Ten years ago today... I became a first time Supra owner

te72

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Kind of a milestone day for me guys. Ten years ago, December 7th, 2005, I dragged home my first Supra, an 88 NA hardtop auto. Was super clean overall, I only say "dragged" home, because it was -25 (as in, twenty five degrees below zero) that morning, and the radiator had exploded when the dealership I bought it from tried to warm it up. No, in case you were wondering, the irony in buying a Japanese car on the anniversary of Pearl Harbor wasn't lost on me back then, even at the young age of 22.

In ten years, I've had a daily driven Supra for 87 of the 120 months. This was across two Mk3's and one Mk2. If I had just put a new clutch in the 89 a couple years back, and kept driving it instead of yanking the engine for a build, I would be around 113 of 120 months. Not bad at all I'd say, for how "unreliable" project cars are. =)

Anyway, pics are always nice, right? Well here's a couple of the 88 that started this addiction:

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The Mk2... tossed a cheap stereo in it and maintained it, nothing special, but it never let me down:

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The 89 in its glory days:

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And, here's where I have ended up, ten years later, with a monster of an 87 that is patiently waiting on me to finish it in time for spring:

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Admittedly, not the most exciting picture, but I know my whole story behind the pics. What about you? I know there are a lot of you who have had your cars, or at least Supras in general, for years now. Any good stories to share in all that time that haven't already been posted?
 

ERA

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Cool! The Supra has been with me since 2006! So I'm coming up on 10 years as well.

No cool stories (the car sat for 4 of those years) but I never realized just how long its been around!

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te72

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ERA;2064989 said:
WAIT A MINUTE.

Is that your Supra going through the self checkout aisle at the Home Depot?!
I err... had to match up a bolt, and it was uhh... cold out. Yeah, let's stick with that. :p

suprahero;2065011 said:
Happy 10th Anniversary!!
Thanks Jay!

Nick M;2065013 said:
You know the G man, the original gangster indicated he picked his up new in 1987.
Talking about Grant (grandavi on here, I believe)? Or are you referring to someone else? Been a while since I frequented the forums...

Either way, original owners of just about any car earn my respect, simply for the dedication it takes to keep something that long.
 

300K91T

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Picked my 91T up from dealer in August 91. Last time I checked, 339,000 and still going. Daily driver. My son now has it for commute to school. Original everything....plus two head gaskets.
 

rhs

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I feel like I'll have mine for at least that long. I'm too deep to sell it and start a different project even after only 2 years.

Good stories? I could talk for hours about issues on my 1JZ swap in my back yard. Like the time I put the engine and transmission in, then realized I wasn't supposed to remove the shifter housing (just shifter). I definitely wasn't pulling the engine again so I dremeled the tunnel shifter hole bigger. Now a piece of cardboard covers that hole because I'm lazy. Custom.

Don't worry, it's a $650 chassis that had a wrecked front end and bad paint. Replacing the header panel is another long story...I'm using the car as a bit of a learning experience.
 
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GC89

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Now that you mention it I am coming up on 10 as well, summer of 2006. I was one when my car was sold thought so I didn't have the option to pick one up new. :D

Looking at it that way it's a little sad that after this last down stint its probably been on the road about half the time I have owned it.......................she deserves better.
 

emiliorescigno

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Sep 17, 2006
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I've owned a Supra continuously since April 2005, when I was 17 years old.

I still don't miss the first one, but damn did that car teach me a lot.
 

te72

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300K91T;2065022 said:
Picked my 91T up from dealer in August 91. Last time I checked, 339,000 and still going. Daily driver. My son now has it for commute to school. Original everything....plus two head gaskets.
That's rad, my hat is off to you man. She has obviously done your family well with that many miles on the clock.

rhs;2065026 said:
I feel like I'll have mine for at least that long. I'm too deep to sell it and start a different project even after only 2 years.

Good stories? I could talk for hours about issues on my 1JZ swap in my back yard. Like the time I put the engine and transmission in, then realized I wasn't supposed to remove the shifter housing (just shifter). I definitely wasn't pulling the engine again so I dremeled the tunnel shifter hole bigger. Now a piece of cardboard covers that hole because I'm lazy. Custom.

Don't worry, it's a $650 chassis that had a wrecked front end and bad paint. Replacing the header panel is another long story...I'm using the car as a bit of a learning experience.
Dude, I'm still learning about these cars, and I've literally torn my 87 completely apart and put it (mostly at this point) back together in my garage. I can tell you one thing, you'll figure out a lot of things that don't work well, if you're anything like me haha!

GC89;2065033 said:
Now that you mention it I am coming up on 10 as well, summer of 2006. I was one when my car was sold thought so I didn't have the option to pick one up new. :D

Looking at it that way it's a little sad that after this last down stint its probably been on the road about half the time I have owned it.......................she deserves better.
I was playing with Hot Wheels when my cars were new. Don't sweat it about having a car that has sat. Takes patience to stick with it, but trust me... that first time you fire it back up? It's a magical feeling.

Nick M;2065035 said:
Nah, Jetjock is the original gangster but that isn't what I meant by the G man.
Ahh, JJ... yeah, I recall him mentioning being an original owner now that you bring it up. As for the G-man comment, I smell what you're stepping in. ;)

emiliorescigno;2065039 said:
I've owned a Supra continuously since April 2005, when I was 17 years old.

I still don't miss the first one, but damn did that car teach me a lot.
Man, I wish I had a car as fun as a Supra (not necessarily a Supra) when I was 17... I didn't have a real cool car until I had been driving for 5 or 6 years.

As for my first Supra... I never should have sold it. I would have been a good 10-12k further ahead of the budget had I not gotten sidetracked with the lure of easy power out of the 89 turbo I bought... that then blew up, requiring a Mk2 purchase for a daily, then putting a 1j in the 89... Little lesson for those of you on the fence, with a project in mind, and the temptation of another car:

Sometimes it is just cheaper to stick with what you have if you know what you really want out of your car. ;)