Best year and engine Supra to buy, your thoughts please.

[Jpw]

I am in the market for a Supra, but dont know what is the best year or engine to look for, i am looking to spend around 25-30k for this Supra. It has to be a 6-speed tho, witch is better? Twin turbo or single turbo? i am looking for gas milage around 18-25 MPG its going to be only drivin about 3 to 4 time a week. And how many miles are these engines good for till they need to be rebuilt or replaced? what the safest HP you can pull out of this engine? Your thoughts please. And Thank you for your time and help.

Jpw,

[phokur]

There is a lot of info out there. Search this site, mkiv.com, supraforums.com (can't search, just browse), and clubna-t.com.

There isn't much difference in years. Wikipedia will tell you the subtle differences in the years. Really buy whatever you can afford. Obviously, the newer and lower miles the better... unless you have a sexual attraction to OBD1 or something. btw Supras only come in TT and NA. Many many owners swap out the TTs for a single and can put up serious numbers. These for example. Engines can easily push 1000+HP on stock internals and last for over 200k miles.
good luck to you

[pwpanas]

Originally Posted by Jpw

I am in the market for a Supra, but dont know what is the best year or engine to look for, i am looking to spend around 25-30k for this Supra...

All the model years ('93.5-'02) are pretty much the same, except '99-'02 only available in RHD in Japan.

Originally Posted by Jpw

...It has to be a 6-speed tho, witch is better? Twin turbo or single turbo?...

The Mkiv Supra was never sold brand-new from Toyota with a single turbo. The only way to get a single turbo is to buy a Supra that has been modified, or to install it yourself. Since modified single turbo Mkiv Supras tend to put out much more power than a stock TT, you could say that a single turbo is "better".

Originally Posted by Jpw

...i am looking for gas milage around 18-25 MPG...

Then you'd better not get a modified single-turbo Mkiv. The more power you ask it to put down, the worse your gas mileage will be (in general).

Originally Posted by Jpw

...And how many miles are these engines good for till they need to be rebuilt or replaced?...

Depends if the Supra is bone-stock, or it has been modified. A bone-stock Mkiv Supra driven 'normally' can easily exceed 200K miles.

Originally Posted by Jpw

...what the safest HP you can pull out of this engine?...

Depends how many miles you want it to run before you want it to be rebuilt or replaced. The more hp you ask for, the harder it will be on all of the components (including the engine). With a big single turbo, the oem (unmodified) engine itself can put out 850rwhp through a 6spd (=1000hp) safely, as long as it's using high-octane race fuel when putting out that power level. That said, don't expect the engine to last 200K miles if you're laying down 850rwhp 3-4 times/wk.