Hey Guys,
I'm thinking about getting a used Supra Turbo. I test drove it a few days ago at the Toyota dealership. Its a'94 twin-turbo model, red, with 59,xxx miles on the odometer, 6-speed. Their selling it for $23,750. The car isn't as fast as I thought it would be, but it is fast. Its hard to explain the feeling, but when I was driving it you couldn't feel the thrust but you know there is a lot of thrust because the speedometer is flying. The six-speed is just amazing; the feel of the clutch and the transition from switching gears was awesome. The thing I liked about the car was that it was quiet; WAY QUIETER than the R. There's a lot of low-end torque, which means I don't have to rev as high to go fast. During the test drive the dealer was telling me that this car was going to sell soon and I should consider quick. Well I know for a fact that I'm not going to get rid of my R, although I'm getting $26,000 for it. Anyways, while I was driving, I have gotten looks from other people everywhere, totally a show stopper. Well it gets better. I was a stop light, in the front. I turned off the traction control and revved the engine. Once the light turned green, I dropped the clutch around 2000 rpm, and was spinning the rear tires. As soon as the tires got traction and as soon as the needle went past 3500 rpm, I hear a "swoosh" sound and just see the speedometer just flying. I shift into second, and heard another 1.5 second burnout from the rear. I was hitting around 70 mph in the beginning of third gear. Just a thrill to drive, but doesn't feel that way. Its just so hard to explain driving a Supra. Well the car is absolutely fun to drive, but I did notice a problem. There was a kind of squeaking noise in the roof. The dealer says it was the Targa top, but I'm kind of skeptical. The paint looks gorgeus. Everything else is fine, expect that squeaking noise. Another thing, the car has 59 something thousand miles on the odometer and its a turbo model meaning high maintenance. Those cars require a tune-up every 30,000 miles. The operating cost of owning such car maybe a lot more than the Integra. Well anyways, while I was driving back home in my R, the clutch felt like **** cause it was way lighter than the Supra's. But the weird thing was that R felt waay faster, even though it wasn't; probably because it was louder. But after driving my R, I knew that it was a way more fun car than the Supra cause I know its limit and its just a blast to drive. Well my big question now to you guys is if I should trade in the R?
-importtuner

 

That's a tough call. It all really depends on what you plan to do with your cars. Do you autocross, streetrace , or do you just cruise around? The Supra is an amazing car. I know exactly what I'd do, but you need to make your own choice.

I would just hate to hear that three months down the road, you are kicking yourself in the **** because you have to pay thousands to have it fixed and or maintained. It is a '94 and it does have 59,000 miles. You do not know how hard those 59,000 were driven either.

If I were in your shoes: KEEP the R, and buy the Supra. If you can't afford both now, wait and save. If you still want the Supra in a year or so, you'll know that you really want the car. If in a year you decide it would be a waste, hey you have two or three grand to play around with. Yes, they are rare, but you can find another probably with less miles later if you try really hard. My point being: Don't drop your load at first site. I know how enticing that damn thing is. I go crazy when I pass one on the road, but the ITR is a pretty damn nice car too. Just a little input. Now you decide. Good luck.

 

Actually for a 94 with that many miles that's not bad. Another thing to think about is gas milage. They are fun to drive but can be a hog on gas.
With only a couple grand in modsr, the Supra will make some serious power. They are also asking a bit more for the car. Typical milage for that year is 79K, so that might be why.
Check this out http://www.kbb.com/kb/ki.dll/kw.kc.u...Supra&8;TO;B9&

Also check out MKIV.com there is a ton of info on the site about buying used mkiv's

James

 

OOPS. looks like the link will not work. Just go and re-enter the info.

James

 

You've got to decide what kind of car you want. The ITR has a decent amount of power, partly because it can rev so high (so it has a gearing advantage over other cars). It's also very nimble, because it only weighs 2600 pounds.

