Is an Mkiii the right car for me?

[19supra90]

I've had my car since my junior year in high school, now I'm 21 and it's still my DD. Its a great fun car, keeping it well maintained. It has always been reliable for me except in the winter. Definitely terrible to drive in the winter. Kept it stock till about a couple years ago. All I've done to mine is whats in my sig, and I've lowered it. Great car to drive, If you have a secondary car to drive then I would say go for it! Because you never know if a situation comes whether it's because of weather conditions or if it breaks down on you. But if not I would say get something you can drive all year round with no worries. If you do end up getting a MKIII this is the best community to help you learn about it. I find myself reading things for hours on end because there is a lot of knowledge from people's actual experiences and their know how. In short if you can drive it reliably all year round then go for it, if not maybe get something you know will get you back and forth to school.

 

[Orion ZyGarian]

I'm guessing you're not big on reading walls of text. Here's some quick important tips:

Do not try to keep a turbo Supra running through college. More people that have been there will tell you NOT to than anyone else. Take it from me: don't do it. As TE72 said, strongly consider a Miata. There are many parts in my life that I wonder how different things would be if I took a different path. One of my best "life decisions" is garaging my Supra and getting a Miata (or two, like me) as a daily beater. I've spent much more on the Miata, and even though it still needs a few things, I never have to worry about whether or not I'll get to where I want to go on time.

Or if you're really lazy, to answer your original question, no.

 

[MendigoMkIII]

I'm guessing you're not big on reading walls of text. Here's some quick important tips:

Do not try to keep a turbo Supra running through college. More people that have been there will tell you NOT to than anyone else. Take it from me: don't do it. As TE72 said, strongly consider a Miata. There are many parts in my life that I wonder how different things would be if I took a different path. One of my best "life decisions" is garaging my Supra and getting a Miata (or two, like me) as a daily beater. I've spent much more on the Miata, and even though it still needs a few things, I never have to worry about whether or not I'll get to where I want to go on time.

Or if you're really lazy, to answer your original question, no.

So you're saying it will cost me hundreds a month just to keep a stock supra running?

 

[MendigoMkIII]

You can never be too sure, I've seen plenty of people that wanted an Mk4 and just got the Mk3 to settle. I know a guy right now who in a year's time has been through 4 mk3's because he is never actually happy it when he get them, now he has a '92 turbo mk3 and Im hoping he doesn't do anything stupid I will probably just buy it off him >. My point if you settle, it creates a nasty cycle of debt and disappointment. With the money this guy has spent, he could bought an Mk4 and had extra left for modifications. If you get an Mk3, great welcome to the family....just be sure that's what you really want to do. Not saying you are one of those who will get the car to settle, that's just a good piece of advice. Just be sure to think twice before you make what could be an investment into an expense.

Thanks man I appreciate the advice, but about your friend.. why the hell did he go through four supras? xD If I stick my foot in water and get bit, there's no way in hell I'm doing it another three times LOL

 

[#04]

driving your dream car to college isn't as much fun as one might think..

parking WAY in the back .... everyday, hoping no dink parks next to you

the paranoia that goes with wondering if your car will be there after class, insurance is a joke up here... my college was on the main highway

getting burned for doing winter doughnuts in an empty lot with only 1 exit

sitting in class with an ignition ignitor pack on your desk....

 

[MkIII FTW]

Thanks man I appreciate the advice, but about your friend.. why the hell did he go through four supras? xD If I stick my foot in water and get bit, there's no way in hell I'm doing it another three times LOL

Well like I said, its a cycle. Instead of waiting to get what he wants he would rather keep buying and selling until he scores what he wants. He is probably over 10k in the hole from doing this over and over and that's without adding the supra he just bought. To tell you the honest truth your guess is as good as mine.

 

[MkIII FTW]

driving your dream car to college isn't as much fun as one might think..

parking WAY in the back .... everyday, hoping no dink parks next to you

the paranoia that goes with wondering if your car will be there after class, insurance is a joke up here... my college was on the main highway

getting burned for doing winter doughnuts in an empty lot with only 1 exit

sitting in class with an ignition ignitor pack on your desk....

^^^^ This guy....+1

 

[Grandavi]

My 2 cents?

