1989 Turbo Supra... hows it handle?

[sharkbait775]

Im thinking of buying an 89 Supra Turbo, it needs a new headgasket (but if i buy it ill have it replaced before i do) but what im wondering is, for all you turbo supra owners out there, how does it handle? I know these cars are pretty dang heavy for coupes (3500 pounds!? geezus!!!!). Oh, and one other thing, hows the traction? the 89 Supras have rear wheel drive, which im told isnt very good for traction (and im talking about traction from a low speed, like, when im at a light and have to turn on a wet road i wont lose control). I guess just in general, hows the car drive?

[Jeeves]

Ok

1) Headgaskets aren't just a slap in and go thing. They require ~$1k (plus or minus) of labor if done at a shop, and they often don't do them properly. Just as a heads up, don't think that's a light duty task.

2) 3500lbs would be lighter (maybe the hardtops came in around there). Without me, my car is 3620 and that's with half a tank of gas.

3) Traction? Traction is a matter of how you drive. If you try throwing it around on wet roads or driving like an idiot traction will suck. If the roads are iced up and you nail it in first, you'll spin the hell outta 'em. That's the way it is with any car (hell, my daily driver Camry did it this morning on the way into work). Put proper tires on it (another VERY important, and often overlooked factor regarding handling/traction), get used to driving a rwd car and understand that the throttle isn't JUST an on/off switch and you won't have a problem.

4) Handling. Out of the box Mk3's aren't notorious for their handling. Targa models had a good deal of chassis flex with the tops off and you won't be playing with S2000's in the twistys but what are you looking for here? A good daily driven car? A 1/4 mile track car? A car for windy swiss mountain roads? etc.

[sharkbait775]

im just mainly looking for a quick, reliable car, and i know toyota cars are pretty much unbeatable in the reliability department. The turbo part is pretty nice, but definately not a selling point for me. And as far as the headgasket goes, one of the sellers friends is a supra freak (HA!), and he could probably install it provided i paid extra for it (the headgasket itself isnt that much... is it?) The car definately wouldnt be a racing car (i definately wouldnt be beating any of those quick Honda cars at any rate), just a quick, reliable means to get from A to B in style. You think its a good idea?

[bgrieger]

Reliability at 15-20 years is a gamble no matter the make. At this point, you could be driving a chevette and have great reliability if you invest the time and money. The supra will be as reliable as you are willing to put into maintenance, both preventative and continuing. Cheap out on it, and you are going to be just another guy coming back to complain about how much of an unreliable POS the car was. That said, the condition of the car as you get it from the current owner will weigh heavily on how much you need to do in the short term. If you are very experienced, have at it yourself. If not, get a good mechanic to go over it with a fine toothed comb and mention those issues you will find on any supra forum out there regarding what to look for when buying.

[sharkbait775]

yea that always sux, im a total cheapskate with my cars too, but he had a new engine put in it that only has 65k miles on it, if that matters any, heres the ad
http://dallas.craigslist.org/car/476976966.html
waddaya think?

[bgrieger]

I can write a letter "certifying" that one of my used engines has 65k on it too...they actually have 160 and 430 respectively, without you seeing what it came out of and following it all the way through to your engine bay, anyone can say anything, and there's still no guarantee it was treated well along the 65k it might have done. Get it looked over, pay the money, or roll the dice. There is no free/really cheap ways to do it, and nobody over the interweb is going to be able to tell you squat about the car or what you can expect from that exact one unless they personally went over it.

[Jeeves]

Originally Posted by sharkbait775

im just mainly looking for a quick, reliable car, and i know toyota cars are pretty much unbeatable in the reliability department. The turbo part is pretty nice, but definately not a selling point for me. And as far as the headgasket goes, one of the sellers friends is a supra freak (HA!), and he could probably install it provided i paid extra for it (the headgasket itself isnt that much... is it?) The car definately wouldnt be a racing car (i definately wouldnt be beating any of those quick Honda cars at any rate), just a quick, reliable means to get from A to B in style. You think its a good idea?

First off, here's something I've heard again and again and again, and it's true:

Cheap, Fast, Reliable. You can only pick two.
If you want it fast and reliable, it won't be cheap.
if you want it cheap and reliable, it won't be fast.
If you want it cheap and fast, it won't be reliable.


Now, Head Gaskets. If the HG is actually gone, you SHOULD NOT just open up the engine, rip out the old one, slap a new one in, and go. Having gone that route myself, it will lead to a blown head gasket faster than you can count. Mine re-blew in less time than I had to run the oil to 3,000 miles.

IMO, and I'm not alone there, to make sure these engines don't keep blowing gaskets, do it right the first time.
- Machine the Block (This means removing it from the car 9 times out of 10, and that last option is strenuous.)
- Machine the Head
- Buy a Metal Head Gasket (~$100)
- Use ARP Head Studs instead of stock Toyota bolts (~$100)

The parts aren't expensive, the labor is. That's my $0.02.

[JaS3]

I have recently picked one up. it has a 1ggte engine in it. so far i have had no probs with the way it handles. i think they are a good buy.

[Jeeves]

Wow, a 1GGTE owner. How're you liking it? I've heard very little good about the 2L engine in those heavy mk3's.

[JaS3]

Yeah its great, i havent had it very long but so far its done me good as most second hand cars it needs a bit of fixing, ie paint job but thats really it. the 1GGTE is doing the job quiet nicely. so what have you heard bout the 1GGTE engine?

[Jeeves]

Just that it's anemic. 180hp/170tq isn't a lot of power to move a 3700lb chassis. Other than that, instant boost and lower top-end power than most of the prefered powerplants for the vehicle.

[JaS3]

Yeah true that is a good point, but i bought it as an enthusiast, not to go fast so i spose its not going to bother me. but from what ive been told it still beats the standard 7MGTE.

[Jeeves]

Originally Posted by JaS3

Yeah true that is a good point, but i bought it as an enthusiast, not to go fast so i spose its not going to bother me. but from what ive been told it still beats the standard 7MGTE.

In what? Performance wise, it's way underpowered compared to the 7M.

[JaS3]

Originally Posted by JaS3

Yeah true that is a good point, but i bought it as an enthusiast, not to go fast so i spose its not going to bother me. but from what ive been told it still beats the standard 7MGTE.

i mean it really doesn't bother me, each to their own and all that. but a few people have been telling me that the 7MGTE was one of the worst engines toyota ever made. i dont share the opinion but then again im new to supras so i'm not sure what to believe.

[bgrieger]

7m was flawed leaving the factory, but the flaw was that Toyota undertorqued the head bolts. Bolted properly, its all good, and one of the most potent powerplants they developed. Torque oriented inline six with lots of performance capability out of hte box. 500hp is the limit of the stock internals for most people...only the 2j had more capability in completely stock form