Doing my research

[Juggernautjoe]

Hello all,

I've been doing my research over the past few weeks on pulling the trigger on a 2020/2021 3.0 supra. I've scoured these forums, reddit, and whatever else I can find on the internet. I've talked to a few owners in person and test drove a 2021 3.0. If/when I finally purchase one, it will most likely be tuned and modded. I'm a tinkerer and can't keep a vehicle stock to save my life.

So looking at the tuned dyno results for the 2020/2021, it looks like they're making about the same power. There is obviously other subtle upgrades that add to the fun factor on the 2021. But if the engine platform is capable of near identical power when tuned, what else should I be considering that adds to the value of the 2021.

It's all subjective, but I'm looking for honest opinions on getting a 2020 for ~$5k cheaper than a 2021. What are your thought processes on it? Why would you go with one over the other?

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[Samk_AR]

The motor has lower compression and different pistons. Different manifold for turbo. Suspenion tweaks, engine bay braces, front brake calipers get painted, and i think that's mostly it?

Toyota dealer financing is awful. Bring your own financing or grab a 2020 and take their 0%. I've seen some advertised as low as 47.5K for a Premium.

 

[Dannyvandelft]

What a lot of people overlook, when you buy a 2020 for X off, you also lose most, if not all of that the second you drive off the lot in depreciation because it's a year older. Not to mention because of the 382 hp engine vs the 335 horsepower engine, the 2020 will most likely depreciate more. First thing people buying used will ask, "which engine is in it" followed by "does it have the optional safety sensors" .

So take that into consideration.

 

[XtremeMaC]

What a lot of people overlook, when you buy a 2020 for X off, you also lose most, if not all of that the second you drive off the lot in depreciation because it's a year older. Not to mention because of the 382 hp engine vs the 335 horsepower engine, the 2020 will most likely depreciate more. First thing people buying used will ask, "which engine is in it" followed by "does it have the optional safety sensors" .

Next MY will do the same to MY21's, if we believe that Toyota will increase power again...
If your goal is to sell it in few years and you'll heavily tune/mod, you'll most likely lower the used price anyhow... 335 is plenty.. On other threads with similar topics, tuners suggested that they'd continue developing parts for 335. Who knows. If next engine is a variant of B30O1, maybe they'll drop it, yet again if next MY is another platform, then MY21 will depreciate just as much.

If we're considering the changes in MY21 as "fixes" and "improvements" over MY20, like suspension changes to improve bump-steer and decreased manifold pressure, then go with MY21 if ~$5K doesn't break you. If you don't care for these and will get aftermarket suspension, toe links, etc. and turbo, etc. anyhow, you can save $K towards these upgrades. Also, if you buy MY20 now, unless it's after the tuneability cut-off date, you can start playing around right now, as opposed to waiting for ECU to be unlocked..

 

[Sereph102889]

I will start off by saying this, if you want to keep the cars factory warranty in tact, I would go with the 2021 because it's just "better" overall. I personally just purchased a 2021 exactly 9 days ago because I know I won't be modding this car immediately. I decided to go with the 2021 because a lot of people who test drove the 2020 said that the suspension felt "floaty" in a bad way in a lot of hard driving/cornering scenarios, and when I did my research, I found that the 2021 had several suspension changes that helped alleviate the majority of these issues. The fact that in stock form the car makes an extra 40ish horsepower was also a huge determining factor, as it should be, especially for people who don't intend on tuning right away.

The 2021 gets a larger infotainment display in the dash, the suspension changes, the higher power output, and I believe several other "differences". In your case, since you know you will mod the car, whether it be for suspension/handling, or power, a factory warranty probably isn't your top concern. In this case, I would most certainly grab a lightly used 2020 and save the extra 5-7k. That money will you get you the downpipe and tune that everyone gets that adds 100ish WHP and TQ, it can get you all the suspension upgrades you need to fix the handling issues, and it can easily get you some cosmetic goodies to fix your "modding" desires.

TLDR. Not sure if it's still the same, but the Tuners are having issues getting into the software on the 2021's. If you know you're modding for power, modding for suspension, or factory warranty doesn't bother you, go with the 2020. Pocket the difference and build the car to your desire and to a higher WHP and TQ rating.

 

[black_sedan]

Was in the same dilemma... but the price difference for a new one was more like $7k for a similar 2021. Once tuned with bolt-ons it sounds like the difference in power isn’t all its cracked up to be.

 

[BA9092]

It's tough. There's no right or wrong choice. It depends on what YOU want.