If you got 3000 to put into a Mark3 (and are driven to actually buy this potential moneypit), then take your time. Make sure you have researched the warts.. there is a thread in here about what to know before buying a MK3 (cant find it.. but its here somewhere) ...
When you are comfortably knowledgable about the car.. go and hunt. Do NOT buy the first car you see... I usually start backwards on sale threads and look at the oldest posted ones (Kijiji or Craigslist.. w/e you hunt in) first and work up to the newest ones posted.
Keep in mind that if you see a car posted for over a month either something is wrong with it or the people that went to buy it didn't actually have cash. Cash is king.

But definitely take your time. I have scooped up Supras for very cheap (like I just did 3 days ago) because nobody had the cash handy and the seller was frustrated. But I have dealt with the warts and can identify most of the issues right away after dealing with them for 4-5 years. (have bought 6 MK3's to date)

Great car for 3000 if you get the right one. However.. dont pump money into it, because once you start.. the faucet doesnt turn off... lol. And keep in mind.. they suck fuel.
If you maintain it properly and slowly buy the cheap purdy upgrades (like floor mats and a steering wheel cover) you can be quite happy.. but dont expect a show car for under 20,000..

My strongest recommendation is that you avoid the car period. It isn't the right time for you. I wanted to buy my car back in 1986.. got it in 2008 instead. To date I have almost put as much money in it as I would have spent to buy it back in 88 when it was new. Love my Supra.. $$ is not an object cause I am almost 50 years old and have grandkids. Your starting out in life.. why would you want this elephant on your back? lol

Just some thoughts...

 

[te72]

How much does the miata cost in insurance? In my opinion owning two cars would be overkill while I'm in college.

In my experience, there are three major factors that play into most insurance policies:

-Theft rate
-Likelyhood of this car to be crashed by the driver
-Likelyhood of this car to cause massive amounts of damage when an accident does happen

Ironically enough, the insurance on my Mk3 when I had it and my 2000 Miata at the same time, the Supra was nearly just as much on insurance costs. They're built like tanks, so they fall into the third category for insurance pricing. All that said, my insurance was quite reasonable, all things considered, but I was also... 23-24ish when I had these cars.

Another thing to consider, the Miata is a completely different driving experience. My 2000 was just as fast as the Mk3 (NA) at everyday speeds (up to about 75mph), and would embarrass it in most corners, despite the suspension improvements done on my 88 Mk3. Plus the Miata would get 25mpg when I drove it like I stole it. The Supra... not so much. 18mpg was realistic.

Definitely terrible to drive in the winter.

If you have a secondary car to drive then I would say go for it!

I would wholeheartedly disagree with your first point, having driven these cars through at least 5 winters now, where it is not uncommon to see ice on the roads for days at a time and temps as low as -30°F...

However, on your second point, I agree 100%. If you have a second car, and ONLY if you have a second car, is owning a Supra a 'smart' thing to do.

So you're saying it will cost me hundreds a month just to keep a stock supra running?

Depends. I could probably spend $250 every month on keeping up with my car. If you were to average out what I've spent on my car over the 53 months I've owned it, it comes out to around $188 per month, and this is NOT counting ANY money spent on upgrades. This was just keeping the car running.

Of course, every situation will be different, but my situation isn't unrealistic either. Not to mention, a good portion of my costs came up in BULK. The last 34 months have been pretty much drama free for the most part.

As TE72 said, strongly consider a Miata. There are many parts in my life that I wonder how different things would be if I took a different path. One of my best "life decisions" is garaging my Supra and getting a Miata (or two, like me) as a daily beater. I've spent much more on the Miata, and even though it still needs a few things, I never have to worry about whether or not I'll get to where I want to go on time.

I have two "car" regrets:
-Selling my 88 Supra
-Trading my 2000 Miata for the SS Crapmaro I bought.

If I had kept that Miata, there is a good chance it would at the very least be a 300hp turbo car, and if not, it may have been powered by an LS of some sort by now. They are STUPIDLY cheap to make faster and or more capable. Check out Flyinmiata.com sometime, browse through their projects and catalog. As good a community as us Supra folks have, we still don't have a vendor on the level of FM, and that isn't to say anything bad about any Supra vendor, it is just that FM is THAT good at what they do.

