Selling 89 Turbo MK3, what's it worth?

[trevor217]

I sadly decided recently it's time I let my Supra go. It's an '89 Turbo MK3 with R154 trans, has 160,000 miles, and clearly needs a new engine or at very least a major overhaul. The body has several bad rust areas. The trunk rusted out pretty badly from a rear hatch leak and it has several other major rust areas (around both rear wheel wells, driver's side of rear hatch). Car has had basic maintenance (oil changes, brakes, belts, spark plugs/wires, etc), and I've owned it for about 10 years (2nd owner). Never really beat the crap out of it, and had it since it was at 77,000 miles. I wasn't sure if I should post this here or in the marketplace, but figured I'd ask a few questions before I do post it there.

Anyways, what should I look to get for my old Supra?

Thanks,
Trevor

[pandrade]

a good 7mgte whith about 100k miles whith ok interior/ exterior iv seen go for about 2000-3000 thats whith working ac but thats my local pricings, i would estimate 1700 since you say it needs a compleate rebuild and alot of rust, now what you can squizze out of you avaradge person is all in your bartering

[cre]

Originally Posted by trevor217

I wasn't sure if I should post this here or in the marketplace, but figured I'd ask a few questions before I do post it there.

Feelers aren't supposed to be posted in the classified ads section. You've chosen wisely.

Originally Posted by trevor217

Anyways, what should I look to get for my old Supra?

There's a lot of information missing here and really, even with more info I really couldn't say without looking at it myself. Body damage is a huge hit for most buyers (and rightly so, it's VERY expensive and even if you do it yourself is a lot of work and requires a lot of space). If the body is rough and the drivetrain is rough don't be surprised if you get as little as $500. I bought an N/A which needed a front fender and door (both of which were bought for a total of $80 used) for a whopping $300.

Don't get me wrong though. I'd start out asking $1500... doesn't hurt to ask and if you have time to wait you might just get it. This is the season that these really sell in Northern areas (no one wants on in winter and they sell for pennies here in the winter).

Post some photos. Has the head gasket ever been replaced? Have you cone a compression test? How to the spark plugs read? Why do you say it needs an overhaul? Look in the FAQ section for information on checking diagnostic codes and let us know if any are present.

[trevor217]

Thanks for the input! I'll post pics tomorrow when I get a chance. More info:

Haven't changed head gasket.

I did compression test a while ago, though I'm not sure if I did it correctly. At least 2 cylinders were under 100 psi as I recall. The car was running decent at the time, smooth idle and no stalling or anything.

Haven't checked spark plugs in a while, though they were changed about a year or so ago. They were changed after I had found oil in a couple of the spark plug wells (middle pair and rear pair of plug's wells). I added oil plug gaskets where the #3 cylinder head gasket was and it stopped the leak into those wells.

Last time I checked codes about 6 months ago, there were no codes coming up.

I figure I'll probably post it on Craigslist and here for $1500 and see how it goes...

Thanks for your input, CRE. I've been reading your insightful posts for years and have learned much about these cars through your postings...

[907mge]

It is sad but most mk3s I see on craigs list are worth more in parts than as a whole. I bought an 87 turbo/manual without an engine for 500 and made 1700 in profit. It was a rust bucket but when you figure out a rusty mk3 with no engine is still worth 2200 it gives you something to think of. The only positive to the car was a decent interior.

[cre]

Originally Posted by trevor217

Thanks for the input! I'll post pics tomorrow when I get a chance. More info:

Haven't changed head gasket.

I did compression test a while ago, though I'm not sure if I did it correctly. At least 2 cylinders were under 100 psi as I recall. The car was running decent at the time, smooth idle and no stalling or anything.

Compression tests need to be done while the engine is as warm as possible. Older engine which have excellent sealing surfaces may report VERY low when cold but come in near perfect when warm. Worth checking as being able to provide honest numbers if a buyer asks may mean another $100 or $200 in your pocket.

Originally Posted by trevor217

Thanks for your input, CRE. I've been reading your insightful posts for years and have learned much about these cars through your postings...

Thanks, I'm glad I could help. I'm always accepting tips. I'm sorry you need to move on but hey, I did too. Haven't owned a MKIII Supra in a couple years now and no longer take take on jobs for people who own them... I've had enough of fixing problems that other people started and man do people do amazing work when it comes to hacking these cars up.