Dedicated Fun Car

[carfreak222]

Hey everyone,

For the first time in my life I’m looking to buy a dedicated fun car as I have a truck for Dad duty and my wife has an SUV. My past dailies have included 2x Mustang GT, NB Miata, FK8 type R, and 981 Porsche Cayman.

The Supra MT is pretty much first on my list due to being a 90s kid that always loved JDM stuff and I love the looks of it.

My question for everyone here is do you find your MT Supra special/engaging enough where you’d pick it as a dedicated fun car for weekends? Or for 65k would you consider other things like a Cayman S or M2 Comp, or even something like an S2000 CR or Lotus? I don’t really think those other cars look or sound as good as the Supra (maybe the Cayman), but I know some of them will certainly be more raw.

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[DarkZupra]

Thats the exact use case for my Supra. I looked at 18 or 19 cars before i chose the Supra. I dont regret my choice at all 3 years in.

 

[bk5]

I use mine as a weekend fun car. I'm mostly a jdm guy like you, so my past cars have been like, nb miata, celica gts, prelude, wrx, 5.0, mazdaspeed protege.

The Supra is the only car I've ever owned where I just take it for drives for no reason. 10/10 would buy again (if I had the garage space, I'd consider a 8AT to mod and keep my m/t stock).

 

[puzzled]

OP - There's absolutely nothing about the GR Supra that feels JDM.. I've been playing with mostly Japanese (made in Japan cars, not the canadian or Ohio garbage ) for the longest time.. so if JDM is what you're looking for, I'd consider the GR86 or the BRZ (tS) or even a ND Miata.
Happy hunting!

 

[DEupra]

It all depends on what you value in a car and what you're going to use it for. Track? Canyon? Drag? Highway pulls? Date night w/ the wife? Something good to look at in your garage? An excuse to get away from the wife?

I wouldn't call the MT special/engaging compared to a S2000 CR or Lotus, but at the same time I wouldn't want to drive those cars on my local streets. It's special/engaging for a 2024 MY modern BMW, but I'm not sure that's saying much lol.

 

[AHP]

Out of the candidates listed the Supra is going to be the most fun and engaging street car, IMO. Need a bit more detail as to the use cases, though. It's a jack of all trades and does everything fairly well. The powerband is incredible with TQ for days from ~2500RPM up; you can lug the car around in any gear and there is instant power. It's track capable right out of the box and with a few basic mods it makes all of the right noises.

Aside from the Toyota badge and name there is really nothing "JDM" about it, though. It's BMW through and through so it comes with those idiosyncrasies.

 

[carfreak222]

I should clarify I am aware of how BMW this car is haha. There's no lack of info on that to say the least.

Regarding the use case, 80/20 street/track. Mostly wondering if I will find it engaging enough on the weekend backroads or occasional track day to be happy and not wish I had gone with something more hardcore. I am genuinely interested to hear owners here with multiple cars beyond the canned first impressions from the journalists.

 

[carfreak222]

Thats the exact use case for my Supra. I looked at 18 or 19 cars before i chose the Supra. I dont regret my choice at all 3 years in.

Appreciate that. I just saw your build for the first time and wow! Probably the sickest Supra I've seen. Can I ask what particular qualities of ownership for you personally make it stand out as a keeper vs some of the other things you have owned/driven?

 

[AHP]

I've owned all of the 90s JDM turbo cars, early 00s like S2000, 350Z, a bunch of Corvettes C6 ZR1, C7Z06, C8 Z51, LS3 NB Miata and on and on... When the MKV was announced I was a huge hater coming from the MKIV world, die hard stick shift guy and not being a BMW fan, etc... After sitting on the sidelines and watching what they were capable of I (cynically) bought a '21 just to see for myself. Enjoyed the hell out of the car (to my surprise LOL), tracked it, etc.. but eventually got bored with the auto and moved on to others. Point being - I was a tough sell but I eventually came around. When the MT was announced I had to have one but was still cross shopping Caymans and M2 CS and a few others. Ultimately what I needed was a manual trans, reliably track capable with minimal work and still livable/enjoyable on the street with the caveat that consumables needed to be reasonable because I track a LOT. At this price point the Supra checks all of the boxes.


That said, the worst part about the ownership experience is Toyota dealers...

 

[DarkZupra]

Appreciate that. I just saw your build for the first time and wow! Probably the sickest Supra I've seen. Can I ask what particular qualities of ownership for you personally make it stand out as a keeper vs some of the other things you have owned/driven?

Im a JDM -> German guy. Went from Hondas and Acuras forever into a 370Z, then into BMWs (F30, F80, G20). When I decided to get a fun car, I had finally gotten to the point where I could afford something extra, and didnt have to think about daily duties at all. I had a MAX budget of 120k including the car and mods, so I looked at a ton of cars:
- 718 Cayman - 4 Cylinder was boring, GT4 meant I didnt have money to mod. Nice car though.
- Lotus Evora - Basically laughed this one off when I got in and it had an old school single DIN head unit. Need SOME tech.
- Lotus Emira - Waiting list was too long and Geely build made me think twice.
- M2 Comp (F87) - I had a crank hub slip on my F80 so ill never buy another S55.
- New M3/M4 - Ugly. Just cant do it.
- Used 911/Gallardo/R8 - Would be too old/too many miles for me to be okay with in my price range.
- R35 - Love the capability, Hate how terrible the interior is for the cost. Nissan has become a shell of its former self.
- Jaguar F-Type R - This one was really good. Reliability and cramped interior is the only thing that held me back. Came in second.

