My next vehicle

[JBKone]

"It's beginning to look a lot like Christmaaaas...."

[BillTheCat]

I wasn't planning to post this publicly, since it is a slim chance proposition, but here's where I am with the pre-fab Supra... bear in mind, I give this about a 2% chance of happening, but what the heck?

I cannot justify owning two cars right now. This is one of the reasons I let Dingo go to Mungo. I have no space, and there's just no logical reason for a single guy like me to own 2 cars in this economy. So I decided that if I am going to pursue this particular Supra, the MS3 has to go first.

Fat chance, only a year into a 5 year loan, but I have been paying a little extra on the principle. Gonna call the bank tomorrow for a payoff amount & if there's s snowball's chance I can get that amount, I'll post the MS3 on Autotrader.com and see what happens.

Your first thought on this would be "What are the odds that Supra will still be available if/when the MS3 sells?" Mine, too. The seller and I have had a LOT of communication. He's not actively advertising the Supra for sale. I found it in an old "for sale" thread on a message board & PM'ed him on a whim. He still has it, and is willing to part with it for the price in the thread, but isn't shopping it around.

He appreciated my love of Supras, as he is also an enthusiast. So he agreed to tell me ASAP if he finds another buyer, or if the Supra is rendered undriveable, etc.- anything that might scuttle its value as a daily driver for me. So if/when the MS3 sells, I'll fly up to Kentucky & drive the Supra home.

If it doesn't sell, well, that's OK, becauase I really dig the MS3. And I can still pursue my original plan to restore one myself in a couple of years.

A little more background on this particular Supra- it is a 1992 model, which makes it somewhat rare. There were only about ,1200 Supras made in 1992, as they shut down the plant to re-tool for the new generation Supra due in 1993. 1992 was also the only year they offered the MKIII in Teal, which makes this even more rare. It was originally a naturally aspirated Supra, but the owner transplanted the entire driveline from a turbo Supra into this car to make it drive better with the new turbocharged engine.

The daylight pics below show a carbon fiber hood & headlight covers. Thankfully, those have been replaced with the original parts. (The guy's 20-something kid was driving the car for a year or two & added the CF. Yuck.) There's a pic fo the current hood, but it's at dusk, and hard to see very well. The car isn't screaming for a paint job, but it'll need one before long.

The kid also imported the JDM (Japanese Domestic Market) badges for the MKIII Supra that was actually sold with this engine in Japan, the "2.5 Twin Turbo" badges. And at some point, the car also got a turbo dash cluster, complete with boost gauge. However, the boost pressure in the 1JZ engine is too high for the USDM boost gauge, so they did put in an a-pillar pod with boost & AFR gauges. I am not a fan of the a-pillar gauge pod, but if I manage to get this car, I will leave it there until/unless I find a less ricey solution.

OK, pics...

Carbon fiber, in all its glory. Eeewwwwww...


Back to original hood & headlight covers, but pic taken at dusk...


Seats were recovered in two tone leather. This is not an OEM style pattern, but I don't mind it. However, if/when I need to recover them again, it'll be in black cloth.


That phat booty... the hatch visor has been removed & sold off. I might put another on. I kinda like it.


The obligatory engine bay pics. Nice clean install. Seriously, if I didn't tell you that was a transplant, you'd never know.



And the dash. Turbo gauge cluster, and I forgot to mention- white face gauges. And that a-pillar pod...

[2phun]

An old girlfriend of mine had one of these (92, but without the transplant) in all black. It was an awesome car.

[MINI_Marc]

That dash just looks so....not MINI. But to each his own I suppose!

Hope it all works out for the best Bill!

~MM

[BillTheCat]

An old girlfriend of mine had one of these (92, but without the transplant) in all black. It was an awesome car.

I loved my 1990 to death. If the 1JZ & 2JZ engine transplants had been as common & affordable as they are now back in 2000, I would have done that & kept it. I just decided to stop throwing good money after bad with the original motor.

A lot of folks think the MKIII Supra lacks identity- that it looks like a Ford Probe (a fair comparison) or Nissan 240SX (not entirely unfair), or any number of other 2-door sporty hatchbacks. And the MKIV Supras (a la "Fast and Furious") are far more recognizable, if for no other reason than what may have been the world's first OEM shopping cart spoiler, and a set of taillights that are still being molded into countless tuner cars today.

Truthfully, I'd still love to find a MKIV Supra that I could afford, but it's not gonna happen. And there's still something fun about making a sleeper out of a car like the MKIII, which IMHO is still a gorgeous car.

[Pilgrim]

Well I traded in the 05 MINI and got the hyundia genisis 3.8 track with manual trans last tuesday. It has lots of power and handles great.

[BillTheCat]

Well I traded in the 05 MINI and got the hyundia genisis 3.8 track with manual trans last tuesday. It has lots of power and handles great.

ZOMGWTF?!?! Wow. Been hearing a lot of good things about that model. Congrats.

