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The mkiv Supra Owners Club

Soo Expensive


Guest jase12377

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Guest jase12377

Why are the supra's soo damn expensive. I have always wanted one but the price is ridiculous for the age of the car is it worth me getting one at 11k turbo of course, what are running costs and potential engine rebuild if needed if it goes pop?

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Why are the supra's soo damn expensive. I have always wanted one but the price is ridiculous for the age of the car is it worth me getting one at 11k turbo of course, what are running costs and potential engine rebuild if needed if it goes pop?

 

If price and running costs are your concern, then the Supra is not for you.

 

Costs are going up as they are becoming more rare, the US market too and it is a future classic (or already is)

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Nice cars tend to get more expensive as they get older, if you wanted a cheap Supra you're maybe 5 years too late. Compare the price of the Supras you're looking at to a Porsche 911 turbo from the same era and you'll soon see what a bargain the Supras are.

 

Running costs are like any big, old, powerful car - a lot! but Supras tend to be reliable, so they are a better bet than something like a Skyline GTR or a TVR etc. Engine rebuilds tend to be circa £5k, more if you want uprated parts.

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The price isn't that ridiculous, compared to the price of new cars which can be argued to have less of a driver experience. You better get on the supra train now, cause the prices are only going to go up.

 

Running costs are completely dependent on how much you will drive it but it isn't cheap.

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Why are the supra's soo damn expensive. I have always wanted one but the price is ridiculous for the age of the car is it worth me getting one at 11k turbo of course, what are running costs and potential engine rebuild if needed if it goes pop?

 

Well cars that weren't just designed to be shopping boxes generally do increase in value as they age, thats not exactly a big secret. You might want to jump on the marque now as prices are only going one way.

 

11k would net you a decent TT automatic or TT 5 speed. Being the age they are seals and all sorts generally want changing right now. Running costs will depend greatly on what car you buy. For example if a car hasn't had valve stem seals, crank pulley or any suspension components changed you can expect some fairly large bills before you put any fuel in. (Crank pulley can be around £300 for example depending on brand.)

 

It's never going to be a cheap ride and quite possibly if you are concearned about money, it may not be the car for you. They dont have a habbit of 'popping' but should you manage to do that, a 2JZ GTE engine is probably worth £1500 - £2000

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Chances of the engine going pop depend on how well it's been serviced, and if it's been poorly modified. Also be concerned about the bodywork. They're not prone to rust, but that doesn't mean they don't rust.

 

Running costs are OK given the type of car. Be wary of big bills for occasional things that might need doing, e.g. suspension overhaul, corrosion work, tired turbos, etc. Some are pushing 25 years old.

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My rule is if your worried about general running costs and fuel don't buy one. Big thirsty cars that are getting old. Simple things like valve stem seals are failing now and your going to be looking at 500-1k. That's just an example.

 

Brakes, suspension etc etc should all be in the back if your mind. And when doing one job you can be sure you will get carried away and the ££££ will follow.

 

I bought my new tt6 last year and am nearing the same costs of the car again on parts, and am now saving for more as it gets addictive.

This isn't down to parts just failing, but for instance my water pump started leaking, and to me that shows that the cooling system is showing its age, this lead to me renewing the lot and a couple of hundred quid job turns to 1500 in parts and labor.

 

Saying all this they are worth it Imo, what other car has the looks, drivability, potential for big power with reliability. Next to nothing.... And they are going up every year so potential for investment.

 

 

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Don't buy one. You've pointed out there too expensive already and if your worried about running costs then not for you. I haven't driven mine and for what I've spent so far I could have had a running 6 speed single or a new car bought out right. But I'm. Passionate about the car and I still have a bit more spending to do before it becomes a loss if I sold it.

 

There increasing in value all the time. I'm going to drive mine not store it but it is still an investment to me. If I sold it it would only be to fund a family home or a business where by I would make the .key back to buy another in the future.

 

My honest advice is buy one if your passionate about it. If your not and you just want a fun car get something else.

 

All the best

Ant

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Don't go in on a budget

 

For example I need two new tyres + alignment... £350. Same job in a Ford Focus would be maybe £120. Also some dings and things I'm not happy with amount to effectively a full glass out respray because I want everything 100% flawless which is going to be about £4k (50% of the value of the car when I bought it.

 

The cheaper Supras you may see probably have been maintained as a "normal car" or on a budget and the compromised reliability and perhaps condition will reflect it. Best bet is to just save as much as possible and see if you can budget about £200 a month solely for Supra maintenance

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Jase, I appreciate your position, I know and love these cars but even I, if I didn't own any, would be carefully considering my choices. Unfortunately as others have said you've missed the boat re reasonably priced ones especially manuals, I could make you wince at some of the low prices I've seen/paid in the past. Unfortunately it looks like loads of other cars are on a similar slight increase but you may find another marque on the way down more suited and better value for money.

