First sports car

[Awales74]

You're going to love it! Moved to an MX5 6 years ago when my son was 13 and now the A90 with him off at uni. You can get easily get away with a 2 seater if you have 1 or fewer kids and your partner has a 4 seater.

Basic argument -- if all 3 of you show up at the same place at the same time then your partners 4 seater will be there.

And in about 6.5 year of owning 2 seaters, the basic rule only failed me once. My kid and his friend decided to be teenagers and needed to be picked up late at night. My wife was not happy to have to be the one to go get them because I couldn't physically do it. It was dubbed the "little stupid car" from that night on.

When it comes to cargo -- people GREATLY OVERESTIMATE the amount of cargo they carry and how often they carry it. The era of the Tall Station Wagon needs to end. You can shop at Home Depot in a Miata -- you can even carry home office furniture like a chair. The Supra cargo capacity is quite large -- no open top will mean you are limited in some ways. But seriously, how many times are you ever going to Home Depot to buy supplies that wouldn't fit there. Heck, I renovated my bathroom since I've purchased my A90 and i was able to take all the paint, tile, and all the bits and bobbles. Only thing I couldn't take was the shower door -- which likely doesn't fit in an enclosed SUV -- and which the retailer was more than happy to deliver.

In fact, if you really get down to it. One can even ask why we have a passenger seat if you think about the number of times you actually drive with a passenger in a family's second car.

Anways, don't you worry about a thing with a 2 seat sports car. Jump in with both feet and enjoy life. Only kid left at home, don't wait and do it now!

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[JChan]

You guys are awesome. Great info. Thank you all for your time and input on your experience. I really appreciate it. I'll keep stalking the forum until my purchase. I see a white 3.0 in my very near future.

 

[calmeda1]

I see a white 3.0 in my very near future.

Something I found out, after purchasing the white supra, was how dificult it is to paint match. The paint's a tri-coat, so you can imagine how difficult it is.

Just less than a week of me owning my car, someone smashed their door on mine, and completely chipped and dented the paint. Whereas ppf would not have prevented the dent, it could've prevented the heavy chip. I REAAAALLY recommend adding ppf to the Supra, mainly because you'll daily it. I myself have a white supra which I daily, and each week you'll find new chips. Once you get ppf, no need to worry about chips!

 

[Schang105]

Congrats OP! And what a wonderful gift to treat yourself and the family to for years to come.

The biggest challenge is more of a head space one. Precious-ness. You may have a debate with yourself everyday you step outside which car to take, depending on where you are going, how busy/tight parking is, etc.
So find as many opportunities you can to take the Supra out, it gets grumpy when it sits too long.

You can fix the visibility easily by setting up your side mirrors to cover blind spots specifically. It takes 5 minutes. Back up camera is your friend.

 

[Neilswheel]

I've had mine for about 2 1/2 years. It has been a pleasure to drive. Seems to have pretty comparable performance to the Viper and 993TT that I had before for almost half the price. The maintenance has consisted only of oil changes. 2 of which were covered by the dealer. I put the buffering blockers on the windows for about $12. I bought the OBD interface and program for a little over a hundred. I bought a plastic part for the front end for a little over a hundred. Basically my only expenses up until now. When I picked it up new, the battery had run down which they fixed in about a day. It took a day for them to do the software recall. There was one other recall that only took 2 hours. Other than that it has been in full service. A little dicey in cold weather. No rattles or any other cosmetic problems have arisen. So far it's been the most problem-free car I have had.

 

[MaxFn]

I've had mine since Oct 2020 and it is my daily drive. It makes that 10 mi drive to work much more fun than the F150 I traded in. Freeway on ramps are a blast! One Key issue I made sure of (At the dealer) prior to purchase was fitting my golf clubs . They do fit and I have had as many as 2 walking golf bags in it at the same time.

You need to use the bag rain cover to keep the clubs from dumping into the front seat, but they fit. It's a bit hard to see but you may also note from the Picture, I put PPF on the trunk sill so I don't mar the Paint taking them in and out.
I am 6-2 and likely older than most of you, getting in and out is a bit of a pain and the Mrs. complains each time. I have found a comfortable way to get in and it has been no real problem. I even make costco runs with it. Also, Do Tadda's audio improvement thread, It really improves the sound quality.

Enjoy!

 

[JChan]

...getting in and out is a bit of a pain and the Mrs. complains each time.

Oh yeah, I'm completely prepared for this complaint from the wife Maybe I can just pick her up all romantic-like and place her in the car every time.

Loving all this info. Thank you, guys!

 

[BMQ]

When exiting the vehicle, step as far back with your left foot as you can, and press the back of your calf up against the car. This allows you to use your lower leg as leverage to step up and out in one motion.
My previous 2 sports cars were both a 2006 Z4///M roadster. Between the 2 I did over 160,000 miles - I learned how to get my 6'2" body out fairly quickly!

 

[Octane]

Most of the issues were things people have already covered. The visibility isn't great, but its a small coupe so thats not surprising.

Getting out of the car isn't the most comfortable, I dont hate it too much, my wife hates it.

I can't really go a week of driving without hearing some kid yell out "is that a Supra" or "Nice BMW". It's annoying, but it is what it is.

 

[Awales74]

"When exiting the vehicle" everyone has their own technique. Mine is to turn out as far as you can, as close to perpendicular to the car. Then place hand next to where the tire pressure sticker and use it for balance and slight push. Don't, of course, push on the rocker panel or any of the plastic. Really helps my dad, 78, get out of the car.

 

[JChan]

I officially have a black 3.0 in transit with my name on it! yeeeaahhhhh!

 

[romanLegion9574]

Congrats! Welcome to the club. I work from home, so no daily commute to contend with, but I do use it for groceries, tracking, and spirited drives.

For pros and cons:

Pros:

• Even in stock form, its quick, both in a straight line and around the corners.
• Attention-getting (you'll stand out on the street with people turning heads) -- looks like it costs more than it does
• Good MPG if you don't drive it like you stole it (normal mode with the car doing the shifting gets good highway MPG)
• Good aftermarket support if you want to mod it
• Good platform for turning into a track car or drag car
• Good community if you have questions
• Pretty reliable, based on the data so far
• Large trunk space for a 2 door sports car

Cons:

• lots of kids will want to race you
• it is attention-getting; that means cops too
• you will hear nice BMW every so often
• Visibility is low compared to everything else you've driven
• Its a low riding car, so you'll have to relearn going up and down slopes
• Because its a small car, other drivers may not see you
• could use more storage space in the cabin
• the hatch is weirdly shaped for getting things in and out
• no physical trunk release
• Thin paint

Things to know since this is your first sports car:

• ingress and egress takes getting used to. Find something that works for you. You may bump your head
• Don't turn off the electronic aids yet (leave traction control on for now). The car behaves very differently from most commuter cars, and can quickly get away from you if you don't know what you're doing.
• Building off the previous point, you get a free track day to learn how to drive the car fast. I recommend you redeem it; you'll learn the basics of how the car will behave as you push it.
• The paint is thin. It's a great idea to look into paint protection film (PPF) to protect your paint. It's a worthwhile investment.
• The car sits low. You may need to go down slopes at an angle.
• Wind buffeting is a problem from factory. You can spend $10 for an Amazon solution. Some of the nicer looking options from the aftermarket companies are between $150-$200.
• You should expect to talk to random people about your car.

 

[digicidal]

Took my mother out for lunch this week. She's 79 and managed getting in and out without issue. Sure I had to help a bit, but don't let the horror stories dissuade you. It's not that hard to enter/exit without bruises, etc.

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