Supra worth it?

Hiccups · 06-03-2009, 10:37 PM

I have an 87 turbo. I bought it for 2500. So far, the rear end has a howl (about 1200 to get fixed). The AC is broken. The power steering is leaking. And I need a distributor. And I seem to only get 14-15 miles to a gallon with good driving.

For those who supra, is it worth it? Does it cost a lot to repair? How much have you put into yours? Are some of these problems fixable (like the AC?)?

Two garages have said I wont get back what I put into it. Ive been advised to sell it.

Cinciguy90Turbo · 06-04-2009, 12:11 AM

Can you be more specific about the problems with the rear end? Can you find another rear end somewhere to replace it (junk yard, on here etc.) My supra doesn't have a/c...Its a 22 year old car thats almost a luxury but fix it...you can probably find all the parts you need on here and a little bit of DIY and have it fixed for a lot less than you think. But yes the MKIII has consumed my life financially lol! But its worth it they're awesome cars....

Kevin · 06-04-2009, 02:40 AM

Yes if you can be more specific.. mileage... body condition.. engine condition.. head gasket replaced??

mirage83 · 06-04-2009, 02:47 AM

MkIII Supra's in general are like high-maintenance girlfriends... Be prepared to spend on them and do so often. Seriously, unless by some miracle you get one that's really been taken care of you're going to have regular maintenance expenses to deal with to keep it running. By the sound of what you've got, you're already finding that out.

As far as your '87 goes, you paid $2500 for it how long ago? What's the mileage on it?

You can pick up a decent used diff for not too much, just decide what ratio you want as different years/configurations ran from a 4.31 to a 3.73.

A/C work can get expensive, depends on exactly what's wrong with yours.

You need a distributor? N/A's had distributors, turbo models a cam position sensor (cps). Is that what's bad on yours? New they're obscenely expensive, but bad ones can be rebuilt.

Power steering could be a number of things, hopefully just a low pressure return hose. They aren't expensive to repair.

Your mileage sucks. Could really be any number of problems there, including just your driving style.

Now then, is putting up with all the myriad problems worth it in the end? Depends on how seriously you're into Supra's. For some people they like the car but it isn't THE car. It's probably not worth the hassle to them. If it's YOUR car, then you'll have to decide how much $ you're willing to budget for it every month AFTER you get it running right. Right now I've got approximately $5k in mine, and that's just the necessities for driving (reman engine, various new engine components, tires, etc).

Time for a gut check.

jcastro · 06-05-2009, 05:35 PM

She is worth it espacialy when u get her perfect i had a n/a as my first car it taught me every thing i know about cars and i had so much fun with it and that thing had balls i pulled my step dads 1985 doge ram out of an allie when it was stuck in mudd and pulled my friends bmw from yuma to el centro its a good 80 miles. The thing is that its always demanding somthing so its good to have if u have ur own pad not an appartment and if u also have a simple daily driver car it helps i lost that car cuz we lost the house and my fam need the money so ever since then i looked for one and i found her but now i have to get rid of her but ill end up getting another down the road. If u like messing around and wooping lil handas its a perfect car but u just need to work the bugs out and like i said have a siple daily driver on the side.

Hiccups · 06-07-2009, 09:45 PM

Sorry.

About 98,000 miles on it. Little bit of rust by the quarter panel...

mirage83 · 06-09-2009, 02:59 AM

98k is fairly low mileage by Supra standards (20 years old +/-), so that's a positive. As for the rest, they're the standard, run-of-the-mill type repairs you can expect to have to make with a car of this vintage.

Like I said in my earlier post, time for a gut check. You're the only one who can really tell if you're up to the time and money investment to get it right and keep it right. Once you get it all right it's not so bad, just a thing or two every so often that has to be dealt with. But getting it right in the first place can be expensive, aggravating, and time consuming.

BTW, it's highly unlikely you could get back out of it right now what you've got in it. My suggestion would be to gird up thy loins, bite the bullet and settle in for a long rebuilding. Or let it sit until you're in a better position to deal with it. Or sell it for a parts car and take the loss.