The one and only time something on my Miata broke, it was the transmission, and it was in a way that the guys at FM had never heard of in their nearly 20 years (at that time) of experience with the cars, so mine was a bit of a fluke...

driving your dream car to college isn't as much fun as one might think..

parking WAY in the back .... everyday, hoping no dink parks next to you

the paranoia that goes with wondering if your car will be there after class, insurance is a joke up here... my college was on the main highway

sitting in class with an ignition ignitor pack on your desk....

Heh, this guy knows what is up. If you have a nice one, you worry about it when you're not in it... it really is a double edged sword.

My 2 cents?

Is worth more like $20.00 these days. Listen to this guy. If anyone knows what it takes, patience and budget wise to own a Supra, this would be well worth your time to listen VERY carefully to this guy, he's seen a lot of what this world has to offer.

 

[Orion ZyGarian]

So you're saying it will cost me hundreds a month just to keep a stock supra running?

Honestly, yes, it can. Gas, insurance, plus the maintenance that it needs...ignition, cooling, head gasket, oil change, etc. It all adds up

 

[Orion ZyGarian]

Another thing to consider, the Miata is a completely different driving experience. My 2000 was just as fast as the Mk3 (NA) at everyday speeds (up to about 75mph), and would embarrass it in most corners, despite the suspension improvements done on my 88 Mk3. Plus the Miata would get 25mpg when I drove it like I stole it. The Supra... not so much. 18mpg was realistic.

I dont know what people do to Miatas that make them get as little as a modern SUV...I never dip below 31 mpg. I drove it to an auto-x and back, and still got 29. 33-35 is my average.

However, on your second point, I agree 100%. If you have a second car, and ONLY if you have a second car, is owning a Supra a 'smart' thing to do.

Words of wisdom

If I had kept that Miata, there is a good chance it would at the very least be a 300hp turbo car, and if not, it may have been powered by an LS of some sort by now. They are STUPIDLY cheap to make faster and or more capable. Check out Flyinmiata.com sometime, browse through their projects and catalog. As good a community as us Supra folks have, we still don't have a vendor on the level of FM, and that isn't to say anything bad about any Supra vendor, it is just that FM is THAT good at what they do.

The FM guys really have their s*t together and know what they're doing...and have for years and years. That said, I do feel that sometimes their prices are a bit more than other vendors. Still, they do have some that nobody else really does.

 

[slowmedown]

dont settle on a MKIII if you want a MKIV. get that degree and get a good job then buy the car you wanted from the get go. buy a MKIII cause you WANT a MKIII

 

[MendigoMkIII]

My 2 cents?

If you got 3000 to put into a Mark3 (and are driven to actually buy this potential moneypit), then take your time. Make sure you have researched the warts.. there is a thread in here about what to know before buying a MK3 (cant find it.. but its here somewhere) ...
When you are comfortably knowledgable about the car.. go and hunt. Do NOT buy the first car you see... I usually start backwards on sale threads and look at the oldest posted ones (Kijiji or Craigslist.. w/e you hunt in) first and work up to the newest ones posted.
Keep in mind that if you see a car posted for over a month either something is wrong with it or the people that went to buy it didn't actually have cash. Cash is king.

But definitely take your time. I have scooped up Supras for very cheap (like I just did 3 days ago) because nobody had the cash handy and the seller was frustrated. But I have dealt with the warts and can identify most of the issues right away after dealing with them for 4-5 years. (have bought 6 MK3's to date)

Great car for 3000 if you get the right one. However.. dont pump money into it, because once you start.. the faucet doesnt turn off... lol. And keep in mind.. they suck fuel.
If you maintain it properly and slowly buy the cheap purdy upgrades (like floor mats and a steering wheel cover) you can be quite happy.. but dont expect a show car for under 20,000..

My strongest recommendation is that you avoid the car period. It isn't the right time for you. I wanted to buy my car back in 1986.. got it in 2008 instead. To date I have almost put as much money in it as I would have spent to buy it back in 88 when it was new. Love my Supra.. $$ is not an object cause I am almost 50 years old and have grandkids. Your starting out in life.. why would you want this elephant on your back? lol

Just some thoughts...

Thanks. For the record I meant I have around 3000 to put into the Mkiii after I purchase one. And the more time that goes by the higher that number gets. From your experience, how much do you think it'll cost to get the head gasket replaced on the 7M upon buying it? And I mean with today's prices not the prices from a couple years ago.

