Purchasing a Supra
 

i was searching through the threads in hopes to find one with my answer but no luck unfortunetally :sadwavey:. Alot of members have asked about buying a Supra (Mk4) but ask sorta specific Questions e.g. ( engine's, mod's, milage).

1. What i want to know is When purchasing a MK4 Supra What are some of the common problems they have that i should look For E.g. (MK3 Usally have Bad Head Gaskets) What are the issues on a MK4 ?

2. I got a pretty reliable Stang, got a friend wanting to buy it like Fate on my side he is offering enough cash that i can add to my saved cash to buy a Supra. is this a Car reliable as a daily driver as i will be using it to go to Work, school, Gym, and my daily activities ?

3.Off the bat, how much am i looking to spend on the car to get it tuned up, and pretty much set for daily driving. ( no i will not be racing this car for a long time to come, if i do decided to race).

4.What is the average maintance Cost of this Car ?

5. I never Put an alarm on my Stang, never thought some one would steal it. but im sure a Supra will catch the wrong attention at times, so What is the best or some of the best Alarm systems to buy And are they any precautions i should Take ?

I'm so excited but nervous at the same time, mainly since im not sure too much on what im getting myself into Yet im so Close to my dream. Im most likely Going to buy a non modded car, or as least modded as possible i hate modded rides, i can never be sure of the job they had done was Safe.


Supra Forum Friends, any advice in this matter would be so Greatly appreciated. :help:

Okay the best alarm system in my opinion is viper alarms and depending on the system you get viper can get anywhere from 500 to 1000 dollars. Maintaining a Supra is expensive like costing $50+ for an oil chage(synthetic) and maintaining parts like tires which depending on what you get last only for about 10k to 15k miles. Its like maintaning a ferari not a toyota corolla.

Ouch, Very much ouch...lol, even if i keep the Stock rims, will i still be pushing out tires every 10-15k miles ?? ( i will not be racing )

Also, What does the Viper Alarm come with, Where can i locate one, and What type of protection does it Coem with E.G. ( Kill switch, sensor, tracking alarm )

Links will also be appreciated trust me i will read it all, im interested in investing time/ money to Get / keep my Dream Car.

Well the tires do last longer maybe 20,000 miles but I have a bit of a lead foot and my tires get wasted very quickly for me about every 12,000 to 18,000 miles.

The Viper Alarm System is cheaper now and go to this link it has all the info you want to know http://www.drdetailshop.com/V5900SST.htm

I use ths and the guy that tried to steal it got arrested cuz or the remote control alert thing(very useful) thank god that wasnt stolen too much money in mods well good luck with the alarm system. y the way get it installed by a professional not some mechanic that thinks he knows how to install it.

Ahh ok
 

Ahh ok, Thanks for the link man, and thanks for the advice.

Now im Hoping to get the answers to the Rest of my Questions from my other forum Friends.

thanks again JPDsupra.

What type of supra are you buying N/A or TT(twin turbo)?It all depends on which one your buying because both have really different engine and body configurations

Supras are extremely reliable I mean it a toyota and it can be used as a daily driver but it need to be properly maintained(timing belt etc.)

When you mean getting it tuned up do you mean bigger turbo mods or do you mean fixing for daily driving because if you wanna tune the engine I would really suggest you get a twin turbo(easier and better to tune and come with a stronger 6 speed manual). Tuning up a supra can get really exppensive depends how uch rwhp you wanna get out of it

I cant give an exact quote on how much it costs becauseit all depeneds on how much wear you put on your engine but this isnt like a honda civic

Alarms should always be used you get a dicount on your insurance and you feel that your car is safe, this is my opinion I have this thing with alarms

A high percentage of supras nowadays are modded and it isnt recommended that you buy a modded supra because they can be unsafe like you said. How much is you budget and how much do you plan to spend on this please answer these questions

Yes. Oem z-rated rubber is soft, sticky, and helps you to corner like mad. It wears out fast though. The rims don't matter at all - if you change to high-mileage, rock-hard tires, they'll last longer, but your Supra's performance will go down the toilet.

If it's been properly maintained, there are no chronic problems, other than the hatch rattle in pre '96's. If it's been badly maintained, or badly modified, or overboosted on pump gas, then of course you should expect problems.

