240sx or Supra?

1986.5supra_kid

Rice? No its Corn (E85)
1986.5supra_kid;1948415 said:
I agree with this 100%

also when my supra was a 7mge it was so reliable! and still fun to drive and would average 25 mpg on my trips to work. If i knew what i do know i would have stayed stock.

Insidious Surmiser;1948450 said:
just gonna make a note here that 240sx's generally get poor gas mileage.... from what I've seen, my supra get better mileage... not by a small margin either...

my turbo gets about 29, it'd probably do 30 if I tossed the PS (done it before) the N/A supra on the other hand.... gets about 23mpg? it's been a long time, and I've only had one... it was turbo within a few weeks of having it -_-
 

Insidious Surmiser

Formerly 89jdm7m
May 12, 2006
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mine was rebuilt, bored out a lil bit. it ran STRONG, but the best it would ever get was 23 maybe 24 mpg I want to say on the highway o_O around town mpg was deplorable. (16 or 17?) and that was just driving normal, in a hardtop... my super red turbo 89 (targa) definitely hit 30mpg on the dot when you'd drive long distances on the freeway (I have a burgundy 89 now WITH A/C and PS lol, no clue what mpg is, but I feel it's about 29 at best) I have a corolla that gets 42mpg though -_-
 

Insidious Surmiser

Formerly 89jdm7m
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OfnaRcR4;1948511 said:
You must have some crazy stuff done to yours. I got 21 combined and that's getting on boost quite a bit.

lead foot mod :D, mostly stock engine was tuned a hair. I always treat my cars with respect though. general rule out of anal retentiveness... wait 10 mins before I ever go WOT (or even %50)

1986.5supra_kid;1948516 said:
OFNArcr4 are you aware your bird cage light is on? lol love the avatar

the pidgeon has flown the coop. always found the bird cage amusing, especially since I've never had BHG even w/ 5 different 7m's
 
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OfnaRcR4

Shea!
Oct 2, 2006
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Insidious Surmiser;1948517 said:
lead foot mod :D, mostly stock engine was tuned a hair. I always treat my cars with respect though. general rule out of anal retentiveness... wait 10 mins before I ever go WOT (or even %50)

I'd look in to that some more. I was never nice to mine and I got at least 20 every fill up. This was on a 400 wheel 7m with lex afm, 560's, walbro exhaust etc.
 

Insidious Surmiser

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this was back in 07, that engine died when my buddy had it for a while. no clue what happened. it was tuned w/ a safc so you have to keep a close eye on things. mine was probably 350whp, burning 400whp worth of fuel, most likely with at least 1 boost leak, probably more.... i really did drive the ever living shit out of that car though, and rightfully so, the amount of time, money, and work I put into it.... I'm a firm believer of the "tear shit up, it's paid for" philosophy, although I was the one paying.
 

Beals

JZA70 TT-R
Feb 3, 2009
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I would keep the N/A supra for a daily driver, you know what it's been through and what it needs for maintenance. Also it doesn't have turbo so no unwanted wheelspin in heavy rain or snow or icey conditions. It's heavier and better for traveling. the 240sx is a sports car and I mean you can drive it in winter with a KA24 but it's lighter, definitely slides better (why do you think everyone drifts them). It really depends what you want. But I would never recommend a turbo car for a daily driver. I use my supra only for winter, it's a 1jz twin turbo recaro. Winter I have AWD. I use to have a beater cavalier from the 80's that didn't even resemble a modern cavalier for winter. Then it was a ford ranger which sucked being RWD but made me a better driver.
 

Insidious Surmiser

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you have an AWD jza70!?!? ^^^ I'd like to know why you wouldn't recommend a turbo car for DD. PS: my N/A supra got more wheelspin in the dry (open diff) double the hp later and add a LSD, less compression is more controllable at lower throttle (not gassing it and spraying n2o) but the car would spin up to 60 on a dry day (no double clutching) the difference was w/ the LSD it was 100% controllable. it just tracked completely straight, even in the worst weather I've ever seen. same can not be said of a open diff car, wheel-spin and slides are not very controllable to say the least
 

Shane

Turbo? No thanks!
May 19, 2013
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If my opinion makes a difference, I have never owned a 240 but I do have a good chunk of seat time in them, stock and otherwise. S13 I would not take over a MKIII. Supra just "feels" better. I like being in it more, like driving it, like the power curve, like the sound. On the other hand, an S14 I would take hands down. The balance is perfect, it just feels amazing. Unfortunately S14's are harder to come by and do not come cheap.
 

MadRPM

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I drove a S14 with a SR in it. Car was lowered and had some upgrades done to it and felt solid. She also had AC. Never got around tossing it around. I also drove another bone stock S14. Rode smooth and was torquey. Sitting position feels lower than the Supra also. There's something about sitting in a Toyota that makes you me not even consider other cars. Can't put that feeling in words TBH. The Supra just feels more, solid.
One thing to consider though, the Supra is a GT and the 240 is not so the driving characteristics and NVH will differ.
 

