Finding the car

The night before Thanksgiving 2009 I found a craigslist ad for a 1992 Lexus SC400 that had hit a bear for $700. The SC400 is a V8 powered luxury coupe. I had been looking at cars like the Lincoln Mark VII as a car with good power and a lot of weight reduction opportunities. The SC400 met those needs, plus it was a top of the line Toyota, so I figured it would be a well built and reliable car. I had resigned myself to finding a safe Honda, but still wanted a V8 and rear wheel drive. So, on Friday, I called the owner and took a look at the car.

It ran well, but had a broken radiator and was leaking coolant, so it was a brief test drive. In talking to the owner, he claimed his girlfriend was driving at highway speeds in Northern Minnesota when she hit a small bear. The damage looked like mostly cosmetic damage, which is pretty amazing for a bear hit. Even a small bear. I decided to consult with the team about purchasing the car and after discussing it, they agreed that they would support purchasing this car.

So, Saturday morning I called the owner back and made an offer. He had a second set of wheels with decent tires on them, and I offered him $550 for the car and $150 for the wheels and we made a deal. I came buy with my trailer and found the owner a bit upset at having to sell his car, but the deal was completed and I took the car home.