MK3 Supra

[93geoprizm]

Hey guys, Ive had my corolla (prizm) for 4 years now and was interested in entering the rwd world. Also I def need something faster since the corolla, well is not a performace oriented car. I came across this on my local forums and it caught my eye. I did a bit of research and found out that the 7M engine were infamous for the head gaskets and not being torqued from the factory properly. This guy has done both of that and actually the engine was replaced with a newer one. Chassis hasaround 170k miles and motor has 90k miles. Hes askin $2500 for it. What dos it sound like? I know its not a steal but the body is mint and just in need of paint. I want something reliable and will not be modding it anytime soon, but enjoying it the way they were. Ive heard as long as maintenance is done on these, I should be good, i wanna hear from you guys who have these cars, what is you take on it? experiences? what to look out for? thanks. Also car will come with stock wheels, not the ones pictured

PS. heres the link
http://www.xceedspeed.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=177215

[zythr]

This is easy, Pass. Car has been available for a while, and he has not mentioned anything about condition of tranny. Car looks nice, but could also have been abused.

[bgrieger]

Looks like a project car. There's a lot of aftermarket parts there, but it looks like it was put together by a blind man...I can see wiring hacks, the engine bay is painted black (not factory unless it was a black car), the JDM Recaro interior is a plus, but I would expect more than paint with this one. It's not a bad price if everything works, but I'd be careful and spend the time to check the usual problems (headgasket, trans etc...just cause they say it's fixed doesn't mean it's fixed right).

I would expect regular maintenance may have suffered on this one...some stuff is pretty clean, others look like hell...a mixed bag.

[93geoprizm]

Originally Posted by zythr

This is easy, Pass. Car has been available for a while, and he has not mentioned anything about condition of tranny. Car looks nice, but could also have been abused.

I asked him bout the tranny, he said its the original R154. I know 170k on the tranny is a lot but anything specific these transmissions are infamous for? Also car has been available cause to be honest, economy here in MI has been pretty bad. A car that requires $1000 to be made perfect will not be sold, and people really dont have much money to invest in their cars, they got more important things to take care of. I really think this would be a great ride, hes got all the engine work done to it which its known bad for. I guess if it really is what he says, this would be a good deal.

Originally Posted by bgrieger

Looks like a project car. There's a lot of aftermarket parts there, but it looks like it was put together by a blind man...I can see wiring hacks, the engine bay is painted black (not factory unless it was a black car), the JDM Recaro interior is a plus, but I would expect more than paint with this one. It's not a bad price if everything works, but I'd be careful and spend the time to check the usual problems (headgasket, trans etc...just cause they say it's fixed doesn't mean it's fixed right).
I would expect regular maintenance may have suffered on this one...some stuff is pretty clean, others look like hell...a mixed bag.

Youre right, car was originally black and he said the guy who did the paint on it before him did a hack job hence he sanded it all down and prmiered it, to be honest i like the look right now lol. Yea the engine bay is not the cleanest but he has done some cleaning up and he said hell send me those pics. He has already done the headgasket and torquing the bols to 80 ft/lbs, i know these engine had those as the main problems out of the factory.

I appreciate the help guys, anything else i should be lookin for other than the usual, since you guys own itm you would have more experiences with the bad stuff.

[bgrieger]

There are a couple of things the trans is know for, but nothing serious.

First is crunchy syncros when shifting. Using better oils will help quiet them, but ultimately a rebuild is the only real fix. Redline MT90 is my personal oil of choice. I got 3 more years out of the syncros on that stuff.

Second, there is a thrust washer some guys snap into pieces. Generally, it's high HP guys. From every one I've heard broke among our local owners group (and some will kill me for saying it) it is IMO user error...push 3x the power through the trans and then shift poorly, or slam it on the drag strip with sticky drag radials and you're going to break something.

[SupraTuned]

No offense man, pass on it. Bgreiger is right, that thing is botched. Find something clean and as UNTOUCHED as possible and take it your own way. I never ever buy anything that somebody has done stuff to unless it was either documented/professional or it was done exceptionally tastefully. That poor supra has been through the ringer. For even 1000 more, you could find something very nice. I think she is begging for death, but death won't come......

[bgrieger]

It may be salvageable...but the OP said he wasn't looking for a costly mod project, and this clearly is. I'd pick it up for a track day car or knowing what I do about the car I figure there is probably 1k or less if you know what you are doing to get it corrected, but I know there is a lot of stuff to fix beyond the body. The trim that is missing in the pics is perhaps $500 alone!

[93geoprizm]

Originally Posted by SupraTuned

No offense man, pass on it. Bgreiger is right, that thing is botched. Find something clean and as UNTOUCHED as possible and take it your own way. I never ever buy anything that somebody has done stuff to unless it was either documented/professional or it was done exceptionally tastefully. That poor supra has been through the ringer. For even 1000 more, you could find something very nice. I think she is begging for death, but death won't come......

To be honest, i think this is a pretty good deal, especially with the ready to paint body, good lookin interior, decent engine bay. I mean 3500 isnt gonna get me much more supra than this. I hear you as far as doing things yourself but it that was the case, id have at least $5k for a decent pick that was not molested. Hey not saying its impossible but that its very tough to find one untouched that does not require a premium price.

Originally Posted by bgrieger

It may be salvageable...but the OP said he wasn't looking for a costly mod project, and this clearly is. I'd pick it up for a track day car or knowing what I do about the car I figure there is probably 1k or less if you know what you are doing to get it corrected, but I know there is a lot of stuff to fix beyond the body. The trim that is missing in the pics is perhaps $500 alone!

I was not aware of that trim piece being that expensive, I will ask him about that, and thanks for the heads up on the transmission

[SupraTuned]

3 people that pretty much have good experience with supras are telling you to pass basically unless you want to put money into it just to make it right. It's your money, I'm not trying to tell you what to do, but my buddy made the same mistake. He bought a 1990 Toyota Celica GT-4 that we thought only needed some cosmetic work and a few other things to get her cherry, but no luck. The uni-body was rusted out in places, the engine began surging on the highway, and the trans started poping out of gear about 3 weeks later. People will say anything to sell you something. The car had nice mods, and thats what roped him in. Full electronically adjusted tien coillovers, hks turbo, speaco intercooler and pipes, all genuine stuff, but the repairs sunk him more and he paid 4500 for the car. He had to put about 4000 in to make her perfect. Just my .02 for ya, people tend to cover up problems just to get somebody to buy stuff. Good luck though either way.