HERE'S HOW MUCH A 1-YEAR-OLD TOYOTA GR SUPRA IS WORTH TODAY

The Toyota Supra is a controversial sports car. Its BMW Z4 origins are well known at this point, which is why hardcore JDM car fans aren't happy with the GR Supra's birth. Mind you, the GR Supra is almost unanimously acclaimed for how great of a sports car it is. On a personal anecdote, I even adore it so much as I've driven and comprehensively reviewed it from the country where I live.

I love the way it drives, even more than the Z4, due to how stiffer the chassis results in a driving experience that's highly tactile and provides a lot of feedback, whether through how the body behaves, through the steering, or the B58 straight-six that I also proclaim is the best engine that BMW currently makes.

However, buying a sports car isn't just about how good it is to drive. The most valuable sports cars on the market, especially on the auction block, are those that carry a strong heritage and an interesting story of how they were conceived. The Supra nameplate is a JDM icon, so for it to be reborn with components mainly from BMW but with Toyota's input is blasphemous for those who care about the story of an iconic sports car just as much as the driving experience.

Nevertheless, the GR Supra has proven to be a popular sports car among enthusiasts, especially when the folks of Gazoo Racing managed to fit in a six-speed manual that's sourced from ZF, but developed in-house for the GR Supra. Toyota was right in listening to the clamor of enthusiasts because the take rate for the manual was nearly half of all new GR Supra. Therefore, the GR Supra isn't exactly cheap, and even if you plan to own a one-year-old model, GR Supras hold on to their values extremely well.

Good Luck If You Want A One-Year-Old GR Supra

Just how well does a GR Supra hold its value? So good that we'd strongly suggest going the brand-new route instead. According to iSeeCars, the average asking price for a one-year-old GR Supra is $61,792. That's not just high by used car standards, but even higher than the average MSRP of a brand-new one. For reference, a base 2.0-liter GR Supra starts at $46,440, with the range-topping 3.0-liter 45th Anniversary Edition retailing for $65,275.

Toyota Has One Of The Best Resale Values, Period

Toyota's cars have one of the best resale values in the market, and among all Toyotas in 2024, the GR Supra ranks 24th in terms of its resale value according to iSeeCars. This means that the GR Supra holds its value better than even the Toyota Land Cruiser, the Sienna, the Camry Hybrid, and the Highlander (both hybrid and non-hybrid). Over five years, the GR Supra retains 64 percent of its value, which equates to a 36 percent loss of value. This is higher than the industry average five-year depreciation of 38.8 percent.

Taking a look at the 2023 model year GR Supra listings on iSeeCars, it's the 3.0-liter models that are the most resilient, with numerous 2023 models selling for even more than a brand-new 2024 model year GR Supra. Heck, you can even see a few 2022 model year 3.0-liter GR Supras that are selling for more than a brand-new model.

The GR Supra Versus Other Sports Cars

So we've established that the GR Supra holds its value extremely well. Too well, in fact, that you should absolutely go the brand-new route instead, but be sure to avoid any of the pesky dealer markups that have plagued the automotive industry during the pandemic. Another thing to notice is that the Supra is also cheap to maintain. But how does the GR Supra fare against other similar one-year-old sports cars?

Well, thanks to iSeeCars, we've also gathered data from a similar sports car, the Nissan Z. The Porsche 718 Cayman and Boxster are similar rivals. However, due to the two Porsches' broad price spread that can escalate past $150,000, its average one-year-old used price is well into the six-digit territory. Unfortunately, one-year resale values for the BMW Z4 on which the GR Supra is based are not available on iSeeCars, which means we'll be focusing solely on the Nissan Z to keep the comparison fair.

Why The Toyota GR Supra Has Been A Success

Clearly, based on these resale values, the Toyota GR Supra is desirable both as a new and a used sports car. So much so that even in 2024, certain dealers are still marking up the GR Supra, though not as badly as when there was a new car shortage during the pandemic. Still, that's a sign of how the GR Supra has been so popular for the nearly five years it has existed on the market.

