1998 Toyota Supra

Watch out for

Reputation: what owners and the press report. Tap one to see what to check.

• Crash damage and bad modifications All years Walk away if found

  What to check: Run a history check, look for filled panels with a paint-thickness gauge, and ask what was changed and by whom.

  Classic & Sports Car says most have been modified, often badly, and many have crashed, and an incomplete history may hide serious problems. Hagerty's specialist also warns of filled panels and of wiring harnesses changed by past owners.

  Sources ^15,8

• A non-turbo converted to turbo All years One source so far

  What to check: Check the VIN and build against what the seller says it is.

  Hagerty's specialist names a converted non-turbo as a trap for buyers.

  Sources ⁸

• Worn turbos or turbo controls All years

  What to check: Feel for boost below 4,000 rpm and a clean handover at 4,000 rpm, listen for whine or grinding there, and look for smoke at start-up, under load and on overrun.

  Hagerty's specialist says the second turbo can whine or grind near 4,000 rpm, its small shaft can bend, and turbo seals leak with age. Classic & Sports Car says a turbo that does nothing may only have a failed actuator.

  Sources ^8,15

• Dried hoses and tired ignition parts All years

  What to check: Look at the hoses, coil wires and cam sensor connectors, and for coolant leaks at the radiator and expansion tank.

  Sources ^8,15

• Automatic input shaft and second gear All years One source so far

  Hagerty's specialist names the input shaft as a weak point, and says second gear's sprag can fail under hard use.

  Sources ⁸

• Rust in the rear lower quarter panels All years One source so far

  What to check: Look at the bottoms of the rear quarter panels, where water collects.

  Sources ⁸

• Timing belt due All years One source so far

  What to check: Ask for the service history and when the cambelt was changed.

  Classic & Sports Car gives 50,000 miles or five years between changes.

  Sources ¹⁵

Rare catches

Rare options, colors and interiors to look out for, and whether finding one is good news.

• Good find Deep Jewel Green Pearl Color

  A special paint for the 15th Anniversary Edition⁶

  384 built, 28% of 15th Anniversary Editions^6,16

  Why it is a good find: Barrett-Jackson, writing up an unmodified one for auction, calls the finish beautiful and a stock fourth generation Supra a rare find.¹⁶

Recalls

• 20V033000 1997–1998

  The driver's airbag inflator can absorb moisture, which may make it rupture or under-inflate the airbag. The inflator is replaced.^17,18,19

What buyers say

Reputation: what owners and the press report

• Sought after: Turbo All years One source so far

  Hagerty calls the Mk IV Turbo among the hottest Japanese collector cars, and clean ones hard to find.³

• Sought after: Hardtop with the six-speed All years One source so far

  In Hagerty's interview with a specialist, the hardtop six-speed is the most sought-after Mk IV. The targa is still called rigid.⁸

• Sought after: Unmodified cars All years

  Hagerty's specialist puts untouched cars at under 15 to 20 percent of those left, and Classic & Sports Car says few original ones remain.^8,15

• Avoid: Automatic All years Less sought after

  Edmunds' 1996 review says the automatic is likely to disappoint beside the manual, and Hagerty's specialist calls it the less wanted gearbox. An owner in Classic & Sports Car prefers it.^11,8,15

Before you pay

Open the buyer's checklist

Every warning and recall for this generation, with a box to tick.