Ghostrider2k

Why are SC400's sooooo cheap? I just watched Formula D on Speed and one of the cars they featured was the Toyota Soarer (Lexus SC400 to America.) The cars in the show were HEAVILY modified but they looked really cool. And SC400 and 300's for that matter have never seemed cool to me. My question to anyone who has some REALY knowledge is WHY are they so cheap? I found a CL add for a SC400 for $1800 FROM A DEALER. Now I am SURE something is majorly wrong with this car BUT that's CHEAP! I have seen/found ALOT of them for under $4000.00. I found a really old post for a Swapped modded one in L.A. and I think he was asking $8,000 but it was heavily modded. Anybody know why they're so cheap?

omairtheman1

Because the bigger the brand name and the bigger the car the faster it depreciates... i.e. S class and 7 series.

You can probably get a clean 1998+ SC400 with the gated shifter and newer lights for not much more then that... A good friend of mine had one in high school with the V8 in it and that thing was cool!

Terror

They are cheap because they are outdated.

Ghostrider2k

I don't know, they look good (in my opinion) and it seems like you can tune them to handle and go really fast. I wonder when the SC400 tuning craze will hit and you'll see prices SOAR!? Just like Civics were 240's (S13's S14's) AE86's etc etc. It's always something. I think these cars are cheap enough and modable enough to be the next big thing. I kinda want one but... I want a lot of things. I'd want a manual WITH A/C and either a 1JZ-GTE or a 2JZ OR pull my 4.7 liter motor out of my tundra and throw it in a SC400. That would be sweet, manual transmission of coarse.

TheDonEffect

They're essentially supras, just about the same weight too. The gte motor swaps in with almost no fuss, but for the same reason supra prices are inflated the sc prices are deflated. Also, from what I remember, the 400s didn't come in stick.
I like them but around here the prices are going up cuz dumb**** ghetto folks put 24" rims on them and emblaze lexus logos and do side shows in them.

TougeS2k

yea they are hella old. I had a '94 sc300 5 spd as my first car. $10000 back in '05 with 60k miles. I sold it two years later fort $11,500 only cuz it was a 5 spd. The 2jz in it was crapped out after i sold it.

Ghostrider2k

lol, where do you live? I see a lot of 'pimped out' SC400's here in good old Ghetto Stockton CA. But compare an 'OK' SC400 with the price of an 'OK' Supra of the same era, the SC's are WAAAAY cheaper. Like I said I see them on Craigslist for 3K-4K. Swap in a fresh motor twin turboed and put a stick in it and you've got a sweet car for what $10-$15K total? You need to do the suspention and rims but still, a bargain compared to the same in a Supra. With a Supra your going to spend $6K-$12K right of the bat.

TheDonEffect

Oakland.
Oh absolutely, they're much cheaper than an MKIV Supra. If your plans are boost, why not stick with the sc300 and swap in a 2jzgte motor? They bolt right up and isnt as bad as alot of the swaps that are being done out there. Also, I believe you could BAR it too, even using a JDM engine since they're almost the same thing thing (I believe the turbos and tune was a bit different, but the engine code and all the discernible things to a smog tech are the same).

asiliat

Gas is horrible 16city/22hwy - premium gas.

GPWonTan

SC300/400 had 3 face lefts
92-94, 95-96, 97-2000

the SC300 is the only one w/ the 2JZ - swappable with 2JZ-GTE
the SC400 has the LS400 engine through the years. it is heavier, smoothier, but also lower mpg and not that much more faster.

the GEM of the bunch is the SC300 5spd 1997. this is the last year with the manual and the first and only year with the latest face-lift redesign. it is pretty rare at around only 250 in the world.

the car is a boat - heavy and can't handle all that well for a RWD Sports Coupe. Most of this is due to weight. Then again, the Supra wasn't exactly a handler either.

Finally, the 5spd shifter while nice has a long 5th gear throw and overall vagueness - it is nothing like a S2000 gear shifter. And unless you turbo it, it is pretty anemic.

Finally, the interior didn't have as much luxuries as other cars of its price range. it is a 'classic' for its time but it is not as hip for the Fast & Furious crowd so its prices are deflated