zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Wrenching
/
Four Super Cheap Alternatives To The Crazy Expensive MKIV Toyota Supra
Four Super Cheap Alternatives To The Crazy Expensive MKIV Toyota Supra-April 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:13:38

The internet sure can suck sometimes. First, it turns every moderately clickbaity video into an opportunity for a goatse or rickroll, and now it has that it’s completely unattainable for people that work for a living. Bravo. Thankfully, here are four cars that can do damn near everything that the Supra can do, for a fraction of the price - at least for now anyway.

, in stock trim, is quite formidable on its own. It also shares the same basic platform as the younger Supra in all the ways that matter. Turbocharged 3.0 liter inline 6 engine ? Check. Ridiculously overbuilt manual gearbox? Check. Insane power handling capability and lots of aftermarket support? Check and double check. While this car doesn’t share the MKIV’s more contemporary aesthetic flair, it has a stuck-in-the-80s charm that is more nostalgia machine than it is forward-thinking science project.

You can also swap over the entire drivetrain from a newer Supra into it relatively easily and have every single advantage of the newer car, with the addition of driving something with an available red velour interior. Even with prices rising slightly, you can still find good examples in the four figure range, and for the price of a fair-to-middlin’ MKIV Supra , you can have a world-beating modified MK3. Food for thought.

3. Lexus GS300

Imagine as Lexus’ version of the Porsche Panamera. Now in stock form, it’s not exactly the best performer as it tends to be a bit heavy and ungainly through the twisties, but a few off-the-shelf mods and a engine transplant with the 2JZ-GTE from a Japanese Toyota Aristo will make this the five passenger Supra you never knew you wanted.

Of course, almost any car with a 2JZ swap will be Supra-like in its engine tone and driving manners, however it helps a ton when you have an abundance of parts interchangeability and OEM support, even if it is via overnight parts from Japan.

2. Lexus IS300

If a modded GS300 is Lexus’ version of the Porsche Panamera, with the right parts bolted on. It’s just that much more taught, that much more chuckable, available with a manual transmission from stock, and just as moddable, with as many available high-powered 2JZ goodies as you can fit in that cramped engine bay.

It’s not the easiest body in the world to attach the Supra’s six speed transmission to, but easier manual options (like the R154 5-speed and GETRAG BMW transmission) make this car a damn good value if your goal is insane power and handling for no money, relative to even the most discounted MKIV Supra purchase price.

You can find good showing examples well below $10,000 all day and with such an awesome base to start with, you’d be hard pressed to find something more fitting if you need a Supra fix and can’t quite afford the price of admission.

1. Lexus SC300

Well, of course had to make it onto this list. Not only does the SC share the drivetrain with the non-turbo MKIV Supra, but nearly all other mechanical components, including that of suspension and exhaust are interchangeable, if not requiring very minor modifications to fit.

It’s more comfortable than the Supra, more plentiful on your local Craigslist, available in manual, and had a nearly ten year production run. That means parts are cheap, cars and cheap, and every single aspect of Supra ownership can and will be present with owning an SC for a quarter of the price.

Granted, you’ll have to swap over a turbocharged drivetrain from a MKIV Supra or just add a turbo and accompanying mods onto the stout 2JZ-GE naturally aspirated engine, but when you do, it’s a life-changing experience. These cars are so cheap that I’m not sure why everyone doesn’t have at least three in their driveway. Y’know, just in case.

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Wrenching
AutoNation Dealerships Move To Digital Car Buying
AutoNation Dealerships Move To Digital Car Buying
Most car buyers don't want to make a purchase the way their parents did, but auto sales has been slow to catch up to the digital generation who are accustomed to the point, click, and buy method for most products. AutoNation, the country's largest dealerships group, is rolling out a...
Apr 24, 2025
VW's New Electroturbodiesel Motor Makes 268 HP, Could Deliver 60 MPG
VW's New Electroturbodiesel Motor Makes 268 HP, Could Deliver 60 MPG
Volkswagen has gone one step closer to giving us the perfect "have your cake and eat it too" motor. The automaker recently unveiled their new super advanced performance diesel engine in Wolfsburg. You'll want this diesel, you'll want it bad. According to, VW has adapted the existing EA288 power-plant. In...
Apr 24, 2025
You Can Buy This 500 HP Mercedes E55 AMG For The Price Of A Corolla
You Can Buy This 500 HP Mercedes E55 AMG For The Price Of A Corolla
A wise man once said "In life, there are dupers, and dupees." Now you can play the role of the duper by checking out this astronomical value for money - , for such a substantial percentage off that it would make even the most frugal thrift store rethink its business...
Apr 24, 2025
Let's Help Ray Wert Find A New Car
Let's Help Ray Wert Find A New Car
As editor of Jalopnik, Ray Wert brought us years of great stories, wagon hoonage, leaked Corvette Stingray drawings, and other magical things. Now he needs a new car, so I think we should help him out. These days Ray is out in Los Angeles running his creative studio . He...
Apr 24, 2025
Singapore Man Pays Dealership $19,000 In Coins That Smelled Like Fish
Singapore Man Pays Dealership $19,000 In Coins That Smelled Like Fish
No matter what part of the world you live in, if you have to pay someone and you really don't want to, the classiest way to do it is to . Lovely, shiny, sliver, heavy coins. A Singapore man was ordered to repay $19,000 to a car dealership for taxes...
Apr 24, 2025
Meet The Guy Who Had His Shelby Cobra Trashed By Taylor Swift
Meet The Guy Who Had His Shelby Cobra Trashed By Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift's new video has received a metric ton of praise, from its amazing cinematography to its pretty darn catchy tune. The video also featured a beautiful Shelby Cobra that for one reason or another, gets assaulted with a golf club. I sat down with Will Hough, the car's owner,...
Apr 24, 2025
Copyright 2023-2025 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved