Is this a good idea?

[Pandasaurus]

I've been wanting to get out of my Impreza for a while (needs quite a bit of work that I can't afford at the moment, among other reasons). It doesn't have any serious issues that I know of, it just has lots of little things that need fixing sooner rather than later. That said, I have a possible buyer lined up, so I've been browsing Craigslist off and on. I came across a '92 Lexus SC400, seller is asking $1,900, claims it's one owner, clean title, passed smog, etc. It appears to be in excellent condition given it's over 20 years old, but I've only seen pictures, haven't gone to look at it yet.

So... Barring any major hidden issues found by an inspection, any reason to stay away from a car I've always wanted, other than the fact that it's 20+ years old? If I get close to my asking price, I'd end up with a few hundred in cash in my pocket, plus a nicer car that (hopefully) needs less work.

 

[Wingznut]

Presuming there are no major issues... The chances of a 22 year old car not having "lots of little things that need fixing sooner rather than later", is slim to none.

That certainly doesn't mean not to buy it. Just that you are (most likely) jumping from one frying pan to another.

Another thing to think about is that, with the Impreza, you absolutely know what you have in regards to what it needs and how reliable it is. With the 22 year old car, it's a gamble.

 

[The Boston Dangler]

so you're looking to get out of a money pit and into a much deeper money pit?

 

[Pandasaurus]

so you're looking to get out of a money pit and into a much deeper money pit?

That's really the question I'm getting at. Is it actually a deeper money pit? Money pit, sure, but will it really be any worse? I hate to say it, but anything in my current budget is going to be a money pit to some degree.

At this point, my current car is due for: (in approximate order of importance) Diagnostic to determine if I need to replace O2 sensor(s), catalytic converters, or both. Replacement of one or both of those as needed. (It won't pass the OBD "emissions" test in November if I don't get that fixed by then. CEL is an auto-fail, regardless of actual emissions) 4 tires, timing belt/head gasket/whatever else should be replaced while the engine is out, 4 struts, front brake pads (not sure about the back, they're drums?), a part of the front suspension that I'm drawing a complete blank on the name of at the moment (3AM, I shouldn't be posting right now)... Due to the head gasket leaking (and possibly other factors I'm not aware of), I'm needing to add a quart of oil every month or so, and the power steering pump has a (very) slow leak.

In the last year, I've replaced two axles and a driveshaft (the bill on that was fun), the A/C only kind-of-sort-of-works when it wants to, the hatchback latch is broken so you can't open it from outside the car (JB Weld didn't hold up, dealer wants $260 for the latch assembly, I laughed at them and said I'll find one at a junkyard), it gets maybe 18 MPG if I'm lucky, 15 if I'm not (possibly a symptom of the first issue, I don't know), and it has recently developed a new intermittent noise that I think is coming from the driver front wheel area, but I'm not sure yet.

*sigh* Maybe I'm just frustrated and want to have my cake (on a budget) and eat it too. Or I just wanted to vent a bit. I dunno.

I'm supposed to be getting a call in the next week or so for a second interview for a "real" job, so maybe I'll just tell myself "Your car is fine, just stop thinking about it!" until then... >.>

 

[unokitty]

I've been wanting to get out of my Impreza for a while (needs quite a bit of work that I can't afford at the moment, among other reasons). It doesn't have any serious issues that I know of, it just has lots of little things that need fixing sooner rather than later. That said, I have a possible buyer lined up, so I've been browsing Craigslist off and on. I came across a '92 Lexus SC400, seller is asking $1,900, claims it's one owner, clean title, passed smog, etc. It appears to be in excellent condition given it's over 20 years old, but I've only seen pictures, haven't gone to look at it yet.

So... Barring any major hidden issues found by an inspection, any reason to stay away from a car I've always wanted, other than the fact that it's 20+ years old? If I get close to my asking price, I'd end up with a few hundred in cash in my pocket, plus a nicer car that (hopefully) needs less work.

SC400 is a nice car. Though, I wouldn't expect good gas mileage. And if the engine needs work, it will be expensive.

That said, you might enjoy it. But it probably wouldn't be prudent to expect it to be cheap or entirely trouble free.

Any used car is a risk. Whether or not, this is a good car for you depends in large part of how well you tolerate risk.

Best of luck,
Uno

 

[The Boston Dangler]

i drove a well-maintained sc400 years ago - very comfortable, high build quality, powerful-ish but too heavy for my taste in coupes. an excellent grand tourer for that era.

you'll get about 15 mpg city / 20 highway at most, which is pretty bad by 2014 standards. the build quality is high, at least as good as mercedes at the time. that's great for its first decade of life, but after 20 years things will break, and they're all big-ticket items. and that's assuming the car has been well-maintained and non-crashed.