It Outsells The Z4 By A Wide Margin

According to an article by the Malaysian automotive website WapCar in 2021, the GR Supra outsold the BMW Z4 nearly five times in the United States. It's an ironic story since the vehicle that the GR Supra is based on is selling much less. Still, without the participation of both brands, the Z4 and GR Supra wouldn't exist today.

Nevertheless, despite the initial uproar on the internet when the GR Supra was first unveiled, social media sentiment doesn't necessarily reflect the market situation. When interviewed by Business Insider, Tom Burns, who bought a GR Supra a couple of years ago, says that while he may be a minority, the BMW roots of the GR Supra added to the appeal.

But A Challenge Lies Ahead

However, while the GR Supra has been a sales success, the story in 2024 is a bit different and complicated for the iconic sports car. The Nissan Z is outselling the GR Supra in the first quarter of 2024, with Z sales rising by 44 percent to 671 units, while the GR Supra was down 45.9 percent to just 484 units.

But the story for the GR Supra seems complicated and not exactly straightforward. For one, you will see certain forums stating that the GR Supra is still subject to dealer markups in certain areas. Whether the reduction in sales is due to lower production allocation or lower consumer demand is also worth taking into consideration.

On the upside, the Toyota GR Supra is set to once again make headlines as a rumored GRMN Supra has already been spied undergoing testing at the Nürburgring. Hopefully, the GRMN Supra's release will also mean more mechanical improvements to the rest of the GR Supra range as well.

What Living With A GR Supra Is Like

Here at TopSpeed, we've accumulated tremendous seat time with the GR Supra. Having multiple members of the team, including myself, being able to comprehensively review a GR Supra, you can vouch for our opinions on what it's like to live with this JDM legend that's been reborn with a German soul.

A Hoot To Drive Yet Perfectly Livable

Sports cars are often great to drive, and the GR Supra is no exception. The steering can be light and easy to use, but when in the right driving mode such as Sport, it becomes extremely precise and offers plenty of road feel, which is a far cry from some of BMW's newer steering systems. The B58 inline-six sounds so good and delivers power in a controlled manner. Provoke it too much, however, and with the traction control turned off, it's easy to whip the GR Supra into a cloud of tire smoke. Hoon responsibly, guys.

Yet at the same time, the GR Supra is perfectly livable on a daily basis. Thanks to the electronically-controlled dampers, the ride is great and offers a broad breadth of personality from Comfort to Sport. The exhaust can also tone itself down in Comfort mode, and sound insulation from both wind and tire noise is excellent for a sports car. The interior is also very premium, which is a good thing because this is a purely BMW interior, including the iDrive 6 infotainment with wireless smartphone integration and a JBL sound system.

But Its Heritage Is Controversial

Of course, as with every vehicle, not everything is perfect. In the case of the GR Supra, that swoopy styling means challenging rear visibility. Normally, I don't talk about visibility when I'm reviewing cars, except when it's either too good or horribly bad. In the GR Supra's case, it's the latter. Especially when the car is positioned diagonally when trying to merge on the road, it's difficult to see oncoming vehicles due to the thick rear pillars.

Oh, and remember the wind buffeting issue that was raised a couple of years ago? If you like driving a sports car with the windows down, that is near impossible to do with the GR Supra's severe case of wind buffeting. It's a trivial issue, however, that isn't a dealbreaker, in my opinion.

However, the biggest controversy about the GR Supra is undeniably its heritage. The GR Supra was the flagship of the Toyota brand in the '80s to '90s, so for the world's largest automaker to outsource an iconic and legendary nameplate hasn't done any justice to its heritage. As mentioned, however, the sales numbers and actual consumer interest tell a far more positive story, but if the heritage and the story of a sports car matters to you, then you probably won't be a fan of the GR Supra.

2024-05-03T03:01:08Z dg43tfdfdgfd