Should I trade my Supra for a Ford Taurus as a new DD?

Figit090

Fastest mk3 GT4 1/4 mile!
Jan 7, 2006
1,835
1
36
Humboldt County
Well...I'm going to school, just got a part-time job...so I'll have money coming in again.

Regardless, I travel 30 minutes one way to school 5 days a week, and 21mpg on my 1986.5 N/A supra is feeling a bit expensive. I am entertaining the idea of a trade for a newer, much more boring, dumb looking, probably slower, 4-door sedan, for my fun sportscar.

My friend offered me a 2001 Ford Taurus in trade for my Supra. I feel like it might be worth more in general, on top of perhaps being more reliable. I'm not sure, given the mileage on the Ford. He has the know-how and means to work on the supra, mod it, or whatever. He already has two Z31 300ZX's, and would probably use my car on the days he doesnt want or can't drive his Nissans.

My car:
-1986.5 --little old, starting to hint at that fact.
-Black, still looks good, could look better. Still beats lots of cars and gets compliments when it's clean.
-sentimental attachment, first car blah blah. I love my car. yep.
-113k miles
-21-23mpg at best
-N/A
-5 speed
-Has been wrecked and straightened professionally, I didn't even know for sure until I found a straightened fold under the rear seats
-Good tread on Kumho's stickiest All-season tires
-Just ordered new brake pads (from the same friend offering the trade, actually)
-I replaced the headgasket. Seems fine after at least 4k miles. Light drop in coolant, so perhaps a small leak? Not sure. I romp on it time to time and it doesn't blow up.
-Eats a little oil, I feed about one quart a month and keep it one quart over.
-bad seals on driver window, and I have very carefully used black electrical tape to seal the rear hatch glass. (SERIOUSLY I did this so carefully you can't tell, unless you get up close and poke it with your finger. not even kidding.) I'd seal it but the tape worked and looked so good as a temp fix, I completely forgot about it until just now.
-I've had to repair the crankshaft keyway by hand, repair is holding fine but the engine, despite it's low milage for this age of car, is no peach. Fine! just not perfect.


Ford Taurus:
-2001 - still relatively new
-Boring as shit. Looks boring, probably drives boring. I retain no desire for one beyond the possibility of economy and reliability (looking for opinions on that).
-150k miles, 30-40k more than my car, in 14 fewer years.
-he claimed it gets 32mpg
-v6 engine
-Auto tranny (no 5spd option anyway, but for comparison here...)
-ABS (stupid drum brakes out back, big deal? probably not)
White (boring as all hell, maybe I could rattle can it 6 different vibrant colors with my eyes shut?)
He told me engine bay and interior are clean, dunno about the outside.
-I think he said it runs well. Just not being used, it's his younger sister's, but she just got a VW bug so she doesn't drive it anymore.

I'd be very tempted to: trade and drive the ford while I attempt to resell it, then buy a nicer daily driver that will keep me happy like the Supra does. Maybe find a clean JZ supra...SC300 or SC400, a quick honda...or ANYTHING that looks nicer than a Taurus. A freaking pickup even.

My buddy's Explorer just blew it's transfer case and has had other issues, so even though it's way different, i'm hesitant to go to Ford after I've learned so much about my supra. I hope I wouldn't need to, but if I had to work on the FWD V6...I'm guessing it would be a REAL bitch. I'd rather work on a broken supra than a broken taurus. that's assuming it will break though. They are service vehicles in some areas...suggesting they are reliable, or cheap, or both.

Any thoughts?
I have some but I'm going to sleep, and drive, on it. Definitely not REALLY interested yet, but wanted some opinions. Maybe my priorities warrant this. Time to move on and save some cash? (assuming this car will save me 10mpg)
 

SWD Fredester 3

Supramania Contributor
Apr 25, 2008
674
0
16
baltimore maryland
You might want to check with your insurance company to see what the difference in cost would be between your Supra and the Ford. If it costs you more to insure the Taurus balance that in relation to your fuel costs. It still might be better for you to stay with your Supra and be happy.
 

SupraMario

I think it was the google
Mar 30, 2005
3,467
6
38
38
The Farm
Really? A Taurus?....seriously if you're looking for DD, go spend a grand and buy a civic. It will last a LOT longer than the taurus, get better MPG, cost less to repair, and cost nothing to insure.

BTW...the guy is full of shit claiming 32 MPG...

My dads crapolier with a 4 banger gets around that and weighs 1/2 of what that taurus weighs.
 

honestabe

Happy as hell :D
Jan 15, 2006
3,713
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38
Mount Vernon, WA, USA
www.cardomain.com
I vote keep the Supra and buy a Geo Metro like I did. On a really bad tank I get 42 MPG. On a good tank I can get 52 MPG. You can pick one up like I did for $1200 max, depending on the year and condition. The best combo is the 3-cylinder 5-speed 2-door hatchback.
 

te72

Classifieds Moderator
Staff member
Mar 26, 2006
6,607
4
38
40
WHYoming
honestabe;1638500 said:
I vote keep the Supra and buy a Geo Metro like I did. On a really bad tank I get 42 MPG. On a good tank I can get 52 MPG. You can pick one up like I did for $1200 max, depending on the year and condition. The best combo is the 3-cylinder 5-speed 2-door hatchback.

Abe speaks the truth, get a REAL economy car if you're gonna do it. Now don't make me come back in this thread. ;)
 

honestabe

Happy as hell :D
Jan 15, 2006
3,713
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Mount Vernon, WA, USA
www.cardomain.com
Yup. You wouldn't save shit getting that Taurus. In 16000 miles I've saved about $1300 in gas alone by driving my Geo Metro vs. a 20 MPG car (which is about what your Supra gets). I get about 400 miles on a tank of gas, and it only costs me $25. Right now it costs me about $0.06 per mile to drive my Geo, where as your Supra is costing you about $0.13-15 per mile, if not more. Keep the Supra and buy a Geo Metro like I did and use that as a DD.
 

honestabe

Happy as hell :D
Jan 15, 2006
3,713
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Mount Vernon, WA, USA
www.cardomain.com
Yeah, but he wants to really save money. If he gets and AE86 we all know he'll want to mod it and drive it like it's designed to be driven, which will negate the purpose of getting it. The best way to do so is with Geo Metro. They're gutless and you can't do much to them.
 

benchwarmer

Straight Cougar
Aug 2, 2007
510
1
16
Lancaster, CA
88 Pulsar NX. Common as hell around here and makes a great commuter car. I loved mine, it was the most fun disposable car I've ever owned. Averaged 40 mpg on the highway, too.
 

honestabe

Happy as hell :D
Jan 15, 2006
3,713
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Mount Vernon, WA, USA
www.cardomain.com
You just have to know where to look. Every time someone tells me Supra's are hard to find I just laugh. I can find a dozen or more Supra's for sale right now since I know where to look (i.e. SupraMania, SupraForums, and other websites). If you only look on Craigslist and Autotrader you aren't going to find much. But if you expand your search to the forums that are specifically for the car you want.