- A new Toyota Supra 2.0 is still usually less expensive than a used 3.0 model.
- But supply constraints mean that, depending on where you live, you might not even be able to order a four-cylinder Supra right now.
- At about 15 percent of the Supra mix, the 2.0 is most likely to be found in big, Supra-friendly markets like Los Angeles.
Last week, I was driving a 2021 Toyota Supra 2.0 past a local used-car dealer when I spied an identical silver 2021 3.0 model parked prominently out front. A question presented itself: Are used six-cylinder Supras now less expensive than new four-cylinder models? Not, as it would turn out, in this case, since the used 3.0 Premium on the lot had 11 miles on the odometer and an asking price commensurate with that status. (Full MSRP, which was $58,224 on the window sticker.) But when I headed home to research the options, vis-à-vis new and used Supras of various cylinder counts, I discovered that the point was moot in my area of the Southeast. It didn’t matter what the Supra 2.0 cost, because the Toyota configurator wouldn’t even let me build one. Under “Engines,” it listed “3.0 Twin-Scroll Single Turbo With Rear-Wheel Drive (RWD).” Page one of one.
I asked Toyota what was going on, and the initial answer concerned the general supply-chain havoc that’s affecting automotive production in general. A spokesperson wrote: “Due to COVID-19 and related events, Toyota experienced a supply shortage that continues to periodically affect production at our North American plants. While the situation remains fluid and complex, our manufacturing and supply chain teams have worked diligently to develop countermeasures to minimize the impact on production.” This jibes with what a Toyota dealer near Charleston, South Carolina, told me a few weeks ago—that his dealership normally has 300 cars on the lot, but right now they’re down to 30.
However, the Supra is built in Graz, Austria. Also, the 3.0 didn’t seem in short supply. So a follow-up was in order: what up with the 2.0? And why does the configurator work if I change the ZIP code to 90210? Dylan and Brenda can order Supra 2.0s, but I guess we’re out of luck here in Hazzard country.
More detail was forthcoming. As it turns out, my stretch of North Carolina is not a hotbed of Supra sales, inventory at my local used-car emporium notwithstanding. And Supra 2.0s are a relatively small part of the product mix. Add those two factors, and the available number of Supra 2.0s rounds down to zero. According to Toyota, “The mix of Supra 2.0s is about 15 percent. And the configurator only shows what is available in your local area, to help with customer satisfaction. So in areas where fewer Supras are sold, there will be fewer 2.0s (or none) in inventory.” Of course, I’d rather have a 382-horsepower straight six anyway, but this shortage of 2.0s leads me to believe that the four-banger Supra is a great deal. It looks just like the 3.0. It’s quick in its own right. And the rarity!
A new four-cylinder Supra is also still less expensive than used six-cylinder models. Most of those are still near or above the $50,000 mark, while the 2.0 starts at $44,085. If you can find one.
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