Purchase advice for an SC - Potential new owner

kythri

Registered User
Howdy folks.

I'm looking at picking up an SC. I've wanted one for a while, but I've been spending my time with my two Taurus SHOs. My parents just bought a black 1990 SC for my 17 year old brother (which I am delivering to him tomorrow (he's working for my aunt in a different town - doesn't know the car is coming. Should be fun!), and after driving it, I've decided that it's looking like a good time to get one of my own.

The SHO and the SC are kind of similar in the fact that they're both the igh-performance versions of a normal production car, and that they don't build them anymore.

Having owned the SHOs for a while, I've learned quite a bit about pricing them - and that the published valuation guides are a joke.

For example, most SHO owners prefer the MTX (Manual Transmission) over the ATX (Automatic Transmission), yet the guides value the ATX more, since it cost more from the factory.

This is the exact opposite of what the SHO community feels.

There's also the fact that they value my 1993 SHO at about $6500. I'd love to get that much money out of it, if I ever sold it - but I won't. Realistically, the 1993 is worth about $3500. It's an ATX (lowering the value). It doesn't have HIGH miles, it's in near-perfect condition - the cars just AREN'T worth as much as the guides say.

Hence, my sojourn here. I'm pretty sure the same type of things hold true for the SC - the transmission preference making the car worth more to enthusiasts (I know I want a 5-speed!), and the general "overvalue" the guides give.

I want your folks opinions on what you think this car is worth.

Here's the details:

1990 35th Anniversary Edition.

Exterior nearly spotless - paint is good, body is straight, a couple of minor door dings that every car has.

Automatic Transmission

154,000 miles on the odometer.

Owner reports her father put a brand-new zero-mile engine in the car approximately 2500-5000 miles ago. No way to confirm this.

Engine pulls strong, and is nice and quiet.

Now, for the bad things:

Brakes SUCK. Have to push them all the way to the floor to get the car to even START stopping, and then, it takes a while to do that.

Driver's seatcover seriously torn up.

Driver's power seat mechanism busted up and does not work - seat locked all the way forward (and me, being 6'9" tall. Not a good combo!).

Passenger seat cover moderately torn up.

Rear seatcover in decent condition - however, grey cloth panels really dingy/dirty - don't think a steam clean would help all that much.

Driver's automatic seatbelt does not move - must manually buckle/unbuckle.

Passenger automatic seatbelt does not move - must manually buckle/unbuckle.

Driver's lap seatbelt does not fasten.

Driver's power doorlock does not function.

Passenger power window malfunction - motor works fine, however owner reports window has habit of falling off it's track - was off track when I inspected the car.

Radio missing - appears aftermarket had been installed at some point. Shoddy wiring for amplifiers still present in engine bay/passenger compartment/trunk. All exposed.

Speakers appear to be missing, but did not remove door panels/speaker covers to inspect further.

Passenger side foglight not working.

All "idiot lights"/warning lights on display panel above radio are illuminated.

Reminder chime dings constantly if headlights are on.

ARC/SARC switch seems to have no effect on suspension.

AC needs recharged/repaired - does not blow cold at all.

Electrical system has a drain on it that will kill the battery in a few hours - owner currently disconnects battery cables. Can hear clicking if car turned off, key removed, and battery connected.

Car has had smoker in it - owner claims this is recent, due to letting her brother borrow the car over the last month or two.

---

So, with all that in mind, what do you think? I've tentatively offered $1000.

What with all the diagnostic work that needs to be done on the electrical system, the front and rear seats needing replaced (unless anyone knows of replacement seatcovers that match the stock 35th Anniversary covers?), the brakes, etc, etc, if I buy this car, I'm looking at spending some bills to get it back to preferrable condition.

Think I'm lowballing the owner? Highballing?

