New vs used: Buy the new Toyota Supra or get a used Nissan GT-R?

2020 Toyota Supra GTS

We finally have confirmation what the Toyota Supra costs Down Under and it’s caused quite a stir across the continent, not least of which with fanboys around the Wheels office.

We drove it last year and were thoroughly impressed, and with rumours of a near-$70k price tag the suggestion that this reborn Japanese cult classic could almost be within reach was tantalising. But actually, it’s not that cheap... and it’s not really Japanese.

Read all Supra reviews from WhichCar, Wheels & Motor Magazine

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Pricing for the Toyota Supra in Australia starts from $84,900 plus ORCs for the entry-level grade and asks $94,900 for the top-spec GTS. For the money, you get most of the parts from the BMW Z4 - a straight-six turbo engine producing 250kW and 500Nm, fed through an eight-speed automatic to the rear-wheels - with a Bavarian-spec interior and Japanese-tinkered suspension. And a Toyota badge on the front.

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With our dreams smashed (pay rise, Ed?) and fingers tapping, we’ve already composed a list of the brand new alternatives you can buy for almost the same money - and there’s some top notch performance brass (and aluminium and carbon fibre) alternatives. However, not on that list is its hometown rival, the mighty Godzilla that dominates it in many facets; power, performance, and price.

2011 Nissan GT-R

But at a decade old, used examples of the legendary Nissan GT-R can be had for the same money. It packs a whopping V6 twin-turbo mill, developing 357kW and 588Nm to all four wheels, giving it superlative grip and conquering the Supra in a straight-line drag - 0-100km/h is dispensed in just 3.5 seconds (we’re referencing the old girl here) compared to the newer Supra’s 4.4 second claim. It is a bit heavier, though, and won’t provide the same tail-happy fun as the Toyota.

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Known to be a bit temperamental when flogged (and quite frankly, who isn’t going to give it a boot?), GT-R ownership will surely take its toll on the wallet. But then again, it is a true born-and-raised Japanese supercar, and its performance credentials are indisputable.

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Specs comparison

Wheels staff picks

Cameron Kirby
Staff Journalist

Choosing between these two Japanese performance heroes is harder than I was expecting. For me though, it’s going to be the Supra that wins out. From our tantalisingly brief taste of a prototype, it seems Toyota’s engineers have developed one of the great rear-drive chassis of our times, and paired with a stout BMW straight-six, it’s a recipe that is hard to go past. Having said that, anyone putting Godzilla in their garage can do so with pride.

Alex Rae
Online Editor

It’s a bit like choosing your favourite kid, and I haven’t even met the Supra yet. But it’s a bit hard for my frugal mind to overlook the potentially cavernous pitfall of owning the GT-R. If it’s been poorly cared for, it’ll melt your credit card quicker than a candle waiting for a breath of fresh air on great-grandma Jennie's birthday cake. So it’ll be the Supra for me... though I’d be looking longingly at the GT-Rs whizzing past.

Trent Giunco
Staff Journalist

For the price of the new Supra you could get your hands on a tidy used R35 – that’s where my money would go. It’s heavy, mechanical and raw, but it’s hard to ignore the outright performance the GT-R brings to the table. In both a straight line and through corners, Godzilla delivers on so many fronts. Yes, the interior isn’t that special, the ride quality is stiff at best and it lacks the polish of a new car, but it’d be an event every time you drive it.

 

Reckon we’ve got it right? Or are we way off the money (literally)? Find your best and let us know in the comments what you’d buy.

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