Considering buying a TT Supra

Hello all,

I currently drive a 1995 Nissan 200SX S14, pics of which can be seen here:

http://www.sxoc.com/site/rides/ride.php?Member_ID=1184

Im currently considering a new car in the new year, and im basically stuck between a tt supra or an evo 4/5. The Supra is edging it at the moment due to cheaper insurance (unbelieavable but true!) and the fact that i've always wanted one. The Evo appeals due to 4wd and the ability to seat 4 comfortably(always had quick rwd coupe cars previously). Can you fit anyone or anything in the backseat of a supra?Is it really more of a two seater than anything else?

What are the servicing costs like?Im used to changing the oil in my S14 every 3k miles, so im used to being religous about servicing What are the big jobs that need doing and at what mileage?

Finally, how reliable are these things?Do turbos/gearboxes fail often? What are the main problems that everyone gets??

Sorry for the overload, but your input will greatly be appreciated

is this hadyn from KM ?

yea its me who gets around a bit

servicing will be about the same as the evo, maybe even less, if your after a wet weather all year round machine go for the evo, if your after the ultimate in the dry weather go supra, i have to say the supra is better looking to

i may get slated for this but i think its pointless using the rear seats unless your mates are 4 foot 8.

yep supra is definately a better looking machine, no question about that and i do have a dirty fetish for all things 200bhp plus and RWD But, 12 grand for an 8-10 year old car is a lot of money to shell out, and i really have to justify one to myself to get a supe

look around and you will find one much cheaper than that mate, also remember its not the age its the amount of car you get for your cash

also remember its not the age its the amount of car you get for your cash

i've been told that a lot of cars sub 10 grand are in a bad way though mate - how true is that??? Im also looking for something as lowish miles as possible, auto or manual (but only if the auto will do a 0-60 of around 5ish with BPUs)

i know all about the amount of car you get for your cash mate, the S14 is a brilliant car for saxo money

depends on the car and how badly people need the cash ! 5ish wouldnt be a problem for an auto even if it was stock ! dont worry about the miles these run for ever !!!!

so how often do they need cambelt changes and is there any other major jobs that need doing along the way??

what are the common faults?

look in the FAQ section in technical they are all in there, only little things are common, boot rubbers things like that,

i think the belt is 60k

hadyn if u go back on supra chat and check the thread supra from japan, that is due in few months and has tasty mods on.

and dont be put off by supra price a sold one last week for 8,500 due to family problems.

but there are a lot of bad examples for that price too so u just have to be careful.

check this out mate (not mine by the way)cheap low mileage TT, needs sale quick!

car's still available and is a steal at that price!

It seems with the 5ish second 0-60 comment you want a 'nippy' off-the-line car in which case the Evo might be a better idea anyway??? The Supe's the quickest thing I've ever been in (especially since going in Dude's!!!), but it really needs the second turbo up and spooling to get the most out of it, you'll get annoyed by tiny little cars pulling away quicker!!

It seems with the 5ish second 0-60 comment you want a 'nippy' off-the-line car in which case the Evo might be a better idea anyway??? The Supe's the quickest thing I've ever been in (especially since going in Dude's!!!), but it really needs the second turbo up and spooling to get the most out of it, you'll get annoyed by tiny little cars pulling away quicker!!

i just love the way a supe looks though, and naturally i want something quicker than my S14, hence why i NEED a 0-60 of about 5

i just love the way a supe looks though, and naturally i want something quicker than my S14, hence why i NEED a 0-60 of about 5

Well get a nice j-spec auto and see Dude or someone about a nice big single conversion!!! That'll be quick enough I'm sure.

Seriously you won't be dissapointed if you get one, they're amazing, but I was a little shocked when I first tried to pull away quickly off the line, being used to a hot hatch the extra weight makes a difference. Now I just cruise off in first and floor it in 2nd instead!!

I'm being very picky though they're by no means slow off the line!!!

Supra if i was choosing, plus the cam belt on the evo, if it goes it will take all the valves out but on the supe it wont as its got a non interference head.

Plus the supe does look amazing even as standard where as the evo is more rally looking (for obvious reasons ), but its down to personal preference, but for daily using etc i would still say the supe as they are mega reliable.

this mega reliable thing is really tempting me lads....

can someone give me the service intervals for the big jobs? when does the cambelt need changing??i think someone said @ 60k??

Yeah 60k is about right, as any car really (if you like it ), My mate is a mechanic at Toyota, and a bloke brings his uk supe which he has had from new in, and its got 350,000 miles on it , i think he uses it a fair bit lol.

But apart from usual service bits they are very very good, plus its Toyota so reliability is second to none imo. Excellent car for the money even now, 8-9k will get you a low milage decent TT if you dont mind waiting, and they can be had for less (especially this time of year ho ho). GET ONE

I think the main point is we're talking turbos and for a turbo engine, even a tuned one you can expect 100s of thousands of miles out of them.

I'm sure I remember a few people saying as long as you do regular oil changes then it'll be fine, all major organs are set for life pretty much!!

3k oil changes with a good oil such as mobil 1 m-sport is something ill be carrying on with if i buy a supe...

the SR20DET engine in my S14 has a timing chain which is good for 120+k miles and no cambelt change is required, as it doesnt have one....

Im pretty sure no cambelt will last 120k miles tho!

I was suprised the supe didn't use a chain actually.

hi Hadyn

i came the same route that you are now proposing, my first "serious" car was an s13, i liked that so much i then got an s14, then a supe i have now owned it for 3 and a half years which is the longest i have ever owned a car i honestly can't think of any other car i would sell it for (without a lottery win), my car is a 93 import auto with 100 k miles, in that time i have changed the timing belt and tensioner, an ancillary belt pulley bearing, water pump, intercooler (primarily to go FMIC), everything else replaced has been performance replacements, they are fantastically reliable cars and very well put together, the performance over the 200sx is not to apparent in stock form up to about 30 mph but after that it is awesome, and when you go BPU it is totally awesome, my sx was starting to run out of legs at about 120 ish (i had it up to 135) whereas the supe pulls like a train all the way up to 150 (where your bottle go'es), the one thing i would have done different with hindsight is buy a uk spec then i would'nt of had to spend £1000 uprating the import brakes, service history with such a complex beast as a supe i think is vital, if it has good history forget the mileage, beware if the modding bug bites these can get very expensive cars, hope this ramble from an ex nissan owner helps

definately helps paul thank you!

do you find many fresh jap imports with service histories though?

that is a definate problem mate i'me sure the traders on here could answer that better, mine had been in the uk since 1996 so had some uk history but the 3 years it spent in japan are a mystery, i'me sure you would get some warranty from a trader with a freshly imported car, this would go some way to easing your mind but if in doubt go for a car thats been in the uk for a while or again a uk spec