[JDAWG]

Hey Bill,

I too am a fan of the older model supras. I myself never owned one but the styling on the car is still nice after all these years. I am haunted by the memory of my 1991 3000gt VR4 twin turbo. Unfotunately I had to sell it to a close friend about 10 years ago when I hit a rough patch, but I can totally identify with your obsession. These modern cars are nice and the MINI is a true driving machine but there is something to be said for the early 90's cars with their turbos and underrated power from the factory. This is an era that brought us cars like the supra turbo, my 3000gt vr4, and the super sweet Nissan 300z twin turbo, so how can you go wrong?

Go for it! (and let me know if you come across a VR4 )

[2phun]

Ah, the 300z twin turbo. Now that's one of those early 90s cars I ALMOST had (my auction contact found the one of my dreams in my price range two days after I signed the paperwork on my Integra) that I could easily wind up doing what Bill's talking about doing.

[JBKone]

I was in love with the RX7s of that era. The last generation was just HOT to me. I'll probably never own one, but I still think they look sweet. And the Rotary is just... different

[BillTheCat]

I was in love with the RX7s of that era. The last generation was just HOT to me. I'll probably never own one, but I still think they look sweet. And the Rotary is just... different

Good friend of mine bought the last gen RX-7 twin turbo. It spontaneously caught fire & burned to the ground on Christmas Day one year. Turns out the Mazda dealer he'd been taking it to & complaining of poor gas mileage & raw fuel smells not only missed the dry rotted fuel lines that crossed right above the engine, but missed the Mazda Technical Service Bulletin that mandated changing out these lines every 30-40k miles. Turns out they were placed in a hot spot in the engine compartment & would always cook over time. Until they leaked enough fuel to burn the car down.

No action on my Auto Trader ad yet. (I know it's a long shot) The guy is not going to advertise the Supra again for a while, so I may have some time. We'll see.

I have a feeling this is going to revert to Plan A eventually, where I buy a nice MKIII Supra with a blown engine & get the transplant done.

[JBKone]

I was in love with the RX7s of that era. The last generation was just HOT to me. I'll probably never own one, but I still think they look sweet. And the Rotary is just... different

Good friend of mine bought the last gen RX-7 twin turbo. It spontaneously caught fire & burned to the ground on Christmas Day one year. Turns out the Mazda dealer he'd been taking it to & complaining of poor gas mileage & raw fuel smells not only missed the dry rotted fuel lines that crossed right above the engine, but missed the Mazda Technical Service Bulletin that mandated changing out these lines every 30-40k miles. Turns out they were placed in a hot spot in the engine compartment & would always cook over time. Until they leaked enough fuel to burn the car down.

I met a guy in Jacksonville whose RX7 had burned. I remember him saying it was kind-of a known issue. He was preparing to sue I think. I didn't know him so I don't know how it went. I'm sure you could fire-proof it if you wanted.

[BillTheCat]

Soooo, like... I knew this was coming, but hoped I'd be wrong. After telling me he wasn't in any hurry to part with the car & to take my time & try to move the Mazda, etc., I got an e-mail yesterday telling me he has unexpected bills to pay & he needs to advertise the car for sale again.

I figured I'd miss out on the Supra because the economy sucks & nobody would want to buy my MS3. But fiddlesticks- the MS3 ad has only been on Autotrader for less than a week.

Anyhow... now I am left to decide if I want to get back into owning 2 cars at once. And yes, I do. I'd love to own a car collection a la Jey Leno, to be honest. But realistically, I don't know if I will be able to pull the trigger on this before someone snags it. Damnit.

Oh well... back to Plan A, most likely. Supra clunker, here I come... eventually.

[JBKone]

that's too bad. Good luck.

[Car Guy David]

Don't worry Bill, nobody is selling used cars quickly or for what they want right now. I'm even seeing MINIs sit on dealer lots for multiple months. If it's meant to happen it will happen young grasshopper.

[BillTheCat]

LOL, I've already found a Supra here in Tampa that looks appealing- for Plan A. Hoping to get a look at it this weekend, because it may sell for peanuts. And for peanuts, I'll make room in the garage.

[JDAWG]

just remember: the worst thing about peanuts isthe cleanup left on the floor.

[BillTheCat]

I did go have a look at that Supra this weekend. For someone who needed an OK daily driver, it would have been a good deal. But it was kind of exactly the opposite of what I want. I'd want one with a nice interior & not to shabby exterior- mostly the trim bits, etc., as I intend to paint anything I buy. And I don't care much about the motor, as long as it runs.

Well, this one needed a good bit of work both interior & exterior. The most disconcerting item was that the targa top has been subject to a DIY repair along the driver's door, and I was not sure if it could be easily undone & then repaired correctly. The engine, though, while not much to look at, was incredibly smooth & had plenty of power.

If the eBay auction had stayed below $1,500, I might have bid on it. But by 8 a.m. this morning it had jumped from $1,025 to over $1,700, with the auction ending today at 6pm. Don't know how much it sold for, but it was too much for me to invest in a car that needed as much cosmetic work as it did.

So the search continues... as expected. I'll find something eventually. Patience is a virtue, and I have no reason to hurry.

[JDAWG]

Hey Bill,

Don't know if you're a fan of HD Theatre but they have a show called "wheeler dealers" they just did a D.I.Y on targa roof on a old 911..might be worth a browse through the DVR.

[BillTheCat]

Appreciate the heads up... may have to do a quick TiVo search for it. Knowledge is power!