Thinking of getting a Supra!!! Opinions needed!

Hello everyone. Firstly, I want to congratulate you a great site. I've spent a few hours going through it and the amount of info and advice on here is incredible.

The reason for my message is that I am seriously considering buying a Supra but I am really nervous! They just look so cool that all other considerations (WRX's, hot hatches) are blown away.

It is a car I will need to use everyday, I will probably end up doing over 200 miles a week, as work is a 30 mile round trip on its own. I am not too worried about mpg, I expect that to be fairly low. Does it get a lot of unwanted attention? (by this I mean charvers!)

I have a budget of about £7500. I'd like a TT manual but they seem pretty rare, so I will probably end up with a non-turbo manual. How quick are these in the real world? My mate has a Golf R32 and I would like to keep up with him!

Anyway, sorry for the long post. Any honest opinions on whether it is a suitable car for me would be highly appreciated!

Jamie

I have a stock J-Spec Manual TT.

I use mine every day for a 15-mile roundtrip. With weekend trips as well (say avg. 50 miles/weekend). Fill up on V-Power only.

In total I am spending about £100/month on petrol.

I have had it for 18 months and it has been our (me, missus & 9-month old nipper) only car for this entire period. It has met all our requirements from a practical perspective and we've had zero mechanical problems with it at all. It has never failed to start first time - more reliable than any other marque I've ever had. Servicing is costing me about £600/year (and about another £500 for decent tyres).

I do pretty well for insurance (32yrs old, 9yrs NCB) - just had a renewal quote from Sky for £450.

So all in, I'm looking at:

Insurance £450

Servicing £600

Tyres £500

Petrol £1200

Total for the year: £2,750.

I park it on the street overnight including a couple of times when we've been away for an entire week and in an open car park during the day at work and haven't had any issues with unwanted attention.

Our road is not a main road, but a through-fare for schoolkids during the day and the Friday-night p*ssheads' 3am staggers back from town, which has resulted in several smashed mirrors and windows and keyings, but never for the Supra. Maybe it garners a little more respect than the BMW's and Audis?

PS. Shame you're so far away - mine may be up for sale imminently, and might even squeeze into your budget!

I wouldnt expect a N/A to keep up with a R32 - if you look hard enough you could find a TT manual for that money, not sure about condition though. Have a drive of an Auto, they are not all that bad

Fuel economy is terrible on both the N/A and the TT.

Happy shopping and welcome BTW

Welcome to the site. If its power you want then theres only one option...TT.

I've got a manual n/a, its plenty fast for me, although i sometimes wished i had more balls to get a TT.

For your budget you could get an excellent facelift n/a and still have change left over for any mods you want to make.

I've had my n/a for just over a year, i've just spent a coulpe of grand tidying it up, but its worth every penny on the looks and drive. Its also my daily drive and has been extremely reliable.

Go on Bite the bullet and go for it. Have a look in the Supra for Sale section to see what you get for your money.

GOOD LUCK

go TT and auto!! you'll regret it later when you want the extra boost:d

go TT and auto!! you'll regret it later when you want the extra boost:d

Bought mine last week, couldnt be happier

It can be a pussy cat at times, then turn into a full blown lion, with roar to match with the press of a button and some pressure on the right foot!

If you dont use it in lion mode its not that bad on fuel, i did a 30 mile each way trip last night, managed to chew through about 1/4 on the way down, and hardly anything on the way back (way down playing, way back 70 on the cruise control)

Buy one youll love it Dont be put off by the auto, i HATE auto cars as a rule, but the auto box on the supra is how an auto box should be - it actually works!

Thanks for the replies, I appreciate it. Supra owners seem good people! Unlike some other marques!

I had dismissed the idea of an auto, as my uncle had a WRX auto and it totally ruined the car. But as a few of you guys seem so keen on them and you certainly sound like you know what you are talking about, I'll see if I can get a test drive in a one. Anyone got any nice cars for sale in the Newcastle area? I have been looking on the Vine Place site but they seem really expensive.

