Guest Warped Posted October 26, 2004 Share Posted October 26, 2004 Hey, I am sorry if this has been posted already, but I have looked around and all people seem interested in an NA is how fast is it and how do I tell "if its' broke". Which is fair enough but still.. What is the standard equipment spec for an NA? Is it cloth/leather electric windows/mirrors/seats/climate/TC etc? I am tossing up between a 5.5k NA supra, or a 5k 200sx(with lots of swanky bits). I would much prefer the supra (obviously) but a bit shocked at the insurance abuse you get just for it being an import. Still, thanks anyway for your help. Jo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooter Posted October 26, 2004 Share Posted October 26, 2004 ok an NA at 5.5K will i'm guessing be pre 96, so the interior is likely to be cloth front seats with leather look vinyl rear seats. things that it will have for sure are electric adjustable wing mirror glass electric drivers seat back and forwards and recline adj. Climate control electric windows (No traction control on the NA's) the thing is there were lots of options available so full leather is not out of the question, neither is cruise control etc. BTW insurance on an NA is comparable to a TT, so it may be worth saving a while longer and picking up a £7k TT in the spring/summer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Warped Posted October 26, 2004 Share Posted October 26, 2004 Hmm, I am coming from a background of slow ass golfs (had four) so not to sure on the TT. For two reasons mostly - Reason the first: Petrol/ I have a very heavy right foot and I would be needing to run this car as a daily. And reason the second: I have'nt ever driven a RWD car let alone a car over say 150 bhp so I was kinda thinking 220 supra would be the next logical upgrade. I mean im all up for a super fast car, but I think anything over a 220 bhp rwd would quite possibly be a bad idea bearing on my current driving ability. Im not saying im a crap driver, but I know my limits and I know what im like - and i enjoy pushing my cars to them. Either way I have considered a UK TT because the insurance would only be around £900, however I see them on hte auto-trader for around 10K which (IMO) way to much to spend on a car, and either way well out of my budget! If I scrimpt and saved I could maybe put together 7k, however that would be the most i could afford and not create more debt, and I had kinda planned to have a "money jar" of cash to be put on the side just incase some things went wrong with the car and with a 7k TT i would not have that. I have thought a lot about 300zx's however nearly all I have seen are pre 92' and are very tatty indeed. The only other reasonable contender to a supra for me is the 200 sx. Well and the FTO mivec but I took a tiptronic out and whislt loving hte power and noise, it just drove like a golf so kinda put off!... What are RWD really like to drive? And is the NA such a dissapointment? btw i got took out in a 300zx NA standard, and that i think was plenty fast enough? thx for your help already! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooter Posted October 26, 2004 Share Posted October 26, 2004 believe me i appreciate the budget limitations and daily driver costs etc, and think you are being sensible as whilst most TT's are very reliable the potential for large costs are there. The NA's a sound reliable car, there's little to go wrong and they are plentiful and cheap at the moment (you can and should be picky and haggle hard as they are difficult to shift) I personally wouldn't get a new import car, i'd try and get a one uk owner one (with as good a service history as poss), as this should have any niggles from when it was first brought in, ironed out by now. 220bhp is enough to have fun with anyhow, and as regards to driving RWD in general, the importance of good tyres should not be underestimated. Bald, economy etc tyres can make the car very twitchy and nervous in the wet.......always buy quality tyres is my advice... Have fun searching for 'the one'............. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lust2luv Posted October 27, 2004 Share Posted October 27, 2004 If your insurance quotes aren't too bad, it sounds like you're making a sensible choice going with the NA. If you've had 4 different Golfs, you're obviously not power crazy, so should be happy with the NA. I still love mine after 3.5 years. There are decent ones around for c. 6K, whereas you'd be looking at c. 8K for a decent TT, where there's always the shadow of a possible 2K turbo failure hanging over you. S14 200SXs are very good cars for the money - stock only slightly slower than an NA Supra, and can be tuned to be much faster. Personally not exactly my cup of tea in the looks department though, unless you like a bit of a sleeper. Scooter's advice is correct - you get quite a lot as standard equip with the NA, but there were so many options in Japan, you can find one with virtually anything. Best options to look out for are ABS and a LSD in my book. I believe both these were standard on the SZR (ever so slightly spritelier version). Also the active front spoiler is kinda cool on such a cheap car, in these days when all the new supercars are beginning to sprout active rear spoilers. Bigger "UK spec" brakes were also an option, but IMHO, unless you're doing track days, the stock Jap brakes are excellent for virtually all driving. HTH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elliot Posted October 27, 2004 Share Posted October 27, 2004 Hi Warped I've had 2 NAs and loved every minute in both of them! After my driving test I had an '84 Golf, then a 