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Noob - To buy or not to buy?


Guest nish_supra??
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Guest nish_supra??

Hi All!

 

Been lurking in the shadows a while now soaking up supra information.

 

I'm looking to buy a TT (prob j-spec) in the near future. I've worn the search button out and still have a few questions if u guys can help.

 

1) Turbo failure - I'm getting a little scared on the number of people who are having their turbos splutter and die on them - it seems its more a case of when it will happen rather then will it happen. Am i right? Or just being a wuss?

 

2) Will a warranty save me from the above? I hear they try and scam you and claim it to be wear and tear?

 

 

Other then that i can't wait to get one!!! Looking for a low mileage (circa 40k) jap spec. Given up hope of finding a uk one!

 

Any help would be much appreciated!!!!!

 

Thanks

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Ok my take on it is this........anyone can get unlucky, but far more common is people pushing their luck.

 

Lots of people on here run non stock boost, and are aware that this will reduce the turbo's life, some even do this to 'use up' the stock ones before upgrading.

 

cars running stock boost and having turbo failures are rare IMO. This BBS has many enthusiasts and serial modders which exaggerates the turbo failure issue......

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Yes, I agree. On point 2 I would say almost certainly not. My view on warranties is that they are usually not worth the paper they're written on. I expect if it wasn't specifically excluded they would claim it was an item "subject to periodic replacement" or something. I'd want to read the small print very carefully and phone up and check first.

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Guest nish_supra??

Thanks guys, i did get the general impression that alot of failures were with people running higher boosts.

 

But buying second hand i guess theres no way of knowing how its been pushed in the past.

 

Is there any way to check/guess turbo condition on a test drive?

 

And if they were to blow, how much is a rebuild? replacement?

 

Or hybrids? (But i doubt i'd go for these straight away, i drive an MR2 and thought of a stock TT supra is exciting enough!)

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Originally posted by nish_supra??

 

But buying second hand i guess theres no way of knowing how its been pushed in the past.

 

 

Maybe not when buying from a dealer, but sometimes alot can be assumed if buying privately. eg if they've had the car a long time 3+ years and the 112mph restrictor is still in place, stock exhaust etc its fair to assume they are not really the most euthusiastic of drivers! obviously this isn't fool proof as things can be 'returned to stock' but i can't see many bothering as there is a market for modded ones anyway. Combine the above with a nice service history and your at least doing all you can to avoid turbo troubles in the future.....

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Guest nish_supra??

Fair point.

 

Also why do the prices tend to vary so much? I understand manual 6 speed twin turbos going for aq higher price etc but often you see two very similar cars priced about 2k apart.

 

Is this just a case of buyers luck or is something genuinely diff?

 

(Obviously apart form a huge veilside kit! :flame Dev )

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the prices do vary a lot in the ad's. You need to view them to see if there is any particular reason why, sometimes there is but sometimes there isn't.

 

The 'cheap' ones may be cosmetical challenged etc or possibly its in good but the owner just wants a quick hassle free sale.

 

The thing is the engine and drivetrain is very reliable so if it test drives well and is 'straight' , then how much can be wrong with it?

 

Personally I'd buy privately, you need to be a little careful but you can tell alot by who's selling the car IMO.

 

people on here will say a good UK manual would be about 12-13K minimum, but parkers guide will come up with probably around 8k! then factor in what the seller 'needs' for it then modification colour etc variances and you have all the factors for a price variance of upto 4K on a car thats maybe in exactly the same condition.

 

All i'm saying is keep an open mind and look at a few

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ive got an insurance policy specifically for my supe, that covers turbo failure specifically, (and BPU mods believe or not!!!) the problem with it though is you can only take out the policy on cars less than 5 yrs old, - but you can continue renewing it after then,

 

best advice i can give on buyin a supe, is DONT rush into it, alot of the guys on here were test driving supes for months before they found one they were happy with,

 

and also, if you buy a supe from one of the guys on the BBS, private, or from dude/paul(s)/gaz etc, then you can be pretty sure you'll be ok,

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Originally posted by 200SX Boy

Problem with Parker's is that it doesn't take any account of mods or even location. It's very much a guide price... sometimes practically useless.

 

hey you know that, and i know that, but many don't know the market value of their own car and can't be arsed to find out, thats why you see such price variations and why some cheap cars are genuine bargains........

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I think that most of the points on here have been covered. I think the price variances do really come down to the fact that there is a huge variance in the quality, standard, and specification of supra's. Lump that in with owner circumstances and knowledge of the market then add your trader elements and there ya go a huge price differential in seemingly similar cars.

 

The supra market isn't quite like the market for say mondeos. You buy a mondeo you really do have an idea of what you want. There are distinct model types and engine sizes which the majority of people are aware of. However just browse the board to see how confused alot of our more informed than normal people are. That coupled with the amount of modified supra's available and you get a right old mixup.

 

I also agree that warranties can be worth a fart in a storm. I also agree that traders that you don't know or know by association can be as dodgy if not dodgier than buying from private buyers.

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