Insidious Surmiser

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who knows... that "solid" feel might save your life some day. the supras (soarers and cressidas too) will take a hell of a beating when some ass-hat comes careening into you while texting.
 

te72

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hey...it runs;1948448 said:
I drove my buddy's mx5 5-speed and I was really impressed, but it needed more power for my taste.
Power's fine. Needs more curvy roads and a bit more seat time. They're momentum cars, not really power cars. Don't slow down and they're plenty fast. ;)

I've owned all three (Miata, Supra, 240), driven various examples of each. Pros and cons from my experiences:

Supra pros:
-Comfortable
-Good control
-Good winter daily (assuming LSD rear end)

Supra cons:
-Heavy
-Expensive (can be, if you want them to last)
-?

Miata pros:
-Lightweight
-Aftermarket (seriously, check out Flyin Miata sometime for an idea of what you can do)
-Cheap
-Absurdly reliable
-Handling, rain, sun, snow, as long as you have the proper tires, they're awesome

Miata cons:
-Styling. That's about it, at least in terms of daily driving.
-Perhaps mileage. I usually got about 25mpg driving like the throttle was glued to the floor... not great for a 4 cylinder, but a lot of fun.

240 pros:
-Aftermarket
-Styling (they're a good looking car)
-Lightweight, some aspects of their handling.

240 cons:
-"Drift tax"
-Probably not the best starter rwd, but that doesn't apply here
-Finding an S14, or an S13 that isn't beat to shit by now.
-Lightly built cars... stuff breaks pretty easy.

I've daily driven a Supra of one form or another for ~7 years now. If not for a Miata, I can't picture myself driving anything else, and the Miata only comes into the picture because you literally cannot have more fun for less money in a car. ;)

hey...it runs;1948811 said:
Yep. I think I know what I'm looking for now. Thank you SM!
Dude, that's like farting and not telling us what you had for lunch when we accidentally smell it... What did you decide on? It's obviously your decision, and not one of us has any reason to give you a hard time over it. :p
 

Shane

Turbo? No thanks!
May 19, 2013
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I would love a miata unfortunately I'm 6'4 and won't fit. Same reason I can't drive an FC.
 

hey...it runs

New Member
Aug 15, 2011
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te72;1948895 said:
Power's fine. Needs more curvy roads and a bit more seat time. They're momentum cars, not really power cars. Don't slow down and they're plenty fast. ;)

I've owned all three (Miata, Supra, 240), driven various examples of each. Pros and cons from my experiences:

Supra pros:
-Comfortable
-Good control
-Good winter daily (assuming LSD rear end)

Supra cons:
-Heavy
-Expensive (can be, if you want them to last)
-?

Miata pros:
-Lightweight
-Aftermarket (seriously, check out Flyin Miata sometime for an idea of what you can do)
-Cheap
-Absurdly reliable
-Handling, rain, sun, snow, as long as you have the proper tires, they're awesome

Miata cons:
-Styling. That's about it, at least in terms of daily driving.
-Perhaps mileage. I usually got about 25mpg driving like the throttle was glued to the floor... not great for a 4 cylinder, but a lot of fun.

240 pros:
-Aftermarket
-Styling (they're a good looking car)
-Lightweight, some aspects of their handling.

240 cons:
-"Drift tax"
-Probably not the best starter rwd, but that doesn't apply here
-Finding an S14, or an S13 that isn't beat to shit by now.
-Lightly built cars... stuff breaks pretty easy.

I've daily driven a Supra of one form or another for ~7 years now. If not for a Miata, I can't picture myself driving anything else, and the Miata only comes into the picture because you literally cannot have more fun for less money in a car. ;)


Dude, that's like farting and not telling us what you had for lunch when we accidentally smell it... What did you decide on? It's obviously your decision, and not one of us has any reason to give you a hard time over it. :p
Awesome response! And I should have known. Well, the 240 is pretty much ruled out. S14's I'm just going to assume are far out of my budget. The s13 might be a possibility but I highly doubt I'll be able to find one DD worthy. So that leaves the Supra vs. The miata. While this thread has dramatically increased my appreciation for miatas, they really just remind me of my N/A Supra I drive now. Although their budget friendliness and reliability factors are very appealing. So the verdict as of now, unless I find a killer deal on a miata, is a Turbo Supra. Now I just have to find one for <$3k. Any honest opinions on this decision?
 

Insidious Surmiser

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May 12, 2006
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it's doable... I just got my 89 turbo for $2,500 rebuilt engine. my buddy also just picked up a turbo 87 for $2,500 fresh rebuilt engine as well...

my car's in kindof rough shape, but to me it was worth it just for the parts alone. I'm looking for a good hardtop to swap my drivetrain into now. (can't stand the targa)

in 2007 I also got a 87 hardtop N/A w/ a fresh rebuilt engine for $2,000 that car was in REALLY nice shape. someone stole it though :(
 

hey...it runs

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Insidious Surmiser;1949257 said:
it's doable... I just got my 89 turbo for $2,500 rebuilt engine. my buddy also just picked up a turbo 87 for $2,500 fresh rebuilt engine as well...

my car's in kindof rough shape, but to me it was worth it just for the parts alone. I'm looking for a good hardtop to swap my drivetrain into now. (can't stand the targa)

in 2007 I also got a 87 hardtop N/A w/ a fresh rebuilt engine for $2,000 that car was in REALLY nice shape. someone stole it though :(
That's encouraging. Any tips on where to look? And my N/A was stolen too. That was long before I owned it though.