Car titles are weird. They’re pieces of paper that grant you ownership of a car, but not necessarily control over its fate. If a car gets damaged to the point where an insurance company says it’s not worth fixing, the title gets a mark on it, and you don’t really have any say in that. Can you still fix the car and go back to driving it? It depends where you are. In some places it’s easy; in others, it’s not possible at all. The whole system feels arbitrary, and it can be maddening when you find an otherwise nice example of a rare car. People can overcome the misadventures of their past; shouldn’t cars be able to, too?
Yesterday was all about overlooking former-owner shenanigans, as we looked at two Toyotas in generally good shape, but with a few yellow flags. The overall condition of that Camry seems to have won over the majority of you, giving it a frankly surprising win over the RWD Cressida wagon. It was the rust on the Cressida, wasn’t it?
And since a couple of you asked in the comments, I’ll tell you what my issue is with motorized seat belts: I don’t need them. I wear my seat belt religiously, unless I’m just maneuvering the car around my own driveway. It only makes sense to do so. But apparently that’s too much trouble for some foolish and stubborn people, so some folks thought it was a good idea to require complicated systems to make them wear one. It’s a bit of complexity, and a potential failure point, that I neither need nor want in my car, that’s only there because someone else can’t be bothered to act properly. It’s not the operation of the system that annoys me; it’s the fact that it has to be there at all. I don’t need to be reminded of other people’s stupidity every time I get in my own damn car, so I simply don’t even consider cars with automatic seat belts.
Whoo! Got a little soapboxy there for a minute. Moving on. If you’re looking for a specific hard-to-find car, especially within a certain budget, you’re probably going to have to accept some compromises. You might not find the color you want, or the right set of options, but it’s worth it to get That Car. But what if the best example you can find has a salvage or rebuilt title? Is it still acceptable? We’re going to look at two rare coupes to see which one you’re willing to accept as “damaged goods.”
1992 Lexus SC 400 – $4,750
Engine/drivetrain: 4.0-liter DOHC V8, four-speed automatic, RWD
Location: Bellevue, WA
Odometer reading: 197,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
No car category is more ostentatious as the personal luxury coupe. “Look,” it says, “I can afford to drive a big fancy car that’s just for me and maybe one other really special person.” It was only fitting, then, when Toyota launched its luxury Lexus brand, aimed at taking on the best cars in the world, that the lineup include a personal luxury coupe. And like its sister model, the LS400 sedan, the Lexus SC was just about perfect right from the start.
This is the SC 400, featuring Toyota’s 4.0 liter 1UZ-FE V8, a smooth and powerful engine that seems to last forever. You could only get this engine with an automatic; if you wanted a manual SC, you had to settle for the SC 300 with its inline six. This one is on its second owner, and just a little shy of 200,000 miles, with maintenance records going all the way back to the beginning. It runs and drives beautifully, according to the seller, and has had a lot of recent work, including a transmission rebuild, suspension work, and new brakes and tires.
It has also received some love inside, with a reupholstered driver’s seat and a refurbished gauge cluster. No annoying dead dashboard lights here. The seller also says the air conditioning has been “upgraded,” which I assume means a conversion to R134a. It’s a nice contrast to the poorly-maintained cheap cars we often look at. The seller really cared for this car, and it shows.
The salvage title was for rear quarter panel damage, which was repaired so well that I can’t tell which side it was on. And it sounds like it happened a long time ago, so any shoddy repair work would have reared its ugly head by now. As it sits, it’s a nice clean car that anyone could be proud of.
2006 Honda Insight – $4,850
Engine/drivetrain: 1.0-liter OHC inline 3 plus electric motor, five-speed manual, FWD
Location: Rancho Santa Fe, CA
Odometer reading: 192,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
There are a few ways to make a hybrid car. You can connect both a gasoline engine and an electric motor to the same gearbox and have them work in harmony, like Toyota’s system, or you can not connect the gas engine to the wheels at all, and only use it to generate electricity, like the Chevy Volt or BMW i3. Or, you can make the car primarily still gasoline-powered, and just use an electric motor to provide a little boost, and restart the engine after shutting it down at red lights, like this Honda Insight. The advantage of this system, if you like to drive, is that it still allows the car to use an ordinary all-mechanical manual transmission.
The engine in the Insight is a 995 cubic centimeter three-cylinder, with a big, flat electric motor on the flywheel. That motor provides another 13 horsepower during acceleration, then switches to generator mode to recharge the batteries when you slow down. Stop at a red light, and the engine shuts off to save fuel, and then restarts as soon as you put it in first gear. I’ve never driven an Insight, but I’ve driven a Civic Hybrid with a similar drivetrain and a manual transmission, and while the auto start/stop is disconcerting, it really is a nice car to drive. I can see why these early Insights are still sought-after. The seller says this one runs and drives well, and its nickel-metal hydride battery pack holds a charge like it should.
The first-generation Insight is a two-seater, like the CRX and Del Sol before it, and despite being a hybrid, it still weighs less than two thousand pounds. That’s the Geo Metro school of economy: be small, be lightweight, and efficiency comes naturally. This one has air conditioning, and the seller says it works fine. Everything works, in fact, except the interior remote release for the hatchback, and an aftermarket cruise control system that a previous owner installed.
