Newb in the MK3 Forums, Should I buy an MK3?

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Chrisx03

Guest
A friend has an 1989 MKIII for sale, completelly stock (turbo, auto) 7M with a blown headgasket. not a single modification.
Since I have so many 1JZ-GTE Auto's sitting around, should I pick this one up for $1500~ish and put a 1JZ in it? What would a car like that be worth, and would it make a decent daily driver? Like I said I should post a new topic, but I was curious.

A few things im worried about are, what does this car weigh (hardtop, auto), Are interior parts hard to find (the seats and dash are ruined), does the car handle well in general, do the hard parts go bad easilly in the suspension (bushings, shocks, etc..)

Being a 1989 with 120,000~ish miles, what would be a good price in general? I've never bought a supra, its kind of a can of worms for me to open and start with a new car I've never even drove before and do a motor swap, but Im interested. What are the trouble spots with these cars to check out before I buy? its never been hit, and there doesnt seem to be any rust that I can see.

I talked him down to $1000- Should I go lower? ill get some pictures real soon.
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I bought it :) $700
here is a picture, ill put another in a new post at the end of this thread.
sm_photo_missing.jpg
 
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s383mmber1

s383mmber1

New Member
Oct 31, 2005
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Somers New York
damn! if you could pick that up for 1000 that would be a good buy. I am not a JZ man at all. Maybe some 1JZ guys could chime in and give you some info on the one JAYZEE. As long as the body's straight, and youve got a little cash and time, supras are the best!
 
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Chrisx03

Guest
I am just afraid of the 7M because ever other post about it is "blown headgasket" or "oil pump failure" or "rod knock today"

Ive never seen 2 FAQS on the SAME PAGE about the SAME "ROD KNOCK" and "HEAD GASKET" problems for the same motor.

Plus I have all the 1JZ's I can throw a stick at, here. I even have a 2JZ but its not mine to use :-X Unless I want to come up with 6K
 
supra90turbo

supra90turbo

shaeff is FTMFW!
Mar 30, 2005
6,152
32
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MA, 01440
Oil pumps, not so much.
Rod knock, due to lack of maintenance.
Head gasket is Toyota's fault, and is easily corrected by taking the proper steps.

1JZ's have their own problems.


But, if you have plenty of them, quit throwing sticks at them and put one in the supra...
Check out the 1JZ tech section for any help, also.

good luck!
 
drunk_medic

drunk_medic

7Ms are for Cressidas
Apr 1, 2005
574
0
0
Woodstock, GA
If you get a good 1JZ I'd say sure, throw it on in there. My advice is that since the car you are thinking about buying is an auto, use an auto 1JZ front clip for your swap, and remember that using a Supra/JZA70 1JZ will make your swap a little easier than augmenting another car's 1JZ. Also, as an importer you should know which engines are your best ones. Get the one that not only looks clean, but also one with excellent compression. You may want to drain the oil and look at it, drop the oil pan and see if there is anything fishy, and examine the spark plugs. Keep in mind that if your company is more of an engine importer than a front-clip importer [if you know what I mean], you are going to need some more support parts for the swap [such as the intercooler and piping, which has a different route than the 7M]. I would suggest taking a long read in the JZ section of this forum.

$6k for a 2JZ?! Shit, that had better be a 6-speed with low miles and awesome compression that is not in "found in the junkyard" condition! Only way I'd pay that much or more than that is if it was US Spec.. [2JZ is one of the few engines where the export engine is better than the JDM one.].
 
supraman7mgte

supraman7mgte

Shut up,bitch!!
Apr 1, 2005
1,753
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Sunny California
Soop's are a great platform to work off of. they are a bit HEAVY,but it's all good. the motors can be a problem,BUt with proper maintenance,they are trust worthy as long as you keep up your part of "okay,i'll take care of you".
just stuff a rebuilt motor or a "slightly" used one. replace the head gasket w/ new ARP bolts and the motor should be tight for whatever you throw at it. alot of the members here keep the block stock,but add sweet intakes and turbos for awesome power! its a supra,a time consuming,money grabbing squeel-like-a-little-kid when i hit the gas kinda car!
 
