Should I buy a Supra?

[Ark]

Aaah I see, OK well its looking like I really need to consider the costs of keeping it on the road, should something go wrong then before I buy one.

 

Can't say I'm supprised really.

 

Thanks.

 

Don't get me wrong, stock or lightly modified Supras don't tend to break down often, but with the increasing age and mileage, work needs to be done to keep them good, rather than just functional.

[Supra Size Me]

Hi,

 

Insurance companies will charge you the earth at your age based on risk assessment. In a nutshell if they want 3750 off you for a car that is worth not a huge amount more than that basically they're saying to you "you're gonna crash it son" and 9 times out of 10 they're not far off the mark. Don't let this get you down as info though as theres always a solution

 

I would seriously consider buying mk III supra non turbo to get you started, they can be picked up for 800-1000 pounds for a half reasonable runner that will get you into the world of RWD cars. Because of it's lower value the insurance companies will basically charge you what the car is worth as a premium. so 800-1000 a year on insurance is a lot more manageable when considering budgeting for tyres etc as mentioned earlier.

 

The Mk III is no slouch of a car either ! it's still 200 BHP (out of the factory expect less from a worn engine etc etc ) and will keep paces happily with a lot of cars out there after you've gotten used to driving it. After a couple of years of driving it and you decide to make the bridge over to a MKIV, you'll find that the insurance companies will like you more as you already have experience of a powerful RWD car under your belt ( as opposed to having your NCB based on a small engined FWD car) and you will get more competitive premiums because of it.

 

Besides if you can get a black one you can imagine you're nightrider like I used to ......

 

Hope this helps !

 

Andy

[qwarrior]

I got mine in July 08. I'm 32, it's the best car I've ever owned.

 

I bought it for £3500 needing some work (93 TT), I've had new Dump valve, discs frnt and back, tyres, just from a maintenance point of view.

 

I'm getting about 278miles out of a tank on a long run @ about £55-60.

 

My insurance is £700 with 5 years no claims.

 

My missus does my head in about how much it costs, but every time I get in it, it puts a huge smile on my face.

 

It's a big descision, but you'll find a suck it and see approach won't cost you much as a £4000 NA or £6000 TT will still be worth near enough the same if you have to sell it in a few months.

[stevie_b]

Aaah I see, OK well its looking like I really need to consider the costs of keeping it on the road, should something go wrong then before I buy one.

 

With any car, you need a safety cushion should anything need doing on it. If you need a car for work etc and have a cheap to run, cheap to maintain runabout then fair enough, but when people (I'm not saying you're one of them ) have a moan that they can't afford to get the tyres replaced or a major service done on their sports car, then they turn into victims of the situation they ignorantly place themselves in.

 

If you get a reliable one (no absolute way of testing for this) and keep on top of maintenance, then cost of ownership should be similar to any big-engined old car: for example, it doesn't need engine rebuilds every x thousand miles!

 

Do check the heater matrix still works well: this is known to be an unpleasant job on the supra, and one that will be more and more common as the years roll by.

 

If you get a bad 'un, well, the sky's the limit...

Edited March 18, 2009 by stevie_b (see edit history)

[qwarrior]

Sorry, didn't mention that actually, I wouldn't buy one as your every day car. I've got a W reg Omega I use for work.

 

Just took it for granted you wouldn't be considering it for a everyday car based on the posts in this thread.

[Safely Insured]

Sorry, dont mean to sound harsh, as others have said, the OP comes accross ok..

 

But really.. an 18 year old on a £15k salary.. driving a Supra (even an NA) .. does that really sound like a good idea??

 

I dont think so!

 

Want power? buy a Punto GT, buy a bleed valve, turn the screw.. you now have 170 BHP. Enjoy that for a year or so and then think about buying a decent car!

[Spike3.0]

I went through the same thoughts as you.

My advice would be to consider these fast older cars first, I know when I moved from a Honda Civic 1.3 to the VTI 170+bhp I nearly wet myself and to be fair it would beat a fair few N/A's on here with some simple tinkering

 

Here's some of my ideas... (Cheaper too)

 

165BHP, Civic eg VTI £1500+, Cost me £700 @ 18yrs

175BHP, CRX SIR (Delsol VTI Import) £1500+ , £800 @ 18yrs

185BHP, Prelude 2.2 VTI £2000+, £900 @ 19yrs

 

Failing that go for a MR2 or Old skool Classic with old skool insurance and no Tax...My 67 VW Ghia has been fettled to beat alot of cars and costs me £150 a year to insure + is tax excempt

 

 

Oh...And Im selling my CRX if your interested....50k miles, 170bhp, elec roof etc...

Edited March 18, 2009 by Spike3.0 (see edit history)

[supra_si]

for 3750 a year for insurance id look at getting porsche 911

[lexsum]

i will be selling a VR6 corrado soon, not sure of the insurance costs, but it pulls and handles very well.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_Corrado

(fyi - as it is about the same age as you - what a sad thought - i suddenly feel very old - this young un was born around the time of nevermind!!)

