Need some buying advice for an 86.5 Supra

[mjgunn]

I'm looking for a fun car thats pretty reliable to use for the next 6-12 months. I've found a supra being sold nearby for a cheap (I think) $950. The ad SAYS its in good shape, but we all know how that goes. What should I be looking for when I check the car over? I've heard a lot about head gaskets on the car, is that only on the turbos, or is that on the NA models as well?

Other than that, is there anything else I should be really looking for when I look at the car? Common problems? Something that if its broken its going to be really expensive to fix, stuff like that.

Also, if it checks out in good shape now, whats my chances of getting through the 6-12 months with just regular maintenince?

[projectsupramk3]

The TSRM is going to be your new best friend here, I'm not going to spoon feed you but i'll help out alittle http://www.cygnusx1.net/supra/techtips.html
Read up on the whole page, BHG FAQ, pulling engine error codes, new supra owner FAQ, all that. Also check out www.supramania.com or www.supraforums.com if you have any more questions, and definetly check out SOGI ( http://www.supras.com/sogidb/ ) for the "tech tips". If you do get the car and it doesn't have signs of BHG then go ahead and re-torque the head, or have it re-torqued to 72ft lbs. Other than that the only other major problem was rod-knock, mostly caused by oil starvation, listen to the engine for a "knocking" at 2000-2500 rpm's in the bottom end. Don't get it confused with valve tick, a fast "ticking" sound from the valve covers which causes no problems (for the most part) other than being irritating. If all else fails a full engine rebuild will only cost alittle over $600 if you don't need too much machine work.