Spartan living, or, "How to budget for a Supra project"

[enjoyer]

I'm talking about the difference in salary and prices. For example, my monthly salary is about 800 dollars and that's considered somewhere average salary here. There are people that receive only 300 dollars a month. I'm giving you numbers in dollars, because giving numbers in my curency wont say anything to you. Most prices here are higher than in the states. People from other countries often don't understand how we manage to live here. Of course, there are other countries with similar situations or even worse, but i'm not talking about that now. For example, one liter of gasoline costs about 2 bucks. So, a full tank of fuell will be somewhere 1/6 of my salary. If you want to rent a flat, get ready to throw a minimum of 200 bucks without taxes. As i heard, food, electricity and other stuff are also more expensive here compared to the states. If you compare supra parts prices. They are the same if not bigger than in the states. So, lets say ordering mhg, gasket set, bearings and other stuff will set you back around 700. That's all monthly income. don't forget that you have to live and eat also.

 

[Supraboy87T]

Wow that's crazy man. Makes me very thankful for what I have and I thought I barely got by. Hope it all works out for you sounds like it takes awhile to build a car over there.

 

[enjoyer]

Wow that's crazy man. Makes me very thankful for what I have and I thought I barely got by. Hope it all works out for you sounds like it takes awhile to build a car over there.

You would be surprised to see what cars were/are built here . People learn to improvise and solve problems in their own ways. Believe me, there are a lot of properly built cars here. For example, one of my friends is building 500hp 7m powered mk3 for drift. There are other friends with many built s13 and evos. They even managed to built a jet powered dragster.

 

[te72]

I'm talking about the difference in salary and prices. For example, my monthly salary is about 800 dollars and that's considered somewhere average salary here. There are people that receive only 300 dollars a month. I'm giving you numbers in dollars, because giving numbers in my curency wont say anything to you. Most prices here are higher than in the states. People from other countries often don't understand how we manage to live here. Of course, there are other countries with similar situations or even worse, but i'm not talking about that now. For example, one liter of gasoline costs about 2 bucks. So, a full tank of fuell will be somewhere 1/6 of my salary. If you want to rent a flat, get ready to throw a minimum of 200 bucks without taxes. As i heard, food, electricity and other stuff are also more expensive here compared to the states. If you compare supra parts prices. They are the same if not bigger than in the states. So, lets say ordering mhg, gasket set, bearings and other stuff will set you back around 700. That's all monthly income. don't forget that you have to live and eat also.

Definitely a different world here. Every state is different even, for example, for the same price I was renting a house in Arizona, I would pay to rent a 2 bedroom apartment that's 1/3 the size here in Wyoming.

However, they say that necessity is the mother of invention, right? Bet you guys have built some rather clever things out of a need to save your money for more important matters. I love seeing people adapt like that.

 

[enjoyer]

Definitely a different world here. Every state is different even, for example, for the same price I was renting a house in Arizona, I would pay to rent a 2 bedroom apartment that's 1/3 the size here in Wyoming.

However, they say that necessity is the mother of invention, right? Bet you guys have built some rather clever things out of a need to save your money for more important matters. I love seeing people adapt like that.

You need to adapt and try to find solutions that works for you personally. Some solutions may not be acceptable for others. By the way, on the same note, i found a full bottom bearing set, piston rings and a full gasket set for 550lt (about 200 dollars). Japan products. It shows that you just need to search and you'll eventually find what you are looking for.
As for the projects here. If i'll find them on the web, i'll show them

 

[crisp]

I'm going to give this a BUMP for the month. The original post was really well articulated, and excellent advice for ALL... (not that everyone HAS to follow it, as there are those who can simply do what they please, but often TIME can then be the higher price, etc... BTW, that's not me, I have COSTS AND TIME issues, but I still do what I can!)

The most rewarding part of "the process" for me, having been driving Supras since my first, a MKII I bought back in '89 is the satisfaction I get from doing so much of the work on the car myself. Being a shade-tree mechanic at best, I fumble around with the wrenches and work S-L-O-W-L-Y just to try to keep it together, balanced and moving in the "right direction".


Once again Brad, your original post is excellent advice! I've done it "wrong" for most of the time... and would do well to apply your advice more diligently. That having been said, you are not yet into another Pandora's box of your life experience (I take it) that involves a wife and bunch of kids thrown into the mix to REALLY make things interesting!


Last thought:


When it comes to Fiscal Responsibility with a SUPRA, NO MATTER WHAT YOU MAKE, THERE IS NEVER ENOUGH MONEY AND TIME!:biglaugh:




-crisp

 

[te72]

Well said Crisp, and thanks for the bump. I think people would do well to read my original post before deciding to buy a Supra (or most any 'project' car) in the first place, see if they're willing (or able) to sacrifice the money (or the time if they can't toss the money around).

To answer your question, no, I do not have a wife (yet), but the girlfriend and I have been together nearly two years now. Things are going pretty smoothly, but I'd rather be in a position that we're BOTH out of our personal debts (about 2 years left for both of us, realistically) before making a decision of that caliber. If the love is still there, and the relationship is still going smoothly, I could easily see the marriage thing happening.

