Howdy!

[Jify]

Hey everyone, thought I'd stick my head in and say hello. I just moved down to Edmonton from Fort Mac, taking engineering at the university (i know.. i know...) and found myself in a slight situation, I'm car-less! After poking around the internet, talking with friends, and browsing auto trader, I think I've fallen in love with the Supra. I was pretty delighted when I found out this club existed, and was wondering if anyone would be able to help me out with afew questions. This will be the first car that I solely own, since I've been sharing a sunfire (meh..) with my family before I moved. I have some basic automotive skills, nothing too fancy, but my dad has been a mechanic for most of his life and I'm fairly certain between the two of us we can get anything working and running well. So here it goes..

I'm looking for something I can have fun in, something that will give me the best bang for the buck. I was looking at the MKIII's, they seem like a real bargain as far as purchasing goes, but I'm new to the Supra market. How much would you pay for a MKIII in Edmonton?

Next I'd like to get something that I can tinker with, upgrade, mod, again, have more fun with. I'd also like to do a once over and repair anything that I can, and possibly bring it up to Fort Mac and tune up anything I can't solely do with the help of my dad. I'd love for the car to be running top notch once I've finished with it. If I was to get a MKIII, is there anything prone to break or wear that I should replace, anything that you would recommend changing?

My 2nd last question would be, Turbo or N/A? The extra horsepower is tempting, but are Turbos more hassle then they are worth?

And last but not least, would anyone have a Supra for sale in the Edmonton area, or have any suggestions towards Supras that are for sale?

Thanks in advance for all the advice and help, looking forward to seeing more of this forum!

Travis

Edit: Oops! Forgot to add that although I'd love any kind of Supra, I'm really after an Auto for the most part. But the right car for the right price will definately sway me. :)

[dogstar]

hey, welcome to the club.

im not a mkIII expert, but i do know some of the details.
the headgaskets are prone to going, definitely recommend a metal head gasket and ARP head studs if you are looking at ever increasing the boost.

rust is another major problem, but generally its body, not like nissans where the frame disappears.

turbo or n/a.... once you drive one, you will decide, no matter what anyone tells you :)
the turbos WILL be more expensive to maintain though, and you have to factor that in. eventually a turbo will probably go (lifespan is generally around 160000km, assuming its not abused)

Marc has a really nice mkIII turbo for sale, and another dude whos screenname i cant recall... theyre out there, and im sure theres many more than those two.

you didnt really give us a budget, so ill assume your not looking for a $500 miracle, but im sure you should be able to find something to suit you.

[Deep_Blue]

Hi Travis!

Welcome to the Alberta Supraclub forums! I am also in the University, taking arts. Judging by your engineering comment, you must've read our discussion on the subject. No worries, some of my best friends are engineers!

I've answered your questions below:

How much would you pay for a MKIII in Edmonton?

Depends on how good of condition it's in. I wouldn't pay more than 7500-8000 for a turbo one, but a newer model (1991) with low kilometres could go for as much as 11000-12000. You can find them for cheaper if they have rust, high kilometres, or a bad engine.

If I was to get a MKIII, is there anything prone to break or wear that I should replace, anything that you would recommend changing?
:lol: The engine! There is actually a great write up on one of the other forums about this, and I won't attempt to surpass it, but there are a couple of things that you'll want to change for sure. A big concern of many is the Head gasket, which fails equally on non-turbos and turbos alike. It's general cause is low coolant which leads to overheating. It's worth replacing it with a Metal one ASAP if you have any performance enhancers in mind.

Turbo or N/A?
Turbo, the only disadvantage is the inital purchase price, but you'll save tons when it comes to upgrading it. The biggest supra problem, blown headgaskets, happens to both turbo and NA, so this shouldn't affect your choice.

would anyone have a Supra for sale in the Edmonton area, or have any suggestions towards Supras that are for sale?
Lots of guys on this site have some for sale, and I'm planning on putting one of mine up right away for about $3300. I could suggest more than I want to type on things that you want to look for when buying one, but you'll be fine as long as you use your head and think about it carefully when finding one to purchase.


Best of luck getting one Travis! They're pretty fun cars!

Cheers,

Tim

[Jify]

you didnt really give us a budget, so ill assume your not looking for a $500 miracle, but im sure you should be able to find something to suit you.

I ment to stick that in! Sorry about that, and thank you for the quick reply! I'm currently sitting with about 8k or so saved up, but that money would have to pay for gas, insurance, repairs, and the car it's self. I'm living on a semi-tight budget atm, but once the summer starts next year I will be working and filling the bank back up. I'm hoping to find a car for under 4k, but I'm also ready to pounce on any superb deal I find, as I don't mind sticking a car away for the winter and working on it. I've also started eyeing auto auctions, but haven't seen a Supra for sale yet. The as is doesn't bother me that much, especially if I can walk away with a very cheap car.


Lots of guys on this site have some for sale, and I'm planning on putting one of mine up right away for about $3300. I could suggest more than I want to type on things that you want to look for when buying one, but you'll be fine as long as you use your head and think about it carefully when finding one to purchase.

Would you mind sending me an e-mail (tkendel@telus.net) with some information regarding the Supra? Sounds like a very reasonable price, I'm definately interested.

A big concern of many is the Head gasket, which fails equally on non-turbos and turbos alike. It's general cause is low coolant which leads to overheating. It's worth replacing it with a Metal one ASAP if you have any performance enhancers in mind.

Sounds like alot of fun! (I say that now...) Are there any parts dealers in Edmonton that would be able to supply metal gaskets at a good price?


Thanks so much for the feedback! This is unbelievably helpful to me, and I'd love to receive some more! Thanks again!

