tips for purchasing used supra turbo Options

[guest_13]

Hello all -<br><br>I am interested in purchasing a 1989 supra turbo. It is an automatic <br>with the targa top. I was wondering if current supra owners could <br>give me some information on WHAT I should look for in this vehicle, <br><br>I understand the BHG problems; that I have asked him about and he <br>replaced it about 15,000 miles ago at a Toyota Dealership. I believe <br>the head bolts are still torqued at 58 ft*lbs (not a metal head <br>gasket) He also replaced the shocks and struts, along with the tires, <br>plugs, wires, etc. <br><br>The reason I am contemplating this vehicle is because my parents <br>owned one and it ran very, very well if maintenance and attention is <br>paid to it. I have not found a supra owner (willing to sell), that <br>could document every single maintenance done since the car was first <br>purchased. He recently purchased a new sports vehicle, so I am <br>assuming that is his toy car now. <br><br>I was wondering if people, when contemplating purchasing a used <br>supra, took this car to a shop to have a full diagnostics done. How <br>would I find a shop, besides the Toyota Dealership, to check this <br>car. I was thinking about Pep Shop Boys because they have a 250 point <br>inspection for about $200. Is it recommended to take it to a <br>franchised place? or a private mechanics shop?<br><br>He states the boost is at 11 psi now. So I am assuming that some mods <br>HAD to be done. I have not asked him about these mods. Is there <br>anything I should pay attention to IF mods were done? I am not sure <br>which ones were done...I am assuming the air filter, exhaust, and <br>possibly something else.<br><br>If I DO take it to a mechanic, what tests should I run? Is it worth <br>running a block test since the head gasket was replaced? It was not <br>blown, he just replaced it because the car had high mileage. IS this <br>the same as a leak-pressure test? Should I run a coolant pressure <br>test? There are so many tests to run...I was wondering if you could <br>recommend the ones I should DO.<br><br>What should I be listening to or feeling for when driving the car. <br>What should I examine underneath the car? What should I look at in <br>the engine compartment? He says the targa does not leak, has this <br>been a problem before? I am assuming I can look for water stains <br>inside to find it. How can I tell if the rack&pinion, or driveshaft <br>is still good and not too loose? How can I tell if the transmission <br>is good or not? <br><br>Should I be worried about the fuel lines? fuel pump? how do you check <br>these? Is a compression test worth running? How can I tell if the <br>TURBO is still good, is there a test that will do this? Does a turbo <br>need to be rebuilt after so many miles? or is it good forever with <br>proper engine maintenance?<br><br>sorry for all of the questions, but I could not locate anything in <br>the archives detailing what to look for in a used supra. <br><br>Finally, is there any recommendations, assuming that this is a decent <br>car (I assume that most used cars requires some money; however, I <br>don't want to spend THOUSANDS...I am looking at maybe $500 to fix <br>things).....what should I do to maintain the performance? Do you all <br>use synthetic oil? Is there anything else that I should do to upkeep <br>the car?<br><br>Thanks and I will keep you informed on what happens. I have <br>researched this vehicle for about 2 weeks now. I have some experience <br>in looking at used cars, but I just wonder if because of the turbo <br>nature of this car; whether I am overlooking anything.

[guest_13]

I'm not to sure on what to tell you. I would say that as a seller running 11 lbs boost (5 stock) would seriously depreciate the car. I think turbo rebuilders are con-men-I lost a lot of money having mine rebuilt-it ruined it.some said a stock ct-26 could last 200K. As I have stated before-Always include the price of a rebuild in your purchase price-These are turbo cars you know.don

[guest_13]

I've been reluctant to answer on this because you've asked so many specific questions about which I have no idea how to answer I'm not sure if what I'm going to say will help you. <br><br>In general, if you are going to test, test everything you can. Some tests you can do yourself, compression test, coooling system check, maybe even jump up and down on the bumper and see if the shocks rebound once. Anything more, you should pony up the cash and take it in for an inspection. Wherever you take it -and no it shouldn't matter where you go as long as they're ASE certified mechanics- make sure they have some guarantee that if they fail to uncover a defect that requires repair, they'll pay for the repair.<br><br>The truth is you're looking at a 12 year old high performance car and that means there are no guarantees. It's also really unlikely you will ever find a car that old that has full service records- even the most dilligent people quit that about the 5 year mark unless they have a Ferrari or something. When it was new, that Supra was a rich man's high performance car so it doesn't seem likely some 19 year old kid bought it and slammed it around, but since then, who knows where it's been or what it's been put through? You have to do your best to check it out, then take your chances if you really want it. Toyotas are tough rigs, really, and automatics are really hard to thrash- the toyota transmission is a really strong unit. As a plus, guys who want really speedy cars don't buy autos- they buy sticks.<br><br>One thing you should think about. People don't generally do major internal engine repairs- like head gaskets- that require a lot of down time and expense as "preventitive maintainence." Why did this guy really do all this work? He had to have a reason.<br><br>Now I've encountered some strange things buying used cars- I once bought a Dodge Dart a guy who was dying of cancer had bought and restored for his 12 year old son because he wanted to give the son his first car before he died. Then the kid, three years later, at 15 decided the car wasn't cool enough and told his mom to sell it so he could get a dirt bike. In that case, I understood why this old car had been completely gone through and it made sense- try and get the story. If the story doesn't work, or you have doubts (and it sounds like you do) then walk away no matter how much you want it.

[guest_13]

Spoken like a true hero...Now that's what I call a well-informed testimony.

[guest_13]

Thank you very much, I was reluctant to say all that.

[guest_13]

Please explain what you mean-more detail please

[guest_13]

wow, that's one of the most comprehensive replies I've ever seen--thanks for giving us all your insight

[guest_13]

Most information that I have come across regarding Toyota Supras are very limited and insufficient data. Most online users often give high praises for their vehicles, but don't give us the very frank details. I think that the last post gave his honest opinion about his experiences with his Supra. His testimony seemed more in-depth and give us a much better idea as to what to look for when inspecting a potential car to buy.

[guest_13]

Yes Tom that was an excellent answer to the "buy a used supra" Q. I was glad the web site guy allowed my answer along side of yours. Didn't you do the one about the mysterious water loss? You don't have to answer.

[guest_13]

I really don't understand the kind of praises that post has gotten from so many people, Don. I thought your post was much more on point about answering one of his biggest questions.<br><br>Basically, when I wrote that post and read it over, I thought I said a whole lot of nothing. Everything in there is just common sense stuff. The guy asked about a dozen really tough specific questions and I don't think I went too much towards answering any of them, it was one reason why I waited for a long time to say anything. I just adressed the generalities of buying an old car. Buying an old car is always a crap shoot, really, and we all know it.<br><br>It's different if it's something like a general technical problem that I've had experience with like the mysterious coolant loss or electrical troubleshooting stuff. Those are easy because it's all step by step procedure and you just have to think about the system as a whole. <br><br>Most of the Supra specific stuff, I'll leave to you guys. This is my first one, although I've admired them for years, and it's kind of an oddball compared to what got imported to the USA that year.<br><br>Still, thanks for the kind words everyone. I appreciate them even if I don't think I earned them.