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Orion ZyGarian
08-20-2006, 10:52 AM
"What the crap? All he's ever owned is Jap-crap....what is he doing here??"

Hey guys, some of you might know me from various forums that I frequent, among others www.srqracing.net , TampaRacing, SupraForums, BimmerForums, etc.

If you havent seen me, the story goes like this:

I've been into cars my whole life, but I got serious when I was 14 and was looking for a fun, good, and fast car....after loads of research (and 25 times I had changed my mind) I had decided the best combination of speed, looks, price, gas mileage, safety, and reliability was the MkIII Supra turbo...I kept telling people I'd get one and nobody ever believed me because I was a young ignorant teen just trying to learn whatever I could

Here I am now, at 17, where so far everything has gone as planned or better. With the money I had been saving since 2nd grade, I bought my first car, a 1988 turbo Supra (IMO the best year of the MkIIIs) which had a T4 Rajay turbo, 3" exhaust to Megan muffler (looked really crappy on my car, check it out on my CarDomain: http://www.cardomain.com/ride/565865) EBC, TT, HKS MHG and intake, recent rebuild, ACT 4 puck clutch and 5 speed swap, cross drilled rotors, lowering springs, etc. etc. I had installed the GM MAF-T myself and love the extra oomph I was surprised that I actually got from it. I have also vowed never to sell it, however thanks to school, work, and soon going off to college, any more work has been suspended on it till after college..I'm not going to let this car ruin me financially, so now I'm saving everything I can till I actually have some money to spend

As the story goes, I saw a turbo Supra in the paper for $800 (bought it for $500) and knew that it was worth more than that if I could fix it or part it out. In person, it was a beautiful 89 that I got running with some new spark plugs...though the turbo was bad and on the way home one day completely went out and smokescreened the whole interstate with oil smoke. New turbo put on it, but eventually I had low oil pressure and it got rod knock. The fact that it had only 76k miles on it was amazing, though through that mileage it had been beaten on; since the turbo went out I'm assuming they never turbo timed it, the brakes pulsed like crazy so they did some heavy high speed stopping probably, and overall it wasnt that good of an investment in itself. Plus it was the only automatic car I've owned, and will be the last for decades I'd say.

Sold it for $600 and a wholesale account, so I get good prices on stuff and in the end came out ahead.

With parts being used on the second Supra to try to get it running, I took them off and put them on the original, which didnt really work that well, so I needed a DD in the meantime. So, my mom's ex husband actually had an 86 Corolla for sale. I never got into drifting, but if it was 5 speed then it'd be a great commuter.

Checked it out, someone offered $500 for it but since he knew us he offered it to me first. What the previous owner didnt know was how much these things are going for. What I didnt know was that he was the original owner and custom ordered the car himself! A GT-S coupe, even with LSD and all...rust yes, but not in any structural areas...250k miles!!!

Definetly the slowest car I've had, but also one of the most fun. The A/C didnt work (probably just needed a recharge), eventually the auxilary belt for the power steering snapped (big whoop lol it weighed like 2600 lbs, hardly any difference). It was the easiest car to toss around and very predictable. Depsite the blown rear shocks, it handled well, had the perfect ride height, and was definetly reliable. One of those cars that you go "I wish I never sold it", though the tranny went out on it and I needed a daily driver.

One day in the back lot of trade ins and whatnot at Southpointe BMW, where I work, there was a 5 speed red Miata. I wouldnt mind driving it after the GT-S because of how similar the cars are (yet so different lol) and eventually just loved it. At this point I had owned 4 cars at once...the first Supra stayed in the garage, the second Supra in the driveway, the Miata behind the Supra, and the Corolla at SCTI, my auto school, where I swapped in a new tranny..which only went out because for some reason it was low on fluid..for how long I have no idea, but it had to have been many many years. Sold it to a trusty friend for $1500 (wouldve started asking at $3-4k, but I knew him and stuff) with all intention of buying it back off of him one day.

