Page 182 - Wayne Carini's Guide to Affordable Classics

However, one thing about the Supra that doesn’t apply to any In today’s market, any Supra counts as collectible. Unless top
competitor is how easily its power could be enhanced with aftermarket tuning. Enthusiasts could double their horsepower and turn up the dial on a Supra and still have an engine at the end of the quarter-mile. The 2JZ-GTE engine, with its iron block, allowed more turbo boost than other powerplants, and would still remain reliable. Then, the rest of the driveline was stout enough to accept all that power and deliver it to the ground with traditional rear-drive handling with independent suspension grip. It’s the combination of all those factors that make the final generation of the Supra a mythical tuner car.
From a collector’s perspective, though, you’ll want to seek out the car that’s as close to stock as possible. With any vehicle, there’s no guarantee the next owner will want your killer mods, so no matter how much you’ve spent, or what the results were, aftermarket modifications drive down the car’s value. That market truth has been in effect for a while, so if you’ve paid top dollar for an original, unmolested Supra, you’ll want to keep it that way. If you plan to build your own Supra supercar, look for one that’s already been modified–because it won’t cost more to modify the modifications than it would to upgrade a stock drivetrain.
The other thing to look for in a Supra is provenance and authenticity. A lot of base Supras were later endowed with turbochargers, but there’s much more to the Turbo models of any generation than just the blower. Serious buyers will want to check VIN numbers and learn the codes for original six-speed turbo cars to make sure all numbers match. It’s also a good idea to check other key hardware such as the brakes to be sure all the proper equipment is there. There are “tribute” cars aplenty out there, mostly crafted to look like the movie cars, which were mock-ups themselves. Tribute cars should be presented as what they are. There’s a world of difference between an admitted mock-up and a fake which is being sold as the genuine article.
engine power is important to you, there’s no good reason not to consider much more affordable naturally aspirated cars in any generation. Now that they’ve been out of production for more than 20 years, any Supra is a worthy investment.
With bigger turbochargers and bigger injectors, Supras sold outside of Japan offered almost 40 more horsepower than JDM examples.
The Knowledge
dFrom 1982-1985, Toyota sold 11,4459 units of the A60 Supra in the United States. From 1986-1992, Supra A70 sales totaled 109,105. The final A80 generation was by far the most rare, with just 12,059 sold. In the final generation, about 2/3 of Supras featured a manual transmission instead of the automatic.
dAll 852 Supras imported for model year 1996 feature an automatic transmission.
dThe modern Supra co-engineered with BMW nods to Supra tradition with a 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder turbocharged engine.
dThe A60 Supra (1982-1985) is a popular target for car thieves. Specifically, the seats are worth real money on the used market.
dThe A70 Supra Turbo (1986-1992) with the 7M-GTE engine has a tendency to blow head gaskets. Before you get a good pre-purchase inspection, do a quick look on your own. If there’s coolant in the oil or oil in the coolant, it’s likely a bad head gasket. Also, check the exhaust for a sweet-smelling steam or oil smoke.
dTurbocharged cars in the 1980s suffered because of the natural engine oils in use in that period. The heat of a turbo burns the oil, leaving deposits that can eventually clog the oil passages and lead to burned out bearings. This is why those cars we recommended to be left at idle for 30-60 seconds before shutoff; to allow fresh oil to wash out any deposits.
dIf an A80 Supra (1993-1998) is running rough, try cleaning out the Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) valve, which can become clogged.
Double wishbones at all four corners and an optional limited slip differential help the third generation handle better than one would think given its weight.
180Wayne CariniAffordable Classics