 

[Orion ZyGarian]

If you're not working on it yourself, then I strongly recommend passing up this opportunity. Save it up, suck it up, find something else to do, whatever you need. Many people here have cars that spend more time down than up, and I'm certainly no exception. I bought mine at 15 years old, ran it for a strong 6 months, then decided it was smarter to not dump tons of money (which I didnt have anyways) into it.

Only now, about 7 years later, do I finally feel financially comfortable enough to throw money into that bottomless pit. Every day I miss driving it, I miss the sounds, the comfort, the fun, the torque, everything. If you dont get caught up in that, you save yourself plenty of trouble. It might be tough to be subjective about it, it certainly was for me, but many of us have been there, man.

 

[Grandavi]

You dont need to repalce a headgasket on a 7M upon buying it. If you do, its not a simple replacement.. you have to deck and lap the block and head. It has to be a very precise smoothness (I dont know the exact measurement.. but if you have to ever do this.. I have a lot of info I can pop your way regarding it). Plus.. if the headgasket was shot for some time, the gases eat (etch) into the block and you have to shave it. Now.. add on top of that a possibly cracked or warped head, usually problems with the exhaust manifold.. etc.. etc.. and once you start its really hard to stop.
You can rebuild a 7MGTE for roughly 3000-5500, but to do it "properly" you should spend over 10,000. (balance, porting the head, etc.. etc.. again... etc.. )

Bottom line is that the car is rock solid when done correctly and not getting the shit kicked out of it. Most people in these forums want their Supras "optimum" so spend an exhorbitant amount of time on their car and each individual aspect. Its a labor of love.
So... having said that... I bought my 1990 for a fairly low price (3 days ago) and its a red 7MGTE MK3 with a targa and its automatic (first I have bought not a 5 speed). My intention with this car is solely to do small things to make it better. Simple things.. cheap things. In the end, I will double my money on this car, but its because I recognized what it was, what its issues were, and paid less then what I should. All because I watch every day for anything Supra. Its an addiction.. lol.

You do NOT need to slap 3000 into a Supra. The question is... how much do you have to purchase one?

 

[MendigoMkIII]

You dont need to repalce a headgasket on a 7M upon buying it. If you do, its not a simple replacement.. you have to deck and lap the block and head. It has to be a very precise smoothness (I dont know the exact measurement.. but if you have to ever do this.. I have a lot of info I can pop your way regarding it). Plus.. if the headgasket was shot for some time, the gases eat (etch) into the block and you have to shave it. Now.. add on top of that a possibly cracked or warped head, usually problems with the exhaust manifold.. etc.. etc.. and once you start its really hard to stop.
You can rebuild a 7MGTE for roughly 3000-5500, but to do it "properly" you should spend over 10,000. (balance, porting the head, etc.. etc.. again... etc.. )

Bottom line is that the car is rock solid when done correctly and not getting the shit kicked out of it. Most people in these forums want their Supras "optimum" so spend an exhorbitant amount of time on their car and each individual aspect. Its a labor of love.
So... having said that... I bought my 1990 for a fairly low price (3 days ago) and its a red 7MGTE MK3 with a targa and its automatic (first I have bought not a 5 speed). My intention with this car is solely to do small things to make it better. Simple things.. cheap things. In the end, I will double my money on this car, but its because I recognized what it was, what its issues were, and paid less then what I should. All because I watch every day for anything Supra. Its an addiction.. lol.

You do NOT need to slap 3000 into a Supra. The question is... how much do you have to purchase one?

You got me at "Most people in these forums want their Supras "optimum" so spend an exhorbitant amount of time on their car and each individual aspect. Its a labor of love." I certainly don't want my first experience with my Supra to be a negative one. To be honest, I was in a rush to buy a supra because I would always talk about how I was going to have one by the end of this year. I have the money to buy a running one. Then my two best friends got their 300zx TT and Mustang. I want to plan a big road trip but I'm still stuck with my Accord(which I absolutely HATE).
I went through the flyinmiata website and am starting to read through miata forums. It sounds like a fun car to drive which is all I care about. The only fun thing about my car is the stereo lol.
Anyway, as much as I want the car, I might have to wait considering my goal...

