Supra

[Gothy]

Hey guy's.

I really like the toyota supra, i've wanted one for years, and a friend of mine I used to work with had one.
Another friend of mine who owns his own car moddifying business, rates them highly (he has a modded R33 GTR)

What should I be looking for, to get a good supra?
What goes wrong/warning signs when buying?

I want the 3L twin turbo manual, but these are as rare as hens teeth, and they cost alot more to buy and insure.
So for now im looking to settle for the 3l non turbo, auto (manual if ones about).

Im looking at buying in a month or two, I've got about £3k to spend.
The cars im looking at at the moment are;
bmw 3 series, 2.3 and 2.8
toyota supra 3l non turbo (cheaper than the twin turbo by about £5k)
mitsubishi Evo VI

I've only test drove the bmw 328, im quite young and people dont like giving test drives to young uns lol (rightly so), so any feedback on the supra would be brilliant.

Cheers
Chris

[Wadeski]

While its your decision, i would strongly recommend looking at other options than the non-turbo Supra.

- You will wish you had a twin turbo
- They are often cheap for a reason, having been bought by people who want a "cheap supra" and treat it that way
- Not all that fast and engaging

If you have three grand to spend, i would be looking at "the best car you can get for three grand" not the chepeast end of cars that cost more than three grand.

My recommendations would be:

BMW 328
Toyota MR2 Turbo
Fiat Coupe Turbo
200SX Turbo
Mazda MX-5

How old are you, and what driving record do you have, and do you have a good postcode? An Evo or Subaru might well be horrific to insure. The above cars are "tried and tested" at that budget. But as ever, buy carefully as these are performance cars and a bad one will hurt the wallet, just as a good one will be as dependable as anything.

[Gothy]

thanks for the advice,

Im 21 and I live in a small town too so insurance isn't too bad for me.

Driving record so far;
Several small engined hatchbacks
skoda felicia 1600
skoda octavia 1900 Turbo
peugoet 206 GTI (mates car)
subaru impretza (cousins car)
BMW 328 test driven

Biking record, (nowhere near all of it)
honda cbr1000rr fireblade
honda cbr600rr
every yamaha in the 2008 range (was a mechanic)
honda cbr900rr fireblade

needless to say Im not an idiot when it comes to fast cars and bikes.

I do like the MR2 and the 328, but the bmw had an odd driving position, whilst the MR2 would have to be the 2L Turbo, which again are quite difficult to come by.

Maybe I should wait a bit longer and get a better supra then? I mean what are the figures for a standard supra?

[Wadeski]

its not me judging your record, its an insurer's computer! Evos, Supras and Skylines are generally a lot more expensive.

Turbo MR2s are common these days - just check the PH classifieds and IMOC.co.uk

[Shape Shifter]

MR2 Turbos are great little things. 0-60 in 5.2s and parts availability is easy (it's just an MR2 with a Celica GT4 engine).

You might have to shop around for a decent insurance quote as they're all imports. MR2OC were doing a deal via Dorset Insurance.

These cars are a lot more fun to drive than a Supra.

[eybic]

How about a Celica GT-Four? Mine has 350bhp and leaves quite a lot of things standing. Standard they have ok power (250), the handling is very good and they aren't very common.

[Gothy]

well I like the MR2 and the celica GT4 alot too,
i'll have a look around abit more.
What else is a nice & fast car for that budget?


Have you got any pics of yours?
What modifications did you have to do to get it upto that sort of bhp?

[Milo87]

I had a non turbo supra when i was 20. I paid £3000 for mine, although it wasnt absolutly mint i thought it was good for the price.

Its probably the best car ive owned, it was super reliable, made you feel like you were driving something special everytime you got in it, even though it isnt as fast as a TTsupra it is still fast especially for a 20-21 year old.

The only reason i got rid of it in the end was that it was costing to much on petrol. I regret selling it though as i now think the money spent on petrol would be worth it.

Ive currently got a civic type r and dont find it anywhere near as special, and when i get the money i will be getting a TT6

All of this is my opinion though

[crimbo]

I have had my e36 328 for 4.5 years, no issues what so ever and you get used to the driving position. Great car for reliabilty and fun aswell as a good transition to rear wheel drive. Pretty good performance and handling to, its hothatch pace in terms of performance and pretty reasonable to insure. If your after a rocket I'd look at some MR2 turbo's but I dont know anything about them. I personally could not settle for a NA supra I would always want the TT.

[Steameh]

I had a tt 6 speed manual supra at 21, It cost 9k to buy, and was 1500 fully comp with breathing mods all declared. I live in a dodgy postcode too apparently.

I miss it like no other. Without a doubt the best car I have ever owned. Earth shatteringly fast and would never stop going, handled well for a big car but could be nice and relaxed when I wanted it to be. I didnt think it was overly thirsty, about 300 miles to a tank.

Nothing since has come close and ive had a mkiv golf r32, civic type r and currently own a 330ci.