Could spammy links to one site I own hurt another?

[Automotive site]

I have come across a site hat I want to buy which has decent rankings but not so decent link profile. The site seems to have lot of spammy links together with decent ones. If I buy this site is there a chance it could hurt my existing domains even if I do not link the sites in any way.

[jimbeetle]

I don't think there's any reason to think the domain can harm others you own.

That said, are the "spammy" links really spammy links, or the type of not so good links that every domain has in its link profile? If they're really spammy, you should watch Matt Cutts video Can I buy a domain that used to have spam on it and still rank? [youtube.com]

[JS_Harris]

Google always reserves the absolute right to raise and lower rankings on any site for any reason. If you're sure you want to own a site which will need heavy backlink cleaning then I wouldn't worry too much about it affecting your other sites but, unfortunately, there is still a chance it does somehow impact your other site(s) even if it's a negligible one. If you're comfortable buying and cleaning up a spammy site to begin with then you're probably comfortable with the small risk as well.