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The mkiv Supra Owners Club

Checking out a supra tomorrow


Tommyg_5

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Hi guys, been looking for a while now. Going to visit a supra tomorrow. It's a red na manual with 116k on the clock (apparently!)

Dealer is japimportcars in High Wycombe. Heard mixed reviews but whenever you look up a car dealer it doesn't seem to be positive. 

Anyone actually know anything about them? If it looks good what numbers do I need to note down to do a more detailed hpi/ jap hpi check.

Thanks, hopefully I'll be an actual owner soon!

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People on the forum aren't allowed to discuss High Wycombe dealers. Make of that what you will.

If its a newly imported car then there is no HPI history to check. You can run a Japanese history check but there has been some questioning over how accurate those records are. All you can do with any 25 year old car is go off the condition and regard mileage as just a number unless its backed by decades of corroborating paperwork. Spend more time looking under the car than on top of the car seeing most parts are now discontinued so worn parts are increasingly hard to replace with genuine parts these days.

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Thanks! Ah I see. Well I will just have to give it a good looking at! 

Should be able to tell 116k from wear and tear. Any places other than normal? Seat bolsters, belts, gear knob etc?

Looks to have original mats which could be a good sign. It's expensive so needs to be pretty clean!

I'll get the reg and vin and do some checks while I'm there.

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the car you're talking out does look to be fairly clean from the pics on the ad. I'd just have a good look underneath and make sure you're happy with everything. don't be afraid to get on the floor and crawl underneath

 

check for the bonnet/bumper/wing gaps as can indicate a front ender if out of line. The ad has a good write up but if you get a bad feeling while there don't feel pressured to go through with it, they'll be more around. Make sure it's been serviced in their care / recently as it may have been sat for some time prior to them getting it

 

 

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Update. Car was in pretty good condition. Interior looked in fair condition ( not much to compare it to) seat looked a bit worn, few stuffs on the soft plastics. Remnants of buttons installed at Import.

Outside had very shiny paintwork, had had a respray within the last 5 years I would think, door shut job so not the best. Only rust I could see was bubbling up on the rear deck lid near the back window. 

Rear boot gas struts don't work and need replacing.

First time driving one, felt pretty good, not fast (as mentioned on here!), wasn't clunky. One thing couldn't believe how big the steering wheel was! 

Main concern is what might have been covered up by the respray, and it's n.i irish car so I can't look up mot history.

Do the interiors on these age well or am I being a bit too critical

Edited by Tommyg_5 (see edit history)
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6 hours ago, Tommyg_5 said:

Update. Car was in pretty good condition. Interior looked in fair condition ( not much to compare it to) seat looked a bit worn, few stuffs on the soft plastics. Remnants of buttons installed at Import.

Outside had very shiny paintwork, had had a respray within the last 5 years I would think, door shut job so not the best. Only rust I could see was bubbling up on the rear deck lid near the back window. 

Rear boot gas struts don't work and need replacing.

First time driving one, felt pretty good, not fast (as mentioned on here!), wasn't clunky. One thing couldn't believe how big the steering wheel was! 

Main concern is what might have been covered up by the respray, and it's n.i irish car so I can't look up mot history.

Do the interiors on these age well or am I being a bit too critical

As above have you been underneath it?

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I did get on the floor. Looked ok. Has had some sort of underseal, again could be good or bad. I think the car is legit. But something about cheap resprays put me off. I had one on my old mx5 and it looked great for about 2 years then lacquer peel etc...

Guy had an auto na in silver and the thing looked very very clean, would have bought it if it were a manual! But and auto and NA... Not sure that will do it for me !

I'm looking on AutoTrader, eBay, gumtree, here (mostly out of my price range!), fb marketplace. Any others or traders you would recommend?

Also headed to modified nationals next weekend, would be great to meet some of you so I can see what a real mint one looks like in person 

Thanks for the help

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On 5/19/2022 at 12:53 PM, Tommyg_5 said:

Update. Car was in pretty good condition. Interior looked in fair condition ( not much to compare it to) seat looked a bit worn, few stuffs on the soft plastics. Remnants of buttons installed at Import.

Outside had very shiny paintwork, had had a respray within the last 5 years I would think, door shut job so not the best. Only rust I could see was bubbling up on the rear deck lid near the back window. 

Rear boot gas struts don't work and need replacing.

First time driving one, felt pretty good, not fast (as mentioned on here!), wasn't clunky. One thing couldn't believe how big the steering wheel was! 

Main concern is what might have been covered up by the respray, and it's n.i irish car so I can't look up mot history.

Do the interiors on these age well or am I being a bit too critical

Hi. Which one did you go and see? I’m planning on giving them a call today about the silver TT6 manual they have for sale. 
Also, how did you find them to deal with? I’m completely new to the Supra world, so looking to get as much advice as possible before potentially shelling out. 

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48 minutes ago, Dan_H said:

Hi. Which one did you go and see? I’m planning on giving them a call today about the silver TT6 manual they have for sale. 
Also, how did you find them to deal with? I’m completely new to the Supra world, so looking to get as much advice as possible before potentially shelling out. 

i'd be checking the front bumper on that one, looks like its not got the foam behind it, and it's not sitting right against the front wings. That and it's sagging in the middle behind the number plate

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25 minutes ago, tayr said:

i'd be checking the front bumper on that one, looks like its not got the foam behind it, and it's not sitting right against the front wings. That and it's sagging in the middle behind the number plate

This is exactly why I joined this site! Thanks for the advice. I think the description about how well it’s been looked after is pushing me to go and see it. I’m happy to sit there for hours looking through that ‘5 inch thick folder’, so maybe I’ll find something there. Want to make sure I find something decent and not a bodge job. 

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27 minutes ago, Dnk said:

All the bad press about them is enough for me to look elsewhere 

That’s what keeps turning me off them. I enquired with them about a 300ZX they had listed a year ago. Back then they told me it was already sold, but it’s still on their site for sale 12 months later. 
I’m also looking into the possibility of importing one. Any import companies to avoid? 

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1 hour ago, Dan_H said:

That’s what keeps turning me off them. I enquired with them about a 300ZX they had listed a year ago. Back then they told me it was already sold, but it’s still on their site for sale 12 months later. 
I’m also looking into the possibility of importing one. Any import companies to avoid? 

I've not dealt with any import comps so can't advise 

Sadly the car trade in general isn't the best no matter who you deal with 

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