Buying Supra ? What To Know First

[korrupt1]

Originally Posted by MegasXLR

Alot of the tips one their are a great help, but I kinda find it hard to belive sum1 would let you do all that to the supra they want to sell,ya know? I dunno, that's just me...

I do that when I am looking over the cars that I have looked at....thats just me though....I want to insure I am getting the best possible car for my money spent...which is why I havent found the right car yet....I understand that the car I am looking at is gonna have miles and prolly have a few things wrong on it...but if someone wont let me look the car over properly then to me it shows they have something to hide about the car then it isnt worth what they are asking for it in the first place.....the guy I said who was asking 5k for his MKIII that blew coolant wouldnt let me do half the checks over on the car and he just wanted the car shut off quickly...which I refused to due....and thanks to that I found out I would have been stranded in the niddle of nowhere with a basically useless car with a large repair bill on my hands also......I would say at least 95% of people I have spokent too about their cars have been more than willing to allow me to go over their cars and have been very understanding in the fact that I want the most car for my money....I dont take any test drives until other checks have been completed and the one I wanted wouldnt go down on his price...which is fine for him but I would have had to source out parts to get up to snuff...little bits like some front bumper pieces and some trim and such....to me it was worth $4000....he wanted $4300.....I needed and wanted the $300 to get some of the said parts....we spoke and went our ways mutually happy...as far as I know the guy still has the car.

[mrnickleye]

Anyone selling a car should be willing to come down 10-20% on price. They need to understand, that the buyer wants to 'feel' he got the best deal.

I looked back, and realized I've owned 53 cars & trucks (and sold 52). Every one that I sold was in better condition than when I bought it. With nearly all of them, I got all my $$$ back, and drove it for various lengths of time.

A few I actually made $$$ on (because they were so cheap to buy).

If the seller won't let your personal mechanic look it over, DON'T buy it, he's hiding something.

If the car needs to be emissions certified for transfer, he should be willing to get it done. If he's not, then he already knows it won't pass, and will cost $$$$ to repair.

Be careful about the test drive. Look the car over real good first. Make sure the brakes and lights all work. Make sure the tags are current. Don't have an accident !!

One time........
I jumped in a car for sale, for a friend (she wanted my opinion), and the owner.

I got stopped for a tail light out. By the time the cop was thru, I was screwed.

The windshield had a crack, a headlight was out on highbeam, a signal bulb was out, the wipers didn't work, a tire was bald, and the tags were expired by 1 month.

I tried to explain that I was just test driving it for the woman, and that the owner was sitting in the car, but the CHP said the 'driver' is responsible for the condition of the vehicle when its out on a public road.

Well, she ended up NOT buying that car. The owner said he would get the stuff fixed and have the ticket 'signed-off' by a cop. He didn't. I got a notice to appear in court.

Now I was gonna have to take off work (lose $$$) for this crap.
So...the woman went to court for me, explained to the judge what happened, and the judge dismissed the ticket.

Remember...your the driver, so you'll get the ticket.

Also...book out the car on kbb.com to check the value.

Its worth the $50-100 you might have to pay a shop to thoroughly look over and estimate any needed repairs.

You can usually get the seller to lower the price if it needs some major repairs to make it safe and dependable.

[MegasXLR]

Originally Posted by korrupt1

I do that when I am looking over the cars that I have looked at....thats just me though....I want to insure I am getting the best possible car for my money spent...which is why I havent found the right car yet....I understand that the car I am looking at is gonna have miles and prolly have a few things wrong on it...but if someone wont let me look the car over properly then to me it shows they have something to hide about the car then it isnt worth what they are asking for it in the first place.....the guy I said who was asking 5k for his MKIII that blew coolant wouldnt let me do half the checks over on the car and he just wanted the car shut off quickly...which I refused to due....and thanks to that I found out I would have been stranded in the niddle of nowhere with a basically useless car with a large repair bill on my hands also......I would say at least 95% of people I have spokent too about their cars have been more than willing to allow me to go over their cars and have been very understanding in the fact that I want the most car for my money....I dont take any test drives until other checks have been completed and the one I wanted wouldnt go down on his price...which is fine for him but I would have had to source out parts to get up to snuff...little bits like some front bumper pieces and some trim and such....to me it was worth $4000....he wanted $4300.....I needed and wanted the $300 to get some of the said parts....we spoke and went our ways mutually happy...as far as I know the guy still has the car.

