Lookin To Buy A Supra - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

Edge-MarkIII · 07-26-2003, 08:15 PM

Hey everyone i'm new to supra's, I'm looking to buy one. Can anyone tell me anything to look out for while buying a supra. As of right now i'm looking at an 87'.

cdnsupra · 07-28-2003, 08:16 AM

the mk3 supras were made from 86.5 to 93. 86.5 were all non-turbos. only 1 93 that we know of was ever brought into canada.
even the 91/92's are rare.

most supras suffer from a BHG[Bad Head Gasket] at some point. this is due to the lowe torque of 58ft-lbs initially put on the head bolts from toyota. over time, the cork and steel head gasket compresses, and the bolts actually become loose, causing the head to slide around on the block. as you ccan imagine, this causes lots of damage, and can cost you anywhere from 2000 to 5000 to fix the head, and up to 10000 to get a complete engine rebuild. those were the prices i paid before getting on the internet many years ago. if you get good info up front, a lot of that cost can be eliminated.

and who knows, maybe your 87 you are looking at has already been fixed.

unless it is done right, people who have one BHG usually have another rather quickly.

I am not trying to scare you, but it is a big problem with these engines. Getting that out of the way, that is the only big problem with these engines. tranny, rear end, electrical wiring, body. they are all bullet-proof!

i have an 87 supra i bought in 88, and it is still out front of my house, and i drive her at ever chance. i have a newer 91 in the garage that only goes out in the summer so far, and i try to keep them to nice days too.

if you got any specific questions, search this forum, and check out www.supraforums.com, and also supras.com. they both have lots of info and numerous other links to get even more info.

cheeers. let us know when you pick up the 87, if you decide too, that is.

Edge-MarkIII · 07-28-2003, 12:32 PM

I went to check that supra yesterday, it was a pos for the price. He was asking $1800 but the exhaust was screwed, the flooring was about to break, there was no oil in it, there was a lot of rust that he claimed there was little, the tires were completely bald they looked like indy racing tires, most the electrical didn't even work. The list goes on. I would never buy what this guy was selling. But today i'm gonna check out an 85' which looks really good so i'll keep everyone posted.

cdnsupra · 07-28-2003, 04:18 PM

Well now, i didn't know you were considering mk2's as well. Dean in hamilton, a fine conesiur of supras, currently with 4 running supras, is looking to thin his barn out a little.

he has an 84 red, manual mk2 supra, which was bought and owned by an RCMP oifficer is alberta and bc for many of its first years. he was transfered to quebec and ontario 2 years ago. that is the only time the car saw salt, and by the looks of the car, it wasn't much.

dean had plabs to drop a 5m-turbo, or full 7m-gte motor in this car and make it his drag queen[pardon the pun] he has since found an 82 scca prepped road race supra that will fill his adrenalinistic needs. thus the sale of the 84.

the best part is he is asking 1500cdn. it does has 300,000kms on it, but it runs smooth and has to be seen to be appreiated. if i didn't already have 2 supras, and wanted a supra to drop a 7m into, this would be my car to do it in.

get in touch with him at dean.anderson4@sympatico.ca. Let him know ben sent yah.