There’s no mention in the ad of the reason for this car’s rebuilt title. It might be important, however, because the Insight’s body structure is aluminum, which is trickier to repair than steel. It’s worth asking what happened, and who repaired it, just to make sure it was done to your satisfaction. It sure looks just fine, though.
Neither one of these cars comes up for sale very often, so if you’re dead-set on finding one with a clean title, you may be waiting a while. But if these are both as clean as they appear to be, I don’t think the title status should dissuade anyone from buying either one. As for the price, I kind of feel like they both should be cheaper, considering their title status, but again, they’re rare. If you want one of these, you have to be willing to pay what someone is asking. So which one of these seems worth it, branded title and all?
First, how dare you refer to the SC400 a “shitbox”.
Second, at 197,000 miles, that Lexus is just barely getting broken in.
Having owned a ’92 SC400 many years ago, I choose that one all day long, every day. Mine was that identical color combo too. I’d actually love to own a final model year SC400 some day.
Regarding Electric Seatbelts:
I still have a Dad thanks to these. My Dad was in a head-on collision on a State Highway in a 1983 Toyota Cressida (Sedan) and the Electric Seatbelt saved his life (according to the paramedics). He was not wearing the lap-belt and did sustain quite a few injuries (broken femur, broken ribs, punctured lung), but did not die. Now he wears his seatbelt.
My sister still has the jacket he was wearing and the polyester is melted from the friction of the seatbelt, it’s wild. Fun story: In the trunk of the car was a Knight Rider Talking Kitt which I wanted badly for xmas, my Dad had driven over an hour away to get it. It was the only thing salvaged from the car.
Cause of the accident was another driver fell asleep and drifted over the line, they met at the top of a hill. Now that State Highway has concrete dividers, but it did not back then. After recovering my Dad replaced the car with a new 1984 Cressida, and that one would sing Happy Birthday to me.
Regarding today’s choices:
When I was in Driver’s Ed my Dad had a 1993 SC400 in Navy Blue which I was fortunate to drive occasionally. So I vote for the SC. My favorite memory was on my first weekend with a Driving Permit the teacher encouraged us all to get out and drive, but stay off the Interstates. My Dad let me drive to/from my Grandma’s house that weekend (about 30-minutes each way) and tricked me into getting on the Interstate on the drive back home. He assured me that Interstate driving was the easiest type of driving and to not worry. I white-knuckled it the entire way home.
Lexus. I always liked them and even the color is nice. The Insight is too impractical to be so slow and goofy looking and I’ve no interest in doing a K swap, especially at that price on a rebuild title.
The motorized mice had nothing to do with stupid drivers, it was a loophole for automakers to put off mandatory airbags for a few years. If it had anything to do with people not wearing seatbelts, we’d still have them today. A bigger problem than the goofiness of the mice and minor annoyance in case of failure was early, single stage airbags that tended to kill small women (who tend to be my favorite people) when they were working properly. More annoying than mice was the ugly, shitty steering wheels that came with airbags that couldn’t readily be changed out (especially in a state with inspections) like the cars that were graced with mice instead. Luckily, airbags and steering wheels got much better, though I wonder if an aftermarket non-bag wheel would transform steering feel the same way in a modern car.
$4850 for an Insight with a rebuilt title?
That seller knows what they got!
“It depends where you are. In some places it’s easy; in others, it’s not possible at all. The whole system feels arbitrary, and it can be maddening”
Hey, let’s have a country with 50 DIFFERENT SETS OF LAWS just to confuse the fuck out of everybody 250 years later.
My friends were still into hair-bands and the Mustang GT vs IROC scene. I was secretly transitioning from Dokken to Nirvana, and also falling for the looks of the SC400. That secret affection has not abated with time. I couldn’t pick both so I went for the Lexus. I would rock the Insight too.
I wan the SC400 because I want Tom Cruise to hound me until it shows up.
https://www.theautopian.com/tom-cruise-was-really-hyped-about-the-lexus-sc/
I’ve owned an insight and always wanted to own an sc. Not necessarily the 400 though. I would prefer the 300 with a manual. I really like the manual insights. They also get better mpg’s than a prius. It’s very common to get 60-70 mpg with very little effort. That’s 600-700 miles on a 10 gallon tank. I could go an entire month on one fillup. With the manual it’s also fun to drive. It’s got the auto mpg meter at the bottom and it’s like playing a game to try and keep it in lean burn as much as possible. The hybrid system is also very straight forward and easy to work on if anything goes wrong.
If that Lexus were closer, I would snatch it up.
Today is a Both day, but voted Lexus.
The Lexus SC, because it’s beautiful. Also, my brother had one identical to this one and it was a great car, so a bonus point for that.
Uhhh, trick question, right? A beautifully maintained, smooth, reasonably high performance V8 lux coupe vs. an Insight? Nothing wrong with the Honda, but that’s pretty unfair competition in my book. Only problem would be getting it insured, maybe? But that applies to both. SC400, hands down.