The 2021's were just barely trickling in when I bought my 2020. I think I got a pretty good deal with the options and color I wanted. Even at the end of the summer, the options were already limited. But the differences between the 20 and 21 was still a no-brainer for me as I didn't see enough to justify the $7k savings.

I did spend some time reading and watching test drives and reviews of the 21 3.0, but hardy any automotive publication, journalist, racing enthusiast or pro driver felt any real difference between the two model years. Granted, most of them were on the street. Things maybe different on a track, as that's where the 21 improvements will likely be felt. If you're keeping it stock, don't care about the actual price and are planning to track it, then the 21 seems like a better choice for you. I don't plan to track mine and considering the extra 47hp is apparent at the top of the rev range, it wasn't a factor for me.

However, only time will tell what they'll both be worth in the future. It's still too new to be nit-picking at resale values. A well-kept 20 will be worth more than a poorly maintained 21.

 

[Marin@MarinTuned]

Was in the same dilemma... but the price difference for a new one was more like $7k for a similar 2021. Once tuned with bolt-ons it sounds like the difference in power isn’t all its cracked up to be.

I have said it since the start. The 2021 uses the same turbo and the same fuel pump. The 2021 has lower compession which lowers efficency on ethanol. The 2021 on a stock turbo with ethanol may in fact make less power. I have tuned a few and haven't noticed anything special on the 2021. If anything the mid range seems to suffer a bit on the 2021.

If you arent going to modify I would get the 2021. if your going to run 91 octane the 2021 may be ideal.

If the 2021 is produced with an ECU after 6/4/2020 then you may have to wait for a while for tuning since newer dated ECU's cannot be unlocked. Even though some people like to say it can.

 

[Natek]

I am not really understanding the power difference highlighted. If research was really done, then it would have been understood that toyota under reported the power of the 2020s and once people got them on dynos they saw it was basically what the 2021 are reported to be now. In the future anyone looking to buy a used supra is not going to hear 2020 and think 335hp if they did any research on the car.

 

[puzzled]

If I was looking for a Supra today, I would get the 2021. The 2021 continues to pull up to redline, according to the reviews.

2020 has plenty of torque down low and I tend to early shift 2-3 to keep the car in legal speeds while enjoying the exhaust note so not a big deal for my kind of driving, but it was a little unflattering when I felt a plateau in power above 5k RPM one time.

 

[Jabba]

I am not really understanding the power difference highlighted. If research was really done, then it would have been understood that toyota under reported the power of the 2020s and once people got them on dynos they saw it was basically what the 2021 are reported to be now. In the future anyone looking to buy a used supra is not going to hear 2020 and think 335hp if they did any research on the car.

I think you're mistaken. The power difference between the 2020 & 2021 is a real 47hp difference. See below for Dyno results down back to back. I'll link the thread by OpenFlash Performance.

 

[antonio88x]

I think it depends on what people are looking to get out of the car. For me I was leaning towards a 2021 because I'm not going to mod it much so I figured the updates would be fine. But then the reviews for the 2021s started coming out and current Supra owners were driving the new cars and stating that the increased power isn't as noticeable as you would think.

I got my 2020 around $9.5k off; $48k+TTL and no dealer fees. Sure it might be last year's model, but I got it new for less than the used ones are going for. And for me, the deal was more important. I basically kept 10k in my pocket and lower payment since I'm being taxed on a lower amount. I understand some people might need the latest model, but its like any technology, next year you're going to have the old model. Same will be with the Supra. You don't think they're going to make some more changes in 2022? Think again! Its like any German car, they make little tweaks every year.

 

[Juggernautjoe]

Thanks for all of the replies guys. You're giving me exactly what I wanted lol. I'll probably be pulling the trigger before this weekend if everything lines up.

 

[Dannyvandelft]

I am not really understanding the power difference highlighted. If research was really done, then it would have been understood that toyota under reported the power of the 2020s and once people got them on dynos they saw it was basically what the 2021 are reported to be now. In the future anyone looking to buy a used supra is not going to hear 2020 and think 335hp if they did any research on the car.

They're both under reported. A 2020 and 2021 were dyno'd right after another and the 2020 made 345 to the wheels, and the 2021 388 to the wheels.

 

[black_sedan]

Thanks for all of the replies guys. You're giving me exactly what I wanted lol. I'll probably be pulling the trigger before this weekend if everything lines up.

Funny you're in Kentucky. The car i just bought is shipping out of Paducah. Just for an FYI if youre looking for a leftover 2020. OH, KY, TN, and MI have $5k in rebates if you can find one.

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