1987 Toyota Supra - MKIII Turbo, As Clean As They Come
$10,000 ︎ 135k
5/2020
Summary:
Essay:
This is not an ad where I attempt to persuade you to value the Mark III Supra, where I try to convince you of it's latent superiority to the models that preceded or followed its glorious production run. This is the ad where I share a perspective on its value, and you decide whether our tastes align. Old sports cars are like that: iconic points of reference that can stir nostalgia or suddenly seem fresh in light of what's followed by their release.
For quite a while, the MK3 was seen as the kind of car received in trade for a 24 pack of Sapporo, an iPod, and 300bucks. Years of this devaluation has nearly destroyed all remaining examples. Now, when seeing one of these un-manipulated, at original ride height, without a festoon of performance decals, one is struck by the sculpted, aggressive, yet understated, wedge Toyota created in the era before computer-aided design smoothed everything out. This is what happened to me 14 months ago when I bought this car.
I had no history with these cars and honestly had not thought about them with particular depth before seeing this example. It just spoke to me. I was turning forty, and it seemed like the right thing to do to fly down to LA, buy it, and drive it home. In-person the car was clearly rust free. The interior was insane; the pile of documents was impressive. There was some JDMification to undo and leaky AC, but aside from that, it was awesome.
On the way back, it drove fine, but the performance didn't do the aesthetics justice. What I didn't know at the time was that my 928 guru happened to have a previous life as an MK3 enthusiast. We talked about how to make the car feel like it looked, not turn it into some insane dyno-warrior, just give it the responsiveness it deserved. His advice: refresh the suspension and get a new downpipe.
I thought about it for a while, and in May 2019 this work was done:
(The shocks, sway, and downpipe were installed by me and said enthusiast at DIY or DIE in San Jose (original downpipe was saved.) The rack and tires by William at ABC auto in SF, he is amazing.)The car felt fantastic. Exactly as fun as I hoped it would be. Fast but manageable, incredible steering and cornering, comfortable: GT MAGIC. But not quite perfect. The hatch rattled a bit, and even though there was no rust in the car, I was nervous about water penetration. I ended up on a whole comfort/improvement trip and purchased these things:
The hatch gasket (new OEM) and the front lip (lightly used) were a coup, nearly impossible to find but completed the feeling of this being something close to a new car.
This project coincided with a bout of car collecting and selling that meant this lovely supra has been driven less than 2k miles since all this work was done. It was such an amazing vehicle, but I wasn't using it, so I decided to sell it. But before that, I thought I should take it out for one more spirited drive to Pacifica and back. And, wait for it, the head gasket blew. I let it cool and mostly coasted the last two miles to my house. That was two weeks ago and the car has not been driven since. Meaning that it has not been driven in an overheated state.
So, I've spent $5300 bucks on this car. As I said at the start, the asking price only makes sense if our tastes align; if essentially, I have made the same choices you would make, and therefore you can continue the journey. This Supra could be a show-car, it would be an incredible 2jz swap, or it could be a gentlemanly cruiser. I have free parking and no outside pressure to sell this car; if we don't agree on value, you don't need to tell me about it. I can have the vehicle towed within 15 miles to you or "bring a trailer." I have shipped a number of cars across the country, I am comfortable doing so with this one as well.
I have uploaded over 200 pictures of this car; please look at all of them before asking questions. They're real-pretty and highly informative. Social distancing makes it a bit more complex to show the car. It can be done, but please use the pictures to their full extent. https://urlzs.com/mCM2q
Final note: I run a page called the Rad Report wherein I search and repost Craigslist ads with added commentary. I am as aware of 80's Japanese sportscar pricing, availability, and condition as one could be while still maintaining a full-time job.
- This is the cleanest stock supra for sale in the US, now or in recent history. The interior looks new, and the car has no rust at all, literally.
- I have taken 205 high-resolution photos with a real camera; you can review and download at link above.
- It is a fully documented car with original window sticker and receipt.
- In the last 12months/2k miles, it's had a good deal of significant, stable, and professional work.
- Two weeks ago, the plan was to sell it for 14k on BaT. I decided to go for "one last drive" and blew the head gasket, 2 miles from my house, it has not been driven since then.
- I am scheduled to get the work done in a month and have decided to list it for 10k in the meantime. Sell it or fix it, whichever comes first.