Let me know.
 
considering I paid about 500 for one with a 5-spd stuck in gear, 1000 for a running one would be about right, maybe a little on the high side but not by much. Are the emblems on the fender intact? Mine were gone. The seat will be fun to have redone as the suede insert in the center is next to impossible to find. I'm considering having mine done in full leather. The only things that may be trouble are the auto seat belts and the door lock/window. The auto seatbelts are a pain to troubleshoot as there are several sensors involved not to mention the motors could be burned up (my V6 Bird had that problem). The stock speakers suck anyway, the seat motor, fog light,and lap belts shouldnt be that hard to fix. The rest of it sounds like some serious neglect. The brakes probably just need to be serviced (fluid/pad,rotors) you can hook up a tester to the ABS unit (in the trunk below the back deck) and pull codes to check it as well as the EEC. The biggest pain will probably be your battery drain (if you have any amp wiring hooked to the battery, gut it first as it could be grounding to the chasiss and draining the battery)

Personally, I think the 35th is about the best looking SC though (in good shape). If you decide to go for it, I have the Electrical/Vacuum and Shop manuals for this year if you need any diagrams, troubleshooting guides, etc. Hope you've got better luck then I do.
 
hey you guys have it good, here in canada if you want to get a sc first you have to find one and then the cheapest you can find anythin is about $8000 canadaian which is like $4500 american and that is with like 150 000 miles on it, it is rediculous up here and it doesn't matter if it is an auto of a standard. i sold my 89 sc for 9500 canadian and the guy even drove 6 hours to pick it up and look at it.
 
I guess they're going for bigger bucks out in western Canada than here ... one of the SCCoO guys picked up a decent 95 5-speed car here in the Toronto area for $7500 a few months ago. An 89 for $9500 would have to be an absolutely perfect, low mileage example to fetch that kind of coin out here. Good for you, that's awesome money to get for the car.


cheers
Ed Nicholson
SCCoO
 
Maybe it was but Bill I have seen some 90-91 on auto trader for over 8000$ not like they had low k or anything like that
 
You see a lot of crazy stuff on AutoTrader and Ebay. Those people aren't selling cars, they're fishing. A vivid example of a great car worth the money was the '93 with what, 30k miles(?), a lot of mod's that was being sold by Tom Champagne for around $7,000. Gorgeous car, and spoiled me for what I wanted to get! Don't know what it sold for (before I had my money together :(), but that was a great deal. Anyone asking more than that is overpriced, IMHO. 99.9% of the cars out there aren't as nice or have the mileage that one did, so I don't see any others being worth that. You can get a very nice one for 4,500-5,500 and still have fairly low mileage (60-100k). You could pay less if you shopped it long enough. I found 3-4 to choose from, all *very* nice, and got to go with the one that matched what I was really looking for. Gotta be willing to travel though (we went about 700+ miles--one way). Be patient and put the word out for what you're looking for. It'll turn up.
 
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I picked up a '94 red 5-speed with 83,500m that has a problem with overheating (haven't actually seen the car, figure it's a thermostat problem) for 5000$US including taxes/title/etc. It apparently has an imaculately kept repair/service history complete with pictures of the previous owner and his family. If I were looking right now I'd be checking out the '95 black 5-speed in Michigan on the classifieds page.
 
hey i just bought two tbird sc's this past year. The first one i bought was a totally immaculate 91sc. it is black with black leather interior. the car is in perfect shape inside and out. has the factory original tires on it yet. i bought it for 7200 bucks. it has 9k miles on it. i thought that was a steal. it is a 5spd to boot.

i then a month later bought an 89sc for 2k bucks. that has 113000 miles on it. interior was trashed so i swapped out the interior for the interior that i had in my parts car. i had to put on a water pump, new radiator and new brakes. i also have to replace the power steering pump this spring if it can last that long.

so 1000 bucks for that car doesnt seem that bad. i would start at 750 and see what they say.
 
I paid $800.00 for mine, but it needs head gasket and a cam sensor. I thought that it was a good deal. My cars interior and everything else is in great shape.