06-03-2009, 10:37 PM	#1
Hiccups Stock Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: PA Posts: 26	Supra worth it? I have an 87 turbo. I bought it for 2500. So far, the rear end has a howl (about 1200 to get fixed). The AC is broken. The power steering is leaking. And I need a distributor. And I seem to only get 14-15 miles to a gallon with good driving. For those who supra, is it worth it? Does it cost a lot to repair? How much have you put into yours? Are some of these problems fixable (like the AC?)? Two garages have said I wont get back what I put into it. Ive been advised to sell it.

06-04-2009, 02:47 AM	#4
mirage83 12psi boost Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Georgia Posts: 359	MkIII Supra's in general are like high-maintenance girlfriends... Be prepared to spend on them and do so often. Seriously, unless by some miracle you get one that's really been taken care of you're going to have regular maintenance expenses to deal with to keep it running. By the sound of what you've got, you're already finding that out. As far as your '87 goes, you paid $2500 for it how long ago? What's the mileage on it? You can pick up a decent used diff for not too much, just decide what ratio you want as different years/configurations ran from a 4.31 to a 3.73. A/C work can get expensive, depends on exactly what's wrong with yours. You need a distributor? N/A's had distributors, turbo models a cam position sensor (cps). Is that what's bad on yours? New they're obscenely expensive, but bad ones can be rebuilt. Power steering could be a number of things, hopefully just a low pressure return hose. They aren't expensive to repair. Your mileage sucks. Could really be any number of problems there, including just your driving style. Now then, is putting up with all the myriad problems worth it in the end? Depends on how seriously you're into Supra's. For some people they like the car but it isn't THE car. It's probably not worth the hassle to them. If it's YOUR car, then you'll have to decide how much $ you're willing to budget for it every month AFTER you get it running right. Right now I've got approximately $5k in mine, and that's just the necessities for driving (reman engine, various new engine components, tires, etc). Time for a gut check. Last edited by mirage83; 06-04-2009 at 02:53 AM.

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06-04-2009, 12:11 AM	#2
Cinciguy90Turbo Stock Join Date: May 2009 Location: Cincinnati Posts: 16	Can you be more specific about the problems with the rear end? Can you find another rear end somewhere to replace it (junk yard, on here etc.) My supra doesn't have a/c...Its a 22 year old car thats almost a luxury but fix it...you can probably find all the parts you need on here and a little bit of DIY and have it fixed for a lot less than you think. But yes the MKIII has consumed my life financially lol! But its worth it they're awesome cars....

06-04-2009, 02:40 AM	#3
Kevin 3" Exhaust Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 194	Yes if you can be more specific.. mileage... body condition.. engine condition.. head gasket replaced??

06-05-2009, 05:35 PM	#5
jcastro 3" Exhaust Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: El Centro Posts: 113	She is worth it espacialy when u get her perfect i had a n/a as my first car it taught me every thing i know about cars and i had so much fun with it and that thing had balls i pulled my step dads 1985 doge ram out of an allie when it was stuck in mudd and pulled my friends bmw from yuma to el centro its a good 80 miles. The thing is that its always demanding somthing so its good to have if u have ur own pad not an appartment and if u also have a simple daily driver car it helps i lost that car cuz we lost the house and my fam need the money so ever since then i looked for one and i found her but now i have to get rid of her but ill end up getting another down the road. If u like messing around and wooping lil handas its a perfect car but u just need to work the bugs out and like i said have a siple daily driver on the side.

06-07-2009, 09:45 PM	#6
Hiccups Stock Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: PA Posts: 26	Sorry. About 98,000 miles on it. Little bit of rust by the quarter panel...

06-09-2009, 02:59 AM	#7
mirage83 12psi boost Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Georgia Posts: 359	98k is fairly low mileage by Supra standards (20 years old +/-), so that's a positive. As for the rest, they're the standard, run-of-the-mill type repairs you can expect to have to make with a car of this vintage. Like I said in my earlier post, time for a gut check. You're the only one who can really tell if you're up to the time and money investment to get it right and keep it right. Once you get it all right it's not so bad, just a thing or two every so often that has to be dealt with. But getting it right in the first place can be expensive, aggravating, and time consuming. BTW, it's highly unlikely you could get back out of it right now what you've got in it. My suggestion would be to gird up thy loins, bite the bullet and settle in for a long rebuilding. Or let it sit until you're in a better position to deal with it. Or sell it for a parts car and take the loss.