Looking @ .......

[jonnybravo]

hiya guys and girls

i currently own a corolla t sport but ever since i can remember ive loved supras, and it would be a crime if i never owned one so decided its now or never, ive been keeping my eyes peeled for the perfect one and i may have just found it but there doesnt seem to be much of a mention of it in the buying guide which is pinned so i have a few questions

the car is a 1997 3ltr tt vvti with a tiptronic box roughly 64k, so here goes:

first off how reliable is the box, i do expect it to be a bit more hassle than a normal box but is it more trouble than what its worth?

as with any car if you look after it, hopefully it will look after you, so what should be changed and when i.e cambelts, fluids etc so i check through the paperwork

if/when i go to view what kinda things should i keep my eyes and ears open for, obviously i will pay particular attention to the turbos for any suspect sounds, excessive heat, smoking etc

anybody know roughly what bhp these should be standard? i was thinking not far off 300bhp?

what about mpg, i know it wont be amazing, currently in the corolla i average 25-28mpg or 250-280 miles per tank (£45 ish) but to be honest this is the last thing i will be worrying about lol

any common faults i should know about so i can check to see if they've been rectified or that im likely to need to get sorted and if anyone else can think of anything useful i should know its very much appreciated

many thanks in advance

jon

[Leeky]

Read this guide that i wrote years ago....

http://toyotaownersclub.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=50476

The triptronic box is the same as the normal auto box but with extra buttons on the steering wheel. The autobox can stay reliable up to 500bhp. So if your not planning on playing about with the car you'll never have anything to worry about.

You just need to never cut corners and make sure everything is done properly on a supra and they are bomb proof.

[jonnybravo]

cheers for that write up mate, really useful!!

on the back of this topic, has anyone on here imported a car from japan, im trying to find out if its cheaper than buying in the uk, i know theres a 25% charge on top of the fob price for vat and customs but what about getting it converted to mph and mot, registered etc etc if anyone has any advice or personal experience of this that would be great, cheers

[Leeky]

I've imported a few cars. not worth it.

You can easily buy them over here now for less (especially as the pound is so useless now)

I wont tell you how much i paid for my aerotop (firstly as its was stupidly cheap and second as i dont want people on here knowing how much it was in case i need to sell it lol)

MK4's are selling for as little as £2k now, turbos as little as £3k and aerotops as little as £4k

[jonnybravo]

yer, ive had a little look into it and to be fair for the price of importing one i could get a nice one thats already in the uk, would you say that roughly 10k is a fair price for a '96> tt supra in really good condition, because that seem s to be the going rate, well thats all i found anyway :)

[Leeky]

Hummm 10k.....sounds like a lot to me to be honest.

Is it a VVTI? If its the VVTI engine then its more likely worth that much. If its a non VVTI i would say no, as non VVTI's are everywhere.

Easiest way to tell is the top of the engine

This is a VVTI - VVTI

This is a non VVTI - NON-VVTI

Notice the VVTI one says "vvti" on the top and also has the bulge on the front where the fan is.

Also is it a manual or an auto and whats the mileage like?

I would say for £10k you would be looking at a vvti 6 speed manual with less than 60k miles on the clock in exceptional condition.

Otherwise its way overpriced.

[jonnybravo]

i was looking at a vvti, but that sold now!!

so this is what i got my eyes on atm, non vvti :

http://atsearch.autotrader.co.uk/www/cars_...200801326186360

ive looked at just about everywhere i can find on the net, all the usual autotrader, eBay, pistonheads, and some smaller garages/importers, if anyone has any other suggestions of where to look, would be much appreciated :)

[Leeky]

I wouldnt go anywhere near that keighley trading place personally. I hear they are proper dodgy and have sold some right sheds in the past.

Plus i think that car is way overpriced too in all honesty. I'd price that at around £7-8k.

[jonnybravo]

well thank god you told me, i was going to go up there tomorrow morning to have a look see, you just saved me like a 5 hour round trip and a tank of fuel ;)

i did think it was a tad pricey but i cant seem to find a decent rzs for anything less than 10k, obviously not looking hard enough lol

cheers for the heads up mate, owe you a pint or two :D

[Leeky]

thats cool, if i see anything nice turn up i'll be sure to let you know.