Sports Car Advice
filed in 1985 supra
Question: I bought myself a “birthday present” at the end of 1987 also commemorating the end of my singledom (and perhaps the last chance to buy a high performance sports car, since I’d soon be in a “family way”). After painstaking consideration of the Mazda RX-7, the Porsche 924S, and the Toyota Supra (regular and turbo), I chose the 87 Turbo Sport Roof. After 96,500 miles, I am still enjoying it. I have been looking at several new sporty cars and can’t afford the $40K for a new Supra. So I have concluded that an 87 Turbo Supra still beats the current crop of cars in the 15-20K range!!!!
Here is the story of how I selected the Supra and what I observed about the other cars. I ruled out 2-seater cars initially. Aethetically, I didn’t care for the MR-2 or the 300Zx or the Pulsar. I already owned an 85 Toyota Celica GT – very reliable, but I wanted more ooooommmph. I wanted a hatch back to be able to tote my photo and video gear around on occasion. (Nice feature of the Celica liftback -space!.)
I test drove the Porsche 924S. Very tight, lots of fun. I liked its sunroof design. I thought the back seat was too small to be used even for short hops. I gave me a nice sports car experience. The car salesman was nice; he knew he was competing with the better featured Turbo Supra and offered to match the deal. He turned me over to the sales and finance managers, who were real pains in the ass. Bait and switch. I thought the 87 Porsche 924 was overpriced at $25,000 and they wouldn’t budge.
I checked out the Mazdas. There were several models of the RX-7 that had rear seats: the cheapest rendition and the luxury oriented GXL – neither if which I liked. The RX-7 was very reasonably priced and I could have bought it without trading in my Celica.
ON Supras, the choice was an ‘88 non Turbo without sport roof, or 87 leftover with sprot roof and all the options except leather seat. The 87 was a “leftover.”
I ruled out the RX-7 because I didn’t want the hassle of two car{ – one with a back seat and one without. I wanted a singel car to do the job.
I almost went for the Porsche, figuring I could haggle the dealer down since he was on financial skids. When he was pressuring me earlier, I said, “Don’t play games with me. I’ll just let you sit on this car another month and pay interest on your floor plan [merchandise loan the dealer pays].” Wisely, I asked for the opinion of my insurance agent. “We are insuring you reasonably now. Your rate won’t change with the Supra, but get the Porsche 924 and it will double. Get the 944 and we’ll drop you at the end of this year.” That suprised me because the Turbo Supra is faster than either Porsche. “We know the Supra is faster, but Supra drivers in our statistics tend to be more mature and conservative.” She was diplomatically calling me and other Supra drivers harmless old farts. But money talks, so I ruled out the Porsche.
I chose the Turbo/Sport despite the year’s difference because I wnated a special driving experience and I knew I’d be keeping the car for several years, lessening the impact of that difference. The Supra is one of the best multipurpose cars there is. It performs well and is extremely stable at high speeds. It is very compfortable and despite the racing style suspension, ioverly jarring on bumps. The backset is tolerable, as I have ridden in it. There is lots of space to carry your stuff. I have even hauled furniture!!!! Mileage is respectable. The sound system is good.
Gripes: The Eagle 50VR16 tires are $200 @ and wear fast f you don’t rotate them. Forget changing your own oil. Parts and repairs are expensive if you need them. At 40K miles I had to have the heater pipe replaced as it was leaking. The part turned out to be defective and the dealer wound up footing the $700 repair bill; I had to go thru AAA arbitartion. Still, the Toyota Supra has, on the average, provided better service and performance over its life than any car that either me or my parents have ever owned. It continues to serve me well and has adapted to my “family way.” All those plusses in one car? Incredible.
>I would especially like to hear about the Porsche because its odd that it >was only made in 1987 and 1988 and has such a low resale value relative to >the other Porsches like the 944. Is it identical to the 1978-79 924’s??
The 924s you speak of are not identical. The older ones are supposed to be bad news. I have heard that both use VW engines. The dealer tried to justify the high cost of the 87 924 based on resale value. The car has a poor reliability record relative to Japanese cars. A friend who bought a used 944 later admitted that for the same money he could have gotten a NEW car like mine (figuring he repair expense, towing, etc.). EPILOG: the Porsche dealer that hassled me wound up in bankruptcy. There are problems at the factory level as well. That location in Annpolis is now occupied by Lexus!
Answer: Performance cars are expensive to maintain, particularly as they age. Even my Supra needs some items done (another set of res, new timing belt and valve adj (no symptoms but the book says I should do these things), painting of plastic bumpers. I am prepared to foot the bill because what I buy next won’t have the pizzaz of the Supra Turbo. If you don’t have the resources to nurse a 5-year-old car along, then it will be cheaper to get a newcar like the Saturn SC, Nissan 240SX, Ford Probe, or Toyota Celica or Paseo.
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