Godspeed

Godspeed

88 supra turbo 5spd
May 13, 2005
1,119
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Asheville n.c.
supras are the greatest cars ever yeah they have a few problems but doesnt every car do it join our supra sized family you wont regret it.
 
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SupraDerk

The Backseat Flyer
Sep 17, 2005
546
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Tallahassee
I love mine...and then I look at my dwindling bank account...and then I get drunk, haha. But Supra = awesome^2, I'm very glad that I bought one
 
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Chrisx03

Guest
Well not sure how long I would keep it, I more or less own a car for 6months then get bored with it. I've built chevy, ford, and nissan motors to date, played out the twin turbo small block thing and I was thinking either K20A Type-R Into a Civic next or a 1JZ into an MK3 next, both because I have easy access to the motors here and a tig welder and plenty of accessories and spare parts.

I am concerned with drivability, maintanence, and fuel economy more so than power. I guess I would rather have a "quick" car that drives nice and rides right, than a FAST car that breaks differentials, transmissions, and eats parts in general.

So Im only down to one more concern before I do this; Parts wear on a 1989 supra. Assuming nothing has ever been replaced on the car, I can ONLY imagine what parts it would need to be back in "decent" shape. I mean shocks, struts, springs, bushings, tie rods, ball joints, wheel bearings, wiring issues, etc...
The question isnt are these parts hard to get or expensive... the question is do these body supras regularly have a poor record with these parts. By poor I mean regularly having issues say, holding alignment, or keep camber, or riding rough.

For instance, I can tell you that just about every 89-94 240SX you find the coolant overflow tank will be rotted away and the front end will be loose as hell. the drivers seat will have a tear on the left, the drivers door upper panel will be torn, the carpet will be ripped right by the shifter and the rear view mirror wont stay still.
Inconsistencies, quirks, in the car are what Im after.
 
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Wayne G.

87Turbo 5sp Targa
Apr 19, 2005
213
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Gainesville,Ga.
From what I have seen the interiors hold up better than average compaired to
say Nissan or Honda. Except for the weak stock head gasket the engine is
VERY robust. With new high tech head gaskets and bolts or studs head gasket is no longer a problem. My 87 turbo targa was stone stock and now needs some of the things you mentioned, but what car would not need attention after 187,000 miles. Get the Supra you will enjoy it. Just my 2 cents worth--
 
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Chrisx03

Guest
Im going to see about picking the car up tomorrow, snap some pics and post them up here so you all can critique me and tell me what you think. Then ill pull out the motor and get the project rolling if all looks well and the cars in good shape. My first goal is get it as light and clean as possible without ruining the interior- I may wind up selling it when im all finished, if I dont like the way it drives. (never drove one before)

Worst comes to worst, ill just sell it as-is for what I pay without touching it. If it comes to that, the pics will be posted so anyone interested already know what they would be getting, im going to try and pay $800 tops for it, but I think his bottom line is $1000-
 
tlo86

tlo86

Ninja Editor 'Since 05'
Jul 24, 2005
3,914
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Colorado
supra90turbo said:
Oil pumps, not so much.
Rod knock, due to lack of maintenance.
Head gasket is Toyota's fault, and is easily corrected by taking the proper steps.
luck!
Click to expand...

true!
 
Dirgle

Dirgle

Conjurer of Boost
Mar 30, 2005
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Pauma Valley, CA
You asked about the suspension. My experiences show the Suspension components are very robust. Usually you replace the shocks and you’re good to go. Unless someone has been insanely violent with the car the rest of the components should be in good shape. Also the geometry of the suspension is a work of art. And its handling defies its weight, especially in high speed cornering. Also if you start upgrading the suspension with aftermarket parts it really wakes up an already good suspension and takes it to the next level.
 
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Chrisx03

Guest
I got it to my shop, first thing to do is drain the water out of the trunk :-X
 
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