Supra - What to look for?
Discussion
No problem, it covers most of the basics but the main piece of advice I'd give is to try and take someone along who has owned one - the chaps over on the Supra forum (many are here too) have always been pretty good with helping new buyers to get the right car so it's worth asking if anyone local will check the car for you or go along with you.
Check the crank pulley and make sure it's aligned properly and not separating, they all go it's just a matter of time.
Check the brake pipes underneath towards the back of the car, they have a small cover that when removed can reveal severely corroded brake lines.
Ensure the heater blows hot and cold, if it doesn't then it's the heater matrix which is a dash out job. Can also be signified by a wet passengers side carpet.
Squeaks from the rear of the cabin will be the boot rubbers, they harden over time.
If the car is double de-catted then watch out for the occasional puff of blue smoke on over-run, this indicates worn valve stem seals. Again all twin turbo suffer from this over time, however if one or more cats are still in place it won't be noticeable.
Be worth taking a 5mm allen key to whip the spark plug cover off and have a good look at the coil packs and coil pack clips. The clips will need replaced if they haven't already been. They will be very brittle and disintegrate in your hand if they haven't been changed. You can also check for any leaks from the cam cover gaskets.
If the car is an RZ-S, then it is the face lift model. Vibrations in the cabin on tick-over indicate the engine mounts need changing.
Also worth checking the power steering cooler pipes aren't corroded, they can be on older ones now. Check the left side of the engine bay below where the turbos are and you will see them.
Other than that just check all the usual things when buying any car.
Check the brake pipes underneath towards the back of the car, they have a small cover that when removed can reveal severely corroded brake lines.
Ensure the heater blows hot and cold, if it doesn't then it's the heater matrix which is a dash out job. Can also be signified by a wet passengers side carpet.
Squeaks from the rear of the cabin will be the boot rubbers, they harden over time.
If the car is double de-catted then watch out for the occasional puff of blue smoke on over-run, this indicates worn valve stem seals. Again all twin turbo suffer from this over time, however if one or more cats are still in place it won't be noticeable.
Be worth taking a 5mm allen key to whip the spark plug cover off and have a good look at the coil packs and coil pack clips. The clips will need replaced if they haven't already been. They will be very brittle and disintegrate in your hand if they haven't been changed. You can also check for any leaks from the cam cover gaskets.
If the car is an RZ-S, then it is the face lift model. Vibrations in the cabin on tick-over indicate the engine mounts need changing.
Also worth checking the power steering cooler pipes aren't corroded, they can be on older ones now. Check the left side of the engine bay below where the turbos are and you will see them.
Other than that just check all the usual things when buying any car.
Gaz. said:
When I was an active member of mkivsupra.net from August 2004-summer 2009 I only saw one owner have a problem with the crank pulley (TerryS posted about it, can't remember who owned it, possibly Migs), I've only seen two cars with valve stem seals gone (Rob Sheffield & one other) and two heater matrix (one DIY on the drive, the other took it to the garage but I can't remember the owners log in IDs). I've never heard of brake, fuel or PAS lines corroding but 2009 was a long time ago.
I'd certainly check for all of the above as a matter of course but none would worry me in the slightest.
The crank pulley is a very common failure on them now, I've changed it on three out of the four Supras that I've owned. Failure whilst the car is running can result in significant damage as the dampened crank pulley is a large chunk of metal to be flying around your engine bay. Check the condition of the auxiliary belt if it starting to fray around the edges then this could indicate it isn't aligned due to the crank pulley separating, another way to check would beI'd certainly check for all of the above as a matter of course but none would worry me in the slightest.
Again Valve stem seals are very common but unless the car has had both cats removed is it harder to spot and doesn't affect the running of the car, so isn't a priority for most owners especially as getting a garage to do it would result in a bill of around 1k.
Same with the heater matrix, there are plenty of threads about it on the club and two out of my four had it changed as well.
There has been a sticky thread regarding the corroded brake pipes under the car since February 2008.
I'm just trying to help out another member with what I believe to be valuable information to help him avoid picking up a car what has several known faults.
All the best with the search OP, they really are great cars.
Steven has it covered really! Check the usual things as well such as arches, under the boot carpet in case of any leakages, under the bonnet for corrosion/irregular items.
Another thing I'd advise is to really learn up on the specs of each different model variant (SZ, SZ-R, RZ, RZ-S, GZ) for both the facelift and pre-facelift versions of the car. This way, you'll know if things are meant to be there but aren't or the other way around
As for the heater matrix and crank pulley, I was plagued by both of these failing on me within 3 months of buying the car (about 2 weeks for the crank pulley!).
Good luck with your search!
Another thing I'd advise is to really learn up on the specs of each different model variant (SZ, SZ-R, RZ, RZ-S, GZ) for both the facelift and pre-facelift versions of the car. This way, you'll know if things are meant to be there but aren't or the other way around
As for the heater matrix and crank pulley, I was plagued by both of these failing on me within 3 months of buying the car (about 2 weeks for the crank pulley!).
Good luck with your search!
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