1997 Lexus SC400 - Snooze You Lose

 

I came across this 1997 Lexus SC400 about ten days ago when I was doing one of my "cheap car" searches on cars.com. With only 63,000 miles on it and an asking price of just $5,999, it seemed too good to be true.

I've been in love with these luscious cars ever Lexus first rolled them out in 1991. Combining the subtly elegant styling and superb performance and build quality of the game changing game-changing Lexus LS400 hat debuted in 1989, the original SC, or "Sport Coupe", in my opinion, was one of the best looking automobiles to be mass produced in the 1990's.

The SC400 was not a two-door version of the LS400 but rather, save for sharing the same V-8 engine, an entirely different automobile. And although undercutting BMW and Mercedes luxury sports coupes, were still priced way, way out my price range when new. Also, living in the northeast, an expensive, rear wheel drive luxury car would have made little sense even if I could have afforded one. So, for the last twenty to twenty-five years, I've stood and admired them from afar as the few that actually got produced and sold succumbed to old age. 

With my filters on cars.com set at a maximum price of $10,000, imagine my surprise when this car came up in my net for sale at a Volvo dealership out in Warren. Although the pictures of it are gorgeous and there's not a spec of rust anywhere on it, priced at roughly half of what other SC400's with similar mileage were going for across the country, not that there was that many of them, something just didn't seem right. I called the dealership and much to my delight it was still available and the salesman said the title was "clean"; it was not a salvage. I made an appointment to drive out to see it that night.   

It all seemed too good to be true - how could this beautiful car be listed at only $5,999? I mean, look at this thing - it's perfect. At least from the looks of these pictures. The last thing in the world I like to do is waste my time but from the looks of this car and it having a clean title, it seemed worth the shot to drive out to BFE and have a look. 

Then I clicked on the Carfax and I found out why the car was so cheap - it's a "TMU" - true mileage unknown. Well, shoot. Not wanting a freak show of a car, I called the dealership, told them about the "TMU" on the Carfax report. While they steadfastly denied any wrongdoing, not that I accused them of doing anything wrong which was kind of weird, I told them I'd pass on the car and canceled my appointment.

 



It was my wife who insisted that I go out and take a look at it anyway. From the pictures, it certainly doesn't look like a car with more than 63,000 miles but you never know. And from what I could tell from the Carfax, the issues with the odometer had occurred back in 2000 or 2001 when the car had less than 10,000 miles on it. Besides, as my wife pointed out, it's a Lexus - they run forever and at just $5,999 and my Monte Carlo on its deathbed, it might be worth the gamble.

I called the dealership back to make another appointment to go see it but they told me some guy in Maryland found it online like I did but scooped it up and was shipping it down there. Snooze you lose. And I lost.