the 02 WRX wagon in my driveway is the same exact car (I can close my eyes and I'm right there) as my 87 NA Supra which was mostly stock (Except that 12.x:1 compression that 3 BHGs get you). The WRX can't be fooled in a corner, and the Supra oversteered (Not oversteered easily, but you could make it drift). The Supra is more competent at speed, and when you're pussy footing around town it's better on gas. The WRX of course has too many doors, and it shifts like a dump truck. The Supra was smooth and competent - and when I had to switch the Vette for another car, it was Porsche 928 or the Supra - And I chose correctly. (Although the resale for my 87 was nothing)
I only talk about the 87 because it was the last one I owned. I have owned 3 1982s, 4 1984s an 86.5 and the 87. I had an 88T project, but never drove it. I only drove one of the 82s and didn't spend much time in the 84s. Oh, and I had an 80 for awhile too, but didn't drive it. In my humble opinion, the Supra was the most confident feeling, planted and overall great cars to own. I've been in some dangerous situations in Supras (Things like semi's jackknifing next to me, and rock slides and surprise encounters on shitty roads) and the Supra never let me down.
There are several schools of though on Supras though, so watch out for misinformation. First off, the 3rd gen Supra is a beefy, tank of a car - But it's not "large" nor is it overly heavy (You can get the Targa top Turbos though, those can push 3400 pounds). The interior space on the 3rd gen is cramped (It's a 2nd gen with extended features, thick doors, thicker seats, thicker console, thicker dash... and it all encroaches on the interior space). But while everyone ranks on the 3rd gen, It's still the most popular one for Supra enthusiasts.
The Supra world is still very divided - and there is no comradery at all. 4th gen guys stick to themselves, 3rd gen guys stick to themselves, and 2nd gen guys stick to the 1st gen crowds fancying themselves as "Enthusiasts" and "Purists". I'm the latter of those groups.
Another thing to remember is that all Supras are just as fast as the others. a Turbo Supra is about as fast as the TT (The 6 speed and the lighter body makes up for what little difference), and all the NAs are just as fast as each other (Including the 1st gens). A 4th gen SE, a 3rd gen NA, and any 2nd gen / 1981 first gen are all just as fast. The 4th gen handles better because of it's larger road footprint, and the1st gen is the least stable because it's a narrow car.
The 3rd gen and 4th gens have controls and buttons that are so large and clunky I could easily use a shoe to activate them. I mean, you can turn your foglights on from 100 yards with an open scope AR15. The benefit of this design principle is that the car simply works. It's like Russian armor. 1st and 2nd gens are more delicate in nature, with fine switches and controls. If you're angry, and you hit the cancel for the 1982 Cruise control - You're in for one helluva repair (Those switches are literally like clocks).
The 4th gen was Toyota's groundbreaker. Notice that everyone copied the 4th gen as much as law would allow. The large headlights, the basket handle wing, the wide-open gauge layout and the smooth sides were elements found in cars for the next 10 years. And to that end, the Supra will appear a bit dated.
Do not own a 4th gen if you go into areas where you can't always keep an eye on it. You're talking about one of the hottest cars in the import world. It was the cheapest car featured on the Gone in 60 list, it's been the star of many movies (James Bond if you include the 2000GT) and people will go to many extremes to take it from you. At night, it should be locked in a garage with a security system. Most pro theives will walk past an SLK to go to a 4th gen Supra.
Neither the Supra nor the WRX will be particularly cheap to own, but mods are slightly different. With the WRX stuff is about the same price, but the returns on investment are also high. You can drop $1200 on an exhaust system for either (Which I think is absolutely NUTS) and you can easily spend $1500 on tires. Most quality support for the Supra is found in HK$, Greddy, ApexI, some real out of this world Japanese grown stuff, and best and least cheap - TRD.
Also, Noah told me this one:
What do 400, 500, 600 and 700 hp Supras have in common?
12 second time slips.
And it's true. A Supra will always be what Toyota intended it to be - No matter what you do to it. It will be a corner carver road beast - Ready to take on anyone in the daily street terrain, or twisty road track. Drifters don't use them because it's tough to get them sideways (Although RX7 FCs are too.. hmmm) and it's not a cheap hobby.
In conclusion, I still prefer the 2nd gen as a car to own for daily life. But no Supra will ever let you down (NEVER buy an 86.5), the 7MG(T)E eats headgaskets by no fault of your own, and the 4th gens are the closest mass-production has ever come to godly, real-world GT cars.