 

[Dan88t]

I'm not sure why everyone is always so negative about college kids and Supras here - I got my '88 turbo for $3500 in 1997 when I was 19 and daily drove it all the way thru college and my first few years in the "real world" putting a minimum of 50 miles per day on it throughout that whole time. I beat the crap out of it, did neutral drops (auto tranny), spun off into fields, and even had the wastegate shimmed to 10psi. Only real mods I had were lower springs, fipk, and gutted cats at the time.
I did have to replace the headgasket once in the first year of owning it - me and my dad did the job in a weekend in the garage and the car ran pretty much flawless until I bought a new car in 2004.
Granted, we're talking cars that are another decade older now, but change the oil, pay attention to the car so you see problems coming before they're a problem and the Supra, like most Toyotas, is a perfectly dependable car.
Sorry for the little rant but it bugs me that even our own community basically calls the Mk3 junk, I hear enough about what a crap car it is from idiots racing around town in their mustangs and hondas...

(I admit tho, now that I'm old and my Mk3 is my toy and not my daily driver it's so much more fun to tinker and mod it without worrying about a ride to work the next day)

 

[Grandavi]

Very true about us sounding like the MK3 is a piece of crap, but I think its because most want lofty things for our cars and normally the happy people dont talk much.

I think it can probably be said that everyone of us love our MK3's, but because we are looking at them so closely, we are worried about all the little things that can happen over a 5-10 year period (or in some cases... 1 month) and we tend to clump it in our brains. Its usually a large pile.. but face it.. if we didn't "love" our cars, we wouldnt be here. It is an excellent car and a lot of people want it for a reason.

Now.. having said that... I usually see about 10-15 MK3's for sale in a year that I will go look at out of curiousity and only 2 of them are a car I would buy. We are at the 25 year range for most of these and anything that can be done to them (bad maintenance, hard driving, etc). The rust has really taken hold in most of them in my area so the car isn't nearly what it was 10 years ago.

The bulk of people on this forum are not the "Majority" of MK3 owners. They are just the vocal ones here. Because of that, most here will try to speak precisely and guide people to "do it right". I have owned Corollas, Celicas, Cressidas and Supras. None of those cars have ever disappointed me, but the Supra is the only one I wanted to actually build and baby because: a. its a rare beauty b. it has the most potential of any car I have owned so far c. its Quality.

Therefore... yes.. we tend to warn about the bad more than praise the good (which is why I usually jump when people say.. "well.. your gonna have to do the HG.. keep it in mind". I haven't done a HG yet and have owned 6 MK3s now. Only 2 have had engine problems but I bought them that way.

keep in mind.. the OP stated a desire for 500 HP (which to me means rwhp). idk.. but I think when I hear that, larm bells go off simply because you can start down that road and lose everything. I personally rarely think about the success side.

Is that a bad thing? Probably... but it is fairly realistic. There is no 10 year old MK3 anymore... the youngest is 20 years. (thats why I wondered how much he had to spend on a MK3). You can buy a 500 rwhp MK3 for 4000-10,000 that have been built properly. You just need to hunt. (originally, I thought he was starting out with 3000.00 to spend on buying a MK3.. as I misread the Original post).

I love my Supra MK3. I have bought 6 of them. There's a reason for that.

 

[Dan_Gyoba]

For the record, I would say the same about anything that I'd term a "sports car" (Which ranges from a Gran Touring to Muscle to factory race prepped.) Particularly one that's 20+ years old.

All of these cars require maintenance, all of them will have unexpected expenses pop up.

Sure, I was a younger guy, just barely out of school and carrying a student loan when I bought my '89. The difference is that I bought it in Feb, 1996. That made my car just 7 years old. There's a world of difference between a 7 year old car and a 20 year old car in terms of expected maintenance, and unexpected surprises. Currently is is not possible to own a 7 year old Supra, of ANY generation, unless you own a certain DeLorean. Even if you find a 1998 model, it'll be 15 years old!

(Side note, I've only had 4 anniversaries of buying my car to date. Guess what that date was!)

Also, the 500HP mark, even if you're talking about crank, on the 7M is a spendy proposition. $3k isn't going to do it unless a LOT of people owe you BIG favors. I've spent more than that at Driftmotion alone, and I started off owning the 60-1 turbo, 3" exhaust, 560cc injectors, Lexus AFM, Spearco replica IC, Aeromotive AFPR, Walbro fuel pump, stage 3 clutch, and a bunch of other goodies to help along the way.

