gsmokez said:
thanks IJ but ive already seen that car and decided i dont want it but ill keep it in mind when i go to look at another one.
And grimjack how was it that you spent so much on your Supra? Did you driv eit rough all the time or something? What kind of mods did it have and what kind of model was itt?
No, I very rarely drive my car rough. I'm an old guy by now, and driving fast just doesn't have the sparkle it used to when I was still in my teens.
To give you an idea...
Virtually every hose will be hard and brittle. They may still work, but they will fail periodically. Many of those hoses, when they fail, cause catastrophic damage - any of the water lines will cause you to overheat, and that is problematic at best. If the accordian hose on the front of the turbo is broken, it can cause the engine to run badly lean and melt parts that shouldn't be melted.
So, I replaced every hose.
Same can be said of most of the plastic pieces. The engine undercover is going to be in sad shape, if it is even still there. Fan shroud for the radiator - you do NOT want one of these breaking on the car, I've seen this toast an engine several times. The coilpack cover will be severely brittle, again, if it's even in one piece to begin with.
The last owner had decent tires on it, but they were old. Old rubber starts to get stiff, and doesn't grip so well. So, I bought new tires.
I generally replace items like coolant, oil, oil filter, flush the brake lines, spark plugs, spark plug wires, etc, on all my cars when I buy them. It's worth it if only for the peace of mind, knowing that they have all been taken care of.
The sealed beam headlights that come with the car... well, they suck, plain and simple. I initially upgraded to Hella E code lights, which I eventually also upgraded to HID lights in the Hella housings.
The clutch master and slave cylinders are going to be near the end of their life expentancy - both of mine blew shortly after I purchased the car. I bet most of the owners here have run into the same problem.
The center console lid, steering wheel, shift knob, shifter boot, e-brake handle and boot are all old, badly cracked, and gummy. So, they all were repaired or replaced.
The stock stereo didn't work. Even if it did, it only played cassettes. Gee, that's useful. New stereo.
Various little bits are always broken - mine was the door lock bezels. The power window switches are often gone. I had to replace one of the windshield washer nozzles. My Cold Start Injector time switch is broken.
Virtually everyone who owns a Targa roof has to purchase new seals. Virtually everyone who owns a Supra needs new seals for the antenna and rear spoiler, too. Usually they need one for the rear hatch. Otherwise, the back end leaks, it fills the spare tire well with water, and rusts out the back end of the car.
Now, add in the usual engine issues - leaky intercoolers, turbos on their last legs, blown head gaskets, rod knock, oil leaks, coolant leaks, power steering leaks, air conditioning leaks, clogged catalytic converters, rusted out exhaust systems...
I could likely go on for quite some time. I'm dead serious when I say these are age issues, every car will have them.
Now on the other hand, if you buy a Supra for $5k, and plan ahead of time to sink another $15k into it over the next several years, AND accept the fact that it's not going to be a reliable daily driver for a good portion of that several years (and by ACCEPT, I mean, buy an AAA membership) you're going to end up with a car that has all the luxury and power of a $75k automobile for ~$20k.
AND you'll have a full set of tools, and you'll be an expert wrench handler on your car.
lolll