What could go wrong with an '87 Supra?

This ad caught my eye:
1987 Toyota Supra 80k original - $5200
Very Clean Naturally Aspirated Toyota Supra with just over 80,000
original km.
Car has never seen a real winter. Shipped from BC.
Body in very good condition, mechanically sound vehicle.
Safety Test passed, no need for e-test since car is made in 1987.
Air Conditioning blows cold
Completely Stock. No mods.
Hate to sell this gem, but need a bigger vehicle.

My '78 Trans Am is about done for. It would be nice to drive something
from this millennium, but that ad sounds intriguing. Were the normally-
aspirated ones bad for head gaskets?

On Sep 2, 2:34*pm, hachiroku > wrote:
> On Fri, 02 Sep 2011 09:33:58 -0700, Ed Treijs wrote:
> > This ad caught my eye:
> > 1987 Toyota Supra 80k original - $5200
> > My '78 Trans Am is about done for. It would be nice to drive something
> > from this millennium, but that ad sounds intriguing. Were the normally-
> > aspirated ones bad for head gaskets?
>
> BWAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!! Where do we begin?!?!

Okay, that's a bad sign.

> Of course, the biggie is the head gasket. At 80,000, if it hasn't been
> done yet, it's very close to being done...for the first time anyway. If
> you get someone to do it RIGHT, you may get past 200,000 OK.

Eww. I changed the head gasket (and later the head) on my '87 Reliant,
but hey if I screwed up, there were plenty of 2.5L engines in the
junkyard. '87 Supra engines, not so much.

> You didn't say if it had a manual or 5-speed, but if the tranny services
> weren't done right then the AT solenoids are well on their way to failing,

The ad carefully avoids mentioning which transmission. I'd prefer a
manual, actually.

> Likewise LSD if equipped (Canadian car is easy: the LSD cars got the
> headlight washers!)

Looks like it.

> 80,000 km is good for an '87. Now, is that $5200 CDN or US?

Canadian. Car's in Toronto.
http://toronto.en.craigslist.ca/tor/cto/2578528382.html

While I would like to get a relatively inexpensive, interesting car to
replace my interesting (if terminally rusty and leaking) Trans Am, I'm
not sure I want to rush into a new learning experience with a new kind
of (for me) quirky car. I suppose that there are enough Toyota fans in
Toronto to snap this one up.

It's just that:
1. BC car--no rust--good luck finding that with Ontario cars; how many
unrusty '87 Toyotas exist in Canada east of the Alberta/BC border?
2. Stock--geez is someone going ruin it by putting on 19" rims, a
stupid exhaust, clear markers, and a crappy primered body kit?

.....Ed

On Fri, 02 Sep 2011 09:33:58 -0700, Ed Treijs wrote:

> This ad caught my eye:
> 1987 Toyota Supra 80k original - $5200
> Very Clean Naturally Aspirated Toyota Supra with just over 80,000
> original km.
> Car has never seen a real winter. Shipped from BC.
> Body in very good condition, mechanically sound vehicle.
> Safety Test passed, no need for e-test since car is made in 1987.
> Air Conditioning blows cold
> Completely Stock. No mods.
> Hate to sell this gem, but need a bigger vehicle.
>
> My '78 Trans Am is about done for. It would be nice to drive something
> from this millennium, but that ad sounds intriguing. Were the normally-
> aspirated ones bad for head gaskets?

BWAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!! Where do we begin?!?!

Of course, the biggie is the head gasket. At 80,000, if it hasn't been
done yet, it's very close to being done...for the first time anyway. If
you get someone to do it RIGHT, you may get past 200,000 OK.

You didn't say if it had a manual or 5-speed, but if the tranny services
weren't done right then the AT solenoids are well on their way to failing,
and while the job if you have a lift available is not difficult, the
solenoids are ~$175 aftermarket. I'm not sure if the ones from a Chrysler
dealer would work; the Jeep Grand Cherokee had the same transmission.

Likewise LSD if equipped (Canadian car is easy: the LSD cars got the
headlight washers!)


80,000 km is good for an '87. Now, is that $5200 CDN or US?

(Actually, $5200 CDN is now MORE than $5200 US; I had to pay $1.22 for
every Canadian dollar last month!!!)

Have it checked carefully.

