Swapping A Celica Gen7 For A Supra?

[GazChap]

My local Toyota dealership offered me £4,000 in part exchange for my Celica Gen 7. Presumably I'd be able to get this amount for it (at least) selling it privately - would I be able to use the money from this to buy myself a Toyota Supra (the latest shape) ?

Would you guys recommend it? I can't actually get insured on a Supra at the moment (I think it's because I'm under 25, but only until September!) but it'll be something for me to think about.

[gordypix]

Supra's are getting very old now and you will find it harder to get a good example of one. You would be well advised to only buy from a reputable dealer who can offer warranty with one as a private buyer would be giving no money back if the turbo blows up or something else dramatic happens to the Supra after purchase.

If something goes seriously wrong they will cost a fortune to sort...

Do the maths and do not be led by looks alone as financially it could cost you.

Insurance will still be high just because you turn 25 and tax will be steep too because of the new groupings. It will also drink fuel at a higher rate than your Celica does.

The Toyota dealer will offer you less than they can obviously re-sell your car for. You may get more from a private sale but nothing is guaranteed until the ink is dry.

[GazChap]

Supra's are getting very old now and you will find it harder to get a good example of one. You would be well advised to only buy from a reputable dealer who can offer warranty with one as a private buyer would be giving no money back if the turbo blows up or something else dramatic happens to the Supra after purchase.

What should I be looking out for in terms of problems? I've just realised there's a Supra-specific forum on here so I'll post in there too.

To be honest, I'm not too fussed about whether I get a turbo or non-turbo version, but yes, I would never buy a car this old privately. I would imagine that most people take pretty good care of a car like the Supra too?

If something goes seriously wrong they will cost a fortune to sort...

Isn't that the case with most cars? ;) If the engine in my Celica breaks it'd cost a fortune ;)

Insurance will still be high just because you turn 25 and tax will be steep too because of the new groupings. It will also drink fuel at a higher rate than your Celica does.

I've had an insurance quote from a local broker of £650 for fully comp. for the year, which to be honest isn't that much higher than the current insurance on my Celica. The tax and fuel costs are a concern though, admittedly. I'll look into it some more.

[Leeky]

dont expect more than 20mpg from a a supra, regardless of whether you go for a turbo or non turbo.

Things to look out for when looking at supras (other than the usual accident damaged etc) -

Smoke on startup

Smoke during driving

smoke under boost

rattles

whine on/off boost

hesitation

stalling

oil leaks

water leaks

corrosion in the sils and around the windscreen

difficulty selecting gear

crunching on gearchanges (manual)

'thunking' on gearchanges (auto)

a loud "thunking" sound on autos going into reverse

slipping when you floor it (auto or manuals, when you floor it the revs shoot up but you dont really seem to go anywhere)

knocking from the suspension

uneven tyre wear

violent knocking at the front on coming to a stop (sometimes sounds like the brakes)

brake fluid leaks

mayonaise under the oil cap

engines with low oil on the dip stick (stay well away)

notches or tightness in the steering

and lastly, make sure EVERYTHING works - especially on the turbo models. a faulty active spoiler for example will cost lots to fix using brand new parts.

[GazChap]

Thanks for the info. I'm going to have to find a UK model I think, just had an insurance quote for a 1994 Jap import and it came out at £1590 for the year. Far too much.

[gordypix]

Thanks for the info. I'm going to have to find a UK model I think, just had an insurance quote for a 1994 Jap import and it came out at £1590 for the year. Far too much.

They haven't made UK spec Supras for well over 10 years so finding a good one will be quite hard. OK, I guess owners would give Love to them but age does catch up with cars and the cost of replacement parts won't reflect the value of the overall car in comparison.

The Supra was very advanced for it's time so there is much more that could go wrong on it and at high costs. The Celica wouldn't touch the Supra in terms of repair costs. Well, maybe in some things... lol

[edamduke]

You will find it extremely difficult to find a good UK one. They are also very expensive. You'd be looking at around a min. of £7k, probably closer to £10k for a decent one.

[GazChap]

The Supra was very advanced for it's time so there is much more that could go wrong on it and at high costs. The Celica wouldn't touch the Supra in terms of repair costs. Well, maybe in some things... lol

Yeah, it'd basically be more cost-effective to repair the Celica's engine I think.

[Leeky]

I know a guy who picked up a black 94 UK Supra MK4 not long ago for....... £3500

The worst thing is he had it dyno'd and it was BPU! 370bhp bargain or what!

[GazChap]

BPU?

[Leeky]

Basic Performance Upgrades :)