This 5,000 Mile Unmodified 1994 Supra Is a Twin-Turbo JDM Unicorn

[GTPNewsWire]

This is the discussion thread for a recent post on GTPlanet:

This 5,000 Mile Unmodified 1994 Supra Is a Twin-Turbo JDM Unicorn

This article was published by Joe Donaldson (@Joey D) on May 23rd, 2018 in the Car Culture category.

 

[RocZX]

The mk4 Supra is overrated.

This 5k miles Supra has been for sale since June of last year it was $100K then, thats quite a price drop for one year. http://www.thedrive.com/news/11261/...94-toyota-supra-could-be-yours-for-just-99999

 

[sumbrownkid]

The mk4 Supra is overrated.

Oi thems fightin' words.

 

[Silver Arrows]

You're going to see practically every JDM sports car, even down to the oddball **** like the SVX and Pulsar GTI-R get priced exorbitantly higher then what it's worth very soon, once all the famous ones like the Supra, GT-R and NSX get bought up.

 

[Jump_Ace]

Jerome

 

[McLaren]

I was about to say, $80,500 is a steal for a mint condition, stock Supra in today's market til' I saw the automatic in it. It'll still fetch some ridiculous price though with an enthusiast.

 

[Epic B]

It's an automatic? Regardless I wouldn't be surprised if this thing fetched over a hundred grand. A low mileage stock Supra is already a unicorn regardless of the gearbox. Of course, the owner could swap the gearbox. But then it wouldn't be a stock Supra anymore.

 

[TexRex]

Oi thems fightin' words.

Come at me.

 

[McLaren]

It's an automatic? Regardless I wouldn't be surprised if this thing fetched over a hundred grand. A low mileage stock Supra is already a unicorn regardless of the gearbox. Of course, the owner could swap the gearbox. But then it wouldn't be a stock Supra anymore.

The Supra community has adopted the muscle car community's outlook on that as well. Matching numbers is a big deal when it comes to asking high prices for unmolested cars; motor/transmission swaps can really hurt the values.

Guys won't pay big money for a twin turbo example if they find out the car was originally a GE model.

 

[Epic B]

The Supra community has adopted the muscle car community's outlook on that as well. Matching numbers is a big deal when it comes to asking high prices for unmolested cars; motor/transmission swaps can really hurt the values.

Guys won't pay big money for a twin turbo example if they find out the car was originally a GE model.

Is turbocharging the GE something people actually do?

 

[mustafur]

Is turbocharging the GE something people actually do?

In Australia yes, considering the the 2J-GTE isn't expensive.

The car it self isn't really either although they are starting to go up in price now.

For this money here, you could get a Very low mileage R34 M spec that is significantly rarer, and more likely to be worth more in the future.

 

[Epic B]

In Australia yes, considering the the 2J-GTE isn't expensive.

The car it self isn't really either although they are starting to go up in price now.

For this money here, you could get a Very low mileage R34 M spec that is significantly rarer, and more likely to be worth more in the future.

How much does a Supra go for in Australia right now?

 

[VXR]

Normie JDM is normie.

 

[mustafur]

How much does a Supra go for in Australia right now?

25-40K if Auto, 35k to 50k(AUD) if Manual for good examples.

 

[silverman_GT]

🤬, I thought the thumbnail image was a scape shot from GT:S.

 

[Rinsky]

This is why you should never leave your cars to the family once you pass away because most of them will just sell it.

But this kid was dumb as a box of rocks. How could your dad have this car and you know nothing about it. Then be stupid enough to trade it in on a new car. I bet the Ford dealership only gave him around $1000 for it. What an idiot.

 

[McLaren]

Is turbocharging the GE something people actually do?

Yep, but I’ve seen owners recommend swaps instead. The GE seems to be a bit more problematic with turbo charging than just throwing a factory GTE in. A friend of mine had one; car had issues for a few years after turboing. He got it ironed out eventually, but car was down a lot at times between.

 

[TexRex]

This is why you should never leave your cars to the family once you pass away because most of them will just sell it.

To whom ought one leave it/them?

But this kid was dumb as a box of rocks. How could your dad have this car and you know nothing about it.

