Supra vs. all the other cars I've personally owned

[26StratMT]

I don’t have a ton of sports cars to compare it to but I love this Supra so far.
I can’t think of anything worth complaining about so far.
The usual minor stuff most talk about but they really aren’t a big deal.
I was concerned about being hard to get in and out of since so many talk about the low roof line issues but I haven’t found it to be a problem at all.
Maybe because I knew about it before I ever sat in it but never had any issues.
That low roof line is one of the things that makes the car so unique looking.
The other minor quirks all give the car some character.
I’m glad they didn't compromise much for “convenience”.
Those compromises are why most cars all look relatively the same.

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[kaj]

I really like how 350/370z's look with the right mods, but bone stock they don't really look the best to me, a little too plain/round.

A set of wheels with the right offset help the body lines flow into the ground. OEM wheels are always so anemic but they are especially sad on a car as curvy as the Z.

I was concerned about being hard to get in and out of since so many talk about the low roof line issues but I haven’t found it to be a problem at all......
The other minor quirks all give the car some character.
I’m glad they didn't compromise much for “convenience”.
Those compromises are why most cars all look relatively the same.

I hit my head twice. After that, never had a problem. As for character: I 100% agree. It's WHY some of us buy cars. My two toys aren't perfect AT. ALL. They don't look new. They have aspects that are a bit uncomfortable. One is loud and makes smells. The other is temperamental and has some really strange quirks that I wouldn't trade for anything. The Supra had it's quirks and I really appreciated that.
I recently had this very conversation with a guy on another forum. We were discussing the Ferrari F80. It's as refined, advanced, and fast as possible. I mentioned that made it boring. He lost his s#!t and told me how crazy I am. It basically has no flaws, no danger, anyone can drive it fast. It's quiet and efficient while having 1000hp. It seems perfectly balanced with no compromise between speed, comfort, and gov't regulation. It's a terror on a race track. It's basically perfected. I have to admit it doesn't interest me much. Despite how advanced it is, I'd rather have something old and noisy.

 

[alan7467]

I took a 2026 RS3 on a long test drive recently. I found it a bit more comfortable on the highway than my Supra, and surprisingly a little more engaging and fun on one of my favorite back roads. The character of the 5 pot played a big roll in that, but what surprised me was the feedback from the steering when pushing it a little. It wasn’t much, but it was more than my car. Overall it felt more similar to my car than I was expecting in both ride and handling characteristics. With the added bonus of being a little more relaxed in comfort mode for highway slogs.

Anyway. I put a deposit down and should have one coming my way in September or October. This will replace my Supra. I have a lot of mixed feelings about that, but it’s related to life changes brought on by a new job and a god damn return to office mandate.

What’s really giving me pause right now are all the reports of issues with the 8Y and 8Y.5 that I’m finding all over the place. Most sound like software or electronic gremlins, but they could add up to a pretty shitty experience. Especially if I’m commuting in the thing 15,000+ miles a year.

Debating walking away from the deal to avoid potential headaches. It’s nice to hear fellow MKV owners speak so favorably about the RS3. Just wish I’d stop stumbling across all these reports of stupid issues with them.

 

[kaj]

An RS3 and Supra aren't normally cars that would be cross-shopped. I'd imagine someone would be solidly on one side of the fence or the other. Seems making the choice would be pretty cut and dry. Are you considering sport sedans from other manufacturers?

 

[illidelph]

I took a 2026 RS3 on a long test drive recently. I found it a bit more comfortable on the highway than my Supra, and surprisingly a little more engaging and fun on one of my favorite back roads. The character of the 5 pot played a big roll in that, but what surprised me was the feedback from the steering when pushing it a little. It wasn’t much, but it was more than my car. Overall it felt more similar to my car than I was expecting in both ride and handling characteristics. With the added bonus of being a little more relaxed in comfort mode for highway slogs.

Anyway. I put a deposit down and should have one coming my way in September or October. This will replace my Supra. I have a lot of mixed feelings about that, but it’s related to life changes brought on by a new job and a god damn return to office mandate.

What’s really giving me pause right now are all the reports of issues with the 8Y and 8Y.5 that I’m finding all over the place. Most sound like software or electronic gremlins, but they could add up to a pretty shitty experience. Especially if I’m commuting in the thing 15,000+ miles a year.

