitable.
Click to expand...

Yep, come down South and you'll likely find what you want. TN. usually has some. Florida is full of them. Mine come from there and has zero rust. If you have to fly for it, go for it. I had to fly to Tampa, FL. for mine but I kinda knew the owner and he came and picked me up in it. I'm also not the fan of tan interior but you can always put some effort into it and swap it out. Here are a few and I know some aren't what you're looking for.

[url]http://memphis.craigslist.org/ctd/3036877457.html[/URL]

[url]http://memphis.craigslist.org/cto/3088536588.html[/URL]

[url]http://orlando.craigslist.org/ctd/3076092012.html[/URL]

[url]http://tampa.craigslist.org/hil/cto/3104017101.html[/URL]

[url]http://tampa.craigslist.org/hdo/cto/3081432613.html[/URL]

High miles but pretty cheap.
[url]http://miami.craigslist.org/brw/cto/3033277910.html[/URL]

[url]http://fortmyers.craigslist.org/col/cto/3028844334.html[/URL]
 
Someone needs to jump on that dark navy blue!

5N55F15M33n93L73H6c5o2333302d77b313fa.jpg
 
Purchase made. Thanks for the advice guys, but I decided to get a Lexus after all. I found a super nice one (nicest by far of the five I have looked at) and couldn't pass it up.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Members online

No members online now.
Total: 136 (members: 0, guests: 136)
Back
Top