Essay:
This is not an ad where I attempt to persuade you to value the Mark III Supra, where I try to convince you of it's latent superiority to the models that preceded or followed its glorious production run. This is the ad where I share a perspective on its value, and you decide whether our tastes align. Old sports cars are like that: iconic points of reference that can stir nostalgia or suddenly seem fresh in light of what's followed by their release.
For quite a while, the MK3 was seen as the kind of car received in trade for a 24 pack of Sapporo, an iPod, and 300bucks. Years of this devaluation has nearly destroyed all remaining examples. Now, when seeing one of these un-manipulated, at original ride height, without a festoon of performance decals, one is struck by the sculpted, aggressive, yet understated, wedge Toyota created in the era before computer-aided design smoothed everything out. This is what happened to me 14 months ago when I bought this car.
I had no history with these cars and honestly had not thought about them with particular depth before seeing this example. It just spoke to me. I was turning forty, and it seemed like the right thing to do to fly down to LA, buy it, and drive it home. In-person the car was clearly rust free. The interior was insane; the pile of documents was impressive. There was some JDMification to undo and leaky AC, but aside from that, it was awesome.
On the way back, it drove fine, but the performance didn't do the aesthetics justice. What I didn't know at the time was that my 928 guru happened to have a previous life as an MK3 enthusiast. We talked about how to make the car feel like it looked, not turn it into some insane dyno-warrior, just give it the responsiveness it deserved. His advice: refresh the suspension and get a new downpipe.
I thought about it for a while, and in May 2019 this work was done:
- 4x Koni Shocks & mounts : 512
- Front and Rear Whiteline sway bars & links : 378
- Labor (shop rental) for above : 418
- 4x Conti Extreme Contact Sport tires, installed : 595
- New Steering Rack + pump : 340
- labor for above (+misc): 2116
- 3 Inch Turbo Downpipe with Elbow : 233
- _______________________________________________
- Total Cost with Instal: $4592
(The shocks, sway, and downpipe were installed by me and said enthusiast at DIY or DIE in San Jose (original downpipe was saved.) The rack and tires by William at ABC auto in SF, he is amazing.)The car felt fantastic. Exactly as fun as I hoped it would be. Fast but manageable, incredible steering and cornering, comfortable: GT MAGIC. But not quite perfect. The hatch rattled a bit, and even though there was no rust in the car, I was nervous about water penetration. I ended up on a whole comfort/improvement trip and purchased these things:
- Hatch gasket 114
- taillight gaskets 60
- new bulbs all around 40
- bump stops 50
- A front lip 100
- A custom Cover 259
- Custom windshield visor 71
- _______________________________
- Total Cost with Instal: $694
The hatch gasket (new OEM) and the front lip (lightly used) were a coup, nearly impossible to find but completed the feeling of this being something close to a new car.
This project coincided with a bout of car collecting and selling that meant this lovely supra has been driven less than 2k miles since all this work was done. It was such an amazing vehicle, but I wasn't using it, so I decided to sell it. But before that, I thought I should take it out for one more spirited drive to Pacifica and back. And, wait for it, the head gasket blew. I let it cool and mostly coasted the last two miles to my house. That was two weeks ago and the car has not been driven since. Meaning that it has not been driven in an overheated state.
So, I've spent $5300 bucks on this car. As I said at the start, the asking price only makes sense if our tastes align; if essentially, I have made the same choices you would make, and therefore you can continue the journey. This Supra could be a show-car, it would be an incredible 2jz swap, or it could be a gentlemanly cruiser. I have free parking and no outside pressure to sell this car; if we don't agree on value, you don't need to tell me about it. I can have the vehicle towed within 15 miles to you or "bring a trailer." I have shipped a number of cars across the country, I am comfortable doing so with this one as well.
I have uploaded over 200 pictures of this car; please look at all of them before asking questions. They're real-pretty and highly informative. Social distancing makes it a bit more complex to show the car. It can be done, but please use the pictures to their full extent. https://urlzs.com/mCM2q
Final note: I run a page called the Rad Report wherein I search and repost Craigslist ads with added commentary. I am as aware of 80's Japanese sportscar pricing, availability, and condition as one could be while still maintaining a full-time job.