Debating walking away from the deal to avoid potential headaches. It’s nice to hear fellow MKV owners speak so favorably about the RS3. Just wish I’d stop stumbling across all these reports of stupid issues with them.

hey man, I think you will regret it. As someone who has owned both. I also had so many electrical and software problems. I couldn’t tell you how many times apple car play or the infotainment would just die no explanation. Had to constantly hard reset it.

I also think the Supra is a better daily than RS3. RS3 has a lot of turbo lag, and it’s really not that fun to ride around town. Pushing it is a different story.

ultimately if you need the additional seats I get it, but if you don’t, I think you will regret it.

 

[alan7467]

hey man, I think you will regret it. As someone who has owned both. I also had so many electrical and software problems. I couldn’t tell you how many times apple car play or the infotainment would just die no explanation. Had to constantly hard reset it.

I also think the Supra is a better daily than RS3. RS3 has a lot of turbo lag, and it’s really not that fun to ride around town. Pushing it is a different story.

ultimately if you need the additional seats I get it, but if you don’t, I think you will regret it.

Appreciate the perspective. Did you have any other issues other than infotainment?

What I don’t want to do is commute 70+ miles a day every day in my Supra (year round in Colorado). I’ve gotten by just fine two days a week the last 3 years, but 5
is pushing it. Plus the new job won’t be as lenient about stay at home snow days. Hence the RS3. It’ll do better (with winter tires) if I get caught in a snow storm.

My initial plan was to keep the Supra and get a dedicated commuter. However, every time I’ve tried to hang on to a fun weekend car I barely get the chance to drive it and quickly sell it. So I’ve been on the search for a do everything enthusiast car. I think the RS3 fits the bill, but man do I not want to deal with constant problems.

The upcoming G87 M2 with xDrive has been on my list too. Don’t love the looks though and don’t want an even more disconnected BMW driving experience.

 

[jmikes]

Appreciate the perspective. Did you have any other issues other than infotainment?

What I don’t want to do is commute 70+ miles a day every day in my Supra (year round in Colorado). I’ve gotten by just fine two days a week the last 3 years, but 5
is pushing it. Plus the new job won’t be as lenient about stay at home snow days. Hence the RS3. It’ll do better (with winter tires) if I get caught in a snow storm.

My initial plan was to keep the Supra and get a dedicated commuter. However, every time I’ve tried to hang on to a fun weekend car I barely get the chance to drive it and quickly sell it. So I’ve been on the search for a do everything enthusiast car. I think the RS3 fits the bill, but man do I not want to deal with constant problems.

The upcoming G87 M2 with xDrive has been on my list too. Don’t love the looks though and don’t want an even more disconnected BMW driving experience.

Have you considered a current gen M240i / M340i (x-drive for either)? That's the route I'd go if I wanted a more comfortable daily driver that still had decent power. They also look pretty good. Only big issue with them is they depreciate like mad, but you could always take advantage of that and pick up a good condition certified pre-owned one from BMW with 25k-50k miles for a hell of a deal.

I've never heard anything about Audi's being reliable personally, but then again people rag on BMW for being "unreliable" when in reality they've been very reliable since the last couple of gens (as long as you keep up on maintenance) so maybe what I've heard is not actually the truth.

 

[alan7467]

Have you considered a current gen M240i / M340i (x-drive for either)? That's the route I'd go if I wanted a more comfortable daily driver that still had decent power. They also look pretty good. Only big issue with them is they depreciate like mad, but you could always take advantage of that and pick up a good condition certified pre-owned one from BMW with 25k-50k miles for a hell of a deal.

I've never heard anything about Audi's being reliable personally, but then again people rag on BMW for being "unreliable" when in reality they've been very reliable since the last couple of gens (as long as you keep up on maintenance) so maybe what I've heard is not actually the truth.

I drove a G42 M240i when they first came out. Actually went on most of the same roads I took the RS3 on. It was the most isolated, uninvolved boring drive I’ve ever had. The car was really quiet, comfortable, and fast, but very very numb.

I have considered the G42 230i xDrive as a commuter in a two car option though.

 

[Excalibur]

Sounds like we're all car whores here.

Not all great cars, but I wanted to list them out for myself to reflect on my terrible financial decisions throughout my life.