There's no mention of the age of the individual that traded it in. Moreover, that it's an auto car suggests its original owner, the father of the one who traded it in, may not have actually be an enthusiast. There's the distinct possibility that the original owner didn't know a great deal more than how to maintain it, if that. There's also no indication for its low mileage; maybe the original owner drove it only to and from his dental practice down the road.

My grandmother, may she rest in peace, wanted a Viper when they came out because she thought they were "cute." This is a woman who eventually stopped driving her '81 Cadillac Seville because "the power made her uneasy."

I bet the Ford dealership only gave him around $1000 for it. What an idiot.

For a Toyota with a 6 cylinder and an automatic, that's creeping up on 25 years old? What a steal.

 

[mustafur]

Not worth adding a turbo to an engine with N/A compression if you can get a similar engine that already has turbo acceptable compression.

Even the 1JZ-GTE is better then the 2J-GE

 

[Rinsky]

To whom ought one leave it/them?


There's no mention of the age of the individual that traded it in. Moreover, that it's an auto car suggests its original owner, the father of the one who traded it in, may not have actually be an enthusiast. There's the distinct possibility that the original owner didn't know a great deal more than how to maintain it, if that. There's also no indication for its low mileage; maybe the original owner drove it only to and from his dental practice down the road.

My grandmother, may she rest in peace, wanted a Viper when they came out because she thought they were "cute." This is a woman who eventually stopped driving her '81 Cadillac Seville because "the power made her uneasy."


For a Toyota with a 6 cylinder and an automatic, that's creeping up on 25 years old? What a steal.

Any car enthusiast could find a good home for it.
Your right no age was mentioned but I was more referring to the fact he was the kid to his fathers.
I would bet he was a car enthusiast to have only 5000 miles and in pristine condition and had to be parked in any a garage (probably climate controlled) all its life. People who do not care about cars do keep them in this condition for that many years. Sorry but I believe the dad knew exactly what he had. Otherwise all the seals in the engine and all the rubber on the car would have had to been replaced if it was just left sitting around not being taken care of or stored in a climate controlled environment.

A quick internet search would have told his son what he had and what it was worth. To blindly trade this car in without knowing what you have or just how much you might get for it on a trade in is being a complete idiot these days.
Someone got a deal of a lifetime to bad it was a dealership.

 

[TexRex]

Any car enthusiast could find a good home for it.

But they're not family. Sure, the passing on of heirlooms is of significance, but so is the passing on of objects with only monetary value to help family members who had to deal with after-death concerns.

I would bet he was a car enthusiast to have only 5000 miles and in pristine condition and had to be parked in any a garage (probably climate controlled) all its life.

Sorry but I believe the dad knew exactly what he had.

A quick internet search would have told this guy what he had and what it was worth.

Old people garage cars. The aforementioned Seville was in excellent condition, despite any implied cultural significance, because my grandfather maintained it.

When my grandparents died, there was documentation of mementos with suggestions regarding what they thought should be kept and passed down and what non-heirloom items had specific intrinsic value that the uninitiated may not be aware of. These documents were drafted long before their passing, and my siblings and myself were present for the drafting of them. This is the kind of forethought that is implemented regarding objects of significance that the passed will no longer need.

 

[Joey D]

So some more snooping on the car lead me to the Supraforums and a post by the guy who bought it, then backed out of the deal in March: http://www.supraforums.com/forum/showthread.php?1102713-5700-Mile-Auto-TT-on-BaT