97' Mondeo then moved onto an NA and it felt like a Ferrari! I have a TT now, but glad I had a couple of years experience driving the NA, as there certainly is plenty of power available in them to whoop 90% of cars on the road, whilst not being 'too' powerful! (ie wheelspinning at 60mph like I did last night!) I've never driven a 200sx, or a 300zx for that, and I know they're quick, but let's face it they're not half as nice as a Supra. The 300zx is bloody quick, but how outdated does it look? The 200sx? - ugly IMHO. I suppose I'm biased as I love Supras, but even my mates suggest to me that Supras still look like they were designed/made this year rather than 12 years ago! Have you driven an NA yet? The manual is great. The auto is a bit slow to get moving but soon picks up speed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aerotop Dave Posted October 27, 2004 Share Posted October 27, 2004 Is a Supra actually less tail happy than the 200SX...? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve W2 Posted October 27, 2004 Share Posted October 27, 2004 Originally posted by Aerotop Dave Is a Supra actually less tail happy than the 200SX...? Maybe, I have owned an S14a, a manual NA SZ-R and a GZ TT. To be frank, I liked all of them, all offering different things. The 200SX Excellent for drifting and sliding the rear end, very controlable and engine is 'spritely'. IMO they look good too, and offer a more executive cruiser image than out-and-out sports car. All though perform very similarly. You will also get a much newer car with very low mileage. MPG is better than both Supra's. The SZ-R Not so much confidence inspiring and harder to drift but looks and feels much sportier. Performance is similar to the 200SX, I would go for a manual version, preferably an SZ-R if you can find a good one (I actually have one if you are intersted;) ). Fuel economy is similar to the TT version. 6 cylinder engine is smooth and has nicer feel than the 200SX, sounds great too without being intrusive. The GZ TT Best car of the lot. Power is smooth and plentiful and the turbo whistle sounds ace. Basically the same as the SZ-R just quicker and with a few extra mod cons. Drinks petrol on heavy use of 2nd turbo but you will have fun driving it. Same to drfit as SZ-R in terms of grip and abilty although you do need to be a bit careful when in the auto, best to have it in manual mode. Loads of looks and is great to destroy other cars with. Very easily tunable to 400BHP+. Insyrance is often cheaper than for the SZ-R, it was for me:conf: As for the RWD thing, you don't notice most of the time, you do need to be mindful when cornering hard and when wet but you do have to push pretty hard to lose one. They are nowhere near as twitchy or scary to drive as people make out you just need a bit of common sense, flat out in 2nd in a TT over a roundabout with bald tyres and you will crash:moo: The turbos are just as relible as any other mechanical component of the car if properly maintained and run in standard form. In fact the TT engines are less stressed than the NA engines as they run at a lower compression. Have a drive of them all and decide for yourself what you think is best and what suits your budget. Hope this helps, I need a rest (oh and welcome by the way:) ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Warped Posted October 27, 2004 Share Posted October 27, 2004 Thanks a lot guys, that is some fantastic advice , and just what i needed to hear I am pretty much decided on the NA, they just seem like the right car for me in my current circumstances. Wow, is everybody always so nice and helpful around here? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted October 27, 2004 Share Posted October 27, 2004 hi m8 ive just brought an n/a and its a great car it was a one owner [uk] import its a 95 cloth front seats leather rears leccy mirrors drivers seat climate air con i was having your dilema about the tt but the cost of running it as a daily driver put me off a bit i get 25 mpg driving miss daisy and a bit less when driving like schumacer its a great car and im very happy with it it will see off most cars in standard form im putting nos on mine next year that will give the power of a std tt when i need it i had 140 out of mine this morning seeing off a mg zt or zr so they are plenty quick plus owning a supra is like having celebrity status everyone drolls over it so go for it buddy and welcome to the club Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve W2 Posted October 28, 2004 Share Posted October 28, 2004 Originally posted by Warped Wow, is everybody always so nice and helpful around here? Mostly:innocent: Just make sure your happy with what you get or you will regret it later. And be prepared for everybody to say 'is it the turbo one' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