Travis

[Deep_Blue]

Go to the internet for the best prices on MHG and ARP bolts for these cars. I'll shoot an e-mail your way.

Cheers,

Tim

[slamd87supra]

Hi travis

I own a mk3 that i originally bought for $3000. It was cheap beacuse it was n/a and auto transmission. I recently swapped in a jdm turbo engine and converted it to 5 speed.

I dont recommend doing a conversion as it gets very pricey and I am still working out some of the bugs in it. I definitely recommend the turbo over the n/a engine. Sure it costs more to maintain but it is worth it in the end. Honestly the n/a mk3 is not that fast due to its weight. The extra 30 horsepower definitely makes a diference plus i love the sound of it spooling up.

But be aware that you will have to spend a lot of money on the little extras. Things will break on a car that is 19+ years old. I recently had to replace my clutch slave cylinder, as well as brake pads and rotors. I also just put in new springs/struts.

Believe me I love my car. All I am saying is be prepared to spend money. I have had the car for over 2 years and I have still not fixed all the problems, let alone start on the performance/aftermarket mods.

I agree with everyone in saying get a MHG and ARP stud bolts as one of the first things you do. I have MHG/ARP stud bolts on my car and have had no problems yet.

I would also recommend spending more money initially on the car. Pay more and get a turbo car in good condition rather than getting a rusted out one with 250,000kms that costs $2000 less. It will last longer and cost less in repairs in the long run.

Well I better shut up now

Brad

[Jify]

I would also recommend spending more money initially on the car. Pay more and get a turbo car in good condition rather than getting a rusted out one with 250,000kms that costs $2000 less. It will last longer and cost less in repairs in the long run.

I was thinking about that last night, and your right. If I put down a little more cash and got a well cared for Supra it would save me alot of trouble and time. Anyone have any suggestions what a good Km range is for a turbo MKIII? Should I avoid anything over a certain milage? Thanks again guys!

[doom264646]

you could buy mine for 3grand and rebuild the engine for another 2 or 3 and be ready to go lol

[sublime_143]

Hey I have an MKIII n/a that i've been trying to sell for a while now. You can check out some pics in the member's rides area. Its got just about 140, 000k on the car. I have replaced the water pump, clutch, head gasket, and brakes were redone. I put a set of all season nokian tires on at the beginning of last year so they have some decent tread left. its a 5 speed with a 2 tone brown exterior and a beige interior. Its in great shape and comes with a stereo. (10'' kicker sub with a 500W jensen amp, and 2 kenwood 6 by 9s with a 250 w amp to run the mids, and an older kenwood deck.) The car has been maintained really well although there is some rust on the passenger side door behind the moulding, and a tiny spot thats starting to bubble on the driver's side rear quarter pannel. Im asking 5000 obo on it right now.

[Marcenator]

Howdy and welcome to the club.
Mine is still for sale.
http://supraclub.ca/forums/showthread.php?t=1104
If you are serious about a MKIII ,then give me a call and maybe we can work out a deal. Come take a look at it. 907-7948

Thanks

Marc

[Deep_Blue]

Hey Guys,

Can we try and keep this on topic? No one in the last three posts has responded to any of his questions, but has just tried to sell him a car. If you want to sell Jeff a car, send him a PM or an e-mail like I did. I'd just like to see this thread as more info for someone looking to buy a supra as opposed to a For Sale thread. That's why we have different sections on this forum.

My 2 cents.

Now, to answer the mileage question, I don't think you can paint high mileage cars with a broad brush, because it really comes down to a lot of smaller factors that lead to a vehicle's demise. The exceptions are super high mileage cars that have problems with there frames just because they've been pulled on by gravity for so long, but that has more to do with years than mileage.

Cars have problems all across the mileage range. For example, one of my dad's cars has blown an engine every 100 000kms almost like clockwork (P.S. It's a GM, his Toyota's a champ).

I guess it's possible to say that a car with higher mileage is more likely to have a problem, but useually if you find a car with high mileage in good shape it's been shown better attention than your average vehicle on the road. As far as not buying a supra over a certain mileage, I guess I would never even consider a supra over 400k-450k, unless it was in absolutely sterling shape, but I'd definitely be wary.

Cheers,

Tim

[Marcenator]

Hey Guys,

Can we try and keep this on topic? No one in the last three posts has responded to any of his questions, but has just tried to sell him a car. If you want to sell Jeff a car, send him a PM or an e-mail like I did. I'd just like to see this thread as more info for someone looking to buy a supra as opposed to a For Sale thread. That's why we have different sections on this forum.

My 2 cent

Tim


"And last but not least, would anyone have a Supra for sale in the Edmonton area, or have any suggestions towards Supras that are for sale?

Thanks in advance for all the advice and help, looking forward to seeing more of this forum!

Travis"

[Deep_Blue]

Well played Marc ;)

Tim

[Marcenator]

Hehe
Sorry Tim had to do it LOL
I dont get to say too much around here LOL

Well played Marc ;)

Tim

[Jify]

Dang, so many nice supras for sale here. Who needs autotrader... :)

[Marcenator]

Hehe ya it seems like there are a few for sale right now. Its that time of year when they get put away for winter and then one starts to think of the next project on the horizon. These cars are so much fun and have so much potential for lots of power. I am really enjoying my supra but i am looking to the future and possibly a mkiv down the road. But i am continuing to enjoy mine as long as i have it. :)

Marc

Dang, so many nice supras for sale here. Who needs autotrader... :)

[dualtips]

http://www.supraclub.ca/forums/showthread.php?t=1142

check out this one, it is an N/A but there is not one spot of rust on the whole car