The mk4's oem headgasket is absolutely fantastic - it can hold over 1000rwhp. In fact, even the mk3's headgasket itself is fine too! The chronic problem with mk3 headgaskets has to do with the fact the headbolts were undertorqued from the factory.
If you don't modify it, it'll be rock-solid reliable. Many bone-stock Mk4's have gone over 200K miles easy, with no major issues.
This can vary WIDELY depending on the condition of the mk4 you get. Generally speaking, if you're willing to spend $25K+ for it, and you search long and hard for one with excellent maintenance records, your initial "tune up" bill will be miniscule. If you buy one that's been beat to crap, obviously the overhaul could get into some serious coin...
As already posted, synth oil change is $50+, and a set of tires can run $1K (lasting only 10K miles or so). That's just an example - it's nothing at all like a Camry from a maintenance perspective (nor from a performance perspective either).
Imho, the stock alarm system really isn't that bad. It's got a glass-breakage sensor in addition to the standard motion sensor. As far as precautions, always sit in restaurants and park at work where you can keep an eye on the dawg through the window. :)
Maybe not safe, and maybe not realiable. Also, maybe overboosted on pump gas - be sure to pay an expert check out any modded car you might want to get.

Well N/a since it would be less expensive, my Goal is to get the Car first, and then later on as time comes, upgrade the engine. and save cash for more things for the car.



Your totally correct, but i can't forget there is a principle that i learned with my Mustang. Performance, comes at a Cost, not only in your wallet but in reliabilty. sometimes, being high performance can really wear your engine and parts. which is why except for the New black pearl paint job, and flowmaster exhuast system i haven't done much , just maintaince and like make everything functional so far pretty reliable for a 1989 5.0Lx.



well tune up, as into, get it ready for daily driving, yeah. like i said i plan not on racing the car, and if i do im not going to race it stock or close to it.

later on, maybe a year or so after i have had the car, i will begin doing my research on getting the supra faster with more upgrades, My initial Goal when i think about upgrading it are like in the 350-400rwhp, which to me is good enough for a Road warrior in my eyes.



Your right, i keep hearing it's not a corolla, you have to treat it like a ferrari, or a vett. i understand why, now but we can skip this part, i realized it has too many variables to think about. as for wear yeah that's going to be my baby, i'm going to TRY and not punch it on the gas and do stupid things.



the safe thing, yes i want that feeling, but the insurance.. nice, i was unaware of that , being 19 i can use all the discounts.



Yes i really agree, alot of them are modded then go forsale i truely hate that with a passion, i would keep the car instead of selling.

and lately everywhere i look supras going for 45K+ cause they are super modded, it just kills me inside.

but yes , i sorta believe in to do it right you gotta do it your self. seeing as it is your car, no one will care for it to the level you will. beyond that yeah my budget ehh, i would say half of 25K to be realistic, with my Stang being sold for 5K, and money saved up from my job, i can afford to spend 9 maybe 10K. i can't go beyond that, since i need to wait for tuition inorder to buy books, and such and other bills, plus i don't want to run my account too dry incase i need to make a repair on the Car once i have it. i like to play it safe, so yes im looking for a pretty stock supra / Na/ in at least decent condtion. if it has no major problems i can pull out my tools and go to work on it. :)

Pwnpanas, and JDsupra thanks you guys for the help, i really appreciate it. i was starting to feel unheard lol, :) if you got any more questiosn please feel free to ask, im more then happy to respond. thanks again for the help/advice

One of my first cars was a mustang 5.0lx too but that thing had 700hp cause me and my friend worked on it till we were like 16 and he decided to let it go then i put a turbo and the thing flew though it was extremely reliable for a 700hp mustang sorry I dont have a copy of the dyno sheet cuz I lost it or I would post it. Well if you decide to go N/A then it would be harder to modify not many bolt on turbos for it only the twin turbo has a better a more diverse aftermarket. Well if you buy it listen to what pwpanas said and have an expert check it out(someone you know or trust that knows about the supra). This goes to pwpanas even tough the stock system is ok its better to get a system like viper for me it was useful and I really have a thing about stock alarm systems plus it got me $200 off my insurance. Ok now 9 to 10k isnt much for a supra but it might be possible to find one but if you cant afford an mk4 you can buy an mk3(cheap and cheaper to modify).