[Spike3.0]

i will be selling a VR6 corrado soon, not sure of the insurance costs, but it pulls and handles very well.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_Corrado

(fyi - as it is about the same age as you - what a sad thought - i suddenly feel very old - this young un was born around the time of nevermind!!)

 

 

Nice car!

 

But bet the insurance is too high...

 

Not long before they become a classic too though:(

[caseys]

Speaking from experience here I bought my first Supra at 19 years old, having no NCB to myself, being previously driving a 1.8 Mk3 Golf insured under my mother's name.

 

Yes it was a huge jump (even an NA yeah yeah) and I drove like an absolute granny for the first few months, slowly learning throttle control in the wet.

 

I was on more wage than that, in the same situation as you back when I bought my NA. I would say £15k/year is not enough to run a Supra in a good state. Take into account your £315/month insurance, say £100-120/month on Fuel, £20/month car tax, £400/year on tires if it's your daily drive (so £34/month) and that sums up at £490/month bare minium. Add in say £400 on servicing and maintenance (Oil, filters, sparks, air filter) if you DIY that's now £524 you need to set aside. This will leave you with no money to go out doing things non-car related, nor allow you to buy clothes, music, gadgets etc.

 

That doesn't take into account MOT costs if anything fails - suspension, lights, electrics etc. My NA was far more reliable than my TT. When things like Crank Pulleys, alternator tensioners etc go expect £200-300 for these things.

 

Whilst I'd say go for it, because I loved the car when I first got it any enjoyed many years with it and the drops in insurance every year if you're throwing about 50% of your income at a car every month you have to reconsider.

 

If you do manage it, welcome to the club mate It's a friendly place here.

 

P.S Have you checked the insurance quote is for a J-Spec or a UK spec car? I initially got a quote for a UK spec car at £1500. Then when I found out I had to insure as a J-spec it lept to £2400

[merckx]

To my amazement it only came to £3750!!

Will that be for a stock unmodified car, there aren't many of those around?

 

How much do the insurance companies bump the price up for a young driver who modifies a car, it might be worth considering this.

 

There's nothing wrong with buying a Supra if you can afford it and you're the only one who can answer this.

[benkei]

Mate....on £15k a year(i.e £1014 pm) you will not even be able to afford to fill the car up let alone drive it.

 

By the time you spend £350 pm on insurance (Inc interest) and £200-£300 pm on fuel and another £100 contingency, you will end up with nothing at the end of the month.

 

Think realistically!!! Do you have £700 pm spare???

 

Get yourself a nice Mk2 MR2 and half that outgoing.

 

Agreed, you have to think about not only how much the car costs to buy and insure, but the running costs also, and back up cash fo as and when things break or need replacing.

 

 

I went through the same thoughts as you.

My advice would be to consider these fast older cars first, I know when I moved from a Honda Civic 1.3 to the VTI 170+bhp I nearly wet myself and to be fair it would beat a fair few N/A's on here with some simple tinkering

 

Here's some of my ideas... (Cheaper too)

 

165BHP, Civic eg VTI £1500+, Cost me £700 @ 18yrs

175BHP, CRX SIR (Delsol VTI Import) £1500+ , £800 @ 18yrs

185BHP, Prelude 2.2 VTI £2000+, £900 @ 19yrs

 

Failing that go for a MR2 or Old skool Classic with old skool insurance and no Tax...My 67 VW Ghia has been fettled to beat alot of cars and costs me £150 a year to insure + is tax excempt

 

If you're sick of your Punto, then I'd recommend the next step is a '96-'00 Civic. I had a 1.6 VTEC and it was amazingly quick for what it was! They aren't expensive either, so you can save up what you like for modifications or for your next car.

 

After my Civic, I went to a MK2 MR2. It's RWD which is the next step up form powerful FWD cars, but not turbo charged as 1- I can't aford a tubby yet, and 2- I can't afford tubby insurance yet. But it was cheaper to buy than the Civic, cheaper to insure, better looking, and a lot more fun!

 

My next step is either a Supra TT, or an MR2 Turbo depending on my circumstances.

 

You seem pretty down to earth and respectful of member's advice on here, and we all commend you for that. We all know you'r dead excited about Supras, as are we all, but you need to take your time, don't jump and guns and build up your car knowledge. Then, when you've had a couple more cars and more experience, your insurance quotes will be a lot more reasonable,a nd you'll be a better driver by then too!

[ChrisD89]

Hi mate

 

If you are going to go for it i would definately suggest shopping around for insurance as >£3000 is crazy! Also, as said above, you might want to look into getting a UK car as the insurance seems to be a fair bit cheaper, or wait until you build up your NCB.

 

When I bought my UK spec Auto at 18 I was quoted £1900 with 1 year NCB. I am now 19 with 2 Years NCB and pay £1050 with Admiral.

 

Anyway best of luck with whatever you decide.