'88 Mercury Cougar v6
'92 Accord LX
'97 Prelude (sequential)
'01 Accord v6
'00 Prelude
'01 Camaro SS
'03 GSR Evo 8
'00 SI
'03 SI
'01 Prelude
'04 SRT4
'93 RX7
'00 S2k
'07 SI coupe SC'd
'07 SI sedan
'08 Evo X
'09 SI sedan SC'd
'06 R6
'08 Tundra
'08 CBR1000rr
'07 S2k Turbo
'13 5.0 GT Premium Roush 2300
'03 MR2 Spyder Hardtop
'12 STI
'10 R1
'14 F150
'13 SHO FBO tune
'16 FZ7
'13 5.0 (again) Gen 5 Whipple E85
'20 5.0 Premium A10 FBO E85
'17 Roush F150
'18 STI FBO FMI conv
'21 5.0 Premium ESS E85 PP1 A10
'24 Pilot (current)
'23 Explorer ST FBO Tune (current)
'24 GR Supra M6 FBO Tune (current)

I think that's all of them. I could probably be retired by now, but it is what it is.

Through all of that, my favorites have been the blown 5.0s for pure affordable power, the Evos/STIs for all around fun, and I'm finding between the RX7, s2ks, & the Supra, the best focused fun cars.
I ultimately decided to go back to a platform where the car can be built to be a balanced and lightweight fun car. The big shit your pants power that I was making in the Mustangs are great, but when you get over 800whp, then it's not usable anymore unless you want to run around with drag radials which cannot handle any degree of precipitation.

I think for me, a properly built 500 whp Supra should be sufficient for my needs of occasional autox, weekend trips, etc.

One lesson I have learned through my journey is there is always something better, faster, etc.
The key is to try a few things, and try to stick with something that you actually enjoy for yourself, not the approval of others, or anything of that nature. Something you enjoy and can be content with is the key. Otherwise you waste a ton of money like I did in my life giving into the corporate marketing strategies, and societal expectations of what is nice and what isn't. Live and learn.

 

[Slow4Banger]

Those rs3's and A3 are no joke if you plan on building them.If not I wouldn’t even look at rs3.They are pretty mid when kept stock.I ran a couple this weekend and got spanked.Mind you im pure 800,port, hpfp & lpfp on E60.

 

[Brandon_181]

My initial plan was to keep the Supra and get a dedicated commuter. However, every time I’ve tried to hang on to a fun weekend car I barely get the chance to drive it and quickly sell it.

I suggest getting an old school daily. I have a 95' Camry and absolutely love driving that thing. Its nice to be able to jump into something simple with zero electronics and just works. I believe it also makes the Supra more fun to drive when I do, not only because its a sports car, but because its a huge difference in technology between the two.

 

[Supraluv]

Sounds like we're all car whores here.

Not all great cars, but I wanted to list them out for myself to reflect on my terrible financial decisions throughout my life.

'88 Mercury Cougar v6
'92 Accord LX
'97 Prelude (sequential)
'01 Accord v6
'00 Prelude
'01 Camaro SS
'03 GSR Evo 8
'00 SI
'03 SI
'01 Prelude
'04 SRT4
'93 RX7
'00 S2k
'07 SI coupe SC'd
'07 SI sedan
'08 Evo X
'09 SI sedan SC'd
'06 R6
'08 Tundra
'08 CBR1000rr
'07 S2k Turbo
'13 5.0 GT Premium Roush 2300
'03 MR2 Spyder Hardtop
'12 STI
'10 R1
'14 F150
'13 SHO FBO tune
'16 FZ7
'13 5.0 (again) Gen 5 Whipple E85
'20 5.0 Premium A10 FBO E85
'17 Roush F150
'18 STI FBO FMI conv
'21 5.0 Premium ESS E85 PP1 A10
'24 Pilot (current)
'23 Explorer ST FBO Tune (current)
'24 GR Supra M6 FBO Tune (current)

I think that's all of them. I could probably be retired by now, but it is what it is.

Through all of that, my favorites have been the blown 5.0s for pure affordable power, the Evos/STIs for all around fun, and I'm finding between the RX7, s2ks, & the Supra, the best focused fun cars.
I ultimately decided to go back to a platform where the car can be built to be a balanced and lightweight fun car. The big shit your pants power that I was making in the Mustangs are great, but when you get over 800whp, then it's not usable anymore unless you want to run around with drag radials which cannot handle any degree of precipitation.

I think for me, a properly built 500 whp Supra should be sufficient for my needs of occasional autox, weekend trips, etc.

