To Buy OR Not To Buy.... That Is The Question

[UpbeatFish]

87 toyota supra, clean, the body is in great shape, it comes with the block and turbo, (no head)racing intercooler, racing clutch, both new, the 5 speed tranny and a ton of extra parts, injectors, fuel rails, lights, mass sensors,etc.


does this sound good enough for 700 bucks or does this sound more like a trap?

thank you for helping guys.

 

[johnathan1]

Is the paint in good shape, with a clean interior? How many miles? Is the block good?

 

[UpbeatFish]

everything seems to be in great shape
the block looks clean and takin care of but i don't know what i should look for.

is there any pointers you can give out?

thank you for the quick response

 

[iMod]

How much expirience do you have with Supra's? That and how much expirience do you have working on engines? Are the intercooler, racing clutch and all that other stuff in good condition and are they knock off brands? Did it blow the head gasket?

Honestly I'd probably jump on a deal like that. It's easy to say that when it's not my money though

 

[UpbeatFish]

sorry if i dont know as much as others but im trying to get there. i mean i learned alot on this site that is why it was the first place i went.


the car it self seems 8/10 condition

as for the parts. some are good brands like the intercooler is hks and others are knock offs.

i have a geo prizm which is the car i drive. i was planning to learn as i go fixing up this car.

thank you for the help

 

[suprarx7nut]

Sounds like a beat to hell motor. Plan on full rebuild. If you can afford to buy a head and do a full rebuild then go for it.

But realize that you may have to spend ~2500 to get it running if there aren't any other surprises.

 

[UpbeatFish]

 

[iMod]

Sounds like a cool plan. The learn as you go along fixing up the car. Honestly if you just follow the knowledge and advice from the senior members on this forum you can't go wrong.

That's what I've been doing for the past year. Just relentlessly searching everything I can find regarding 2jz swaps on here and all over the internet. I'm learning as I go as well. I'd go for it. They're awesome cars.

 

[UpbeatFish]

realize that you may have to spend ~2500 to get it running if there aren't any other surprises.

as from what you know, what do you think i should do? save up more money and buy a decent running supra or work my way up with this one?

 

[UpbeatFish]

Sounds like a cool plan. The learn as you go along fixing up the car. Honestly if you just follow the knowledge and advice from the senior members on this forum you can't go wrong.

That's what I've been doing for the past year. Just relentlessly searching everything I can find regarding 2jz swaps on here and all over the internet. I'm learning as I go as well. I'd go for it. They're awesome cars.

\


thanks a dozan man!
you have been great help

 

[johnathan1]

I think I would look for a car that's already running when you buy it. Trying to find all the right parts and put everything back together is going to be like a puzzle if you don't have experience working on the 7M...

 

[UpbeatFish]

so i have 1 yes and 1 (should i say) no


is there anyone else that can help me out

 

[UpbeatFish]

I think I would look for a car that's already running when you buy it. Trying to find all the right parts and put everything back together is going to be like a puzzle if you don't have experience working on the 7M...

thank you so much for your help
well i have worked on one supra so much. if you go to my profile you can see when my friends and i were going at it. so i know my way around. i just suck at names. such as, i know what a block is i just dont remember its called a block.

i have a bad memory but thank you so much for your responces and your help

 

[Boost Lee]

There's a couple perspectives and ways to approach something like this:

If you do have *SOME* kind of mechanical background, have the money to spend and the patience, then I'd say it'd be a great learning experience.
You've obviously got plenty of backing from the Supra community when you have questions or need to search for something you're unsure of.

But if you spin things around, johnathan has also summed it up very well *IF* you do not have much mechanical experience.

I personally would snatch that up in a heartbeat as the body appears to withhold some decent value, and some minor work could have that car on the road in no time.

When I see someone questioning what the "block" is...
This does lead me to assume that you could use a bit more experience.

To reiterate, If you have the patience/money/confidence.......Go for it!

Otherwise, Pass it on and find yourself a Supra in good running condition from the get-go.

Jeff

 

[GuNDeZZZ]

My opinion is, if you have absolutely no experience what so ever with the 7M, I would look for another already running supra to tinker with.

With that said, if you are willing to spend the money to rebuild the motor etc. and have good patience then pick this one up...


I personally would pick this one up (if I had the cash), get it running well, clean it up really good, and then sell it for profit as the economy is shit these days.

EDIT***

MAKE SURE you check under the chassis, and in the spare tire well for rust. If it has significant rust I wouldn't waste my time with it.

 

[black89t]

personally i would like to start out with something nicer. that thing needs a paint job, rebuild, plus all the little repairs add up real quick and will put you more near 5k. and 89+ look so much better. i would wait and spend the 3k right off the bat so you will have something you can enjoy from the get go. thats just me though. good luck with the buy if you go through.

edit: i spent 1700 on the shell in my sig. bought if from some eye surgeons kid. turnout to be a really good buy. a lot of good QUALITY parts (aftermarket and oem) that added up to about what i paid for the car. plus i made a decent penny with the left overs. and on top of all that the motor just had a recent rebuild, but it got a bhg. lucky me. i guess what i'm meant to say is i prefer to buy a car off someone that isn't broke because you tend to actually save money in the long run with all the money they put into it.

 

[86.6mkIII]

personally i would like to start out with something nicer. that thing needs a paint job, rebuild, plus all the little repairs add up real quick and will put you more near 5k. and 89+ look so much better. i would wait and spend the 3k right off the bat so you will have something you can enjoy from the get go. thats just me though. good luck with the buy if you go through.

I would say it depends on what you want to do as well. Are you looking for big boost numbers? If so, you might as well start with the one with the engine apart so that it can be built to handle the pressure. A $3K beater might get you on the road quicker - but it could grenade too.

Do you want to learn about cars and particularly engines? Go for it - the best way to learn is with a wrench in your hand. Looking for a bargain? This is not a good start.

 

[DonS1mpson]

I would pass.

The last two supras I've bought were junkers that I intended to restore and make into my own car for the stake of the learning experience. Neither actually got finished due to me getting half way through the project and thinking that I want something that actually works. It's hard to have the motivation to build yourself a working supra when you have no idea what it is like to actually drive.

Save up a bit and go for a running car. You'll get plenty of experience on the mechanical side from fixing what ever goes wrong (and chances are, there will be plenty that goes wrong!) plus you'll have the experience of actually owning and driving a running Supra which will give you something to look forward to when things do eventually go wrong

 

[figgie]

(no head)racing intercooler, racing clutch, .

What are these specifically.

Racing is actually extremly narrow. I know REAL racing parts and I am going to say that I doubt they are racing parts. May be higher performing than OEM.

Now with that said,

Mechanical is cake. If there is ANYTHING. And I mean ANYTHING wrong electrically. Prepare yourself for a headache unlike you have never had and you will be cursing the day you purchased someone elses headache.

Think about it this way. Why are they selling the car??? Need money, sure I can believe that, but if the car is half torn. Look more into, I purchased car with dreams and aspirations and the supra kicked my ass into this reality. So I am selling it.

 

[TrickeyWoo]

If its a R154 Transmission in that car then it alone is worth the 700 bucks. If u have somewhere u can work on it you could part it out and make some cash. Plus u would learn a lot about the car from taking it apart. Just a Idea