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The mkiv Supra Owners Club

New member: Can i afford a supra?


Guest silentnight
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Call me a boring old fart. At 20 the lad is on a decent wage as I was only taking home similar when I was 25 (although that was in 1999). I am still sometimes surprised when I go to meets and see some of the young lads driving Supras and spending ALL their disposable income on their cars. I would be more concerned about getting on the property ladder and getting some independence at that age.

 

I waited until I was 32 before I reckoned I could comfortably afford a decent sports car (then bought an NA). I can't imagine even thinking about wasting money on luxuries like sports cars at 20 before getting the rest of my life in order. What you will blow in fuel, insurance, tyres, mods, repairs (lot of dogs about) etc. When you suddenly need a house or have kids on the way, you will wish you'd have put your £700 somewhere better.

 

H.

 

Not boring mate, WISE!

 

But us youngsters just will not listen :)

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I think H has a point (putting on the sensible hat) and at a young age I doubt you'll be driving it now & then. I remember at 20 I was out nearly every day in my car!! He does have a point that if you spend the rest of the money on the car then you'll have no savings & little money for say nights out & presents etc.

 

On the flip side it is doable on £700 a month! Get a small diesel runner & keep the Supra as a toy. That way you spend only £30 on diesel a week & if something happens to your Supra you are not stuck & still get to work.

 

I am luckily on a very good wage but (putting on the sensible hat again) I have to look after my family & my future assets so that take priority. You are very young & as boring as this sounds it would be good to have some money behind you first & then see how you feel in say a years time.

 

They are pretty reliable cars, I'd even say the most reliable sports car per bhp or per tonne. Though when things go wrong they 'can' be expense. Though not all the time.

 

:)

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I think H has a point (putting on the sensible hat) and at a young age I doubt you'll be driving it now & then. I remember at 20 I was out nearly every day in my car!! He does have a point that if you spend the rest of the money on the car then you'll have no savings & little money for say nights out & presents etc.

 

On the flip side it is doable on £700 a month! Get a small diesel runner & keep the Supra as a toy. That way you spend only £30 on diesel a week & if something happens to your Supra you are not stuck & still get to work.

 

I am luckily on a very good wage but (putting on the sensible hat again) I have to look after my family & my future assets so that take priority. You are very young & as boring as this sounds it would be good to have some money behind you first & then see how you feel in say a years time.

 

They are pretty reliable cars, I'd even say the most reliable sports car per bhp or per tonne. Though when things go wrong they 'can' be expense. Though not all the time.

 

:)

 

Agree with you and H. It's all about priorities in life, and as already mentioned about savings, housing and other commitments.

If you really want one at your age then with that amount of money is doable but you have to manage you cashflow very carefully and have extra cash saved away for repairs.

I would like to say be sensible but sometimes we all learn the hard way rather then listen to reason. I am speaking from experience :D

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Not boring mate, WISE!

 

But us youngsters just will not listen :)

 

I am now 38 with three kids, house paid for and doing well generally, it also helps having a wife with a similar standard of income.

 

I can't help but think if I had followed my heart and not my head in my early 20's I would still be skint and having money problems now. The stress of having no money to do even the basics (living costs, bills, food etc) is not even worth comparing with the limited pleasure a car would give you even for a few weeks.

 

I see a lot of lads who "have it all" in their early 20's who have a reality check at 30 and have to sell up as they now have other commitments (kids, mortgage etc). I'd like to think I would sell my car because I wanted to, not because I hadn't thought longer term when I was getting my wallet out and thinking about burning rubber.

 

I can only say what workeed for me and I am very happy. You could get hit by a falling piano tomorrow so maybe people should live for the now..!! All I would say is that if you've spent all your money then standing under a few suspended pianos may be needed rather than growing old and living like a tramp.

 

H.

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This is turning into a depressive thread!!

I'd say, if you want one, get one! If you can't afford it, sell it! You probably won't lose too much on it either.

If something goes wrong, then you're in the perfect place here!! Lots of parts being sold and some very knowledgable and helpful members!!!

Go on... you know you want to!!!

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This is turning into a depressive thread!!

I'd say, if you want one, get one! If you can't afford it, sell it! You probably won't lose too much on it either.

If something goes wrong, then you're in the perfect place here!! Lots of parts being sold and some very knowledgable and helpful members!!!

Go on... you know you want to!!!

 

+1

 

If your looking to buy a place and have kids then dont buy it but if your into going out at weekends and buying computer games etc and fancy buying a supra to spend some money on instead then go for it. Your 20 for god sake have some fun!

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I'm 22 I have a mortgage and a girlfriend to support and pay off the loan I used to get the supra. I earn 22700 before tax, honestly because of it times are hard...but... I'm ok at managing my finances, have a supportive girlfriend and whenever I imagine driving a supra again it makes me smile, which is worth a lot! :D

 

Go for it is my answer. A TT is a great car to drive even stock :)

Edited by JasonR24 (see edit history)
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Guest silentnight

i understand that maybe i should be looking towards building a future, but another way of seeing it is potentially i wont be able to afford these sorts of things once i do have a wife, kids and a mortgage? so maybe i should give it at go while im young (before its POSSIBLY too late)

 

if it all turns out horribly wrong i will still have the car which i imagine wont depreciate too much any more? - so aside from repairs, servicing and fuel - i dont have much to lose?

 

also just to add i would be keeping it almost completely stock.. with only very few BPUs - so reliability should be relatively good? if not abused and looked after properly ofc...