Good luck, keep us posted on how it works out.
Tim
 
I have a 93sc i just recently put up for sale, i bought the car new for my wife , so it is 1 owner. the condition is fair with 141000 miles, all highway.price 5000.00 negotiable. thanks
 
sc value

kythri, the value of a used SC (as with ANY car) mostly depends on it's condition. from the sound of the one you are lookin' at, i would think you'd be better off to fine one that's been better cared for even if it costs you more to buy. $1000 seems like a good deal but if it's been neglected you could eat up your savings REAL quick and still not have as nice of a car as if you took your time and found one that was owned by someone who knew what they had and appreciated and cared for it. Sounds like the one you found was owned by someone who had no clue what it is or any respect for a unique car, they just wanted a transportation car... I saw lots of SC's when i was shopping, and actually ended up buying the most expensive one i looked at, cuz all the other's were JUNK! (of course i was able to use the ads of all those cheaper one's as a bargaining tool! ) I paid $4500 for my '90 3 years ago, but i've had NO problems with it other than one of the Cat's started rattling...i wanted to replace exhaust anyway!........just my 2 cents worth...
 
Not that I like the looks of the 94-95 better but there is a differce.
So many upgrades, traction assist,better antilock brakes,bigger
maf,throttle body,intake,supercharger. it seems to handle better
and I just love the dash layout. All in all you will still have to update some of Fords better ideas but I am most happy in my 94
auto. With the mod I did to my trans I would not want the stick.
It shifts so fast you just need learn how to feather the throttle. Keep in mind this was my first SC. I sold a 90 and still have a 93.
Just my take.
 
I've never heard of anyone saying a 94-95 car handles better than an early car (since the early car has bigger swaybars and all), so that's a first.

If you plan on getting an SC make sure you have a lot of tools and line the tool chest with $100 bills (US ones that is) to keep the tools from rattling around. Also make sure it's not your daily driver.

Jeff
 
1989 sc

i have a 1989 with 220,000 on it black auto every thing but sunroof and leather in good shape everything works i would take 3500.00 for it iwant a newer one i all so have a 1984 svo mustang to i just got it im in western canada calgary alberta
 
I drive my 90 SC every single day just about, except for the winter time of course. I've only had to replace the steering rack in my car because of normal wear and tear. My car runs 100%, but I don't beat the car either. I take into consideration the year, mileage, etc. and I don't care to ask for troubles and breakdowns by beating my car to death. Shoot, I don't think I've pulled 10lbs of boost from the supercharger since I've owned the car! :cool: The only mechanical issue my car had when I bought it was the 2nd gear synchros were bad. This winter the tranny will be rebuilt using the brass bushings instead of the cheap ones Ford installed. Other than that, my car is terrific! :D
Maybe I'm wrong, but to me, $1000 for that SC is high. With all the gremlins and broken things on that car, it is going to cost you quite a bit of money to get everything fixed. Keep in mind the trim, interior pieces and things like that are probably exclusive to the Anniversary Edition and will be much harder to locate. And when you do locate the parts, you will pay a higher price for them just because of the rarity of the car.
I paid $1100 for my 90 SC and it's been a great car and I have had no problems with it at all except for someone installing an aftermarket stereo and destroying the wiring behind the dash. :mad:
Keep looking for a car in better shape. You don't want to invest in a SC that needs a bunch of work right off. You want one you can drive and enjoy a bit so you get hooked, then when things do go wrong, and they will...you won't get discouraged so easily and give up on your car. Keep in mind, as with anything else, you get what you pay for. ;)
There is absolutely no way I will ever be without my SC again. In fact, my wife now wants one, but she's holding out for an automatic. :rolleyes:
 
$1000 sounds like way to much! I just bought my 93 for $2900 and other than a few paint chips on the hood its imaculate and everything works! perfect interior etc.. I would keep shopping!
 
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