On Fri, 02 Sep 2011 10:49:01 -0700, Ed Treijs wrote:

> On Sep 2, 2:34*pm, hachiroku > wrote:
>> On Fri, 02 Sep 2011 09:33:58 -0700, Ed Treijs wrote:
>> > This ad caught my eye:
>> > 1987 Toyota Supra 80k original - $5200
>> > My '78 Trans Am is about done for. It would be nice to drive something
>> > from this millennium, but that ad sounds intriguing. Were the normally-
>> > aspirated ones bad for head gaskets?
>>
>> BWAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!! Where do we begin?!?!
>
> Okay, that's a bad sign.
>
>> Of course, the biggie is the head gasket. At 80,000, if it hasn't been
>> done yet, it's very close to being done...for the first time anyway. If
>> you get someone to do it RIGHT, you may get past 200,000 OK.
>
> Eww. I changed the head gasket (and later the head) on my '87 Reliant,
> but hey if I screwed up, there were plenty of 2.5L engines in the
> junkyard. '87 Supra engines, not so much.
>
>> You didn't say if it had a manual or 5-speed, but if the tranny services
>> weren't done right then the AT solenoids are well on their way to failing,
>
> The ad carefully avoids mentioning which transmission. I'd prefer a
> manual, actually.
>
>> Likewise LSD if equipped (Canadian car is easy: the LSD cars got the
>> headlight washers!)
>
> Looks like it.
>
>> 80,000 km is good for an '87. Now, is that $5200 CDN or US?
>
> Canadian. Car's in Toronto.
> http://toronto.en.craigslist.ca/tor/cto/2578528382.html
>
> While I would like to get a relatively inexpensive, interesting car to
> replace my interesting (if terminally rusty and leaking) Trans Am, I'm
> not sure I want to rush into a new learning experience with a new kind
> of (for me) quirky car. I suppose that there are enough Toyota fans in
> Toronto to snap this one up.
>
> It's just that:
> 1. BC car--no rust--good luck finding that with Ontario cars; how many
> unrusty '87 Toyotas exist in Canada east of the Alberta/BC border?
> 2. Stock--geez is someone going ruin it by putting on 19" rims, a
> stupid exhaust, clear markers, and a crappy primered body kit?
>
> ....Ed


You can get a new 3.0L for that car from toyota for $2400 (short block
including pistons, rings, crank, etc) a full head is $1750USD.

The problem was the HG material was specified as asbestos, and then
changed in part thanks to US regulations getting rid of asbetos. They went
with another material and didn't tell the guys on the factory floor to
tighten the head bolts more. Just changing the plugs on this car is an
adventure, but since I park mine in a heated garage for the winter I did
it in the course of a few days...

http://www.royaljapanesemotors.com/uploads/7M-GE.jpg

I'm currently in the stages of taking it apart to replace the gasket.

Yeah, I wish mine were a 5-speed, too. I passed up a chance for an entire
5-speed setup on eBay for $450 US. You have to change the flywheel, trans
mounts, brake pedal (the pass thru is there for the clutch cylinder) and
the front drive shaft. If you can get it from a donor car than you're not
in bad shape.

Now, I bought mine (Canadian model from Downtown Toyota...yup, Canadian)
for $600, with a broken timing belt, swiss cheese fuel tank, manual
shifting Automatic Transmission) so putting a few buck in doesn't bother
me. We're doing the HG this year...I ought to just tear the engine right
down...and the suspension next year (should have been this year, but...)

Now, the up side, it IS a fun car; I have the Sport Roof model and it is a
blast to drive (BTW, mine had 177,000KM when I got it 6 years ago), it's
fast, it handles well, has a lot of options, etc.

When I put it on the road I was working for a Toyota dealer, and the first
day I drove it to work one of the older techs there said, "You have one of
THOSE?!?! It will nickle and dime you into the poor house"

Seems Toyota can make some very good cars (Google "Hachiroku"; I've had
mine since 1986) but this wasn't one of them. If you do buy it, make
absolutely sure it is in tip top shape for that kind of money!

BTW, mine had the head gasket done once already 2 years before I bought
it. Independant repair place. They didn't read the service bulletin...

BUt, it was also partly my own doing, because I should have replaced the
radiator last year.