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If you are prepared to spend the £700 for the month running the car then go for it. Just remember out of that £700 you are left with for the month you still need to eat and possibly go out at the weekend for a beer. If you are planning to become a monk then it should'nt be a problem. :) To be honest i wouldnt be spending all the money i had just to put a car on the road. When you buy a supra you need to be able to enjoy it and drive it that's what there all about, to use and have fun. If you are having to watch the cashflow it might ruin it for you.

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We have all done it, when i first passed my test i had a mini that all my disposable income wrnt on, bucket seats , minilites, de seamed etc. i was working in a gym getting maybe £500 a month. Then came the rs turbos and they cost me a small fortune.

 

I bought my Supra when I was 26 and managed to run it, paythe mortgage and pay for 2 kids upbringing aswell.

 

Dont listen to these boring farts, get a £18k loan and buy the best Supra you can, i know of a nice white one for sale :)

 

You only live once, go and enjoy yourself :thumbs:

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We have all done it, when i first passed my test i had a mini that all my disposable income wrnt on, bucket seats , minilites, de seamed etc. i was working in a gym getting maybe £500 a month. Then came the rs turbos and they cost me a small fortune.

 

I bought my Supra when I was 26 and managed to run it, paythe mortgage and pay for 2 kids upbringing aswell.

 

Dont listen to these boring farts, get a £18k loan and buy the best Supra you can, i know of a nice white one for sale :)

 

You only live once, go and enjoy yourself :thumbs:

 

I fear you may have a vested interest behind your advice Add...!!

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What I am not seeing anywhere here is where you are getting the lump sum to buy the car in the first place? If you are having to borrow the money and being relatively new to the credit market then I wouldn't expect you to be getting a decent rate against a car loan. So if you look at the cost of the cheapest TT being around £5k and you are potentially buying trouble in that range if you buy the wrong-un, you still need to pay that £5k off. If you put it on the forever/never you'll still be losing £150 or more from your monthly disposable income. I currently bash in 84 miles a day to get to work and I've ended up opting for a beemer diesel as petrol motors just don't cut it over that distance. BTW did you get an insurance quote for 18k miles per year?

It is a fantastic idea in principal but I myself despite being totally in love with 2jz-gte's would not consider driving that distance weekly without significantly more disposable cash than I have now and I am no pauper! I have an opportunity to take a job earning double what I do now which may well see me back in a supra but without that job I'll stick with the beemer as a tank of 60 litres lasting me 650 miles is so much easier to live with than a tank of 60 litres making me 280 miles at best!!

 

I tried to have a cheap 2jz-gte by buying an aristo mk2 and sticking it on gas which worked quite well for a while until I ended up on a really crap contract and couldn't afford to make the payments on it so was forced to sell it. Previously I went down the single turbo route that I just had to have and after it emptied my bank account of close to £20k I ended up selling it with a broken gearbox for £4k. Sh*t happens in life, FWIW with those miles to drive look for a decent, quick, modern diesel motor and enjoy your drive to work without freaking over wether or not you can afford to get to work or not!

Edited by dangerous brain (see edit history)
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Tough one, but if i know what i know now, I would defo invest earlier in life and get the car later otherwise you will struggle later... I am 30, luckily have access to 3 diesels and this car will be my weekend fun...I only work 3 miles away too. I have a full time job and do wedding photography on the side.

 

Your young and if you want muff then the supra is defo a muff magnet lol

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Had the Supra since I was 18 (TT6). Worked my arse off to pay for it while still in college. Supra's are easily affordable to young people, just chuck the money in the car instead of chucking it down you neck. 95% of my mates spend 1-200 a weekend out drinking, at the time I preferred to run my car and drink less. Now I've finished college and working I can do both for a while, until I decide to lay off the drink a bit again and buy a house or a nicer car SIMPLES. :D

Edited by nige-rz (see edit history)
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Had the Supra since I was 18 (TT6). Worked my arse off to pay for it while still in college. Supra's are easily affordable to young people, just chuck the money in the car instead of chucking it down you neck. 95% of my mates spend 1-200 a weekend out drinking, at the time I preferred to run my car and drink less. Now I've finished college and working I can do both for a while, until I decide to lay off the drink a bit again and buy a house or a nicer car SIMPLES. :D

 

Thats impressive! :) I know I couldnt afford to even buy a supra let alone run it at the age of 18! Especially on an Apprenticeship wage like mine :(

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Thats impressive! :) I know I couldnt afford to even buy a supra let alone run it at the age of 18! Especially on an Apprenticeship wage like mine :(

 

Reasonably lucky Chris in that I saved up some money from odd jobs since I was about 14, and imported my first car to sell at 16, a wee little GT starlet. Profit from that let me buy an s14 non turbo from japan, then I moved onto S15's and the odd SUbaru. I was the Jurgen of Ireland briefly :D, well not really, but I sold about 10 cars in total over the 2 years. Gave me enough to buy and insure my Supra.

 

The car market was amazing in Ireland, apprentices were able to borrow anything they wanted. Any young lad who got a job in a trade basically went and got a big loan to get a car. Think 7 of the cars I imported were sold before they arrived in Ireland. It was an amazing time, but sadly those days are well and truly over in Ireland anyway.

Edited by nige-rz (see edit history)
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  • 3 weeks later...

I'd say, if you want one, get one! If you can't afford it, sell it! You probably won't lose too much on it either.

If something goes wrong, then you're in the perfect place here!! Lots of parts being sold and some very knowledgable and helpful members!!!

Go on... you know you want to!!!

 

+1 :thumbs:

 

If you really want, you can!

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