In Pretty Woman, Vivian Ward had a checkered past that led her down some very dark alleys in life until she discovered someone that turned her life around. This MKIV Toyota Supra is exactly like that iconic character - you know it's been through some shit, but you just might be willing to take a chance on it.
This 1994 Toyota Supra has an inline 6-cylinder engine that produces 320 horsepower that gets the car from 0-60 miles per hour in about 5 and a half seconds. But you knew that already - and more importantly, you don't care. This car is one of the most sought after collectibles on the market today, made possible by its role in the ubiquitous and infinitely quotable Fast And The Furious. What makes this Supra in particular special? Its low, low price. It's priced at nearly half of what any other running turbo model is going for, for a few reasons.
First, it's a salvage title. While it may not be a bad thing immediately, a history report shows that it had had 4 accidents in its life, the last one - a front end collission - totaling the car. Again, depending on the state of repairs and the fact that much of the subframe and radiator support assemblies are removable, the damage may have been minimal to any unibody structure.
Second, the history report shows that it had more than 250,000 miles on it in 2008, and now shows 68,000. Either the car completed another 3/4 million miles and simply rolled over another 68,000, or the gauge cluster was replaced and some unscrupulous sellers tried to title-wash it. Either way, it's a bit shady and should throw up major red flags.
Having said that, and knowing these cars pretty well, I'm not sure it's a car I would pass up immediately. Even with its shady history, there aren't really any expensive repairs or maintenance items on this model, and not only is the motor stout, but it can handle upwards of 1000 wheel horsepower with minimal internal modification. It may be worth is as a project at the very least, and judging by the paint job, wheel choice, and other accompanying mods, it looks like it's a solid enough car to convert into a track rat or one hell of a quarter mile star. It's an acquired taste, but it should be a great project for those ready for a challenge.
For more cars that desperately need their own Richard Gere moment, check these out:
Tavarish is the founder of APiDA Online and writes about buying and selling cool cars on the internet. He owns the world's cheapest Mercedes S-Class, a graffiti-bombed Lexus, and he's the only Jalopnik author that has never driven a Miata. He also has a real name that he didn't feel was journalist-y enough so he used a pen name and this was the best he could do.
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