looneytune Posted October 28, 2004 Share Posted October 28, 2004 yeah i made the mistake of at the age of 19 going from a ford orion to a twin turbo sup and boy can that second turbo catch you by suprise, especialy if your used to a fwd! i never had a crash but spent a lot of time facing the wrong way after a wet corner!! but ive got the hang of it now (3 years later)! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dangerous brain Posted October 30, 2004 Share Posted October 30, 2004 Hi there I am another of the Ex N/A owners club. I bought my N/A 3.5 years ago and when I first got it I was well chuffed to bits with it. It felt to me coming from Mini-mazda 323-sierra 1.8-various diesels-honda accord coupe like a rocket. I had driven a rear wheel drive car before but that back end under acceleration in and out of twisty bits still caught me out a couple of times. Just be sensible in it and you will be fine in either of the 2 cars. Don't let the car lull you into a false sense of security, it has a hell of a lot more grip (with decent rubber on V IMPORTANT) than you will be used to, but when it lets go it does it in a big way so be ready. As far as models go the general consensus is that the SZ-r manual is the pick of the bunch. WSB2 loves his manual to bits. I loved my auto and am happy with my auto TT now but thats a personal preference. As scooter says some seem to have ABS which means it either has or can have traction control fitted. UK brakes are a nice bonus if you find a car with them on allready. Its not a big problem to either have your front seats re-covered or find existing leather seats for these cars. There are a lot of little mods that you can do for yourself as well. Painting dash's replacing dial faces, installing ICE and gauges and interior neons if thats your bag. All the exterior body styling stuff is the same for an N/A and if thats your bag then you can have a wonderful looking car in any supra. I put Noz on my N/A and all I will say on that issue is be prepared to be a bit dissapointed with it. If you want power the sensible option is to do what all the harpies on here brow beat you with and swap it for a TT. I was always in love with my N/A and handed the keys on very begrudgingly, I did at one point consider keeping it as well as my TT but the funds just wouldn't stretch that far. So in short things to look for in an N/A Bigger 17" alloys or aftermarket affairs UK brakes Side skirts of a GZ or veilside nature Manual 5 speed leather front seats Nice low miles Good paintwork and no obvious signs of accident repair Delimited Dash allready painted ABS Decent security Decent after market sound system Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Warped Posted October 31, 2004 Share Posted October 31, 2004 Thanks for that long post matey! Much a ppreciated. I have found a couple of supras on the trader and they seem to be around the 5k mark - is that to little to be spending on one of these cars? For' NA's what did you guys pay? Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Polemarch Posted October 31, 2004 Share Posted October 31, 2004 Buy my car, it's a red aerotop and going for 5,750! :-) Bargain. Okay, sorry about the hijack, just couldn't stop myself :-) I agree though, if your buying an NA then get the best example you can find. There are plenty to choose from so decide what you want and stick to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dangerous brain Posted October 31, 2004 Share Posted October 31, 2004 Standard run of the mill N/A's are indeed going for about £5k around the 93-94 plate. In fact scooter will probably be able to find you an example around the £3k marker (he always undercuts anyones price by a couple of G lol). Its like anything really spend what you can afford on a car, watch out for a dog because they exist in the supra world same as anywhere else really. The 3 litre N/A lump is a damn good donk, they are j-spec only so even the older ones are only pushing 100k km. Even an early 93 plate can be a damn good motor. That aero at £5750 is a sodding snip. I sold mine recently for £7k and that was a reasonable price (ok it was better specced because I leathered and UK braked it). If he drops the price any lower people will think its stolen lol. Any specific questions you have post away and we will answer them for ya. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Warped Posted October 31, 2004 Share Posted October 31, 2004 Hmm that sounds interesting! Yes that aero sounded like a really good bargain, but I don't think i'd be happy with an auto so im going to have to give it a miss - real shame because it looks gorgeous:( Could you put me in touch with this undercutting chap? Sounds like the guy I need to speak to lol. ? EDIT: Ok i just twigged that scooter was the chap who first replied to this post lol... I have pm'ed him Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toytown Posted October 31, 2004 Share Posted October 31, 2004 Warped, I can only echo everything said above, the TT is a real powerhouse & i completely refused to look at an NA until I got the chance of a drive in one & bought it ! I'm not that far away from you if you want to nose around a standard NA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dangerous brain Posted October 31, 2004 Share Posted October 31, 2004 Originally posted by Warped Hmm that sounds interesting! Yes that aero sounded like a really good bargain, but I don't think i'd be happy with an auto so im going to have to give it a miss - real shame because it looks gorgeous:( Could you put me in touch with this undercutting chap? Sounds like the guy I need to speak to lol. ? EDIT: Ok i just twigged that scooter was the chap who first replied to this post lol... I have pm'ed him Don't dismiss the auto in this car til you have driven one. Its a very, very capable box. In manu mode its almost like playstation driving. A high level thinking driver can extract a lot faster track time from an auto soop than a manual one. The auto supes also run consistently better 1/4 mile times. In a TT now owning one then perhaps yes a manual would be better for keeping the turbo's on song and having a tad more control on the car and for a lazier drive the manual is better. In the N/A I really beleive the auto to be the superior of the two boxes. I am a drivers driver. I push my cars to their limits. Sometimes (but not often I push them beyond) the auto box is not as capable as a manual but in general it