I am the guy who was the high bidder on BaT the first time the Supra was listed there back in March. I decided to walk away from the deal because inconsistencies presented themselves after the close of the auction regarding the ownership history. Additionally, after the close of the auction, I stumbled on this thread and some of the comments here made a lot of sense to me about the condition of the car. I had seen the car in person and it presents ok, not great. There is some damage around the vehicle, like relatively minor scratches, dings and chips...none of which are mentioned in the sellers ad. The car is straight, and in my opinion, had no accidents. I would rate the car a 7 on a scale of 1-10....10 being best. I looked past some of the condition issues because the car was presented as a one family owned vehicle. During the BaT auction I spoke with the seller who told me the original owner was a collector and after he died his son took ownership of the vehicle in 2011. After the auction I was able to identify the owners name on the title and after some research the man did not pass until 2018, which was actually after the current seller acquired the vehicle. When I questioned some of the facts, I was invited on a conference call between myself, the seller and the Ford dealer in Tennessee. Unbeknownst to me there was a 4th party on the line who represented himself as an investor in the car. He was rude, pushy and confrontational....which did not go over well with me. After being contacted by BaT as to why I did not complete the transaction, I tried to save the deal by giving the seller some time to present documentation and to clarify the misrepresentation of the ownership facts. They were never able to provide anything and the Ford dealer who took the car in on trade was not willing to put the story they told about a one family owned car on their letterhead. I have been around cars and the car business for 35 years and my gut clearly told me things were not right with this deal. I was still willing to try and salvage the deal and I requested a small price adjustment from the seller due to the fact the car was not a one family owned car as originally presented. The reality is that the car shows up as a 3 owner car on CarFax and there is not one shred of documentation to prove the story that it is one family owned. I tried really hard to salvage the deal and lost 4 grand to the BaT buyers premium. I decided to post my side of the story here with the Supra community after BaT would not post my comments on their site. Feel free to share my side of the story and copy and paste it anywhere online you wish. I am also happy to answer any questions.

I also noticed the car did not have the original tires. I have another collector car from 1988 with about 11k mi on it and it still has the original tires from 1988. The Supra with a little over 5k mi is a little strange that someone would change the tires if they were a collector. BaT says they do not get involved between buyers and sellers, however, they had no problem taking the buyers premium and then suspending my account for not completing the transaction. I was not going to be pushed around by the sellers investor or BaT...that is how I felt about it so I walked away from etc deal risking the 4k buyers premium. I would rather risk the buyers premium then have a car with so many questions looming. BaT would not even allow these comments to be posted on their site. I will wait a little while and keep looking for the right Supra. I was 25 when that car was new and my mouth just watered.

 

[Joey D]

So the selling dealership has responded in the BaT post:

Figured I should drop in the clear up some of the misconceptions floating around here. Thank you first to BaT for offering to relist the car after our dealings with the first winning ‘buyer’.

Take what you read on the internet with a grain of salt. I find it interesting but unsurprising to see the original “buyer” comment on his side of the story based on our dealings with him in the month or so following the auction. It was clear from day one that he was not going to fulfill his commitment to purchase.

The interaction he mentions on the conference call occurred when he was asked frankly what his intentions were with regards to purchasing the car, as it had now been 10-days post sale with no movement on his end. He took the question offensively and ended the phone call on his own accord. It’s also amusing, that over a month after the close of the auction, he was still pursuing the car and requested a discount. Our stance was and is that the information available on the car has been laid out clearly in the auction, and participation in the auction is clearly governed by BaT’s set of rules. Furthermore, I think BaT’s statement speaks the loudest – the buyer did not fulfill his commitment to purchase and faced the consequences.

It’s also unsurprising to me that he leaves out MAJOR details about our interactions and his behavior, including the the part where the GM of the Ford Dealer (who graciously gave us his time to discuss the car with the ‘new purchaser’) confirmed the single family ownership history; as well as some other details from the family that he remembered from when the car was brought to him.

Let’s also not forget the part where he tracked down and repeatedly stalked and harassed the family of the original purchaser with phone calls against their known wishes (and who I might add, also confirmed the single family ownership to him according to a conversation between us afterwards but reiterated their disinterest to discuss the details).

It was on the aforementioned conference call where we learned from the GM of the Ford Dealer, that the family had been getting unwanted, harassing calls from a claimed ‘buyer of the Supra.’ This is the reason that they were unwilling to provide a letter.

We have taken care to present the car in great detail to show its current condition and present the facts as we know them. We did not care for the car for its first 20+ years of ownership – so cannot speak to how it was stored, where it was driven or in what conditions.

I encourage and welcome in person inspections; the car is exactly as presented. It runs and drives and performs exactly as it should.

And the plot thickens!