Cash for Clunkers

[jgcable]

My family is in desperate need for a new car. I have my 1987 N/A Supra that I just did the motor on last summer. It also has a new rack, and a ton of new parts and runs and drives like a brand new car. Anyway.... we have been trying to sell it for $3500.00 with no bites and are down to $3350.00 with no bites. Heck.. the car has $1500.00 worth of brand new custom rims and tires on it. I looked it up on Cash for Clunkers online and the car qualifies for $4500.00 discount towards a new car. I was going to remove the customer rims and tires and put on the stock sawblades. I was also going to remove the JDM wing, the JDM muffler and the Alpine radio and sell them privately. I was all set to trade it in when I found out that they pour some kind of liquid plastic into the block and warm up the motor and sieze it. They then crush the car. Its a federal law. I can't let that happen to such a fine car. Unfortunately.. the Supra just isn't working out as a daily driver. It attracts too much attention and its aweful in the winter. Its also not the greatest on gas. I can't believe we can't even get an offer from anybody either a car trade or a cash offer.
It would be a travesty to euthinize this car!! Its not like there is a ton of them around anymore. People just aren't feeling the love for my Supra.

 

[LAYZORBEEMZ]

is the motor completely rebuilt or just like the top end?

 

[Justin727]

have you owned it for a year and had it insured for a year?

 

[jgcable]

have you owned it for a year and had it insured for a year?

I have owned the car for 3 years. It has been a daily driver all this time.

 

[Justin727]

but that doesnt mean you've had it insured for atleast the last 12 months???

 

[jgcable]

is the motor completely rebuilt or just like the top end?

Just the top half. I did the head gasket 5K ago. It has a very minor leak and didn't even overheat. It was just losing coolant in an exhaust jacket.
I did the timing belt, injector o-rings and cushions, water pump, new head bolts, retorqued the head after 5 het cycles, new belts, head was completely dissasembled and flatenned at a machine shop, new cam seals. The bottom and top end of the motor were both in excellent condition. It only has 111K on it. Its a fantastic car. Dead reliable and unmolested. The few people who have come and look at it and test drive it totally raved over it. Unfortunately.. they are all tire kickers. I am willing to negotiate or trade for a commuter car for my kid for college. No luck at all and I need to do something this month!!!

 

[JDMMA70]

another Supra bites the dust what a waste

 

[kotu100]

so you wanna get rid of the supra for a car for your kid to commute to college? just give em the supra.
do not bring a reliable running supra to its imminent doom, thats just evil.

 

[Fozbo]

so you wanna get rid of the supra for a car for your kid to commute to college? just give em the supra.
do not bring a reliable running supra to its imminent doom, thats just evil.

I agree. Give the kid the supra. Don't really know if he/she is into cars/supras, but a free car is a free car (and a supra at that!). Is this a matter of you not wanting to give the supra to the kid or the kid does not want to take the supra?

If you are worried about gas mileage, think of it this way: you are probably gonna spend over a couple thousand dollars to transfer over to a newer car to save a couple hundred dollars per year on gas. Now I know that a newer car is better on everything (gas, reliability, resale, safety, comfort, etc.), but it would still be more expensive over the next few years than just keeping the supra.

And just a side note: I looked at your for sale thread, I think the main reason it isn't selling for what you want is the paint and rims. Although they are nice rims, wheels on a car are a very personal thing; you might get more bites/money if you put the stockers back on and sell the rims separately. It *might* be worth it to have someone paint the hood/wing to match the current color. Please don't take this as anything negative towards your car, the body is very straight, the engine bay is clean, the interior is clean, and it sounds to be in very good mechanical shape. Just trying to give you some outside perspective pointers.

 

[jgcable]

so you wanna get rid of the supra for a car for your kid to commute to college? just give em the supra.
do not bring a reliable running supra to its imminent doom, thats just evil.

He doesn't use the car when he goes to college. He commutes with my car which is a 2000 Plymouth Neon. I get the Supra all during the school year and its not driveable in the snow.
He goes to school in New Haven and that is no place to park the Supra all day.

 

[jgcable]

I agree. Give the kid the supra. Don't really know if he/she is into cars/supras, but a free car is a free car (and a supra at that!). Is this a matter of you not wanting to give the supra to the kid or the kid does not want to take the supra?

If you are worried about gas mileage, think of it this way: you are probably gonna spend over a couple thousand dollars to transfer over to a newer car to save a couple hundred dollars per year on gas. Now I know that a newer car is better on everything (gas, reliability, resale, safety, comfort, etc.), but it would still be more expensive over the next few years than just keeping the supra.

And just a side note: I looked at your for sale thread, I think the main reason it isn't selling for what you want is the paint and rims. Although they are nice rims, wheels on a car are a very personal thing; you might get more bites/money if you put the stockers back on and sell the rims separately. It *might* be worth it to have someone paint the hood/wing to match the current color. Please don't take this as anything negative towards your car, the body is very straight, the engine bay is clean, the interior is clean, and it sounds to be in very good mechanical shape. Just trying to give you some outside perspective pointers.

The Supra is technically my sons. We swap cars during the school season because he has a fairly long commute to school every day. Many days he goes back and forth to school twice because of class schedules. The Supra is not practical for that. That is why he uses my Neon.
Thanks for the advice regarding the rims but I don't think that $1K of custom rims and brand new Potenza tires are going to detract from the car considering it comes with the factory Sawblades.
I was thinking about having the hood painted but the cheapest price I got for the wing and the hood was $500.00.
I do agree with alot of what you say though.
My point to the thread is that we are not trading it in for cash for clunkers. I just can't bring myself to do it.

 

[mdr40z]

sounds like a no brainer to me, he gets the neon and you get a brand new Prius...... clunk the NA

 

[jgcable]

but that doesnt mean you've had it insured for atleast the last 12 months???

It most certainly does!!! You can't register a car in CT without insurance. This car has been registered and insured in my name for the last 3 years.

I want the car to go to somebody who appreciates and is a fan of Supra's. Until then... it ain't going anywhere. I am not crushing this car.

 

[jgcable]

another Supra bites the dust what a waste

I want the car to go to somebody who appreciates and is a fan of Supra's. Until then... it ain't going anywhere. I am not crushing this car.

 

[charlesshen]

cash for clunkers is out of money already

 

[dubsupra209]

cash for clunkers is out of money already

yes its already out money thats a joke anyways just keep it untill you find the right buyer sometime it take time i mean its just a na if it was a turbo it would probably already be gone..

 

[mdr40z]

cash for clunkers is out of money already

un-informed? don't follow it very close?