New Member Alert! (After an early N/A model)

[Guest Darren456]

Hi,

 

I currently own and drive a 1997 Alfa Romeo GTV 2.0TS but am now looking for a Supra as I've wanted one for years, and the prices do appear to have come down a fair bit over the last year.

 

Just wondering if anyone had some advice / buyers guides etc for me to take a gander at?

 

Ideally I'm after an early model, circa 1993/1994 to keep costs down, is this a safe enough bet, or are the earlier N/A models usually a bit ropey?

 

I'd preferably like a Manual transmission as I'm not at all accustomed with Automatic gearboxes and I do enjoy changing gears myself (Just to hold it that little bit longer!)

 

All help and advice will be appreciated.

 

Many thanks,

Darren

[Homer]

Welcome Darren

 

The NA's of any year are bullet proof provided they have been looked after.

 

In my opinion, if you are after an NA the auto option is not worth looking at. The 5spd performs okay, but it's no traffic light GP car They're a good car for soaking up the miles with trouble free motoring, but don't expect too much on the performance side (and especially don't expect you can modify it to get more power - you can't really).

 

What is your budget?

 

Edit - Forgot to add the buyers guide link: http://www.mkivsupra.net/vbb/forumdisplay.php?f=60

[Guest Darren456]

Budget depends on age / mileage, but ideally no more than £3000.

 

'Figures' for the N/A 5spd seem pretty impressive, 0-60MPH in the 6's and a top speed of 150MPH, but then that was new and these cars are now 15 years old so I can't be too sure.

 

I do about 150 - 200 miles a week with a 12 mile commute each way to work Monday-Friday then about 50 miles or so at the weekend.

 

I'm finding that within the same sort of budget there are Alfa GTV V6's for sale, but I have always had my heart set on a Supra, plus the performance figures are similar, the MPG calculations run in the Supra's favour though.

 

One thing that does concern me is insurance. I'm 22 with 4 years NCB and although Alfa's aren't cheap to insure, I am a bit worried that a Supra (Even in N/A guise) will be murder to insure. With these cars being 10+ years old, is it possible to claim them under classic insurance or something similar?

 

Thanks for that guide, I'll have a look through it now.

[fruity_south]

im 21 with a N/A auto. my insurence is 1700 for ten months with elephant, ( they give you a years no claims with ten months insurence) and i only have one years no claims. and im also doing an engine swap next year so depends on how much you want to spend the biggest problem i find is the petrol consumption.

[marcAB10]

hey there, first off the NA is a quick car just not as quick as a TT and they are a lot of fun.

 

Also, I'm 22 with 3yrs ncb driving a '95 NA manual and I'm £1000 fully comp with Adrian Flux.

[wewsupra]

i had n/a there good cars i had nothing go wrong with mine

only things that i replaced was the clutch and crank shafty pully

other than that never had a problem.Mines never broke down and always started first time {touch wood }

i love my supra but as homer said it's no traffic light GP car.

I had n/a for two years then couple of months ago ive had n/a-TT conversion.

lol

[stevie_b]

Welcome Darren,

 

Homer summed it up well. I have an L reg NA 5 speed and it's been very reliable.

 

Best thing to do is get some insurance quotes: just make sure they quote you for an imported model (model code "SZ" if it's an NA), and ensure the engine capacity they quote you for is 2998cc (IIRC): anything lower, and they've probably quoted you for a mkIII supra.