To buy or not to buy SC300?

[suprarx7nut]

Hey guys, I have a decision and I'm on the fence. I'm asking the SM crowd to weigh in and help me out.

I have an opportunity to buy a clean, stock 1992 sc300 auto with 220,000 miles and a BHG, according to the current owner. Asking price is ~$1000.

I'd be buying the car to flip and gain experience. I will not be keeping it. The plan would be a stock rebuild, possibly just the head, but more likely the block as a whole. Between parts and basic machining I'm estimating about $1000. Book value is roughly $3000. So that leaves me with $1000 in profit and margin for unexpected costs.

I think it'd be good to get a chance to rebuild a 2JZ. I plan on going 2J should my 7M kick the bucket in the future and I'd be using this as a preview of what lies ahead.

I've done this with a few other cars and broken a little better than even each time. Anyone think the SC300 is a good platform to toy with. (Keeping in mind it'd be stock. No turbo for this car)

It's definitely a risk. I could spend the value of the car getting it up to snuf and lose all profit. I'm well aware of that risk. What are your thoughts?

 

[92ma71]

In a situation like that. Your taking a HUGE risk. You dont know how much they overheated it. You could pull the head off and it could be cracked. Also just because the book value says 3 doesnt mean you will get that for it. It has alot of mileage so depending on how the body and interior look you might.

Always plan on spending more then you think you will actually spend. Hoses will need replacing other broken parts. ETC.

But this is your own question to ask yourself. Do you have time to do this? Do you have spare money? After you invest money in this, will you still have a savings account for other emergencies? There is alot of questions to ask.

 

[dubsupra209]

sc400 are funner but yea idk about flopping it might be hard

 

[suprarx7nut]

In a situation like that. Your taking a HUGE risk. You dont know how much they overheated it. You could pull the head off and it could be cracked. Also just because the book value says 3 doesnt mean you will get that for it. It has alot of mileage so depending on how the body and interior look you might.

Always plan on spending more then you think you will actually spend. Hoses will need replacing other broken parts. ETC.

But this is your own question to ask yourself. Do you have time to do this? Do you have spare money? After you invest money in this, will you still have a savings account for other emergencies? There is alot of questions to ask.

Agreed on the huge risk. On the last 3 cars I've bought with the intention of flipping, two have cost about double to fix than what I estimated. They also had low mileage, this one does not.

I have *some* time, not a lot. As is evidenced by my mk3. I have a big laundry list on that car still. Spare money? Yeah, I'd say I have the spare cash for it. Trust me, I'm not one to break the bank to fund a risky investment.

The more I think about it, I think I'll pass on this one. Found out today the car has dents in the rear quarter panel, blown tire (probably needs all 4) and a decent tear in the driver's seat. The HG was blown back in April and has sat since. I think it's a decent opportunity for somebody, but I want to fill my time with the mk3 for now.

 

[92ma71]

Yep. I personally think that is a smart move. Maybe if it was just some minor things with high mileage but that list of things wrong seems extensive.

 

[Halon]

I agree on passing on it. I bought mine for $3k and it had less miles, was running without any issues, and had mods. Just seems like too much risk for a small gain.

 

[emiliorescigno]

Agreed on passing. Primary reason is the higher mileage. Even if you fix it up very nicely, prospective buyers will shy away.

 

[te72]

I'd pass on this one myself, unless the car were physically (aesthetically) mint like my 88 Supra was. Good move on your part for saving the money for better ideas.

That said, there is an SC400 down the street from my parent's house with Idaho plates that has had a flat tire and a small dent in the right rear quarter... it's sat for at least a year now, and I'd be lying if I said I hadn't at least thought to offer a 5-er for it.

 

[gtsfirefighter]

If the body/interior were in very good condition I'd think about it. I own an SC300 (2000 model. Had a 98 as well) and it's been the best car I've ever owned. I lost my 98 to a hail storm. It had 221k miles on it and was super tight and I had zero issues driving it anywhere, like major road trips across the country. If you know where to look, people have low mileage complete 2J/tranny combo sitting around as a result of a swap, and you can get 'em cheap! You could buy the car and drop a good used engine/tranny and resale it.

 

[mnracer550]

firefighter has a good point. if you want to flip it i would really think about finding a 2jzge from a junkyard or someone on the forums. i was lookin into it for awhile and you can find em for 300-400 if you look around. that way your not worrying about a warped/ cracked head. just my 2 cents. if asking price is 1g you could prob get it for 700 or cheaper.

 

[suprarx7nut]

Thanks for all the input guys. I decided against this one. Main reason is all the things I'm looking to do with my car. This winter I have some big plans, including a completely new, from scratch, wiring harness. I bet that'll take me a solid month and I'll be taking up a garage spot that whole time.

Add to that, redoing my power steering lines, new suspension, possible sub/stereo set-up, new window regulators, wideband install, LED lighting mods I've been putting off, new trim, possibly new intercooler piping...etc. The list goes on and on and I could easily spend a few grand this winter and still have things to do.

Though I still thoroughly enjoy the idea of flipping more cars, I enjoy the parts that DONT make me a profit, so it's a battle every time. I always want to make the cars "nice" and do things "right" and that becomes a conflict of interest when trying to flip it for profit.

I still love the idea of a nice GS300 or SC300 with a good 2JZ... :evil:

 

[te72]

Flipping cars just to make them nice and right again? You're a good man sir.

 

[MKIIISupraGuy]

I have been toying with the idea of a sc300 with a 2j myself, comfort plus power.

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[suprarx7nut]

Flipping cars just to make them nice and right again? You're a good man sir.

Yup. I love the challenge of turning a turd into the best thing it can be. First supra I flipped worked out perfectly. Profited 2 grand and didn't take any big shortcuts. Next two cars were a lot more work and returned a tiny profit.

The part I enjoy is wrenching on and driving cool cars, the profit is also great, but not necessarily the point of it for me.

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[te72]

I wish I could do that. I've always wanted to buy up old Japanese or unique American cars, restore them (resto-mod?) to my taste, then try to sell them to someone who would appreciate them. Only way I could foresee doing that is if I were to become wealthy in a way independent of my hobbies.

 

[suprarx7nut]

I wish I could do that. I've always wanted to buy up old Japanese or unique American cars, restore them (resto-mod?) to my taste, then try to sell them to someone who would appreciate them. Only way I could foresee doing that is if I were to become wealthy in a way independent of my hobbies.

Yeah, my dream job would be to run a resto mod company for imports. Problem is its a saturated market and you need a large capital investment to get off the ground. Coming from a lower middle class family (I'm 24 and make more than either of my parents ever have) id have to provide a good chunk of that investment and that won't happen for 10 years at least.

Add to that, the USA isn't exactly headed in a direction that would foster the good old American dream and I may never have that opportunity.

One can always dream...


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[te72]

One can always dream...

Same here man, I may never get that opportunity, but I won't let the idea in my heart and head die. It's one of those "if I ever..." kind of dreams, if the opportunity presents itself solidly enough, I'm all over the idea.

 

[cnewingham]

I just picked up an aristo swapped 94 gs300 and love it so far. nice comfy ride with enough power to please