For reliability, my 20 year old DD is a bone stock Nissan Stanza. It's low mileage, and was meticulously cared for, but it has its share of issues, and costs me money in maintenance. That car wasn't driven like a guarantee you that a Supra has, no matter who owned it. I'm also prepared for it coming up with something that will be a big "gotcha." Lots of things that can go wrong with a car that age. I can deal with that now. I couldn't while I was in school. In school I drove cars worth $500 or less, and if something major went wrong, I was prepared to have it hauled away for scrap, and buy something else. The other way to go there would have been to own something less than 10 years old, where the likelihood of something major going wrong was much lower. (But I've always loved working on old cars, and my '76 Celica survived until after graduation.)

 

[te72]

Honestly, yes, it can. Gas, insurance, plus the maintenance that it needs...ignition, cooling, head gasket, oil change, etc. It all adds up

Depending on your commute, $100-200 in fuel alone isn't unrealistic at all.

OP, have you read that thread in my signature yet?

I dont know what people do to Miatas that make them get as little as a modern SUV...I never dip below 31 mpg. I drove it to an auto-x and back, and still got 29. 33-35 is my average.

Gutted cat, a check engine light (probably related), and driving with my foot on the loud pedal as often as I could... not too hard, but I think mine was running a bit rich. Like I said, worst case scenario. High 20's is pretty normal.

Thanks. For the record I meant I have around 3000 to put into the Mkiii after I purchase one. And the more time that goes by the higher that number gets. From your experience, how much do you think it'll cost to get the head gasket replaced on the 7M upon buying it? And I mean with today's prices not the prices from a couple years ago.

All depends. Another thing nobody has mentioned is the "snowball" factor.

You got me at "Most people in these forums want their Supras "optimum" so spend an exhorbitant amount of time on their car and each individual aspect. Its a labor of love." I certainly don't want my first experience with my Supra to be a negative one. To be honest, I was in a rush to buy a supra because I would always talk about how I was going to have one by the end of this year. I have the money to buy a running one. Then my two best friends got their 300zx TT and Mustang. I want to plan a big road trip but I'm still stuck with my Accord(which I absolutely HATE).
I went through the flyinmiata website and am starting to read through miata forums. It sounds like a fun car to drive which is all I care about. The only fun thing about my car is the stereo lol.
Anyway, as much as I want the car, I might have to wait considering my goal...

Don't rush into buying any car, you will regret it. Trust me on that one, been there once before with the SS I had. :nono:

However, a Supra does make an ideal road trip car, that much is true.

As for the Miata, it is nearly impossible to not have fun when driving one. That, and they will teach you how to be a better driver. Unlike some cars, they do not mask poor driving, they will call you out on it (at relatively safe speeds I might add), and thump you on the nose like you're a puppy in training. The only thing about a Miata that I've EVER heard even a single complaint about is the looks. Some guys just can't handle them, think they're for girls, think you're gay for driving it, etc, etc, etc. In all the miles I put on mine, I was too busy having fun to give even a single shit about any of that.

In fact, I took a muscle car nutswinger friend for a drive in my car one day. Let him drive first, on roads he knew. When we got back, I traded him seats, and proceeded to make him panic and think we were going off the road... the things handle THAT good once you learn to drive them. I can't think of a better first sports car to have, to be honest. Wish I would have been able to get into one when I was just out of high school...

Anyway, best thing I can suggest, keep an eye on the market, and test drive a few examples of each. You may find that your dream car is just "meh" in the end anyway, or find that it just isn't a good fit for you. I had that happen with the Camaro I bought.

Granted, we're talking cars that are another decade older now, but change the oil, pay attention to the car so you see problems coming before they're a problem and the Supra, like most Toyotas, is a perfectly dependable car.
Sorry for the little rant but it bugs me that even our own community basically calls the Mk3 junk, I hear enough about what a crap car it is from idiots racing around town in their mustangs and hondas...

(I admit tho, now that I'm old and my Mk3 is my toy and not my daily driver it's so much more fun to tinker and mod it without worrying about a ride to work the next day)

It is also about how many owners the cars have been neglected by at this point too... You could get lucky and have a great car that gives you no trouble at all, or you could be buying into a car that has been abused and a money pit in the waiting, you know? I've had both types of Supras. Still love them though.