Faults:
So far there have been no major problems.
The front wheel bearings need to be replaced, but considering the distance they've covered this is not unreasonable.
A common fault with these cars is the blowing of head gaskets. This is caused by the torque settings on the head bolts being too low.
If they are torqued down to 75 ft.lbs you will not have any trouble.
There are plenty of minor things that need attention e.g the rear hatch squeaks, but this is a common fault, caused by worn rubber pads.
General Comments:
It would be hard to find a car on the market today that has as many features as what these do, for so little money.
This car cost me less than $3000 and it has the following:
3 litre, 24 valve, twin cam, turbo charged, intercooled engine with full electronic fuel injection (distributorless), proportional power steering, anti-lock braking system, power windows, power mirrors, cruise control, digital dash, electronic lock-up torque converter, computer controlled electronically operated transmission, electric seats, central locking, and many small features such as a light around the driver's key hole on the door, and one around the ignition switch that comes on when you open the door to get in.
The bodies are triple and quadruple skinned in many places and are completely dipped at the factory so structural rust is not a problem.
Being a turbo charged engine, regular oil and filter changes are suggested.
In the stock form you'll get about 200 Hp at the rear wheels - modified you can get in excess of 600 Hp.
The nice thing about these cars is that they look great, and there aren't a million of them on the road, so it's something just a little different compared to the masses of other Jap sports cars out there.
Considering they were over $70,000 when they were new, owning one now is a real joy.
My only disappointment is that it's an auto. 5 speed manual Supras are so rare it's not funny - only a handful came out of the factory in Japan - but there are a few around that have been converted.
Locating a gearbox is not easy either as the majority of compatible boxes have been snapped up by the V8 boys.
9th Oct 2005, 23:49
I just wanted to say, that maybe in Australia or NZ, the price for one was $70,000 dollars, but not here in america, they went for around $30,000 here.