Cost to own a Supra

[Low&Slow]

Looking at getting A Supra but I got some concerns. Mostly about the cost of parts and maintenance. I've been raised to stay away from German cars bc the parts are so much more expensive and repairs are a b*tch. Are they really? Are the parts so much more expensive? Is repairing/replacing a simple thing, more difficult than it should be? EX. having to remove the whole front end to replace the alternator.

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[SupraYYJ]

Looking at getting A Supra but I got some concerns. Mostly about the cost of parts and maintenance. I've been raised to stay away from German cars bc the parts are so much more expensive and repairs are a b*tch. Are they really? Are the parts so much more expensive? Is repairing/replacing a simple thing, more difficult than it should be? EX. having to remove the whole front end to replace the alternator.

Those are valid concerns. With the Supra, it seems like parts are generally less expensive through Toyota than BMW, but availability is worse. My first Supra was totalled, but it took the shop about 3 weeks just to get prices from Toyota for some of the parts that would've been needed for repair. Actually getting the parts would have been longer still.

That said, if you're concerned about practicality, you should not be buying a 2-door sports coupe, period.

 

[Davidpingu]

Are you looking to keep the car completely stock throughout ownership?
The reason I ask is most owners will spend far more on mods than they ever will on servicing and repairs so it’s all relative.
The last German car I owned was around 10 years ago (a bmw) and I’d say the servicing was probably somewhere in the region of 40% more if comparing dealership prices to Japanese marques. I remember paying around £420 for a major service (bear in mind 10 years ago) whereas something Japanese with similar displacement might have been more in the £280 range.
The big cost I found was wishbone arms when the bushes went. You were forced to buy the whole unit and both sides came to nearly what the car was worth so I let it go then. Had I known someone who could have just installed polybushes it would have been fine but it was a a BMW 320 so the aftermarket support wasn’t there like it would have been for an M3. I cut my losses and went to type R’s until now.
I think the fact there is so much available aftermarket for the new supra makes it more affordable. You may often find aftermarket items at less cost than oem (possibly more so a little further down the line as there’s more and more support)
At present though these cars are not of an age where you should be concerned with increased costs other than servicing and fuel and to be honest, as has already been said, if those levels of costs are a concern I would question if it’s the right time to be looking at one of these just yet.
I sort of did the same thing opting for the supra over the cayman. One of the reasons for my choice was that I wasn’t ready to be paying porsche levels of maintenance costs and aftermarket prices which seem to be a fair step up again.

 

[Dannyvandelft]

So far in two years my only cost has been fuel, oil, and filters. Car has been perfect since day one.

 

[bowker]

I've had the car for a few weeks now. Still runs perfectly. Unless lane keeping assist decides it wants to run me off an on ramp straight into the curb.

 

[Patina]

So far in two years my only cost has been fuel, oil, and filters. Car has been perfect since day one.

Absolutely ungodly amounts of fuel if you're in the boost. I'm consuming 1 tick of fuel every 2 days with a <10 mile commute. Smiles per gallon.

 

[Dannyvandelft]

Absolutely ungodly amounts of fuel if you're in the boost. I'm consuming 1 tick of fuel every 2 days with a <10 mile commute. Smiles per gallon.

Yeah I get on it too. Average is 17 MPG or so. If I cared about MPG I wouldn't drive this

 

[FnkDrSpok]

Yeah I get on it too. Average is 17 MPG or so. If I cared about MPG I wouldn't drive this

MPG is actually surprisingly good in normal mode. I left my wallet at my moms and couldn’t get gas for an entire weekend. I babied the car back and forth to the gym. Had two bars Friday, one bar Monday, and the car was driven each day over 10 miles.

 

[Patina]

Yeah I get on it too. Average is 17 MPG or so. If I cared about MPG I wouldn't drive this

MPG is actually surprisingly good in normal mode. I left my wallet at my moms and couldn’t get gas for an entire weekend. I babied the car back and forth to the gym. Had two bars Friday, one bar Monday, and the car was driven each day over 10 miles.

Biggest complaint, the damned fuel tank is tiny. Pain in the ass having to go to the gas station so often.

 

[zrk]

MPG is actually surprisingly good in normal mode. I left my wallet at my moms and couldn’t get gas for an entire weekend. I babied the car back and forth to the gym. Had two bars Friday, one bar Monday, and the car was driven each day over 10 miles.

Apple/Google Pay FTW.

Valid concerns OP. Answering your question.. not really, no.

The car is a breeze to work on. Parts are a little pricy I guess, but you should very rarely need them. Aside from me breaking things at the drag strip or whatever. Car has been reliable even as I push power.

Oil change is like $120 bucks or something after your free first two, and regular maintenance items are priced normally. It's not a $10,000 oil change like an R8/Lambo.

 

[Mimosa]

I don't know what the hell people on here are talking about. This car has been destroying my bank account.

 

[zrk]

I don't know what the hell people on here are talking about. This car has been destroying my bank account.

I think you're referring to a different problem. Addiction. There are a lot of programs available to help you with that.

 

[B58_ hwAyaq]

Looking at getting A Supra but I got some concerns. Mostly about the cost of parts and maintenance. I've been raised to stay away from German cars bc the parts are so much more expensive and repairs are a b*tch. Are they really? Are the parts so much more expensive? Is repairing/replacing a simple thing, more difficult than it should be? EX. having to remove the whole front end to replace the alternator.

Everyone here has raised valid points, but could you clarify what you’re looking at purchasing (age/mileage) and how long you’ll keep it? Getting one with lots of warranty left with a plan to own for 2-3 years would be different than going with a higher mileage (that being about 30k right now) option and keeping it for ten years.

 

[SD_MK]

How much i've put into my car is just enough to barely afford @Mimosa 's wheels.. i could barely afford @zrk 's verus engineering parts.. it would take me another 10 years to reach a quarter of their budget into their cars.

edit just for @zrk

 

[zrk]

How much i've put into my car is just enough to barely afford @Mimosa 's wheels.. it would take me another 10 years to reach a quarter of his budget into his car.

If this is a wasted money on car parts pissing match, throw me in the ring.

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