Some advice needed!!

[Suprated]

Hi there guys, I have introduced myself in the appropriate room and jumped straight in at the deep end with some questions!!

There is a Supra that I have been offered but I am unsure wether or not to go for it as there are a few bad points and Ive never had one before so don't know if the good points outweigh the bad points!! Any help would be very very much appreciated

Ok so it is a mk3 Auto, here is the advert;

""very good condition black 3.0i turbo auto supra original condition apart from hks boost gauge, new hks head gasket set inc head, hks turbo timer, gas flowed and ported head,uprated turbo now has 300bhp, taxed march 2010 and tested march 2010 very good all round condition""

Ive spoken to the guy, it has 96000 miles and has been lowered. It looks very nice and there is no rust. It has been resprayed but its not a great job apparently there are a few funny patches. It is also Cat C insurance loss as someone ripped the bumper and an oil cooler off on a speed bump but it was all repaired and checked and re mot'd and has been through 3 mot's since. It has no rust underneath and has apparently had a HKS headgasket fitted and an american spec (?) turbo.

I dont have enough cash to buy the best I can, and I do love these cars, does it seem ok to you guys? What does the spec sound like to you guys? Are they truly terrible on the fuel? Would it be a good commuting car? I do 12 miles a day to work and back.

Thankyou very much for reading and I hope you can answer my questions.

 

[gaboonviper85]

Sounds like an awesome car!

As far as daily driving, they are "decent" on gas aslong as you stay out of boost...they handle very well but you
must be very careful in wet/snowy roads as the rear end breaks loose easily.

I'd buy it in a heartbeat if it's as good as you say.

 

[gaboonviper85]

Another thing...if you don't have a steady flow of decent cash then a 20 year old sports car isn't for you...these cars are great but they are old and will need constant attention.

 

[taka21]

Another thing...if you don't have a steady flow of decent cash then a 20 year old sports car isn't for you...these cars are great but they are old and will need constant attention.

+1
if you have the time and money to invest in it its a great car
it seems like most of the basics have been taken care of for you.
i would go for it

 

[Poodles]

Any pics?

 

[MKIIISupraGuy]

any pics?

+ 10,000..lol

 

[NewWestSupras]

These cars are cool money pits. Keep a huge bag of cash for "just in case" , if you buy. Pics would be awesome! gl.

 

[Suprated]

I do have a steady cash flow Im used to having to spend out on a car as I have a Ford Capri that Ive built with a CA18DET from a 200sx but that broke and is 'resting' in the garage, I just dont want a car thats going to cost me shed loads. I want the supra as a cool reliable daily cruiser, hence why Im interested in this one as its had the head gasket done! Are the mods that have been done to this car recommended ones? Its also had a colour change and the interior replaced for leather, Id prefer the cloth/velour interior really but I guess I could just buy a new interior at some point. Im not really an auto kind of chap, how well do these transfer the power delivery? Are they good cruisers? I dont mind the fuel consumptuion as long as its above 20 mpg, is that possible to attain through daily sensible driving?

 

[radiod]

If you drive it nicely and all your emissions/sensor stuff is hooked up properly, I've been able to get 20 - 24mpg on a tank in my own car. If you drive the nuts off the car I've had as low gas mileage as 8mpg, but that's pretty much track driving. I've honestly never driven an auto supra, so someone else will have to chime in on that one.

 

[Koenigturbo]

These cars are cool money pits. Keep a huge bag of cash for "just in case" , if you buy. Pics would be awesome! gl.

This is why my Supra is not my commuter car...:naughty:

 

[BOOSTEDSUPRA]

totally ding up dome pics. and as far as it being a money pit...that is kinda a loaded statment.

replace the 20+ year old hoses, fix ANY boost/vacuume leaks, make sure the wiring is up to par, and ive commuted in mine for the last 4 years. i started putting used or autozone parts on it and it went down hill from there. im just now finishing with the replacement of all toyota parts and sensors, and should be good.

also there are alot of little tid bits on here that are prevenative maintanence shall we call it, like making grounds better, better torqe specs. i.e.= ignighter ground upgrade. do these as well and i think from what you have described it should be a bad ass car!!

 

[Suprated]

Cool, thanks for the advice fellas, if I get it it will be next weekend so I will put pics up then. Unless I dont get it!

 

[Suprated]

Can I just ask, what sort of problems are these engines prone for? I know the BHG is a given due to factory torque settings but he reckons its been replaced. I found out that the oil cooler pipe burst and shed oil under the bottom of the car. He had the cooler fixed and replaced the oil and said there was no problem and no bad noises. It comes with no history but he says its had a metal headgasket and a cambelt a few thousand miles ago although on the pic of the cambelt I can see lines across it (the teeth) normally only visible when the cambelt is worn. What do you think? Here is a pic under the bonnet. Can anyone help shed some light on wether it would be a good buy or not? The pipes have been painted blue to look silicone hoses for some stupid reason. Im apprehensive of getting scuppered with another broken car that will cost me fortunes to fix! It sounds like he floors it a quite a lot too from what he says.

What do you think?

 

[mdr40z]

poor supra, it looks like he took decent care of the body but that engine is a no maintenance nightmare, wth, blue paint!?!?? omg

 

[Suprated]

Well, the chap who has it now has owned it twice, he sold it to a lad and that lad put leather interior in and painted the pipes, the guy who has it now did all the head work and gasket changes etc.. He knows what he's taking about it seems, and said the guy who he bought it from didnt! He's adamant that it runs great starts great and there are no problems its had a recent head gasket and oil change and a new auto box. Im a car valeter by trade so I can have it mint under the bonnet in about 15 minutes (including removing the paint!) What does that cambelt look like to you fellas? Other than the paint how does she look under the bonnet to you lot? Ive never had one so dont know if theres anything obviously wrong under there?
I dont know, I think Im fallin for it! Im lovin the idea of a powerful cruiser that looks so damn cool....

 

[Poodles]

Timing belt is easy to replace, and if it snaps no damage will be done.

 

[Suprated]

Oh awesome news, I was wondering if it was an interference engine or not Cheers dude.

 

[Suprated]

Ok so a turnaround of events, I didnt go for the black one but Im off to look at another one tomorrow, what can I check to make sure its a goodun? Its a 1991 3.0 Turbo Auto that appears to be standard apart from alloys. Are there any good ways I can make sure the motors good? Thanks you very much in advance :1zhelp: :icon_bigg

 

[mdr40z]

uh, compression test, smell transmission dipstick