About three weeks ago, I wrote a post for this 1983 Toyota Celica, and many commenters brought up the topic of the similar but different Supra. That being the case, I thought today I’d feature a 1984 Supra, which is essentially identical to the 1983 version. This one has a bit of a problem, and the seller seems a bit stymied with it, so let’s look it over and see if we can do some mechanical sleuthing. Woodinville, Washington, is where you’ll find it, and it’s listed here on craigslist for $4,000, OBO. Three cheers to Curvette for this discovery!
For 1984, Toyota’s performance-oriented Supra was available in a single two-door liftback body style, and it is estimated by carglassadvisor.com that about 9K copies were assembled that year. The site does caution that accurate production numbers for the Supra can be “difficult to obtain.” So, the Supra, like the Celica GTS, has wheel-opening flares, wider tires and wheels, independent rear suspension, and similar form-fitting seats. The front-end treatment and hood, however, give the Supra a subjectively more menacing look. The seller states, “There are a couple of surface rusting areas but nothing major. The body is really in excellent shape. I have all new body moldings (made aftermarket). Anyone who knows these cars knows that those factory moldings are prone to fail.”
From what is revealed, this 42-year-old, 98K-mile Toyota still shows pretty well. I agree with comments that arose in the Celica review that these cars are subject to corrosion (that was certainly the case with my Celica), but I’m not noting a big problem here (though that rusty rocker panel looks like its issue is more than just surface rust!).
What really sets the Supra apart from the Celica is power; in this case, it’s a 150 net HP, 2.8-liter, DOHC, in-line six as opposed to the Celica’s 105 net HP four-banger. Gear changing is the responsibility of a five-speed manual transmission. The problem now is that this Supra is rough-running. I’d suggest that you follow the seller’s description of what he’s encountered so far. He sums it up by suggesting, “The #6 cylinder has spark, but the injector is not working(Soot on spark plug). The car runs, but it is rough since the #6 injector is bad.” He adds that he thinks the injector replacement job is big ( I didn’t think it was on one of these!) and a replacement injector is in the $60 to $70 range. So, instead of effecting a repair, he’s looking to move it on to a new owner.
The interior still shows pretty well, with typical leather upholstery creasing evident. The environment, all in all, is fine, with no cracked dashpad and a cargo hatch area that doesn’t appear to have been abused. I always find stereo Equalizers to be a curious addition to cars of this era. I wonder how often a distracted driver, trying to get all of those tiny slide switches properly aligned, ended up not seeing the forward brake lights in time. The seller states, “A/C not working but needs to be refilled and changed to a new system. Have new compressor.” OK, a simple recharge isn’t gonna cut it, but the new compressor is a good start.
So, what do you think? This is a cool car and in reasonably good shape, but is it worth taking a chance on that funky running engine?
The last photo makes that bumper look like the deck of a pontoon boat!