Used Car Buying Guide: 4car Buying Guide

Toyota gave up on importing the Supra officially to the UK in 1996, but many have made their way over here on the grey scene. Popular for its swooping, somewhat fish-like looks, lairy rear wing and typical Toyota user-friendliness, the twin-turbo, rear-wheel-drive Supra is a good choice for performance enthusiasts after a reliable muscle car that's no hassle to own. The official UK cars pumped out 326 bhp and 4.9-second 0-60 times, although the Japanese-market car that continued (badged RZ or GZ) was slightly slower: 0-60 in all of 5.1 seconds. A normally-aspirated version was also offered in Japan, the SZ (225 bhp, 0-60 in 6.5 seconds) although, quite honestly, why bother when the turbos are so cheap? You certainly don't reap the reward in fuel economy: the SZ does only 20 mpg, compared with the RZ/GZ's 18 mpg...

The Supra started life as a bigger brother to the Celica, but in the '90s, the two ranges became much more clearly differentiated. The 1994-on Supra makes the Celica look very tame indeed; it's not a drive for the fainthearted, nor for those who like to remain low-key.

UK cars had as standard electric/heated everything (seats, mirrors, you name it...), ABS, air-conditioning, central locking, alarm and immobiliser, cruise control, full leather interior, air suspension, limited-slip differential, traction control, and either a six-speed manual or four-speed automatic gearbox. A CD autochanger became standard-fit from October 1994.

There are also rare imported Aerotop models, which have lift-out glass roof panels; like all of the cars mentioned here, the Supra is ripe for further modifications, but if that sort of thing scares you, then the standard UK cars make a safe, reliable and value-for-money purchase.

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