I would love to have an Insight, but that Lexus is clean! Difficult decision…
I’ve always loved the Lexus SC. And, I have no problem with a branded title! I’ve owned several cars in that condition. BUT, I also drive cars into the ground. I have never had to worry about resale, because when I’m done with it, it goes to the scrap man.
I’ll take the V8 GT any day of the week, after an inspection by a qualified mechanic on a lift.
Then it’s time for a little road trip…..
You can just disable goofy automatic seatbelts and use them manually. They all have buckles just like regular belts. Sure, extra step to also buckle the lap belt (if there is one). That’s what most people did when they broke anyway. I wouldn’t turn down the right car just because of the presence of them. <shrug> Not that anything I have ever been interested in owning had them. Closest would be the door-mounted belts (not mechanical, just extra-long and mounted to the door) on some A1 VWs, and if I bought a car with those I would just remove them and fit the regular belts. Mostly because those cars did NOT have lap belts, just a giant knee bolster.
For those few years when auto-belts were an alternative to an early potential claymore mine pointed at your head, I think I would prefer the auto-belts at this point.
Had an ’88 Regal with the door mount belts (GM’s alternative to the mouse tracks). I always just used them normally, but the placement and height were odd. I abore mouse-belts.
Pretty much everybody did with those goofy things. And you hoped that the door didn’t open in a crash and spit you out on the road. A cop in the next town over from me died that way.
Like I said, for mouse belts, just pull the fuse or cut the wires and use them the old-fashioned way too. And at this point – what are the chances that any of them still work unless the car is an absolute museum piece? Not like many of the cars that used those were exactly known for their longevity. With few exceptions, good cars immediately went to driver’s side airbags and skipped this nonsense. VW’s experiments with door-mounted belts and knee bolsters started LONG before the Federal passive-safety mandate. Good intentions, not great execution.
The only Lexus I have ever had any interest in owning. So pretty!
Having owned a few salvage-title cars, I find it’s only meaningful right after the even happened. As tome goes on, the value of a salvage title car converges with non-branded cars. Assuming the work was done properly of course. All that matters is the condition of the car *today*. That Lexus is old enough to not even need or get a title in my summer home state.
The Honda is one of those cars that intellectually I think is cool, but have less than zero desire to ever have anything to do with. Which actually is my opinion of the majority of Hondas. One of the salesdudes in my company put a zillion miles on one before it was totalled, I had a ride in it once – nope, not for me, I can afford the gas for something nice without having to think about it at all.
The Lexus is a way better choice today, but doesn’t suit my current needs, I already have a comfortable car, and I already have a sporty coupe, my only efficient means of transportation is a motorcycle or bicycle. I chose the Insight today because they are neat, but smart money is on the Lexus.
This one is a no-brainer.
One look at the driver’s seats of both cars makes the decision easy.
The Insight’s MPGs definitely suffered at the hips of the driver.
I already like the SC400, and a salvage title isn’t a big deal on a 32 year old car. The price reflects the title status. Get it inspected to make sure it is still sound after the crash. If it all checks out this SC is a great deal.
Definitely going with the Lexus. This is a very nice looking car. After reading the ad, the seller seems a bit obsessive about maintaining this thing. I suspect this car is as good as it looks.
I don’t understand why some people like the Insight. Sure, its fuel economy was incredible, but it came with too many sacrifices. These cars were uncomfortable, ugly, and slow. I also recall reading these were supposed to carry at most ~400 lbs. of passengers and cargo, so two larger adults can easily exceed the weight rating of this vehicle. The Insight was an interesting vehicle, but I don’t think it was a good vehicle when you consider its limitations.
The insight is actually quite comfortable. Yes, it’s small, but that’s not the same as uncomfortable. It is sprung very softly and has very little wind or tire noise. I used to regularly drive mine 1400 miles in a day – and you absolutely need all-day comfort to pull off those kinds of miles (58mpg at 90mph also helps the miles fly by)
A cool coupe with one of the best engines ever that seems well taken care of apart from the crash, with loads of enthusiast value, for less than 5k? No brainer.
The Insight would be perfect for my current situation, but that Lexus is just beautiful. I couldn’t care less about the title in either of them.
“It’s a bit of complexity, and a potential failure point, that I neither need nor want in my car, that’s only there because someone else can’t be bothered to act properly. It’s not the operation of the system that annoys me; it’s the fact that it has to be there at all. I don’t need to be reminded of other people’s stupidity every time I get in my own damn car, so I simply don’t even consider cars “
Built after 2017, or there about, varies by manufacturer when they started overloading the nannies.
No need to apologize for a well worded rant. It’s just a properly functioning relief valve, which I suspect is lacking, or clogged (EGR) in the Comanche, and(flush the block well before adding a new radiator) the Marshal.
Had to vote SC400 for a design that is *chief’s kiss*.
Lexus. I have always wanted an SC400, especially in that red, but have either never been able to afford one or haven’t been able to justify picking one up. I like the Insight, and against another car it probably would have gotten my vote, but not today.