outclasses it. I have had my N/A on a couple of tracks and the ability of the auto-box showed itself nicely there. Also the aero's be they TT or N/A only come in auto format. Do yourself a favour and have a go in an auto and see what I mean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitesupraboy2 Posted October 31, 2004 Share Posted October 31, 2004 Originally posted by dangerous brain In the N/A I really beleive the auto to be the superior of the two boxes. I am a drivers driver. I push my cars to their limits. Sometimes (but not often I push them beyond) the auto box is not as capable as a manual but in general it outclasses it. I have had my N/A on a couple of tracks and the ability of the auto-box showed itself nicely there. they are so amazing...me and DB here took them for spin down dual carriageway, my NA manual beat him everytime,not by much but none the less **best vin diesel voice ** it dont matter if it a inch or a foot, winning is all that counts. this was in straight line accelartion i dont like corners lol Im the opposite i love the NA Manual, gives u a bit more control of whats going on, like going round a corner, u can keep revs up around the 5k on edge of power band,while Auto may drop down by backing off power slightly for corner. Auto is good by all means but if i was having a NA think it would have to be a manual....and white Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dangerous brain Posted October 31, 2004 Share Posted October 31, 2004 Now without wanting to be rude here you are talkin utter sh*te. You did not at any point pull ahead of me. I was expectin you to cos imo my car was underperforming, especially in and around the speed limiter area. As far as corners go I really will not get into that argument with you as you clearly have no idea how to actually go around one in either a manual or a an auto car. Thats not meant in a nasty way but it is a tad true. You haven't driven the auto car and if you had you would realise that it does make a drivers job a bit easier. The manu mode very satisfactorily keeps the revs wherever you want them the same as a manual box will. If auto boxes are so crap why do the majority of motor sports have semi or fully auto boxes now??? As for white??? Keep it for the great sharks lol:cool: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitesupraboy2 Posted October 31, 2004 Share Posted October 31, 2004 Originally posted by dangerous brain Now without wanting to be rude here you are talkin utter sh*te. You did not at any point pull ahead of me. I was expectin you to cos imo my car was underperforming, especially in and around the speed limiter area. As far as corners go I really will not get into that argument with you as you clearly have no idea how to actually go around one in either a manual or a an auto car. Thats not meant in a nasty way but it is a tad true. You haven't driven the auto car and if you had you would realise that it does make a drivers job a bit easier. The manu mode very satisfactorily keeps the revs wherever you want them the same as a manual box will. If auto boxes are so crap why do the majority of motor sports have semi or fully auto boxes now??? As for white??? Keep it for the great sharks lol:cool: When we were going under Tower park (sorry local spk now) there was pull ahead. I shall stress im not talking car lengths here, i think it the show of gear ratios on a manual, u think that bout right for deescription?? also when we slowed to 60 on way back from bakers arms dead level and went, the gear ratio i guess was the bit that made me pull the 50 cms or what it was lol i think that fair to say?? P.s why i did the vin diesel voice, inch being important word lol True as in the fact i have not learnt to go round in Rear wheel drive, but i do not have problem in a understeering front wheel drive car. after my spin i have too much respect for the back end of my car now and not willing to push until had nice open area to practice on. better then writing it off mate im sure ull agree!! Forgot bout manu Mode. So fair point there. Semi boxes are there for sportyness,quicker gear changes then manual mode (elementaing missed gears etc..) unless in a Smart car, test drove one of them was slower for changing up the gear then expected. not sayin auto crappy, just not for me, i still personal believe a manual gives you more control P.s white cars are like sharks....beasts P.P.S longest useful post...shhh DB it is useful lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dangerous brain Posted October 31, 2004 Share Posted October 31, 2004 Heh heh heh you bite every time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitesupraboy2 Posted October 31, 2004 Share Posted October 31, 2004 Originally posted by dangerous brain Heh heh heh you bite every time i cant help....i get suckered in It must be the inner shark in me,which reminds me going to see shark tale 2moz well at least he got some views on the Gear box from either side P.s just read urs again....define pull ahead lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Polemarch Posted October 31, 2004 Share Posted October 31, 2004 I tried both extensively before buying my NA. Originally I wanted a manual as most UK drivers feel to start with. After trying both though I found the auto to be fab and I plan on staying with it. Also, the aerotops were all auto so in the end I had no choice anyway. Personally, I would chosed auto over manual unless the auto was cheaper, thats just my op though. I'd rather an auto aero NA than a manual non-aero NA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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