The Supra, OTOH, is a muscle car, just like a Mustang or Firebird - a VERY heavy car (3500 pounds) that makes up for the weight with a lot of power. It can really GO - but won't handle as well as the ITR. It's also fairly easy to modify for lots more power - but buyer beware when buying a used one.

They're both nice cars. Do you want a nimble, lightweight ITR, or a heavy muscle car? Your choice.

 

if you are looking for a car with a rush to it and that feels fast you need to get a 3rd gen mazda rx7 . the key to getting one of this is buying one with really high mileage and replace the motor with a brand new one from mazda ( $1200 for a mazda rebuilt 13b motor ) the other advantage is how good the RX7s handle and all the power they make for soo little money.( you can run consistant 11's on an RX7 with a $4000 budget thats single turbo , managemet unit , exhaust , everything http://www.srx7.com ) and you can pick up an RX7 in awsome conditon for around $10,000. now the supra in the other hand , is big and heavy , doesnt handle as good, costs about $13,000 more for the same year car , a twing turbo upgrade is about $9,000, and a used* motor is like $5000. thats why the ultimate car for speed, handling and fun is the RX7, to me the RX7 is the insanely fast version of the type-r ( fun wise). i love both cars equaly.

 

The last-gen RX7 is a great car to drive, but is widely known to be a maintenance nightmare. Which is why their resale value is so low.

There are lots of nice cars out there. The used car market offers some values but some risks. My suggestion is, if you like your ITR, just drive it and enjoy it.

 

all you have to do is change the oil once a month , run a rich mixture and your rx7 will last forever . also all the basic maintenance that you would do to any other car is a must. i run stock seals on my 9 second rx7 and beat the **** out of it on the street almost everyday.. the car runs perfect.. never had a problem.

 

I'm sorry... I couldn't help but to laugh when I read this statement:

"It can really GO - but won't handle as well as the ITR."

The Supra can't outhandle an ITR? hehe. The Supra can handle nearly as well as an NSX in stock trim. In one R&T article, it pulled 0.98 in the skid and 66mph in the slalom. For comparison sake, the Porsche 911 turbo (old model) only pulled 0.91 in the skidpad and 62mph in the slalom. The ITR would win in an auto-x (because it's lighter, narrower, and shorter), but on a real roadcourse, there's no contest. Both are great cars, but different leagues.
http://www.mkiv.com/publications/roa...3/rt893_04.jpg

 

Depending upon the autox course, an ITR isn't even superior there. Supras are in SS, the ITR in GS. Compare the national level times and I think you'll be surprised. Remember, the Supras can run 285/35 tires, and in other classes they can be shod with 315's or greater.

 

get an MR2. Cheap and quick. But old.

 

Hell yeah, MR2 Turbo

 

Many people laugh at things that are true.

Nope.

See for yourself here. And those are the Supra people talking on a Supra board, saying things like:

"Just face the facts the Supra is not a race car. You can put allot of HP in it but its not going to out handle much. We have a road course right on the VA North Carolina line and a buddy of mine has a supra and he can take most things in the straight aways but when it comes to the corners he just cant hang. I think the supra is a great car with lots of HP especially with a single but there are things faster and on a road course you will defiantly find that out. Type R is a good tight ride and it is made for the auto cross top end the dawg will take it just not in the corners my friend. Just have fun with your car something will always be faster, better handling. The supra is just a car that is easy to mod... defiantly not the best in all categories."



[Modified by nsxtasy, 8:04 PM 6/30/2001]

 

Thanks for the reply guys. I'm more of an autocrosser too. I don't think that I'm going to trade in my R for the Supra. First of all its a used, probably heavily beaten turboed car. Maintenance is going to be a biatch. Another thing, just imagine the feeling that a four-cylinder could outperform cars twice is price and size. I think I'll get more respect in a modified Type R that can whoop some ***. Not to be cocky or anything but damn its a Type R. I'm actually very lucky to own one cause I know how many people are willing and begging to own one. The funny thing I see about this car is that when I'm driving, some riceboy will stick out his head out of his car with total amazement and awe. HEHE!
-importtuner