1991 Toyota Supra Turbo 3.0 24v

Summary:

Great looks, head turner, fast, but not cheap!

Faults:

Main bearing went, un-economical to repair, very hard to find parts. Very common fault with the mk3 Supra's, caused by oil starvation in the sump apparently.

Nothing else went wrong (that was bad enough!)

Leather seats had some wear (caused by neglect though)

General Comments:

A very stylish car for it's age, not so much from the rear though. Pop-up lights will never get old.

Very fast, definite head turner, can outperform a lot of things on the road and pulls very strongly to well over 100mph (50mph up acceleration amazing).

Good spec for age, full leather, auto, central locking, rear Limited Slip Diff, electric heated mirrors, power steering, electric windows etc.

Great to drive, although in the wet can be a death trap unless you are always aware of it's rear wheel drive and lack of traction control status.

Not cheap on fuel, but from a 3.0 Turbo what do you expect?

There is a UK based owners club on the net, lots of good info.

Major bad points though are that the head gaskets WILL go at some point and that main bearing also tend to go pop, both known faults and very expensive ones at that!

Getting very rare on the roads now though, is a cheap car to buy considering it's a Supra!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 17th November, 2005

1991 Toyota Supra Turbo 3.0 i turbo

Summary:

This car will empty your pants as quick as your wallet

Faults:

So far, all that has gone wrong is a leaking rocker cover gasket. This was due to the car having only covered 4000 miles in the past 6 years.

General Comments:

The turbo supra is basically a gt tourer with a kick. It oozes quality of build and you feel encased in a solid cocoon. This though is probably its only downfall as the weight of the car impairs the performance. Having said that, mine is the auto version so you cannot get the revs up before you go, you are always pulling from 800 rpm.

The only upside of the auto is that the engine is not put under as much stress as the manual.

Normal round town running is around 22 to the gallon and a good run at a constant 80ish will give you around 250 miles to a tank. (around 45 quid).

Handling wise, the car is very agile for its size, you do feel the weight and length around tight and bendy lanes, but all in all it marries comfort and sports like handling very well.

Before departing, a note. BEWARE! the supra does make you complacent and you forget that you have 230 bhp at the wheels, there should be a big sign on the dash saying THIS CAR DOES NOT COME WITH TRACTION CONTROL! Just when you think youve got it tamed it likes to remind you that along with a healthy budget for petrol, youll need a hefty clothing allowance for underwear!

Oh and by the way... usually the head gasket blowing is as a result of the coolant pipes corroding and therefore leaking coolant, air gets in there and bye bye head gasket so it pays to keep up the service history.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 22nd October, 2003

21st Dec 2003, 16:57

Excellent review, funny and very helpful.

22nd Jun 2004, 22:40

I own a 91 Toyota Supra. I bought it at 69,000miles and it now has 139,000. Overall, it has been a wonderful vehicle. I started having problems when I replaced the Radiator (at 137,000) and had an engine flush. The mechanic said that my radiator had a lot of rust in it and needed to be flushed and replaced. I personally believe that the rust was holding my car together because now, it has been overheating and I have to add approx. 2 gallons of water a day. The head gasket is also cracked and will cost about 1,500-2,000 to replace. I will miss this car dearly when I trade it in, but Que Sara Sara!

5th Jul 2004, 23:27

It might be worth trying to fix a head gasket yourself. I blew my SW20 MR2 turbo head gasket, and I'm certainly not paying an arm and a leg to fix it, invest in a torque wrench and a manual and a weekend or two of play, and you know, if once you fail, you can only try again, as head gasket kits cost nothing right?

19th Sep 2006, 19:43

I own a Supra Turbo and it is an amazing vehicle. I have two vehicles, which are the Supra and a Dodge Stealth R/T. Out of the two, the Supra has more power, but overall I would still pick the Stealth.

I've had the gasket go.

When I start the Supra, it always revs to 3 or 4 thousands revs and stays there.

The sound system is sounding crappy, but honestly it's an amazing car. I have not taken very good care of it since I bought it with around 75k, but I wish I had kept it nice from the start.

Mind you, the stereo is quite old, but I do not play it very loud.

I've got a problem, second gear always grinds for about 3 or 4 seconds before shifting, and it leaves a huge cloud of smoke when idling. Any comments?

13th May 2007, 17:46

Usually if a gear grinds, it's because its out of sync. They tell you to let the res down a bit and it should slide in better. Bottom line; eventually you have to drop the tranny to replace the gear, as that gear will have to be replaced. Very expensive if that is what is happening.