Kcband;1808251 said:
As said by others, they are old and wear out, a camry will be the same, once reliable but after 25 years...needing help. MR2's are just more complicated and things as simple as your emergency brake cable will piss you off (they fill with water and corrode). Also, they aren't normal: you have coolant lines running along the chassis from the front, a lump of iron behind your head, only enough room for ONE other person, and stupid-dangerous handing that makes you feel like a formula one driver until you're reminded you're not, and that the lump of iron behind your head wants to lead the way toward that embankment, tree, or cliff. I'm not kidding I had a friend throw his off the road on several occasions, I've seen several with body damage from obvious one-car accidents (no caved in car-car impact marks, just folds in weird places), and I passed one going to school that had an accident with a bus, no doubt because the kid got cocky getting on the highway. N/A and SC/turbo alike, NOT a new-driver car.
Yeah they have a little camry engine and will give you good mileage but they were marketed as a sportscar with awesome handling to liven the spirits of older 30+ men, not for young new drivers that don't know how to pull out of a mid-engine slide.
The only supra that will be reliable used is one easily worth 9 grand, or more. Don't do that though, because it's your first car though and supras worth 9k shouldn't ever be driven by first-time drivers, because experienced drivers would like some supras to survive for later when they're even harder to find. That, and many supras are WAY to powerful to be in the hands of a new driver. Stock N/A's are even dangerous because they don't accelerate fast but you're still throwing around a ton of metal touring car.
My first driving cars were a 1992 Mitsubishi Mighty Max pickup that taught me how to shift and how to pay attention to blind spots with a horrible camper shell, and a 1996 nissan quest that taught me how to ignore noisy passengers, avoid more blind spots, and experience different handling characteristics of FWD and a heavy car.
My supra was my first personal car, being a 1986.5 N/A that I bought only knowing basic car things, like how many cylinders engines have, basics on internal combustion and some mechanical knowledge from radio control cars and basic know-how being skilled with mechanical things. I heard of a BHG and thought I could diagnose one. Knowing what I know now I would have walked away from my current car and not looked back. period.
My car has since taught me a lot about cooling systems, drivetrains, braking systems, headgasket maintenance, tire and wheel combinations, suspension, and how to search for signs of repair and accidents. I've done all my own repairs, and my car has at least 10k miles on a new (this car's second, at least) fresh headgasket, an entire new braking system, a new stereo system, and assorted small things like coolant lines and power steering crap. I've spent hours on here learning from knowledgeable members and reading the repair manual, and buying parts. I've had my car on blocks for MONTHS while I research the best options for parts, how to repair things, and waiting for parts in the mail or from the parts store.
Unless you want to spend HOURS and HOURS of time researching on fixing it yourself (which you WILL if you want to do it even close to proper), or spending HOURS and HOURS of time earning money to pay someone else to do it right, DO NOT buy a supra. Unless of course you find an absolute CREAM PUFF from an old-timer who only wants 500 or maybe even 3k for a perfect like-new car, and if you find that: buy it, park it, start it up once every other week to drive around the block (BUT THAT'S IT) and save for a honda.
In either case, with a supra you'll be short on money and probably pinching pennys if your parents don't pick up some of the repair bill. ALSO, this car is a beast of a car, big, heavy, and old. Something will break, and when it does I hope it's not while you're driving. Chances are it won't be, but it will put your car on blocks for a while at the least, while your buddy in his beater civic takes his friends and girlfriend to the beach for a bonfire. You'll be wrenching, researching, working your ass off, or looking for an open seat.
IJ helped me a lot, as did Kai I'm sure, and many others...and I went from a newb to a somewhat knowledgeable car enthusiast with this car. Do I regret it? not one bit. Do I wish my car didn't have small rust spots needing attention, hidden folds in the body underneath it's seats from a wreck I wasn't told about, a broken window roller, dead dome lights, an alarm that goes off for no reason, a stiff-shifting tranny, drivetrain vibrations, or shoddy-welded repairs from a dumbass previous owner? HELL YES.
Read that paragraph again for a realistic view at a car I just dumped 400 dollars and HOURS of my time just to make it SAFE. Not nice. Not clean. Not fast. Not economical. SAFE.
It's a great car that I love, but now I'm thinking about making payments on a new car, any new car.
My car is slightly older than me and I'm sick of it showing it's busted knees every time I feel comfortable that it's reliable again, because I cannot afford to make it better. The education was totally worth it, and I'm not here to complain but only to show you the reality from someone who was in your current position and went ahead with the supra. If you don't desire to learn and have your teacher telling you that you CAN NOT drive until you are done learning and PAYING FOR IT... find another car.
You're practically restoring a classic if you decide to buy a less-than-perfect supra; don't forget that. ever.
EDIT----
May I add that repairs that I have done (every one) would total probably...above 5 grand...roughly estimated. I do not have a modded car, it's not even lowered. It's not customized really. I've just been fixing it to try and make it reliable and safe. Don't even think of making a really nice looking supra without paying a lot of time or money.
Even then I don't recommend it as a first car, because it's a sportscar. Take my advice from being in your nearly-identical position when I was younger; you will really really love having money when you're a bit older to buy a nicer car, once you've saved while driving a smarter car, that's safer and carried you through your own stupidity and others' to an older age where you can put a down payment and driving skills into a nice newer car with a warranty, or at the very least, less than 50 thousand miles.
*I didn't even mention gas mileage. try 20-ish mpg on an average MKIII: if you drive 20 miles a day, figure you pay at least 4 dollars a day. 5 days a week that's 20 dollars. 52 weeks and you've hit over a grand, just to fuel the thing for school. tack on 500 or more if you like to go places on weekends, and say yes when friends ask to drive to the movies with you.
Cheers mate! Don't get your hopes down, just postpone the expensive sportscar for a while...the purchase price is far from what you'll be paying.
