Photo: Screenshot from YouTube video by Rob Ferretti
Toyota's Mk4 Supra has reached astonishing resale values in years past, and the hype surrounding the model has led to situations where even barn find examples cost more than a reasonable new car today. Rob Ferretti shows his first-hand experience with a used Supra that he recently acquired.
The vehicle in question is a less desirable model, as it is an automatic, but it did come with the 2JZ engine in turbocharged form from the factory. Generally, people tend to offer more for manual transmission-equipped Toyota Supra turbo versions. Only the fourth generation of the model benefits from this reputation boost that came with its presence in the Fast and Furious franchise.
The Nissan GT-R R34 enjoyed and still enjoys a similar reputation, thanks to the same franchise, but the Mk4 Supra seems to get more attention overall, if you look around.
It may be because Nissan kept making the GT-R after the R34 generation, while Toyota stopped producing the Supra, thus making the latter a bit unattainable since you could not go to a dealership and just get a new one for a long while.
This led to many people paying more than the estimate for Toyota Supra Mk4 turbo versions, and even for base model Supras that were then converted into turbocharged ones in the form of various project cars. In this instance, Rob Ferretti is among the most recent YouTubers to start a Supra project car build.
Before that happened, though, Rob went ahead and ventured on public roads with his "barn find Supra," despite its tires being new back in 2009. As you will observe both in the photo gallery, and the video made by Rob, the tires were in awful condition.
Driving around on tires that have cracked like these in the video is incredibly dangerous, and we advise anyone who has tires like these on their vehicle to have them replaced with new ones as soon as possible. A tire that has cracked in this manner will lose pressure if you look at it more intensely, and its characteristics no longer resemble anything close to what they were supposed to be when it left the factory.
Generally, if a tire is past five or six years since it was made, it must be carefully inspected before using it further. Tire manufacturers estimate that some tires can be used for up to ten years from their date of manufacture, but only if they were stored correctly when not in use, and if their wear indicators are not visible yet.
Evidently, cracked rubber in a tire is a big red flag when it comes to safety, as the vehicle is no longer considered safe for its user or other road users due to the advanced degradation that is synonymous with these cracks.
Tires are not the only thing wrong with this Supra with a mileage of 141,000 miles (about 226,917 km). Rob's experience should serve as a warning to those enthusiasts who are saving up to buy a Supra just to enjoy its potential, but they should first be sure to have it serviced before considering any modifications.
If you are considering the purchase of a “barn find” vehicle that is in a similar condition to this one, be sure that you can afford to change all its rubber parts (from tires to hoses and bushings), as well as various consumables before you even consider driving it on the road.
Sebastian's love for cars began at a young age. Little did he know that a career would emerge from this passion (and that it would not, sadly, involve being a professional racecar driver). In over fourteen years, he got behind the wheel of several hundred vehicles and in the offices of the most important car publications in his homeland. Full profile
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