Sold the second Supra, it went up to Georgia to some guy online. So now I'm down to two running cars, although the Supra has 9-12 month old gas and a few vacuum leaks and open turbo since I sold the ugly exhaust behind the downpipe which I still have, just need to cut some more off. The Miata is my DD, and also very reliable..however the 88 Supra is the only car I never have to had towed. I love it, its the most important material posession I have

SlickShift
08-20-2006, 10:58 AM
Sounds like you have a passion for cars. Looking for anything German in the future? Is the '93 MX-5 a 1.6 or 1.8L? Anyway, welcome to the forum. :wave:

JCapelo
08-20-2006, 11:35 AM
hey man welcome...how did you hear about us?

LDadrenaline
08-20-2006, 11:40 AM
welcome! Dont worry about not having german, its the passion that counts! Only car i've ever had was a wrx lol, and dont worry after a few months of a$s-rapings and such you'll fit right in :)

AarehadC
08-20-2006, 01:37 PM
Welcome. Good to see people so passionate about cars (even if it's not for german ones)

Orion ZyGarian
08-20-2006, 11:28 PM
TampaRacing, where I frequent, doesnt have a BMW specific board so someone mentioned this site and I tend to see LynxZ3R0 there the most out of any BMW guy, so yeah.

The 93 was the last year MX-5 for the 1.6. I figure its the best year for me because its still pretty much the cheapest but being the last year of it they had time to iron out any possible wrinkles

I've been trying to look for an E30 and give up the Miata, but its hard when the Miata is the exact car of what I actually NEED right now...a slow 35 mpg nice handling car with working A/C and quite reliable. I've already done most preventative maintenance on the car (have only a bit more to go) and think it'd be a waste to dump it to start over again.

I bought the Miata as a trade in at Southpointe BMW and got a damn good deal on it. The astounding 100HP really drives me crazy, though I know its all I actually NEED. One day I'll tune the Supra and put down 300rwhp as it is tuned...or better yet finish it and put down 450-500rwtq which is my real goal for it.

I never cared much for German cars because I didnt understand why they always had to be so different...it seems there was the generic crappy American car, then the Japanese car which took the American car and made it reliable, better looking, and better in every way otherwise, using old technology in a new way etc...then I got the job at BMW and was surprised! BMWs are the easiest cars I've ever worked on! Since ALL of them are RWD and half of them are inline 6's (I'm obsessed with the I6 engine design) it was made to happen. I think the overall price scared me away initially, but now I see why BMW has such a reputation. I only wish they didnt all get Bangle'd so much, although everything but the E60 M5 has grown on me.

David A
08-20-2006, 11:30 PM
Welcome...very nice intro! :)

944attack
08-21-2006, 10:11 AM
welcome to the forum, what does your member name mean?


:germanflag:

TheDarkSide
08-21-2006, 11:42 AM
Welcome! You love cars too eh? :germanflag:

kelso
08-21-2006, 05:56 PM
you dont like the e60 m5? uhhhhh no comprendo senor?welcome anyways

Orion ZyGarian
08-21-2006, 06:48 PM
welcome to the forum, what does your member name mean?


:germanflag: Hahahaha the short answer is I was inspired by the game "Jet Force Gemini" since 1999 and have had the name ever since

As far as the new M5...I just think drivetrain-wise it reminds me of 3 Honda engines put together. The body is so vastly different as well...I mean I'm perfectly fine with the E60 in general (550i if its running right...they usually run really bad if left on the lot longer than a week...just rev them out and blow the crap out) but the M5 is just...meh.. What happened to "BMW" meaning 6 cylinders? lol. I understand if they've gotta make bigger engines, okay, the V8s I understand, but the whole idea is to keep the I6 design running strong. I'm just really happy the S54B32 is still being made and still kickin' in the Z4s now. Funny...over here we only get 5 gasoline engines, the 3.0, 3.2, 4.8, 5.0, and the V12, with the 4.0 V8 coming eventually.

TheDarkSide
08-22-2006, 09:29 AM
I would take a diesel if they sent them here :dunno:

AwesomeBMW
08-22-2006, 10:17 AM
Welcome to FG :germanflag:
dont worry about not owning a German car now, you just have to buy one in the very near future :lol: jk....


anyways welcome and i hope you enjoy it here :thumbu:

Orion ZyGarian
08-22-2006, 10:10 PM
I rather like the E90s actually...but 330d >>>>>>> 330i!!! I LOVE diesels...anything with too much torque, turbo(s) standard, and better gas mileage I approve!!