Good point, I think I see where you're coming from.

[chash360]

I had a pristine 1990 Supra Turbo Sport Top with every factory option: AT,OD,PS,Tilt-TS,AC, Power everything (Windows, Seats, Locks, heated Mirrors), leather interior, AM/FM/CD Cassette, even a tow package. 160,000 miles before the rebuild. Rebuilt the motor myself (my 4th rebuild of a 7MGTE, none of my rebuilds have failed to this day), with about 6000 miles after the rebuild.

In 2004 I was rear-ended while at a complete stop, by a van load of kids doing almost 60 mph. Needless to say the car was totaled, and I am lucky to be alive.

The insurance company is offering an insulting ~4K as the value of my car. I can go onto any online used car listing (autotrader, vehix, etc.) and the average asking price for a truely comparable Supra is about twice that. Even bluebook is higher than the offer.

Does anyone know of a person or business that can give me a decent appraisal?

Any personal estimates of value would be greatly appreciated as well.

[korrupt1]

Originally Posted by chash360

I had a pristine 1990 Supra Turbo Sport Top with every factory option: AT,OD,PS,Tilt-TS,AC, Power everything (Windows, Seats, Locks, heated Mirrors), leather interior, AM/FM/CD Cassette, even a tow package. 160,000 miles before the rebuild. Rebuilt the motor myself (my 4th rebuild of a 7MGTE, none of my rebuilds have failed to this day), with about 6000 miles after the rebuild.

In 2004 I was rear-ended while at a complete stop, by a van load of kids doing almost 60 mph. Needless to say the car was totaled, and I am lucky to be alive.

The insurance company is offering an insulting ~4K as the value of my car. I can go onto any online used car listing (autotrader, vehix, etc.) and the average asking price for a truely comparable Supra is about twice that. Even bluebook is higher than the offer.

Does anyone know of a person or business that can give me a decent appraisal?

Any personal estimates of value would be greatly appreciated as well.

well....I dont know about Oregon but here if you have a appraised value higher from a reputable company they have to issue that difference...however...most people dont have a appraisal BEFORE a accident (unless its a custom rod usually) so that might hurt ya chances there.

[mrnickleye]

Insurance companies suck ! $$$ that is. They want you to pay premiums. but never want to pay out. Especially Allstate.

google : JD Powers consumer ratings, auto insurance companies, to see the ratings.

My daughter got her car totaled by a foolish girl. The girl had Allstate. The car Kelly Blue Booked at $3200. Plus it was in XLNT condition. Allstate kept giving her the runaround, and finally offered her $1500.

She ended up getting a lawyer, and Allstate had to pay $3200 for the car, $5000 (full) for the chiropractor, $5000 for the lawyer, AND....$5000 to her for all the emotional stress of the ordeal.

Get a lawyer.

[Sirpho3nix]

Hi guys, new to the boards here and very glad to have found this resource. Thanks to everyone for all the info iv found already.

Anyways, im looking at buying a used 94 MkIV supra (2JZ-GE16) in the next few weeks from an authorised importer here in Australia. Iv read the tips on things to look for with the MkIIIs but im just wondering if anyone has any additional hints or help (rust hotspots etc.) for the MkIV.

Cheers in advance

[Dinner]

That's a pretty sweet list korrupt1, I'll definately have to come back to this if or when I go looking to buy my next car (hopefully a Supra )

[Phoenixtoyota]

I'm planning on buying a 93-98 Supra in the next few months. My question is if down the road I want to build big HP like 400-500 is it best to buy a non turbo and make it a single turbo or buy the dual turbo and beef it up or swap the dual turbo to a single turbo? My question is "best" based on price and the "right" way to do the mods. Thanks!