little advice about buying a supra

hey all, not really a poster on here, more of a sit in the back ground and look at the pretty pictures etc.

ever since i seen a supra when i was young ive always said i will own one some day, im now 21, soon to be 22 and currently driving about in a 2003 civic type r. Theres just some stuff i would like to find out from yourselfs, the people who own and drive supras before i was to suddenly jump in and buy one.

basically i live away from home, in a half decent paid job, not crap but not excellent, but oviously i have rent, bills, and other outgoings, i can manage the civic no problem, im just trying to determine if there will be a massive jump from owning the civic to a supra TT and if i can really afford it. im just after info on the sort of things you would think about yourselfs before buying a new car....

- running costs?, i have a work van i use to and from work so only time the car gets used is on evenings and weekends, the petrol in the civic isnt that bad as long as i dont hoof it about. i would like a TT, i cant imagine the petrol being too bad either as long as i drive with some control and dont put my foot down?

- i know you get excellent supras and some rough ones but in general what are they like to maintain? i dont have a single clue about car mechanics, so if something went wrong it would be going straight into the garage. like do things offten go wrong and are parts silly prices etc, obviously the more you look after a car the less chance of it going wrong.

-what sort of prices am i looking at for servicing, tax on say a TT?

ive had a quick play with the search but dont have time to sit here all night looking about, so if any of you nice people fancie tellin me about your general experiences about a TT supra, good or bad it would be mucho appreciated.

alllso i know the chances of picking up a decent UK 6sp TT for around £7000 - £9000 are pretty slim but what about a decent spec (doesnt have to be totaly standard just not ott) 6sp TT import?

cheers in advance for any advice guys and gals

cal

You won't get a UK-Spec Manual as they were never made (Unless I'm wrong?), it would have been a conversion by the owner, and I'd assume that as UK Specs tend to command a bigger pricetag (Lower insurance than an import as insurance companies have brown trousers if a car's bought from abroad seems to be the main reason I think) a Manual UK TT would be out of your price range (That is guesswork as I haven't been in the For Sale thread for a while)

Petrolwise, my NA cost a fair bit compared to most cars, and as I haven't driven her for a year, it was on the fuel prices back then (When V-Power just came in and was about 98.9)... I'd go for about 45-50 miles on £10...

One thing I would ask though, is what's the deal with the work van? Is it a favour from the boss? Or is it part of your contract, or something you need, in order to be 'on call' or something similar? What would happen if that was suddenly taken away from you?...

Well done for checking out on here first though, I'm sure you'll get much more info than I can give myself, and you'll find lots of honest knowledge...

cheers for the advice mate

basically im a air conditioning / refrigeration engineer, so as long as im still in the trade and have a job i need the van to get from one job to job, and like you say im on call at times so always need it for that, so as far as the van goes it will always be there so all i need the car for is after work and weekends as the van isnt for private use.

cal

You won't get a UK-Spec Manual as they were never made (Unless I'm wrong?)

You are They made UK manuals, they didn't make aerotop manuals.

You are They made UK manuals, they didn't make aerotop manuals.

In that case, I sit corrected!... I always thought that Aerotops and UK-Specs were always auto's...

Cheers - See, even some of us who've been on for a while can learn something new...

6 - 7 k for any 6 speed would be a good find. Try Jurgen at JM-Imports.

Costs for fuel - 23 - 28 mpg

Oil - 4500 to 5000 miles 'bout 100 quid.

Plugs - 8000 miles (guess) 70 - 150 quid.

Tyres - don't skimp - 500 - 1000 notes. 8000 - 15000 miles.

Pads - £150 - £200, depends on driving.

Full service - all fluids, plugs, belts, suspension check, everything £600.

I'd get that done asap unless you get receipts to prove it's been done. Belts last up to 60k miles.

Modding - £1 - £30,000 Priceless.

There's all the usual stuff, cleaning gear, sundries etc. too.

You won't get a UK-Spec Manual as they were never made (Unless I'm wrong?)

Doh

come and see me and i will sort you a supra and we can maintain it for you.

http://www.jm-imports.co.uk

am based near silverlink

you should try an auto before rulling them out as many people on here will tell you they have not looked back with an auto supra. it has a manual mode and over drive for those that need to change up and down.

UKs are all TT and all have the top spec leather seats, active spoiler etc. here is a very helpful pdf with the spec of all supras from some kind souls on here. also the insurance is cheaper and normally it will be easier to get the full service history. services are no more expensive than most other cars and being toyota's they will live a long time with regular services. mine has been no trouble and is one of the best UKs for sale. (if i do say so myself;).)

supra options.pdf

You won't get a UK-Spec Manual as they were never made (Unless I'm wrong?)

Hang your head in shame.

Doh

Hang your head in shame.

Look you, and you, and you and you, and him over there...

I've already accepted my correction!...

DOn't rule out an Auto mate. Go for a drive in a decent one before you make your mind up. They really are good!

As for petrol costs, yeah they drink alot of petrol!

For maintanance side of things, if you can hold a spanner/ratchet and read some good guides on here (along with a little confidence), you'll be fine.

About 3years back, I didn't even touch a car with a spanner. Now after simply reading and fiddling I can easily chance exhausts out, do plugs, coil pack clips, suspension etc, etc.

Heck, I even swapped the engine over in my old Rx7 simply from reading an online guide.

If you can afford the petrol and insurance, go for a TT!

i just got my car tax renewal through the door today as well

1994 uk spec tt - £185 for 12 months

6 - 7 k for any 6 speed would be a good find. mine is for sale, bpu j-spec low miles, needs a little work 7k ono;)

see my sig;)

Costs for fuel - i get from 15 to 28mpg on the motorway, its sort off a game i play:taped:

Oil - 4500 to 5000 miles 'bout 100 quid.

Plugs - ngk bkr6e do the job fine on a stocker, less than £12 a set

Tyres - don't skimp - 500 - 1000 notes.

tax just under £200/ year

my mates got a type r, fuel wise not much different,(he drives like a idiot most of the time, i drive like a granny all the time:p)

insurance - i had a quote on one same time as the supe £500 per year less for type r (20, 2y n/c), however the supe looks much, much better and will leave a type r for dust;) just be wary of where the power comes from;)

sorry AndyT, i just coppied your post;)

Got a N/A for sale at the mo if you want it ... will have the TT for sale soon too

some sound advice there guys, very much appreciated.

jurgen im from whitley bay so not too far from silverlink, i assume your address will be on your website, if i get one i dont intend on getting one for a couple months but i will pop along one day and haver a chat with you.

alsoooo this question has probably asked sooo many times but can you lot recommend decent insurance companies that i might not have heard of that are good for imported cars/supras.

alsooooooo again i know i have a better chance of bedding danielle lloyd than insuring a single but has anyone here insured a single turbo when they are 21/22 with say 5 years no claims, clean licence etc, if so what sort of prices did you get?

cheeeers

cal

some sound advice there guys, very much appreciated.

 

jurgen im from whitley bay so not too far from silverlink, i assume your address will be on your website, if i get one i dont intend on getting one for a couple months but i will pop along one day and haver a chat with you.

 

alsoooo this question has probably asked sooo many times but can you lot recommend decent insurance companies that i might not have heard of that are good for imported cars/supras.

 

alsooooooo again i know i have a better chance of bedding danielle lloyd than insuring a single but has anyone here insured a single turbo when they are 21/22 with say 5 years no claims, clean licence etc, if so what sort of prices did you get?

 

cheeeers

 

cal

give me a call mate or visit us..

sky insurance seem good