When will I actually get a BMW? I dont know. The Miata is going to stick around at least through college, not to mention the Supra will be mine till the day I die, so I wont have much room for another car in college. Perhaps after I finish my Supra (only 10k away or so) then I'll make enough money to buy a 335i or even better, an M coupe for myself.

We'll see :D

LynxZ3r0
08-22-2006, 10:17 PM
Welcome bud :) One of the few people on TR who never acted like a dousche in any thread I've ever read. LOL ;)

I'd love to see the Supra sometime - I've got a hardon for the Mk 3 Supras.. Always loved them. The Mk 4s never really grew on me - Great engines, but the bodies are just.. meh.. not my style.. A girl at my work has a MINT white 88 turbo and the thing is just downright pretty.

S54B32 for the N/A win.. but us turbo guys just can't live w/o a little psssht, so that's a daily driver for another day ;)

TheDarkSide
08-23-2006, 10:33 AM
I have a guy with a MK3 supra non turbo. What is your knowledge with those? He is doing an engine swap and running into big problems.

kelso
08-23-2006, 12:27 PM
bmw has had a bit of success with the I6, it sounds great and performs wonderfully, but i never thought that was what they were about.... i mean the e30 m3 had a 4 cylinder, and the m5 has always had bigger motors than the 3... most companies have to up the ante with engine size because of weight... new safety devices, as well as new luxury items are always being added because the higher class has to have them to buy a car, so weight goes up and they have to add more power to counter the weight so engines get bigger and better. if your looking for a virtually stripped down driving machine, lotus is the best choice i think

LDadrenaline
08-23-2006, 12:31 PM
lotus is the balls.... yeah thats one of the best stripped down drivers out there. I know someone on one of the other forums i visit just got a MR2 with a few things taken out and it weighed in at 2100 lbs. Still has AC and stuff too.

kelso
08-23-2006, 12:35 PM
yea the mr2 is pretty stripped down but has way more luxury items than the lotus'.... i think they just started getting power windows and carpet in them:eek: which i would do without if i bought one

LDadrenaline
08-23-2006, 12:44 PM
the chassis is pretty light too though... i mean, we stripped *everything* out of my dads targa, and its only down to 2400 lbs. The next thing to do would be replace all the body panels with fibreglass, and thats just insane amounts of money. Its good to get a car thats originally light so you dont have to strip everything off the car

kelso
08-23-2006, 12:56 PM
big glass windows add quite a bit too, compared to lexan or whatever it is...

i heard a few years ago that bmwwas going to start making all of their car bodies with carbon fiber to reduce weight and add the stiffness of the carbon... wonder what happened to that idea.... i mean it wouldnt have been a full carbon shell there would still be metal i think just not as much or something...

LDadrenaline
08-23-2006, 03:08 PM
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

the car prices would be outrageous. not to mention how much money theyd lose. In a 5 mph impact on a standstill car, you can dent the **** out of a bumper. If its made of CF, it will flex a little, but not break from that low of a speed. Body shops would go out of business, all hell would break loose.... I mean, if a bumper can withstand a 5 mph impact (which is what almost all fender benders are), then we would have so many job losses. Gosh man!

Orion ZyGarian
08-23-2006, 05:30 PM
I have a guy with a MK3 supra non turbo. What is your knowledge with those? He is doing an engine swap and running into big problems.

I've been researching them for 3 years. Theres not too much I dont know about them I'd say.

Even if I didnt, I could go out in the garage and check.

Is he swapping to turbo or keeping it N/A?

aeryk7
08-24-2006, 12:31 PM
Hyes

TheDarkSide
08-24-2006, 04:18 PM
I've been researching them for 3 years. Theres not too much I dont know about them I'd say.

Even if I didnt, I could go out in the garage and check.

Is he swapping to turbo or keeping it N/A?

No, ran it with no oil and blew it. Said he is putting in another non-turbo. Thing is he got a good deal on the same year celica motor and was told it is the same motor. It seem to be but the oil pan and few other things are a little different. I guess he got it all together but will not start. I forgot the details, I will ask him and PM you.

