The third generation Toyota Supra is one of the more chronically unloved sports cars of the 80s and 90s. The Supra eras that preceded it and immediately followed were both embraced with open arms by collectors and are generally more sought after; however, Supras like this one are terrific grand tourers with plenty of modern features for far less money than a turbocharged fourth-generation specimen. Find this extremely clean naturally-aspirated example with just 31,662 miles here on eBay.
Now, every potential buyer of this car is going to be disappointed by the lack of a turbocharger. I don’t agree with this sentiment, as the inline-six in this era of Toyota products is one of the best mills to come out of the somewhat depressing 80s. Plus, the turbocharged models tend to get modified to the point of being wholly unreliable and needing a fair amount of reconditioning after years of abuse at the hands of younger drivers. The naturally aspirated models saw far less rampant abuse, and this one presents incredibly well thanks to its low mileage.
Black over tan is a classic 1980s color combination, and this Supra is equipped with cloth bucket seats and corresponding door panels. The Supra’s grand touring persona caused it to be optioned with an automatic transmission seemingly at least half the time, so finding a unicorn like this with the preferred three pedal setup and outstanding condition is a big reason for the strong bidding, which is over $16,000 with the reserve unmet.
The 7M-GE engine did have some Achilles heels related to head gasket issues, but if you look after the drivetrain, a car like this will reward you with untold decades of reliable service. The car shown here is a harbinger of things to come, wherein clean examples of 1980s and 1990s cars – regardless of whether they have the top-shelf features or preferred performance options – will drive a strong price based solely on the condition of the car and hopefully, a healthy maintenance portfolio. This Supra may be one of the nicest ones left, so bid accordingly.
Nice car but at what price? This may end up RNM
40 large for the BIN. Maybe worth to someone.
40k is up near the top for this generation. I’ve commented many times on the JDM side of the hobby for Supras, mainly the Mark IV. NA version of the next gen are comfortably in the $50k range, and that is with 100k miles on them. Turbo versions, if originally a turbo car, will more than double that price. A NA car converted to a turbo will push the figure easily above $80k. For JDM variants, mods don’t seem to hurt the prices like they can for classic muscle cars
Nice old toyota but 40 large bin too much.These cars with the turbo were wicked.I used to see one at the grove back in early 90’s and it was fast not sure if it was modded.He had a line lock on it though and he’d torch the tires before every run. Glwts.
$40k is way too much for a N/A that isn’t even a rare year/color. And for sure any seller with a 0 feedback score isn’t going to get anyone to pay that much
I owned one and it was a slug. Very heavy car and even with TEMS it didn’t handle all that well. Beautiful looking, and if that’s all you want, go for it. I gave mine away after it rusted. Who knew? I wouldn’t pay anywhere near that price because my take is it’s all show and no go.
I never noticed these back in the 80s, but I have a neighbor who’s resto-modding one, and it’s turning out to be a very good looking car.
BTW, this was just about everyone’s first car when Grand Tourismo 4 came out in the early 00s.
I had an 86 and 1/2 Supra in 99 but sold it after only having it less than a year. UGE regret having sold it.
I am the original owner of a 1989 Supra (non turbo) 5 speed with 35,000 miles. Nothing ever breaks on it. I wouldn’t take under 35k for mine. It is not fast, but it is a very solid car.