Buying used - how many miles is to many?

[drave199]

Looking to buy a used 2020 3.0 as I’m looking to tune possibly and rather just avoid any potential issues with a 21. But in your opinion how many miles is to many? Obviously as little as possible but there are a lot out there around ~5k miles. My initial thought was to be under 3k. It is a sports car and a lot of people probably beat on these for a year then sell. Just want to avoid issues.

Also, how is it shipping a used car? Any have experience with this. My main concern would be the dealer not disclosing damage.

Thanks for the advice

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[Octane]

This car will last plenty... as long as it has under 100k miles, you're fine.

 

[Suggs.OR]

I wouldn't go off of mileage. The difference between 3k and 5k is negligible. That 3k car could have been beat on harder than the 5k. The 5k could have been broken in better than the 3k car. Take a look at maintenance history, check if one has had any know oil issues (since that seems to be the biggest issue even though it is very limited and not widespread).

 

[diablo2112]

More is better at this point. Manufacturing defects in individual cars can crop up in the first 15-25k miles. For the B58 engine in particular, oil consumption will be established by 10k miles or so. I'd rather have a car with 20k miles and 18 months old than 3k for this reason. Get a service history on whatever car you're looking at. Ideal speciman is decent mileage + clean history. Check especially any reports to the dealer for low oil warnings.

 

[digicidal]

Agree with @Suggs.OR - it's not the number of miles, it's the type of them. Applies to any car really, the Supra isn't special in that regard.

Unfortunately the things that would really make the decision easier aren't commonly available to a second owner... i.e. how it was driven, why they sold/traded it so soon, etc.

If those 5K miles are highway commuting and they sold it because they couldn't afford the payments - it's as good as a brand new one in every regard. If they slid it into a wall on track and got their buddy to do all the body work "off record", or drove through 16" of standing water during a bad flood and let it dry out before selling it... those could be 5K very expensive miles down the road.

 

[Loco38SUP]

First and foremost get the VIN and double check the Salvage Registry on here. Many of those totaled cars are ending up back on the market.

It will be hard to find service records for cars with less than 5K miles since Toyota recommends first service at 10K.

I would pull the engine cover off and look for signs that aftermarket mods had been installed. Check the rear wheel wells for chunks of rubber or excessive dents in the plastic from rocks hitting it during burn outs.

The B58 is a strong engine and can take some abuse from the gas pedal. Good luck.

-RJM

 

[Thill444]

If your going to mod it and don't care about the powertrain warranty I would be less concerned bout 3K miles vs even 10K miles and buy a car that has not been wrecked or beat on too much. I would find a good mechanic that knows BMW and pay to have a thorough inspection done.

 

[drave199]

If your going to mod it and don't care about the powertrain warranty I would be less concerned bout 3K miles vs even 10K miles and buy a car that has not been wrecked or beat on too much. I would find a good mechanic that knows BMW and pay to have a thorough inspection done.

yeah that’s my mental challenge right now. Get a 20 with the less power and do a basic tune on it. Or get a 21 with the higher power already and be happy with it for a while (at least until the ecu is unlocked) but have concerns with This oil “issue”.

 

[Thill444]

yeah that’s my mental challenge right now. Get a 20 with the less power and do a basic tune on it. Or get a 21 with the higher power already and be happy with it for a while (at least until the ecu is unlocked) but have concerns with This oil “issue”.

I'm getting a 21. If you drive it awhile and really want more power there are still options with something like a downpipe and JB4 and running ethanol mix.

I think custom ECU tuning will eventually be here, but that's another beast and another level of concern with it comes to warranty.

In terms of the oil consumption issues it's a high performance turbocharged car using very lightweight oil that sheers easy under heat. I am not concerned with adding a quart here and there, it is only if it starts drinking oil every 500 miles or less. And at that point you would either get a new motor or lemon law/buyback.