Orion ZyGarian
08-24-2006, 05:56 PM
If he had the same year Celica engine then its not a Mark III Supra, its probably a Mark II which look quite similar. Back then it was the "Celica Supra" (instead of Supra Celica because other languages say what they are describing first and THEN describe it) and had the 5M-GE engine. If its not the same 5M engine, then it wont work because the 5M is a 2.8 2v and the 7M (what I have and every U.S. MkIII) is a 3.0 4v.

TheDarkSide
08-24-2006, 06:22 PM
It is a 89 :dunno:

Orion ZyGarian
08-24-2006, 10:30 PM
The 89 Celica had a 3S-FE engine...a FWD 4 cylinder. He did NOT put a 3S in a Supra because there are tons and tons more problems he'd have other than the oil pan

Perhaps he means Cressida, which shared the same 7M-GE N/A engine. In fact, they never got the N/A 7M in Japanese MkIIIs; the 7M-GE was created for the Cressida and put into the Supra

aeryk7
08-25-2006, 11:41 AM
Hye , welcome to the forum. Enough with the JDM jargon . 4 cylinder engines you will need to know now are m10 , s14 ,m42, m44 .

TheDarkSide
08-25-2006, 01:00 PM
The 89 Celica had a 3S-FE engine...a FWD 4 cylinder. He did NOT put a 3S in a Supra because there are tons and tons more problems he'd have other than the oil pan

Perhaps he means Cressida, which shared the same 7M-GE N/A engine. In fact, they never got the N/A 7M in Japanese MkIIIs; the 7M-GE was created for the Cressida and put into the Supra

Geez, over my head but I will ask him today.

SlickShift
08-25-2006, 04:59 PM
Hye , welcome to the forum. Enough with the JDM jargon . 4 cylinder engines you will need to know now are m10 , s14 ,m42, m44 .

:lmao: Haha...you're right!

kelso
08-25-2006, 05:05 PM
m42 ftw!

Orion ZyGarian
08-25-2006, 05:17 PM
Nah, S14 is the only 4 cyl of those that I care about at all. Whats the point in a BMW if its not an inline 6?

kelso
08-25-2006, 05:19 PM
handling with gas milage:thanks:

LDadrenaline
08-25-2006, 05:54 PM
fck gas mileage... unless it gets like 10 mpg highway, then i couldnt care less about gas mileage.

Orion ZyGarian
08-25-2006, 06:26 PM
Same here, but its just easier to drive the Miata daily and get 35mpg than the Supra which can get 15-22 depending on how much I boost it.

Oh yeah, and I drive 20-40 miles a day.

Anyways handling+gas mileage can be had by taking out everything you dont use (passenger seat in a 4 door car, let them sit in back and enjoy the room they get) as well as heavy wheels, heavy exhaust, sound deadener, etc. etc. etc.

kelso
08-25-2006, 09:15 PM
well the 318ti's are set up different and are supposedly the best handling e36, and since they only came in 4cyl, not much choice on the engine. plus with a supercharger this thing will be the sex:D

Orion ZyGarian
08-25-2006, 09:24 PM
I almost bought one; but it was like 2x-3x more than the Miata. Sorta wish I couldve afforded it now. It mightve had an LSD...I heard some had that option.

Too bad too, because this Miata is my first car without an LSD. If it wasnt so complicated, I'd be doing it in a heartbeat...perhaps later if I get axcess to a lift in college and have the money

kelso
08-25-2006, 09:50 PM
the ti's are also the cheapest, im sure if you looked hard youd find one in the right price range. mine was 6 grand with all black sport interior(rare), clean title, straight body, new suspension, wheels, 2 sets of new tires, chip, KandN filter, and all tuned up as well with 113k miles and in very good shape. its been a great car so far , except my ac isnt cold... which i can live without... handles beautifuly, should be faster than the miata im pretty sure, and gets up to 35 mpg so far. lowest i got was like 26 or 28 on some real spirited drives

LDadrenaline
08-25-2006, 11:34 PM
well the 318ti's are set up different and are supposedly the best handling e36, and since they only came in 4cyl, not much choice on the engine. plus with a supercharger this thing will be the sex:D

twin charged would be even better :thanks:

TheDarkSide
08-26-2006, 12:19 AM
:banghead: :cry: