Noob needs help
 

I'm planning on purchasing a 90 Supra. Its Non turbo and the body needs alot of work. Also, the person im buying it from, who is very honest, has told me everything which will need replaced. These include a radiator.. 150-250 bucks, gas and brake lines, 50 each, but pain in the butt to install, and head gaskets... I've read alot on here about head gaskets, and I've noticed supras seem pretty notorius for having head gasket problems.. but, the car is a grand, and i think it will be a great project car. However, I was wondering if I could have some info on head gasket problems with supras.. how pricey, how time consuming, what problems i should look for and also what it could lead to. Some friends, though im not sure if theyre credible, have said the cars not worth a grand if i have to replace head gaskets.. true? or not? but yea, if someone could give me some estimates on prices and also how much time and what problems i should look for and what ones can occur from this gasket situation. thanks.

Not to rain on your day but it sounds like your friends may be right. I paid a grand for this car. It needs work but the head gasket is ok at the moment and the body is pretty good. It’s also a Targa. If it was just the head gasket and some other minor stuff then maybe it’s worth it but if the interior is messed up and the rear end is rusty forget it.


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I just bought the car below two days ago as a parts car but it runs and drives. I paid $500 for it. Post some pics of the car your thinking of buying.

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the front wheel wells have some rust, and so does some of the trim.. to be honest it needs alot of work.. but i have plenty of time to do so. i havent given it a real thorough look at it yet, but plan to do so soon, so i havent really had a chance to look at the rear end and stuff. a buddy and me are actually going to have a look at it tomorrow. but the head gasket is fine at the moment, its completely driveable, and hes been doing so for 2 years. the timing belt was just replaced. but rust on the rear?.. would that be the frame or just the body. also, the interior is really clean.

let me know if there are any other problems that could turndown the whole buy.

to be honest with you, i wouldn't buy it. by the way it sounds there is a lot of rust. i think that once you get started, you'll find out that it's a lot of work to repair the rust. just wait to find another, even better one.

good things come to those who wait :)

yea i was thinking the same thing, but, what if i have a friend who owns a body shop and is going to do it all for 350 bucks? change any minds...? let me know guys.

1000 + 200 + 100 + 350 + head gasket repair(don't know $ never done one yet) = 1650+

conclusion: i personally wouldn't buy it

im not like disregarding your opinion or anything.. im just new at this and i dont know much... but 1650 doesnt sound bad to me? an 86 around here goes for 5500 or so, ive seen a few older ones go for 5000 and up.. again, your probably right, im just thinking that 1650 isnt too much for the car? once again.. if you could explain why thats a bad deal id appriciate it. thanks again!!

be prepared supras are golddiggin high maintainece cars, but its worth it and youll be happy with it.

if 1650 + head gasket repair + other things that could go wrong once the car gets running doesn't sound bad to you then get it. i dont how much money you have to spend and how much time your willing to put into it.

doesn't matter what route you take - as long as its a supra :)

Amen to that! I have about 6 months before I even get my liscense. and a steady 500 per month to dump into it. Sound possible?

i hope so!

save your money and put it toward the supra and your good to go. once you do get it fixed(assuming that you get it) save some money up and put it away just incase something would break, as it probably will

In the end only you can make the decision to buy it or leave it where ya found it. I can say this for sure, there were a few things I knew were wrong with my car when I bought it. It has shown a lot of other issues since I brought it home. I would think the same will be true with yours. Mine needs new brakes, radiator, hoses, seats and some other small things. At any time the head gasket could go, the starter or any other item. That’s just the way it is with a 20 year old car. If it’s got a good body and you want it then buy it. Just be advised that these things like to hide serious rust inside the rear wheel wells. I saw one of these cars in the JY that had all the interior plastic removed. I was surprised how bad the wheel well rust was and how hidden it can be. Look inside the wells not just at the lips. Also look behind the rear quarter plastic covers. You might be surprised what you find. Oh and don’t forget to check the spare tire well!!! You have to take out the tire but you must check this area.

Good Luck!!!

If I knew how expensive and how many problems there were witht the mk3 supra I would of never bought mine. But I love my sup anyways, at this point I woulnt let it go.