Just to throw this in, but I drove from Manchester to London on £30 of petrol. How I did it, I don't know, but I love my car

I had dismissed the idea of an auto, as my uncle had a WRX auto and it totally ruined the car.

Have a go in one. Your get a real nice auto TT for £7k. I went for a spin in a stock ish auto tt the other and was most impressed

Thanks for the replies, I appreciate it. Supra owners seem good people! Unlike some other marques!

 

I had dismissed the idea of an auto, as my uncle had a WRX auto and it totally ruined the car. But as a few of you guys seem so keen on them and you certainly sound like you know what you are talking about, I'll see if I can get a test drive in a one. Anyone got any nice cars for sale in the Newcastle area? I have been looking on the Vine Place site but they seem really expensive.

Jurgen might be able to help you mate, he's an excellent source of cars if you're not in a hurry. He may even have some available at the moment. My car was originally from Vine Place, and it's in very good condition. Take the opportunity to test drive a couple of their cars to see whether an auto is okay for you. I was worried about the auto initially but it's a very good box, and the performance is still there

Mike

Thanks for the replies, I appreciate it. Supra owners seem good people! Unlike some other marques!

 

I had dismissed the idea of an auto, as my uncle had a WRX auto and it totally ruined the car. But as a few of you guys seem so keen on them and you certainly sound like you know what you are talking about, I'll see if I can get a test drive in a one. Anyone got any nice cars for sale in the Newcastle area? I have been looking on the Vine Place site but they seem really expensive.

With your budget I would defo go TT... If you can find a manual then great but the Auto comes highly reccommended on here although I never drove one.

I have a facelift manual NA and I love it but there are the occasional times when I wish I had more power.

Take your time and listen to the members on here, you are in the best place for info and there are some great guys and gals on here that will go out of their way to ensure you don't get a lemon.

Good luck!

H.

I've got an auto TT and I love it because the changes are so smooth you don't notice if that's what you're worried about. Never tried a manual myself, but at the speed you'll be going in a TT you won't have a spare hand for the gear knob anyway. Also, if you go for for an auto, you'll probably get a better conditioned car for your money.

If there is no chance of you raising the budget slightly for a manual TT then I would recommend going for the Auto TT. Otherwise there is a good possibility that you would buy the N/A and then decide its not quick enough (like I did).

Good luck matey and like others have said, see if you can have a ride in a TT and NA. This might help you decide which is better for you.

Mark

hi mate i have a very nice auto gz tt due in june and in your budget have a look on for sale section http://www.jm-imports.co.uk/cars_forsale_silvergz1995.htm

£1000 deposit secures car

Hello and welcome Jamie

Try to go TT, and spend some time looking. There are plenty that crop up. The best cars come from here, as you can dig through the owners past history on the forum to see what the car has been up to, plus people tend to be picky and service very often, as well as fixing every minor detail. It's a really good resource.

I've also had a car off Jurgen which was the cleanest Sup I have owed out of the the 3 I've had, even if it was the oldest. He's also very picky about what he buys... plus he's in your neck of the woods..

The resource here is excellent for fixing any problems, and the collective knowledge of the board can rival some of the best specialists in the industry.

That's a lovely car Jurgen,

Nice alloys and I have not seen those seats in a sup before - I looked at a pair and they are 800 quid a piece!

Hello and welcome Jamie

 

Try to go TT, and spend some time looking. There are plenty that crop up. The best cars come from here, as you can dig through the owners past history on the forum to see what the car has been up to, plus people tend to be picky and service very often, as well as fixing every minor detail. It's a really good resource.

 

I've also had a car off Jurgen which was the cleanest Sup I have owed out of the the 3 I've had, even if it was the oldest. He's also very picky about what he buys... plus he's in your neck of the woods..

 

The resource here is excellent for fixing any problems, and the collective knowledge of the board can rival some of the best specialists in the industry.

 

That's a lovely car Jurgen,

Nice alloys and I have not seen those seats in a sup before - I looked at a pair and they are 800 quid a piece!

thanks mike yes this gz looks nice and good value as its really clean