Advise on buying a SUPRA

[jmschoep]

My wife wants a supra- She says they're cute... I say they KICK A$$.
What year, trim, ect. should I look for??

I want something thats fast enough for me to have fun in, but not so fast she gets herself in trouble- I can trust my driving, not hers.

I'm, a mechanic, so I don't mind doing my own work but I'd rather not spend every weekend fixing the damn thing.

And of course I can't go for broke, what prices are resonable for differnt year and trim SUPRAS?

Also, what are some common problems with whichever supra you are recomending?


Thanks alot in advance!

[supraturbo]

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooh, buy this one, i swear its not XPensive.

:roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll:

[/img]

[majicmeow]

those abflag supras are butt ugly... why mess with a perfectly good body style and make a monstrosity like that! Not to mention the, uh... cheap price... yea, cheap... lol

[smokey8890]

who design that kit?

[majicmeow]

The "kit" is done by AbFlag. Its not really a body kit though, its more like a total body conversion. I think is fugly

[bgrieger]

Originally Posted by jmschoep

My wife wants a supra- She says they're cute... I say they KICK A$$.
What year, trim, ect. should I look for??

It really depends on what you like. MK III are my preference, but the MK IV may be preferred to you. Good examples of all gens should be available, but a moderately long search is often required

Originally Posted by jmschoep

I want something thats fast enough for me to have fun in, but not so fast she gets herself in trouble- I can trust my driving, not hers.

For that, a relatively stock MK III turbo or an NA MK IV would suit, as would all of the MK II.

Originally Posted by jmschoep

I'm, a mechanic, so I don't mind doing my own work but I'd rather not spend every weekend fixing the damn thing.

Hey, they're used cars...well maintained, low milage examples will have fewer problems. The MK III has a history of headgaskets failing between about 60k and 100k miles, but proper refinishing of the surfaces and increasing the torque settings on the head appear to solve much of the problem. Outside of that, proper maintenance and anything else you would expect for the milage and age on a Toyota would be candidates for failure. Of course, supra parts tend to be a little pricey compared to other Toyotas.

Originally Posted by jmschoep

And of course I can't go for broke, what prices are resonable for differnt year and trim SUPRAS?

There is a wide variety of pricing depending on location, condition and which generation. OK examples of MK II's could go for 2-3k all the way up to perfect stock twin turbo MK IV models that may fetch 30k+. Check your local auto traders to check pricing and get a feel for what is out there.

Originally Posted by jmschoep

Also, what are some common problems with whichever supra you are recomending?

I'd suggest an NA MK IV or a turbo MK III based on what you've said. The MK III will require more work in all likelyhood, but outside of the headgasket, most other problems you've likely seen in other older cars. The MK IV will be a little better off that way, but is aging too. You probably see enough older cars to know.

Originally Posted by jmschoep

Thanks alot in advance!

Happy Supra Hunting!


Bob

[jmschoep]

Hey Thanks-

I'm new to Supras so, what years are which ones, MK III, MK IV, and so on??

[cdnsupra]

Originally Posted by jmschoep

Hey Thanks-

I'm new to Supras so, what years are which ones, MK III, MK IV, and so on??

I got this one bob. Go back outside and shine those bad-boy guns on your supra!
Btw Bob, i saw your doppleganger today at lunch in guelph. he even wore similiar glasses to yours. i swore it was you at first glance.

86.5-92 mk3 n/a
87-92 mk3 turbo
There was atleast one 93 imported to canada, but he is not selling it. good luck on finding out if there are any more 93's The 91/92's are high on everyones list, but they imported less each subsequent year, and the choices narrow as you get closer to 92.

93.5-98 mk4 n/a & turbo

there are differences between all the various years, but they also can be grouped as below.
the 86.5 to 88 were similiar to each other, and different than the 89-92's.
also, the 93.5-95 were similiar to each other, and different than the 96-98.
They still made, and possibly still make the mk4 in japan, but they do not import any to north america.

[tymmexiong]

Just to add on the MKIII head gasket problems, I read on the S.O.N.I.C. supra tech page that the reason why MKIII supras have constant head gasket problems is because of the radiator being clogged. He said if you havent taken a look at your radiator in a while (if u own a MKIII) you will see that it is clogged up to the arse. It is clogged up between the fins where air is supposed to cool it. And dont forget the full cooling system flush too. To see the article follow this link.
http://www.supras.com/~riemer/sonictech/cooling/radairpluged.html

[jmschoep]

hey Thanks Guys- It's always greaet to find people that don't mind giving out info- So people expect you to search for posts from the last 50 years before asking a question!

I don't think I 'll have a problem finding a supra of which ever year I choose- I'm in the USA.

[bgrieger]

Originally Posted by tymmexiong

Just to add on the MKIII head gasket problems, I read on the S.O.N.I.C. supra tech page that the reason why MKIII supras have constant head gasket problems is because of the radiator being clogged. He said if you havent taken a look at your radiator in a while (if u own a MKIII) you will see that it is clogged up to the arse. It is clogged up between the fins where air is supposed to cool it. And dont forget the full cooling system flush too. To see the article follow this link.
http://www.supras.com/~riemer/sonictech/cooling/radairpluged.html

Poor cooling compounds a problem that Reg at SONIC has been preaching about for years, and while not a direct cause, it certainly helps the probability of failure along. The torque values on the head are set to 58 ft/Lbs from the toyota manual, and it is commonly believed that this is too low. Analysis revealed that the bolts are not in their elastic zone when the head is cool. Recommendation is to put the torque to ~72 ft/lbs where the bolts start to become elastic (I use 75...). Loose bolts and poor cooling allow the head to warp and float around on the gasket, which backs the bolts off to the point that the gasket fails. But yes, removing the top bolts of the rad to clean out the leaves from time to time is a very good idea to maximize the rad's ability to work as intended.

Bob

[bgrieger]

Originally Posted by cdnsupra

I got this one bob. Go back outside and shine those bad-boy guns on your supra!
Btw Bob, i saw your doppleganger today at lunch in guelph. he even wore similiar glasses to yours. i swore it was you at first glance.

LOL...funny you say that, I had been planning to go to wash, wax and detail it tonight...and start taking measurements for a little project I want to try.

I keep hearing about my dopplegangers out that way...have to stop by sometime to see for myself!


Bob

[TRD2000GT]

I say go for a 6 spd, TT...

[Sifu]

MMMMMM.... MK4....