 

Chris

[quez]

I've been in a similar situation, I earn around the same although being abit older (just turned 22) has helped on the insurance side of things. If you really must have the Supra and don't want to wait a year or two and can afford the car outright then I would go for it, but have a cheap run around for work/running around etc, until you can afford to run the Supra on a permanent basis, using the Supra everyday will only increase milage, devalue the car, cost more on fuel bills and increase the chances of needing replacement parts.

 

Some insurance companies let you insure another vehicle temporarily, I can get my Supra (UK thankfully ) insured for £25 a day if need be, or £1200 a year. I also have a saxo VTS which I use for work etc, paying £500 a year to insure the saxo and can easily afford to run both, and also modify the Supra each month this way.

 

I would find a nice example, be prepared to spend abit more for a mint condition Supra, sell the punto and get a reliable cheap car to run around in, why does it matter what car you use to get around in when you know you've got a nice shiny Supra sitting at home to drive at will?

You should make money off the punto which can be kept aside if the Supra happens to need any repair work, and plus you've still got a vehicle to get around in which will allow you to afford to repair/modify/run the Supra, if you can insure the Supra on the temporary scheme to use only weekends/special occasions it would be ideal to keep initial costs down too, although will work out more expensive if you intend to use the Supra regularly

 

It's the route I've taken and within a few months it will have allowed me to have my dream Supra, I'll soon be selling the saxo VTS and getting a cheaper runaround too which will allow me to run the Supra more

[j_jza80]

Hi mate, as suggested before, have a look at an S14a 200sx first. Great cars to learn RWD in.

[L18msy]

Hi and welcome!

I wouldnt jump from a punto straight into a tt, im pretty sure it will catch you out and dent the wallet badly.Either bending it or breaking something.

If you like the idea of owning a supra why dont you go for an n/a. Sure its slower and not as top trumps as a tt but it still looks great and saves a bit on your insurance. You could get used to the rwd,put your personal touches on it, and when your ready for the slap in the face performance get a conversion done by keron on this forum.

Make sure you get a good un mate, there are plenty of abused ones around.They are reliable big things, parts and advice are only a button click away on here so dont stress about that side of things.They are great cars and im sure you will love it if you get one.Good luck in whatever you choose to do.

[Guest longsh07]

Thank you all again for your help.

 

I think, however amazing it would be to drive Supra I need to be a little more realistic about the running/repair cost.

 

For the time being I think I will put the Supra on hold and consider something along the lines of a 1.6 - 2.0 FWD or try and pick up my first RWD.

 

If anyone has any suggestions (I see some of you have mentioned a couple already, thanks!) please let me hear them

[stevie_b]

For the time being I think I will put the Supra on hold and consider something along the lines of a 1.6 - 2.0 FWD or try and pick up my first RWD.

 

If anyone has any suggestions (I see some of you have mentioned a couple already, thanks!) please let me hear them

 

It's RWD not FWD, but I think a mk2 MR2 would be great fun! They look fantastic IMO, and is a real driver's car. Look for an unmodified UK one (should be easier to find than a UK supra). It was a close call for me between getting an MR2 and a supra.

 

The Integra Type R (late 90s version) is a well-respected FWD car, but being a "Type R" might be steep on insurance again.

[Jamesy W]

Buy a TT, and have your mum or dad insure it with you as a named driver.

 

Sure you won't be racking up any NCB but you won't be paying through the nose for insurance either.

 

As long as you are carefull and drive to your capabilities then you should be fine.

 

These cars are tremendous value for money, you will be hard pushed to find something as rewarding although at the same time, they can be a ballache when something goes wrong - swings & roundabouts.

[Dave17]

I also concur with the MR2 MK2 idea, a great starter rwd car. Not overly powerful but a huge amount more than your punto. You won't get shagged up the backside on insurance to the tune of 3k and the savings in petrol will be immense over even an n/a Supra.

[RobSheffield]

I would imagine that the huge price on the CTR was due to its new age and higher value. Just look at older fast cars

 

Or save up and get a decent one at about 21ish

[supraspeed]

I had my Integra Type R when i was 21 and that is one quick car and incredibly forgiving when you thrash it as the handling is prob the best fwd car ever made. I went to a turbo supe and its just in a completely different league! not just pure power but the handling even at normal speed in a wet day requires a bit of skill not to flick the back round every corner. If my supra hadn't have been off the road for 8 months, i would have never got my mk1 mr2, and never would have learned to drive a rwd car safely and confidently. Trust me, get a supra by all means but get some rwd experience before buying one. it will save you £££ and make you a better driver in the long run. Good Luck

[Lbm]

Has he bought it yet?

[benkei]

MR2 FTW! Get a rev2, they're good all-rounders and easy to find! You get the option of tin-top, sun-roof or T-Bar... For the up-coming summer time, a T-Bar will be awesome! I can't wait til I can take the roof off mine without the worry of getting cold or wet! Last year was awesome!

 

Mine:

 

 

The cheapest Sports car you will ever buy!