 

[AMCRambler]

Everyone here is correct. If you're hurting for cash, you're better off with a newer car with a reputation for reliability and cheap parts. A 22 year old luxury car is asking for a trouble. If you HAD to do it, a Lexus or Acura would be your best bet. I'm not sure a sports coupe would be a good choice though. Something more widely produced like an ES300 would probably share more parts with a Camry and as a result be cheaper.

Why not an older Civic or Accord? Ford Fusions are getting to be pretty inexpensive these days too. I'm seeing them for around $5-6k. A 2000 Accord 4 banger could be had for similar bucks as the SC400 you are looking at($2-3K) and is 6 years newer. Make sure the timing belt is done and then drive that mofo till it craps out. Stay away from the V6 models with the glass transmissions and you're fine.

 

[thedarkwolf]

CHEAP and reliable get a crown vic. Those things pop up around here all the time for next to nothing. Yeah gas mileage isn't great and they are old man/cop cars which is why they are cheap but they cruise great, have cheap parts if something does break, and are dirt cheap to buy. Good beaters.

 

[Hartle4]

CHEAP and reliable get a crown vic. Those things pop up around here all the time for next to nothing. Yeah gas mileage isn't great and they are old man/cop cars which is why they are cheap but they cruise great, have cheap parts if something does break, and are dirt cheap to buy. Good beaters.

I second this, i have two currently a 87 and a 2000 model and they are good cars, parts are cheap, and parts are everywhere, they ride good and they are solid cars

 

[Zorba]

I am sure just about any 22 year-old car is going to need a decent list of things done to it, and have several ticking time bombs. By 22 years-old a lot of parts are going to be harder to come by and when you do find them be more expensive.

I'd really try to find a newer used car that would be cheap to work on. For example, back in 2006 I was able to get a 99 Subaru Legacy with 72Kmi for $6600. At the same time 2001 Ford Focuses with ~90Kmi were going for the 6K range also.

The only way I'd buy a 22 year-old car is if I really enjoyed working on the car myself and had some other mode of transportation if the need arouse.

 

[JCH13]

Yes, it's a bad idea given what you seem to want.

If you want a car without 'a lot of little things to go wrong,' get a car without a lot of options! For example, every option installed on my 1991 Miata works. But that's because the options stop at "manual windows." Power steering is gone, AC is gone, stereo is gone (just have an amp with a headphone jack for a phone/ipod), soft-top is gone, and it never had any power locks or windows in the first place.

Simplify, simplify, simplify.

 

[monkeydelmagico]

Condition is everything with old used cars. If it's been well maintained it will be pretty obvious. One owner is a huge plus. The downside is the motor. Even though it's the bigger motor it's less reliable than the nearly bullet-proof sc300 motor. Anything over 200k miles and you really need to listen closely and/or run a compression test.

Sweet looking ride though, I've always like them.

 

[Insomniator]

22 years is a long time.

 

[Pandasaurus]

Yes, it's a bad idea given what you seem to want.

If you want a car without 'a lot of little things to go wrong,' get a car without a lot of options! For example, every option installed on my 1991 Miata works. But that's because the options stop at "manual windows." Power steering is gone, AC is gone, stereo is gone (just have an amp with a headphone jack for a phone/ipod), soft-top is gone, and it never had any power locks or windows in the first place.

Simplify, simplify, simplify.

I'm still laughing over this one. That was probably the best answer I could get. Although to be fair, your Miata is way more fun than it's meant to be, and currently (if I recall correctly) in pieces in your garage. In any case, thanks for the replies everyone, I guess my search will continue...

 

[JCH13]

I'm still laughing over this one. That was probably the best answer I could get. Although to be fair, your Miata is way more fun than it's meant to be, and currently (if I recall correctly) in pieces in your garage. In any case, thanks for the replies everyone, I guess my search will continue...

:awe:

Well, I disregarded my own advice: I started making things complicated again! And it is actually on the road now

 

[Scarpozzi]

I still drive my 2003 Buick Regal. It's another workhorse for little money. I've seen them hit 250k miles (a buddy of mine had 2).

Mine has 142k miles on it and it's going strong on a GM 3800 Series2. (200hp @ 22-28mpg)

It's had a few heater hose elbows replaced, mass airflow sensor, hoses, belts, 2 sets of brakes/rotors/tires....basically routine maintenance stuff.

Leather seats and decent interior for the year. I've got dual heating/ac controls and a digital thermostat. It's got steering wheel controls for the radio (no bluetooth due to its age) and the rear seats fold down so you can haul just about anything.