I want to park the LS and buy a DD Lexus SC 300/400?

[Four eyed stangs]

My 2002 LS is in awesome shape, but needs quite a few of the common repairs.
Paint, body and interior are in garage kept beautiful condition.

All 4 window regulators are new.
All front engine coolant pipes are new.
I just changed plugs and installed visteon cops.

needs:
Clockspring and airbag status bulb.
Fan speed solenoid (I already bought one)
AC pressure relief valve (have one. I bet it blew due to the fan being stuck on low speed)
Front sway bar bushings (these seem like a bear to get to!)
Solenoid pack
Degas bottle (no symptoms, but I assume I should)

In three weeks I will have enough money to fix all this and park it in the garage next to my Mustang.
I would drive it when I need a 4 door or just to cruise.

I will also have enough money left over to easily buy a daily driver.
I have always liked the Lexus SC's.
I found several near me with about 100K on them.

Do any of you have experience with them?
Would one make a good DD?

300 vs 400? I don't plan to mod it at all.

thx

 

[Telco]

My son had an SC400 before he went into the military. It was a nice enough car but didn't have much power for a V8 sports car. Mileage is in the 15MPG range. Power to economy was so bad that if we would have kept the car I'd most likely have done a Chevy V8 conversion on it. If you get one you will want a full set of manuals. If you are taller than 5 foot 10, forget about using the back seat for passengers although at 6 foot 4 I did find the car comfortable to drive. The timing belt is not too hard to change. The headlights are Fresnel lens projectors, and suck. You will want good driving lights to go with it. The doors are neat on them, they have these huge hinges on them that push the front of the door out from the car and forward a bit which makes it easier to get in and out of the car in a tight area.

After having driven his car some, and worked on it, I would not buy another one.

 

[Four eyed stangs]

I really appreciate the negative points about the car! All the lexus forums I've read make it sound like a squishy Supra.
My main concerns about an SC are reliability and comfort. I'm 6'2 so it's good to know I'd fit.
My daily drive is 9 miles each way, so MPG isn't a big deal.

I also have my eye on a 69 Mercury Marauder X100 and 73 T-bird if they're still for sale when I'm ready.
I'd really like a stock 86 Mustang GT, but they are tough to come by in good shape now.
I know I can work on those!

 

[msgtusmc]

I would go with the Merc! Small group still driving them, can be a bad machine! Parts easy to get.

 

[MooJohn]

SC300 = slow as a snail unless you plant to turbo it later.

SC400 = acceptable. People want to badmouth the power but 250hp was a lot of power for 1992 when they arrived. There are a few tricks to "un-Lexus'ing" the transmission so it drives more like you'd want it to. My 92 model is fine up to 70 but the 4spd hampers acceleration after that. My Continental would destroy it from a 60 roll. Then again I'm dead even with a Hemi-powered Charger from the same point so it's not totally unexpected

1998-2000 are the best years, having added variable valve timing for more power and the 5spd auto to actually put it down. Keep in mind the cars are getting pretty old so it will likely need work to make it reliable. Don't expect to just gas & go from the beginning. It will likely need belts, hoses, various sensors, and the ECU capacitors are known to leak too.

Having said all the negatives, they really are great commuter cars. They go where you point them and are nimble without being uncomfortable. I'm 6' 2" and 300 lbs and I fit fine. The back seat is just for show anyway so all the leg room is dedicated to the front. It's no autocross champ but it'll do anything I'm willing to do on a public street. Most parts are cheap and plentiful. Some can be stupidly expensive - a new idle air motor is $700 from Rock Auto!

I got my project SC400 for $800. It's no beauty but it's not a total beater either. I'm slowly putting it back to "decent" status and that's where I'll leave it. It's far cheaper to buy one already in good shape than to try to restore one so keep that in mind!