6 Reasons why owning a Toyota Supra SUCKS!!!

I was lucky enough to be able to live my dream of owning a Toyota supra at the age of 18, this was an amazing experience and I went onto having two Supras within the same year along with my girlfriend. They are a fantastic car and we live and breathe them but they do have their downsides.

03 Dec 2015

6 Reasons why owning a Toyota Supra SUCKS!!!

1. The Reputation & Attention

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You’re not just buying a car when you buy one of the most talked about vehicles in the automotive world, you’re buying into a reputation and a lifestyle. Whenever you go for a drive in the car, you always get looks and stares; this attention is good and bad. Of course we all love to show off a little and turn heads, but this brings unwanted attention. You cannot leave your car in certain places due to fear of it being vandalized. Cops are also a side effect of Supra ownership, and every single police officer here in Australia will double check the vehicle to see if there are any defects present. I am on my Red Provision license in NSW, and have been pulled over 8 times in the course of 3 months, and not issued one speeding fine, only 2 defects which prove painful after a while…

2. They are slow…

http://www.rallyhaus.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Lexus-LFA-and-Toyota-Supra-Mark-IV-4.jpg

A lot of people (and drivers) think that they own a really fast car when they see or drive a supra, and the attitude kind of follows this. The mindset of a lot of people is that they think they’re in the Fast & Furious when driving these cars but the truth is, unless it’s got a turbo and is highly modified, a new Toyota Camry has more hp and go than you have!

3. They are expensive

http://image.superstreetonline.com/f/17165263+w660+h440+q80+re0+cr1/modp_0711_25%2Bsema_2007_day_3%2Bphoenix_gold_toyota_supra.jpg

Saying this, Supras are reasonably priced to buy here, but living with one is a whole other story. Registration and insurance is extremely expensive on these cars, along with the other regular maintenance of keeping it running. Also most owners of Supras like to modify the vehicle, and doing so always brings police attention with defects which present a higher cost in fines/passing the defects etc. Speaking of which, modifications amount to being very expensive, as once you start, there is no stopping as the aftermarket business for the Toyota Supra is massive!

4. The owners

http://d1r57ja1amoclf.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/arrrlan-supra-car-throttle-meet-3.jpg

There are many great people you meet through owning a Toyota Supra by joining a local club etc, but saying that, there are many people out there that get a big head when behind the wheel of one. So many people think that they have a faster car than anyone else just because they own a Supra and always want to race you or talk smack about the car you may own.

5. The modification war

http://www.fastcar.co.uk/fastcar-assets/2011/01/modified_mk4_toyota_supra_016-592x394.jpg

As explained in point 3, the aftermarket scene for the Toyota Supra is vast, which allows for any thinkable idea to become reality if you have the cash. This creates an issue where you start to modify your car, and there will always be that one person with more modifications than you; this leads to a never-ending tale of eating 2-minute noodles for dinner every night. Another factor is people tune their Supras to have such high hp these days that if you leave your car stock, it’ll be very slow.

6. They are overrated

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Whenever you mention Supras, everyone’s minds rush to the Supra from Fast & Furious movies. If you don’t own a mkIV Supra, people won’t even recognise it. We need to remember that there was the mk1, 2 and 3 which were fantastic cars, and not everything is about the mkIV. In addition, many websites post photos of the Supra saying that they are the greatest cars in the world etc… But in truth, there are many more great and diverse vehicles also on the market today.

Comments

Nice article but sad to see anyone saying their car sucks! Mind you I can identify as I drive an MR2. Yes it’s not nearly as quick but the same problems apply. The thing I hate most is that a lot of kids almost chase after it as if you’ve just driven past in an Aventador whereas adults just give you dirty looks like you’re some drug dealing delinquent. I still love it to pieces. Those people can just drive their Sportages and Quashqais too Corby for all i care.

I never said the car itself sucks, I personally love the car hence we have two. Driving them is a feeling like nothing else having the dash centered around the driver, and the way the car handles is also fantastic. The reason I wanted to write the article is that I see a lot of uneducated people/websites saying the car is perfect and a god among cars, but I just wanted to explain that like anything, there are downsides to it, both with the car, and the crowd behind it and not everything is perfect.