Thats the selection of what I seriously considered, test drove, etc. I hate american cars so thats why nothing like that on my list.

What won me over on the Supra was the awesome german build quality/tech, fantastic looks, tons of aftermarket support, B58 capability. In stock form its a decent car. Modified, its a different beast.

Ill keep this car and keep working on it for a few more years until a 991 GT3-RS or a Huracan Performante becomes realistic for me.

Feel free to DM me here or on IG if you want to discuss more!

 

[F348]

Im a JDM -> German guy. Went from Hondas and Acuras forever into a 370Z, then into BMWs (F30, F80, G20). When I decided to get a fun car, I had finally gotten to the point where I could afford something extra, and didnt have to think about daily duties at all. I had a MAX budget of 120k including the car and mods, so I looked at a ton of cars:
- 718 Cayman - 4 Cylinder was boring, GT4 meant I didnt have money to mod. Nice car though.
- Lotus Evora - Basically laughed this one off when I got in and it had an old school single DIN head unit. Need SOME tech.
- Lotus Emira - Waiting list was too long and Geely build made me think twice.
- M2 Comp (F87) - I had a crank hub slip on my F80 so ill never buy another S55.
- New M3/M4 - Ugly. Just cant do it.
- Used 911/Gallardo/R8 - Would be too old/too many miles for me to be okay with in my price range.
- R35 - Love the capability, Hate how terrible the interior is for the cost. Nissan has become a shell of its former self.
- Jaguar F-Type R - This one was really good. Reliability and cramped interior is the only thing that held me back. Came in second.

Thats the selection of what I seriously considered, test drove, etc. I hate american cars so thats why nothing like that on my list.

What won me over on the Supra was the awesome german build quality/tech, fantastic looks, tons of aftermarket support, B58 capability. In stock form its a decent car. Modified, its a different beast.

Ill keep this car and keep working on it for a few more years until a 991 GT3-RS or a Huracan Performante becomes realistic for me.

Feel free to DM me here or on IG if you want to discuss more!

To follow your lead:

Cayman S - 4 banger, none-starter and 981 GT4 and 718 GTS are a different price range.
Lotus Emira - again different price range and build quality concerns with new model
M2 - G87 real tempting but a different animal cause of back seat, styling and size. may still get one.
M3/4 - agree UGLY front end.
RZ34 - probably the closest competitor for me, but no manual on Nismo shut the door.
Mustang Dark horse - different animal but lots to offer.

If you are looking for new, manual and about $65K out the door, it's hard to beat the Supra.

 

[DR.COKE]

My Supra is pretty much a weekend car. Budget was under 60k. No mustangs, hellcats, or crap american brand was on my list except corvette C8. wanted 2 door, 2 passenger, V6, and stick. corvette c8 even base model priced out, didn’t want convertible top z4, audi only had TT-RS still priced out. Mercedes, Porsches, lotus priced me out. jaguar F-type was very nice but was worried about future repair bills. Grew up as 90s JDM attending hot import turner nights. Only car left was Supra so I ordered a MT one over a year ago. Got tired of waiting so bought auto version used until MT arrives if ever.
so far I use it mostly for Costco runs or Date with wife.
thinking If it now, omit American options, there’s really nothing under 100k that competes with Supra as 2 door, 2 passenger, MT or auto That can be bought today new.

 

[BMWAF]

While I do enjoy and like the car, I have to say that the MKV Supra is one of the least engaging manuals I have ever driven. The gearbox itself is just OK (even after the CDV delete) but that isn't the issue. The problem (if it even is a problem) is that the stock car has almost too much power/torque right across the rev range which makes gear changing somewhat superfluous.

Yes, third gear hits different but in every day to mildly spirited driving, there is little incentive to actually change gears outside of third and fourth unless you just want to save fuel and shift up to sixth. Interestingly, this was all telegraphed in the initial track day "reviews" where almost all drivers stayed in the same gear for their laps. Sure, a different track will yield different results but the reality is that it is pretty indicative of how this car is geared to be driven.

 

[PowerGetter]

My car is exactly that. I have a Dad car, a motorcycle and now a 6MT Supra. I can't wait to take the car out on the weekends and track. I was considering some other cars as well -- similar to your short list (among others), but I'm really glad I chose the MKV. As a primary track car, the suspension needs a lot of work, but power wise, it's pretty potent.

I agree with BMWAF however, this car is A LOT different than the JDM cars of the 90's and early 2000's. You had massive torque at 4.5-5k RPM on those older JDM cars, and it hit like a TRUCK when it did. The MKV's torque is pretty much there right at 2.7K RPM. This is not a "bad" thing, it's just something to be aware of if you're used to the old JDM cars.

Outside of that, I'm really happy with the MKV Supra, even though I've already had a bunch of BS happen to me with this car lol.

 

[carfreak222]

My car is exactly that. I have a Dad car, a motorcycle and now a 6MT Supra. I can't wait to take the car out on the weekends and track. I was considering some other cars as well -- similar to your short list (among others), but I'm really glad I chose the MKV. As a primary track car, the suspension needs a lot of work, but power wise, it's pretty potent.

I agree with BMWAF however, this car is A LOT different than the JDM cars of the 90's and early 2000's. You had massive torque at 4.5-5k RPM on those older JDM cars, and it hit like a TRUCK when it did. The MKV's torque is pretty much there right at 2.7K RPM. This is not a "bad" thing, it's just something to be aware of if you're used to the old JDM cars.

Outside of that, I'm really happy with the MKV Supra, even though I've already had a bunch of BS happen to me with this car lol.

Thank you, definitely looking for replies like this. Might be time to get that deposit money ready…

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