Good car?
 

I'm not sure if anyone's already made a thread about this, but I was looking for a car to buy as sort of a project car. I'm looking for a car that I can work on and have fun with and learn a few things on, but it's still a good daily driver and won't cost me a fortune so I was looking into buying an MK3 Supra. Just 'cause I really want a supra and I can't afford an MK4. haha. So I was just wondering if this was a good first car to work on and learn from, and still have fun with. Thanks.

it is,
i drove a cadillac b4 and ddnt learn that much from it

ever since i got my first supra,
its easy to work with
you got forums like this to ask when u need help
and its a beast after everything
so its a very good project
possiblities are endless

I would say not a good car to learn to work on. If you need to learn with a car, buy an older 4 cylinder/ rear drive car. With all the computer stuff and hard access even to even the spark plugs on the Supra's it can be frustrating.

I started with an MGB and worked up from there. I feel comfortable woking on the Supra because basically it is a car with all the same stuff as the MG, but much more complicated and much harder to get to many of the parts.

The group here is great for any info and help, so don't feel discouraged if you do buy the MK111 and run into problems. Just remember, even though it is close to 20 years old, it is a complicated car and will need to be maintained regularly!

Good luck

Russ

you know what tho,
thats jus what i like about this car
its an old car, so it still has sum classic feel to it
and yet it can as complicated as a new one

the car was beyond the years it was made

yeah but ill be honest maybe because its my first car i have ever worked or some other reason these cars are a bitch to work on. to get to a part you need to take off like 6 other things to get to it. dont get me wrong ill love this car forever its just hard to work on.

Nah...lol.. maybe you just need some motivation and a companion that has done the job before....... get some beer and a hooker..lol that'l do the trick..

Well, they are complex and if you don't have any mechanic experience or tools then I would not try to learn on a Supra. It is a nice car and like I said, I have owned 3 of them and working on them is as much of a bitch as working on any car, but it definately has it own unique and hard to get to items.

Just adjusting the valves is a long term project. You have to do it on the MK111's because they are solid, not hydraulic cams. Getting the valve covers off and deciding how to get to the shims and measuring them and then having the right replacements is just one routine that can go wrong easily without any good help.

Spark plugs in an aluminum head can turn into disaster with either a chance of cross threading or pullling out the threads with a stuck plug.

I don't mean to scare you away from getting a Supra. They are strong and fairly reliable cars, but unless you get one that has been well maintained, prepare yourself for a quick learning curve in routine maintanence. Buy one, but get a smaller, cheaper car, like an older Celica or Corrolla and learn to work on them first. They are great cars and there are still a lot of them around running and in the junkyards for parts.

It takes a while to build up the knowledge to work on cars. You need a place to work on it, tools and a good manual, along with all the help you will get from here, you will be on your way in no time.

Good luck

Russ

Well, I do have a 1990 Toyota Corolla that I've learned to do a lot of routine maintenance stuff and I'm gonna start to get into the more advanced stuff with. So I'm not totally stupid there haha. And hopefully, if things work out, I'll be able to keep my corolla as a daily driver just in case something goes wrong with the supra. Id just like to hear your opinions about the car.

this is my first car and i love that its my first car just a little tricky to work.

Pros...
It's a great car...was way ahead of it's time so OK power by today standards with lots of modern features like ABS, turbo, power adjustable seats, TEMS and so on...timeless look most people like...reliable if well maintained...smooth and quit...comfortable...can be modified to go faster and handle better.

Cons...
Not a huge selection for aftermarket parts compared to newer Honda's et al...can be hard (mostly time consuming) to work on compared to many other cars...

If you do get one...GET THE OFFICIAL SHOP MANUAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!