Nice to see an Mr2 owner on here also! very beautiful cars

Awesome, I too own an MR2! The Mk2 Turbo :D Most people, especially at night, see me go past and probably notice the big boost gauge mounted on the dashboard, so they initiate a game of cat and mouse.. Sometimes it’s fun, as you absolutely destroy kids in almost any car. Other than the M3’s, 335is etc. But she does well to keep up. I love mine.

What’s yours?

I own an MR2 Turbo, and have driven a few NA’s and don’t think any of these problems apply if you keep it well maintained. If you slam it on coilovers you deserve the defects, it ruins the cars. All other cars that look at mine appreciate it. Takes effort keeping these cars running.

As someone who has owned two Mk2 MR2’s, I can vouch for everything you said. I CONSTANTLY had people try to race me, people asking how fast the car was, people asking how many times I’d spun it, etc…

The truth is… the Mk2 MR2’s, even the turbo models, are quite slow compared to most cars out there today. It didn’t make me love my MR2 any less but, just like the Mk4 Supra, they don’t deserve NEARLY all the hype they receive.

I sincerely thank you for this article. I have never really been into JDM cars, but a friend of mine introduced me to them and I can’t say I’m not intrigued. I find the informations you provide very useful.
Besides that, there are plenty of fanboys around that can’t think outside the box of what movies or the web told them. So it’s nice to see that someone has a balanced and sensible perspective out there. The same applies to BMW-fanboys and Alfa Romeo-fanboys (and don’t even get me started on Lancia’s): doesn’t matter what are you talking about, there is always the E30/36/46 M3, Alfa 75 Quadrifoglio Verde or Lancia Delta which is absolutely and unquestionably better.
Thanks to Fast And Furious when I think about JDM cars the Supra is always between the first ones that come in mind, but it’s been interesting to read something more deeply tought.
(and how lovely you and your girlfriend have both got a Supra, haha)

Thank you very much for your constructive and insightful comment :)

Epic!

Thank you very much, especially for editors pick ;)

Nice writeup man! You bring up some good points!

Thanks for the support Jake! :) appreciate it

supras are only good for straight line …. heavy and long engine in front in a heavy and long car …. :D

Actually I can confirm from owning them that they have quite good handling, very tail happy though

Herd of jgtc? Supra’s dominated for several years, also it holds its own in road spec, any big car will struggle on properly twisty roads hence clio 182 etc excel, on faster twisty roads supras can definitely hold their own

The car isnt that long and/or big if you see it in rl. And a nice bmw hast a sraight 6 too.
The supra may have become kind of a dragmonster reputation but it has a good handling. I mean the direct competition was the nsx the 911 aso. So toyota didnt build a japanese Mustang…

Only supra I like it the mk1

That’s an odd one to like. The Mk I had what? 80 HP? And it’s a very quirky looking car. That said, those things need all the loving fans they can take!

Personally, I think the Mk. II (the one shown at the end of the article) is my favorite. They’re really cheap to come by, and just look sooooooooo good. Sure, they’re not quite as beautiful as the mk IV, but, and I’m going to channel my inner Mr. Regular for a second, the Mk IV is like that really hot girl that you date in college, who gets all kinds of attention from the other guys, and who’s pretty high maintenance to keep around and put up with. But the older ones are more like the hometown girl you end up with after college is over and you’ve broken up with that other girl. Sure, she may not be as beautiful, but she’s got it where it counts and takes good care of ya, as long as you take good care of her.

Man, I really want a Mk II. Maybe one day when I’m done with college…

Very well written article ,but my question is how many people would actually keep a supra completely stock, Because in my mind when buying a supra I already have a list of mods i’d do.

Thank you for your compliment on the article.

I in fact own a completely stock supra, and my partner has a modified one

I’ll gladly take your Supra and “problems” off your hands ;)

Can agree is some respect and disagree in others, the turbos are a quick car fact, not the quickest but not the slowest, as for attention I have never been pulled over in, mainly because I keep out of the way of nighttime city’s and save the car for weekends and evenings on a good road etc, also the modification war is prominent throughout any car really but the supra’s are one of the best bang for buck interms of additional power

I can’t stress point number two enough. Everyone thinks that every supra is this 700hp beast that can do a 1/4 mile in 6 seconds but in reality that is so badly wrong. Stock supras only have something around 200hp (i think) and can only go around 150mph (i think). Same thing goes for cars like the e30, r32-34 and a lot of other well know and loved cars. Don’t get me wrong, i love these cars. I love the Supra, R34 and so on and so on, but a lot of people are overestimating the specifications of these cars.