Supra NA or Camaro SS- Reliable Daily Driver & Fun Canyon Car

[FastTrackToFreedom]

I have to get a new car, pity. Anyway to cut a long and sad story short, I have a toss up between a Supra Non Turbo and a Camaro SS for sale here both for 13k that I am debating between. The Supra is black and is in good condition with 95k on the odometer and it is stick. I know it seems sort of pricey, but they have a good resale value in case I need to sell it later on and I also have an uncle with a Toyota Performace shop, which comes in handy . As far as the Camaro, it is a 99 SS, which has the 5.7 LS1 @ 82k and 6 speed tranny. I know performace wise it isn't even a good compairison because of the Camaro's 100 hp advantage, but that isn't the reason why I am here. I need a car that can get me to work and back, but still packs a little punch. I like to drive the twisties and I hear both have supurb handling. The Supra is has 4 wheel independent suspension while the Camaro has stuck with the tried and true solid axle. Supra is rumored to have top notch quality and reliability, not to mention I already have a hook up for everything for it. LS1's are said to have a cramp engine compartment that is difficult to work on for the average person. The Supra has a high resale value that would come in handy if I need to sell it. The Camaro on the other hand has pretty low resale value comparatively. I can't say much about the camaro's reliability or matinence as I am not too familiar with the newer f-bodies. The reason I am thinking of the Camaro is for the simple fact that it really is the most bang for the buck: 320 hp and a 6 speed tranny that gets good gas milage on the freeway and pulls a 13 in the 1/4. The supra isn't too impressive with 220 hp and average fuel economy and only manages a still respecable 1/4 eta in the mid 15's.

Another reason I was so interested in the supra was the fact that in my uncles shop they can do the 2JZ GTE engine swap, which makes the supra into a twin turbo 6speed car. Since he is the owner, he said that instead of costing around 12k it would be more like 3-4k.

Honestly I don't know what to do, what would you guys do? American muscle, or Japanese Refinement? One way I could own the last of a breed of legendary pony cars, or I could get a reliable car and upgrade it later on with the heart of a monster, and get ASE certified matinence and Manufacturers and aftermarket parts for the supra for at cost prices.

If you have any comments advice, or even criticizims I would appreciate your responses. Thank you all for your time and condsideration

-A Confused Enthusiast

[kman10587]

I'd go with the Camaro. It's not built particularly well, nor is it easy to work on, nor is it easy to drive at the limit, but it is reliable, it does get good gas mileage, and it does handle extremely well with the right driving style.

[TatII]

the engine's maybe reliable but the F bodie's interior will start to come apart very soon, and you will get little electronic clitches like traction control not being able to turn off and little random stuff like that. remember reliablity doesn't just include engine, it includes the entire car, and the supra has that in spades.

[flatlander757]

BS its not built well... those electronics problems are more associated with the genII engined cars(LT1, not the LS1). hell, i have a 94 Z28 with 192,000 miles on it and its very reliable. factory stock everything. The camaro handles very well, anyone that thinks otherwise is stupid. hell i've taken sharp right corners at 40mph(right onto my neighborhood street lol) and it sticks like... something sticky. It's a jack of all trades, you can modify what you want to get it to do what you want. if being hard to work on is a problem, then get a little economy car because thats what comes with a high performance car. you'll learn your way around it with time.

[illegal_eagle187]

go with the SS, the camaro isnt a slouch when it comes to handling, the supra would be better in the corners of course, but the ss also gets fair gas mileage and packs more of a punch then the N/A Supra

[BlackGT2000]

This comparison is way off. If you want something slow get the NA supra if you want something fast get the SS. I have been in several camaros and my best friend has a 98 Z28, the thing is awesome looking and he has never had a problem with it. The interior isn't what you would call beautiful but its clean and functional and sturdy like rubbermaid. To me its no comparison really the SS is fast to begin with. Talk about hard to work on, you are talking about doing a motor swap, thats not that easy.

[King Of Crunk]

i thought they said no silly comparison such as a viper or geo??? j/k...i would definetely go with the camaro....and if the suspension isn't good enough...throw a sway bar and some suspension on there and you're golden....

[TatII]

ha flatlander thats a pretty nice image you posted up. well the only LS1 i know of in person had to be sold because too much problems started happening after 100K miles on it. i guess i can't judge it just from one person. well he is a die hard domestic fan and will only drive v8's. if you claim they're reliable as hell and is very very well built. i guess he should take your advice better cause you do drive a f body. but being well built and reliable is a very relative term. reliable and well built to some can mean junk and garbage to others. i happen to think my 240 is built like crap while others praise it.

[King Of Crunk]

ah, tat is so mature....the guy insults you out of no where and you respond with logic and restrain....that's why i come to these forums

[FastTrackToFreedom]

Thanks for all the comments guys. I'm off to test drive that SS tomorrow. I'll be sure to tell you all how it goes

[flatlander757]

i didnt mean to come off sounding harsh, lol. i just hate the domestic stereotypes. honestly i wouldnt really want any import over an american V8, but i respect them and know ill get my ass handed to me one of these days by one(but hasn't happened yet, all idiot highschoolers with fartpipes and wings that rival those of the F14s that fly overhead). one thing that most imports do have a bit more appeal in is the interior. i like the interior of just about every recent(2000+) import as far as being comfortable, but that isn't whats really important. screw comfort, i want vroom vroom bitch!

i agree there are definitely some cars that end up having loads of problems and others that are trouble free for a long time, but most fall in between those two extremes. this goes for most all cars.

as far as the camaro goes, for the most part it's problems can be cured relatively cheap. one that my car does have is the low coolant light coming on and off whenever the hell it wants. its common for it to get jarred out of place or fall or something of the sort. as long as the temp doesnt go up, then its just a bad sensor and not really a problem. since he has an LS1, it wont have the opti spark ignition to deal with, i think the only problem he may have is keeping his right foot off the fun pedal

again, im sorry TatII for coming off harsh on you, and the image wasnt meant to be taken literally, i just thought it was wortha chuckle and fitted in somewhat.

[TatII]

thats really no problem at all. atleast you weren't being a dick about it. you were just defending your car with some hard facts.

[k3smostwanted]

personally, if i was this guy...

i would buy the N/A supra pay to get the 2JZ swap and sell it and with the profit, you could get something that fits your needs and would perfectly fit for you.

i think another thing to consider is exclusitivity...just about any city in the US, you could find several LS1 camaros for sale. in most cities, you would actually have to look for a supra.

neither car is personally my cup of tea...i am just giving some other ideas to think about.

if your looking at resale value at all...i would place the supra above the LS1. reason being, with the 2JZ swap at your price...you could resale it for almost twice as much as you paid for it.

if your looking for a quick car that doesnt really offer anything to set it apart from anything. get the camaro...i like this car, and the performane is awesome but when i go cruising...i dont want to see my car everytime i turn my head.