 

I can see a bit of a bubble forming and don't share the complete optimism of others that prices are only going up, they certainly are at present but it's only been the last 2 years they have and bigger leaps now than 18 months ago. I don't think it can keep on going to NSX type levels but I'm just one opinion amongst all the others no one really knows, fundamentals ie prices elsewhere possible exporting opportunities opening up in a few years, low supply etc are stacking up in it's favour but then global economics over the last few years doesn't seem to back huge prosperity/growth to account for this?

 

There are some mildly condescending comments here, when someone mentions cost then some get on their high horse and assume you can't afford it, but maybe you are just cautious and doing some sensible budgeting as we all (should!) do. Don't be offended and take them with a pinch of salt, it's your money to spend as you like, it would be a shame to miss out on a Supra but I totally see your point re the current prices. If you take the plunge as has been said try and find a good one that's not needing all the age related work doing at once! They are incredibly reliable considering but whilst hardy things inevitably wear out.

 

What else are you possibly considering?

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Guest jase12377

Haha casheye, I'm just gathering info on these beasts before I choose weather or not to take the plunge

 

- - - Updated - - -

 

evo, subaru, mr2

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Guest jase12377
Jase, I appreciate your position, I know and love these cars but even I, if I didn't own any, would be carefully considering my choices. Unfortunately as others have said you've missed the boat re reasonably priced ones especially manuals, I could make you wince at some of the low prices I've seen/paid in the past. Unfortunately it looks like loads of other cars are on a similar slight increase but you may find another marque on the way down more suited and better value for money.

 

I can see a bit of a bubble forming and don't share the complete optimism of others that prices are only going up, they certainly are at present but it's only been the last 2 years they have and bigger leaps now than 18 months ago. I don't think it can keep on going to NSX type levels but I'm just one opinion amongst all the others no one really knows, fundamentals ie prices elsewhere possible exporting opportunities opening up in a few years, low supply etc are stacking up in it's favour but then global economics over the last few years doesn't seem to back huge prosperity/growth to account for this?

 

There are some mildly condescending comments here, when someone mentions cost then some get on their high horse and assume you can't afford it, but maybe you are just cautious and doing some sensible budgeting as we all (should!) do. Don't be offended and take them with a pinch of salt, it's your money to spend as you like, it would be a shame to miss out on a Supra but I totally see your point re the current prices. If you take the plunge as has been said try and find a good one that's not needing all the age related work doing at once! They are incredibly reliable considering but whilst hardy things inevitably wear out.

 

What else are you possibly considering?

 

evo subaru or mr2 turbo

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Supras don't go pop, I wish Id bought one instead of the R32 GTR i did buy, which went pop 204 miles after I bought it!!

 

Thing is, with sensible, quality mods and good maintenance, the prices are only going one way and thats up. You'll make money when you sell it

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If I were you I'd wait until the next recession if that is feasible. I recall when Lamborghini diablo s were 40k and they are now 250k!

Im saving now towards my future car collection which when the economy's cards are down I'll get my hoover out let me tell you :D. Don't do what everyone else is doing and wasting money on fast cars when the economy is strong. I did that in 2005 and I will never make that mistake again.

 

My 2 cents.

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If I were you I'd wait until the next recession if that is feasible. I recall when Lamborghini diablo s were 40k and they are now 250k!

Im saving now towards my future car collection which when the economy's cards are down I'll get my hoover out let me tell you :D. Don't do what everyone else is doing and wasting money on fast cars when the economy is strong. I did that in 2005 and I will never make that mistake again.

 

My 2 cents.

 

Cars don't really fluctuate like that though. They go down, then they go up, but they rarely drop again.

 

Part of the reason that classic cars are shooting up in value is because the world economy is struggling. As people aren't earning interest on their savings, and the stock market is in fluctuation, people are investing in material items. Namely precious metals and stones, art, cars etc.

 

I would very much doubt Supras will drop in value again. The short supply of nice ones will ensure that.

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Cars don't really fluctuate like that though. They go down, then they go up, but they rarely drop again.

 

Part of the reason that classic cars are shooting up in value is because the world economy is struggling. As people aren't earning interest on their savings, and the stock market is in fluctuation, people are investing in material items. Namely precious metals and stones, art, cars etc.

 

I would very much doubt Supras will drop in value again. The short supply of nice ones will ensure that.

 

I think there s some truth to that. But when all markets overheat. Which I am sure property will and rates begin to rise, I think people will start off loading material items which aren't holding value. This may be some good few years off though. I agree supra s may stay high simply cause of their nature (relatively accessible) and generally they are used not put in storage like Ferrari s. And this makes them vulnerable to theft/crashes/deterioration due to bad maintenance. Making them get rarer each year. Coupled with them being exported.

 

But I'm still convinced other exotics will fall in price sharply though. I may be wrong but we ll see. I'd rather have a Italian exotic over a supra if I am honest. Although I do have a supra already anyway :D

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