 

[Thill444]

I think it comes down to goals. If you just want another 40+ whp and torque on a 21 with no other mods and using 93 octane a JB4 would be fine.

If you want to make 500+whp then it's probably best to get a 20 unless you are comfortable waiting for the ECU tunes. I think the JB4 can push close to 500whp but I would be concerned without the ECU tuning myself. But that's just me.

My other concern is, for me, the Supra will be driving on mostly normal streets and in different types of weather. Once you start pushing high horsepower on slicker tires it become less street worthy/safe in bad weather or colder weather. And then you have concerns about warranty issues vs say a JB4 which does not leave an ECU trail and can easily be removed if needed.

Just comes down to what you want and goals for the car.

 

[digicidal]

You have to honestly analyze what your expectations and use will be. If it's not going to be a weekend-only or track car... then your concerns about oil consumption might be a factor. If it is... then adding some oil everytime you leave the track (or even doing a change) shouldn't be a big problem. Same with weather... just don't drive it in bad weather.

On the other hand, if it's primarily going to be a DD... remember that although the HP numbers differ decently... the TQ and gearing do not. I can count on one hand all the times I've run more than two gears all the way out in 18K miles on my MY20. That's all it takes to already be in "go directly to jail" territory in an urban area... so while more is always nice - it's rarely necessary outside of a racetrack. If anything I appreciate the extra half-second I have to react when someone switches lanes in a CRV going nowhere fast.

Bottom line is that both model years are much faster than 95% of the other cars on the road... so outside of competition (or driving both immediately back to back) you're unlikely to ever get to use that extra 40HP or even really notice it.

 

[drave199]

Is there a big difference between the 2020 and 2021 as far as suspension?

I found a red 2020 with 6900 miles. I was able to get them down to 51k plus taxes and fees. Seems pretty good to me. Carfax is good, one owner. Has been at a Toyota dealer a handful of time in the last year. Says a tire was replaced at 4k miles due to hitting something and front brake pads replaced at 5.7k miles. Windshield was recalibrated. The dealer also said it had recall completed recently. Anyone know what that could have been? This is a GMC dealer so they didn’t know. There’s also a front strut brace installed. I’m wondering if it was tracked and that’s why pads were done.

 

[freeform911]

Is there a big difference between the 2020 and 2021 as far as suspension?

I found a red 2020 with 6900 miles. I was able to get them down to 51k plus taxes and fees. Seems pretty good to me. Carfax is good, one owner. Has been at a Toyota dealer a handful of time in the last year. Says a tire was replaced at 4k miles due to hitting something and front brake pads replaced at 5.7k miles. Windshield was recalibrated. The dealer also said it had recall completed recently. Anyone know what that could have been? This is a GMC dealer so they didn’t know. There’s also a front strut brace installed. I’m wondering if it was tracked and that’s why pads were done.

I'm guessing with the pad replacement it's probably been tracked...but I know a few people had a problem with noisy brakes so could've been replaced for that reason..
If it has been tracked who cares it's relatively low miles..still under warranty...
Not sure on the price..I haven't kept up with current market but if you like the car.. test drive n buy....
IT'S ONLY MONEY?

Steve

 

[digicidal]

Have to agree with @freeform911 on the brakes... mine's never been tracked and I've still got about 60% remaining at 18K miles. So either hard tracked or replaced for noise/other reasons. If there's a front strut brace installed - it's already got 50% of the suspension difference between MY20 and MY21 taken care of. The remaining portion is tuning of the damping I believe... which probably is nice (the MY20 is a bit too soft IMO in balanced mode and a bit too hard in sport mode). That said, you'd have to drive them back to back to even tell the difference I think - definitely a minor inconvenience and not worth discounting a MY20.

I'd try to get them down a bit more than that on the price however... with MY22 coming soon (well, unless the shortages continue or get worse) I'd think there might be a bit more room to negotiate - especially at an off brand dealership. If it was Toyota CPO with the extra warranty that price would be about right.

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