As for the kid thing, I'd really hate to bring a kid into the world that we live in now, considering they'd have to grow up among everyone ELSE'S kids. Seeing THEIR kids is enough for me to say "no thank you, I've got enough crazy on my plate". Fortunately for us, she's of the same opinion, and smart enough to know that not everybody NEEDS to have children or is even cut out for parenthood. I know I'm not. I'd make a pretty cool dad, but the provider aspect... that's where I draw the line. I barely live comfortably enough to own a Supra, and I'll be the first to admit that I'm a selfish person, I don't think I'd enjoy life too much if I didn't have the freedoms as I do now. Judge me how you like, but at least I know where I stand.

 

[Grandavi]

After reading all this (good "wise" post btw), and I had to put my 2 cents in.
I understand the budget part.. and I have 6 kids and 3 grandkids... which means I have been on old mother earth for a little while.

The baddest part about the MKIII is it attracts young'uns with a lot of hope for the beast on the road for peanuts (they sell cheap.. but.. for a reason). I wish I had read 2 years worth of posts prior to buying mine.. it would have saved me about 12,000.00

Knowledge is Power.. and $$. Too bad the new Supra owners dont find this forum BEFORE they buy. Some do.. but most dont.
And... be patient with your Supra. Its a finicky old girl who will reward you if your nice to her. Take the time to get to know her from bumper to bumper BEFORE you spend the $$. Dont go buying everything you just read of to get you to 800 RWHP.. because in the end (as I found out) someone left off about 10,000.00 worth of little parts.. hehe. Most of the "Big Guns" on SM know the cars intimately and understand what it takes to build it. Sometimes (perhaps most of the time) they dont want to go back into everything they learned and give you the extremely detailed version of how the car got there. So... dont be fooled by the "5 Minute Warrior" (a.k.a the "2000.00 Speedy Supra"). You cant push big numbers without big $$ and/or a lot of personal time.

Being realistic is key to happiness. Nobody is going to sell you a car that is super reliable and super powerful for 2000 - 3000. I meet a lot of younger folk here that find that out the hardway. The dream is there.. its achievable.. but you better have the road mapped or your gonna end up in the ditch really quick.

 

[te72]

After reading all this (good "wise" post btw), and I had to put my 2 cents in.
I understand the budget part.. and I have 6 kids and 3 grandkids... which means I have been on old mother earth for a little while.

The baddest part about the MKIII is it attracts young'uns with a lot of hope for the beast on the road for peanuts (they sell cheap.. but.. for a reason). I wish I had read 2 years worth of posts prior to buying mine.. it would have saved me about 12,000.00

Knowledge is Power.. and $$. Too bad the new Supra owners dont find this forum BEFORE they buy. Some do.. but most dont.
And... be patient with your Supra. Its a finicky old girl who will reward you if your nice to her. Take the time to get to know her from bumper to bumper BEFORE you spend the $$. Dont go buying everything you just read of to get you to 800 RWHP.. because in the end (as I found out) someone left off about 10,000.00 worth of little parts.. hehe. Most of the "Big Guns" on SM know the cars intimately and understand what it takes to build it. Sometimes (perhaps most of the time) they dont want to go back into everything they learned and give you the extremely detailed version of how the car got there. So... dont be fooled by the "5 Minute Warrior" (a.k.a the "2000.00 Speedy Supra"). You cant push big numbers without big $$ and/or a lot of personal time.

Being realistic is key to happiness. Nobody is going to sell you a car that is super reliable and super powerful for 2000 - 3000. I meet a lot of younger folk here that find that out the hardway. The dream is there.. its achievable.. but you better have the road mapped or your gonna end up in the ditch really quick.

For the TL;DR people out there, an old saying-

"you can only have two of the following three in a car: fast, cheap, and correctly built."

 

[Grandavi]

For the TL;DR people out there, an old saying-

"you can only have two of the following three in a car: fast, cheap, and correctly built."

Or.. you can consider that you have 4 controlling factors ... SCOPE (how large your rebuild project is), COST (your budget), TIME (how long you will take and how much personal time you will devote) and QUALITY. You cant affect one without affecting all.

Decreasing any of the 3.. will decrease the quality of the end project. I didn't realise truly how much it takes to get the car to where I wanted it until far far into the project. However, that isn't just a truism for Supras. That's how it is for any car this age or older.

 

[te72]

Well said, and also true. Also it needs to be considered that these cars tend to snowball into MUCH larger projects than initially thought...

 

[crisp]

Re-read the entire thread! This is STILL a VERY good read for ALL... ESPECIALLY NEWCOMERS!!!



-crisp

 

[te72]

Re-read the entire thread! This is STILL a VERY good read for ALL... ESPECIALLY NEWCOMERS!!!



-crisp

I still consider this thread among (if not) my best contribution to the Supra community as a whole.

 

[Grandavi]

I was very lucky, having built a car in my youth.. I went and picked up a cheap 3/4 ton truck to haul around parts in.. it became my daily driver.

 

[LunaVyohr]

This is an awesome thread to read and live by, in my opinion.

 

[te72]

This is an awesome thread to read and live by, in my opinion.

Thanks man, it's worked for me for the last ~6 years of Supra ownership, but has further uses too. Produce more than you use, and you'll be in good shape your whole life.

 

[Dani87x]

Great thread.

 

[te72]

Well said, and also true. Also it needs to be considered that these cars tend to snowball into MUCH larger projects than initially thought...

I rarely quote myself, but man, was this a prophetic post. I may need to revisit this thread, with the things I've learned in the near-decade since I initially wrote it.

As always, feel free to add any advice that can benefit others in here, things your Supra ownership has taught you over the years.