One lesson I have learned through my journey is there is always something better, faster, etc.
The key is to try a few things, and try to stick with something that you actually enjoy for yourself, not the approval of others, or anything of that nature. Something you enjoy and can be content with is the key. Otherwise you waste a ton of money like I did in my life giving into the corporate marketing strategies, and societal expectations of what is nice and what isn't. Live and learn.

I have had a lot of cars also but I have stuck with a few because they are really fun to drive and are completely different from each other. I have had my 2002 BMW MRoadster for 15 years now and it never fails to make me smile when driving it. I also have a BMW 2007 Z4 coupe that I have had for about 6 years and it also brings a grin as it is the rare 6 speed and handles like a dream. Lastly I have a 2023 Supra premium that is absolutely the best car of the lot and I am keeping this car for a very long time. I bought it new and I love driving it. Get what makes you happy and just keep on keeping on. Who cares what others say.

 

[jchadwell]

Those rs3's and A3 are no joke if you plan on building them.If not I wouldn’t even look at rs3.They are pretty mid when kept stock.I ran a couple this weekend and got spanked.Mind you im pure 800,port, hpfp & lpfp on E60.

Those rs3's and A3 are no joke if you plan on building them.If not I wouldn’t even look at rs3.They are pretty mid when kept stock.I ran a couple this weekend and got spanked.Mind you im pure 800,port, hpfp & lpfp on E60.

Modified to modified and you were spanked and stock to stock the RS3 is also faster yet they are “mid” and shouldn’t even be considered. Strange logic there?

 

[kaj]

What I don’t want to do is commute 70+ miles a day every day in my Supra (year round in Colorado). I’ve gotten by just fine two days a week the last 3 years, but 5
is pushing it. Plus the new job won’t be as lenient about stay at home snow days. Hence the RS3. It’ll do better (with winter tires) if I get caught in a snow storm.

In your situation, the Supra has to be a no-go. You can't drive it any time you want. If you want to daily it, you can't. Having a $50k car in the garage and barely using it is fine for rich folk, but not us regular guys. Personally, I don't know how they can stand it LOL

 

[jchadwell]

I took a 2026 RS3 on a long test drive recently. I found it a bit more comfortable on the highway than my Supra, and surprisingly a little more engaging and fun on one of my favorite back roads. The character of the 5 pot played a big roll in that, but what surprised me was the feedback from the steering when pushing it a little. It wasn’t much, but it was more than my car. Overall it felt more similar to my car than I was expecting in both ride and handling characteristics. With the added bonus of being a little more relaxed in comfort mode for highway slogs.

Anyway. I put a deposit down and should have one coming my way in September or October. This will replace my Supra. I have a lot of mixed feelings about that, but it’s related to life changes brought on by a new job and a god damn return to office mandate.

What’s really giving me pause right now are all the reports of issues with the 8Y and 8Y.5 that I’m finding all over the place. Most sound like software or electronic gremlins, but they could add up to a pretty shitty experience. Especially if I’m commuting in the thing 15,000+ miles a year.

Debating walking away from the deal to avoid potential headaches. It’s nice to hear fellow MKV owners speak so favorably about the RS3. Just wish I’d stop stumbling across all these reports of stupid issues with them.

Having owned my 26 RS3 for almost nine months now (see previous post) I can say I have zero regret. I still like my previous Supra as much as the RS3 and think they are both outstanding with many similarities and just a few differences (again, see previous post). What I can provide relative to your “gremlins” concern is my old Supra had more electronics issues than the RS3 does. CarPlay would just stop working every so often in the Supra which always required digging through the menus to find the settings that changed for absolutely no reason and with no owner input, changing them back, and then restarting the car. Happened. Every few months.
Only electronics issues in the RS3 is that, also every couple months the display will say things are loading and not go away. The weird part though is things still work. I still run CarPlay and the maps, music, Waze, etc. still works and displays properly. The only thing I don’t get is the name of the song playing which is normally displayed where I instead get the “loading” message that doesn’t go away. It resets itself the next start as long as the car sits long enough between starts for everything to go to “sleep”. It doesn’t resent by simply turning it off and then right back on.

That’s the only gremlin, and it’s very minor and infrequent, that I’ve had. Remember, the only people who complain on the internet are the unlucky few who have an issue. The other vast majority of us who don’t remain silent. And finally, AWD launches from 4000 RPM, on sticky autocross tires are hilariously fun. First couple times before I got used to it made my stomach a little queasy!

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