What It Costs To Live With A Mark IV Toyota Supra Everyday

2022-07-23 02:49:29 By : Ms. Amber Lu

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Here's a breakdown of the costs of owning one of the most iconic JDM machines of all time in 2022.

The Fast and Furious franchise, has single-handedly managed to make a lot of cars famous, overnight! And chances of your non-car geek knowing about an iconic JDM from Toyota called the Supra is more likely because of it! There is a huge online community that loves these JDM beasts, and you might have even come across a variety of Supra memes.

While some argue overrated, others argue perfection but whichever camp you most agree with, there's simply no way to deny that the Supra has some very special things going for it. The turbocharged 2JZ-GTE inline-six engine is one of the main reasons the Supra gets so much love, and it remains one of the most tuneable and reliable engines today.

While the 5th generation of the Toyota Supra received some vehement criticism from purists, almost everyone agrees that the 4th ('93-'98) generation of Supras is a pretty sweet ride, especially as a base platform for a performance build.

But without getting lost in the seduction of the Supra, let's dive into how much it costs to live with the iconic Mk 4 Toyota Supra, seeing what kind of costs arise with operating this Japanese giant today.

Before getting to the big questions of ownership costs and reliability, let's briefly revisit why Supras are such good cars and stir up some excitement before we discuss the negatives of costs. The biggest selling point of the Supra is its potent performance. Take a well-built, internally strong inline-six engine, connect two turbochargers in series, and you are ready for some serious fun.

For even more fun, mate it to a manual transmission and add an aftermarket boost controller, and up the boost levels a little. You will be grinning ear to ear. While the factory form of the Supra was constrained to 276 HP in Japan, due to the Gentleman's Agreement, and 326 HP outside Japan, the real power potential lies in the aftermarket modifications that can be made to the Supra.

Torque figures are also pretty impressive with a peak of 318 lb-ft at 4,000 RPM. As already mentioned the internal strength of the legendary 2JZ-GTE makes it the ideal powerplant for massive power gains since the engine block is made from cast iron and houses a forged steel crankshaft.

Simply put, the boost level can be pushed significantly higher without damaging the engine. There is a variety of Supras out there that are putting out around 1,000 HP after receiving only minor modifications. There are a variety of comprehensive guides for modifying Supras available online.

RELATED: Here's What's Special About The Mark 4 Toyota Supra

When purchasing a car, be it new or used, the cost of maintenance and the cost of potential repairs needs to be considered and factored in. So with this fundamental principle in mind what does maintaining a Mk 4 Toyota Supra look like in dollars? This is a particularly hard question to answer as the Supras in question were manufactured between 1993 and 1998, making even the 'newest' Mk 4 Supra 24 years old.

This in turn means that the chances of finding a 24yo car with low mileage are incredibly rare, and as higher mileage indicates more use and wear, there will be more maintenance and/or repairs to be done. Thankfully, Toyotas tend to be reliable, and spare parts are not crazy expensive as Toyota is a more affordable manufacturer.

YourMechanic estimates that maintenance and repair works will range between $95 and over $3,000 but do keep in mind that this is an estimated average and will vary according to region, availability of parts, and workshop. The average yearly maintenance fee is estimated to be $348 and if you consider the value for money, in terms of power and smile-making potential, that is pretty decent.

RELATED: JDM Legend: A Look Back At The Amazing 1993 MKIV Toyota Supra 2JZ

With any guide or estimations of cost, it must be remembered that they are simply guides, and they should not be taken as absolute truth. Additionally, while we all love and wish to change out the stock twin-turbo set up for a massive single turbo, the estimations of cost are based on factory standard cars with OEM replacement parts and not upgraded aftermarket parts.

Aftermarket upgrades open the gates for insane power and performance, with conservative 'safe' tunes allowing for aftermarket parts to the last longer but still provide more power however, these will come with significantly higher costs.

Do remember that all aftermarket modifications have the potential to decrease safety and should be carefully contemplated before being implemented. Furthermore, fuel prices and insurance costs have not been factored in and will be even more subjective than maintenance costs.

Samuel is a law student, guitarist, and car enthusiast based in Melbourne, Australia. His favorite cars are classic muscle cars from the '60s and '70s, and he is growing an interest in JDM cars.