Possible Newbie Here (Buying a Supra)

[Medrivfast]

Wow, that was an extensive reply. I thank You. But, as for the Supra. Are there any problems i need to look for as in a leaky Targa top? Or certain rattles that only these Supras do?

[Isphius]

Nope. Luxury sports car (grand touring)= well soundproofed cabin, And very stiff body, So they dont squeak or rattle much. Very very well made cars. Youll notice the difference between a cheap car and a supra in the rain too. You can hardly hear the rain hitting the roof. No leaks i know of are common, So you should be ok. And if it does leak its only 2 pretty flat seams unlike a convertible or t-tops.

[theWeezL]

Well model specific, yes the Supra Targa does tend to leak. However the leak is fixable and usually doesnt require any new parts, just some silicone caulking. Supra's are also prone to leaks at the bottom of the rear hatch glass. The seal gets worn out, and water starts to leak in to the rear hatch where it collects. From there it usually rusts out the clips holding the the rear hatch panel on, and then ends up down in the spare tire well rusting that out as well. Pull out the spare tire and look for serious rust on the floor there.

Aside from the already mentioned head gasket, the motors are pretty strong, but also already mentioned the power steering leak issues. Also the valve cover gaskets tend to leak and leave oil in the spark plug galley. Alot of time you can just tighten the screws down and get rid of the leaks.

The suspensions are pretty solid in the Supra, and I rarely see problems with them beyond needing new shocks. If the car is seriously abused it is possible it could need ball joints or even a steering rack.

Lastly, the 2 piece drive shafts are always abused and forgotten about. The carrier bearing usually needs replacing, and runs about $60 IIRC.

I think that about covers model specific issues, good luck!

[Murd]

front end bushings is also something to look at. You'll see a few posts about people hearing a thunk when turning fully to the left or right. Usually a bushing is shot, or a ball joint.

[Medrivfast]

Well i looked and drove it today. It had 133,000 miles on it. The CEL was on. I smelled something comming from the engine when i was at the stop light right after i got off the freeway. It kinda smelled like the engine was going to start over-heating. But the temp guage never moved. That scared me though. The car hasn't been registered for over a year and it still needed to be smogged.

I know 133k miles isn't much for this year of car. But it is much for a stock turbo. I don't beleive the turbo was working at all. Because this car was really and i mean really slow. I read that this car should do 0-60 in 6.6 seconds. But i figured it was old and that # should be in the mid 7's. Lets just say my Scion XB (auto) seemed faster than this Supra.

I'm not going to judge all supras like this one. If i do find a Supra than you guys will be the second to now. (Wife is first LOL)

I thank you all for your help.

[dcrusupra]

Thread stickied for one hell of a write up about what to look for when buying a Supra.

[Jeff_5_7]

i always check head gasket at 1st on supras i check the oil good color not milky and start it and hold your hand at the end of the exhasut to see ifu can feel steam thats what happen to me when my headgasket went out the water went throught the cylinders and out the exhasut

[mk3supra909]

either get it and swap the engine thats what im doing just blowing my engine till i get it done lol i have an 88 targa top leaks do happen mostly trunk sometime with the driver window but only wen washing buy the rear area not hrorrible either though if turbo engine is slower than auto scion its not right i smash on scions all day n/a and i have metal shavings in my oil pan cud be nothing but like i said im swaping so fuck it blow emmm up lol trunk will have rust if it leaks though youll know just look well also your gonna wanna make sure you get the top tool if not it will be a slight bitch to get its a t40 star key i belive mayb will help a lil i didnt get mine wish i did but fuck it also it does squeak after a while unless you keep the top very tight or a lil belt dressing mayb wich i feel is a lil better dont want the top flying off right also i almost forgot be sure you driver seat electrical works if you care i dont but kinda did had it for a week ploped down in my seat one day high as shit and crack snapped the gear for lifting the seat if that is good them no fat men drove the car

Originally Posted by Medrivfast

Well i looked and drove it today. It had 133,000 miles on it. The CEL was on. I smelled something comming from the engine when i was at the stop light right after i got off the freeway. It kinda smelled like the engine was going to start over-heating. But the temp guage never moved. That scared me though. The car hasn't been registered for over a year and it still needed to be smogged.

I know 133k miles isn't much for this year of car. But it is much for a stock turbo. I don't beleive the turbo was working at all. Because this car was really and i mean really slow. I read that this car should do 0-60 in 6.6 seconds. But i figured it was old and that # should be in the mid 7's. Lets just say my Scion XB (auto) seemed faster than this Supra.

I'm not going to judge all supras like this one. If i do find a Supra than you guys will be the second to now. (Wife is first LOL)

I thank you all for your help.

[Toyota Fan]

A lot of people tryed to sell me supra turbos with fucked up turbos or they ran too much boost and screwed up the engine bad gotta be really careful and inspect it mostly just ask a ton of questions and see what there running the boost settings at if they ran it stock it should be fine also check the car for frame damage from drifting or crashing it

[dannydavi]

Originally Posted by Murd

front end bushings is also something to look at. You'll see a few posts about people hearing a thunk when turning fully to the left or right. Usually a bushing is shot, or a ball joint.

Hey this is actually happening to mine right now, so you say bushing or ball joint on the front end huh... how hard would those be to install by ones self do you think? and about how much would it cost me...