Turbo Out on 1989 Toyota Supra

[ZTM777]

Hey guys, first off, let me introduce myself. My name is Zach. When I was a kid, I played Gran Turismo 2, and my favorite car was the 89 Toyota Supra. Well, now I've grown, and I'm looking to acquire one myself. Im selling my 87 Firebird, and looking to buy my car of my dreams.

Here's the problem. I'm looking at a 1989 Toyota Supra. Its white, and it fits my perfect description. Now, the guy told me the Turbo was out, and that caused some smoke.

Few questions arose that I thought I should ask knowledgable car owners such as yourself

1. Is it true that a turbo going out could cause the smoke? Or could it be something else
2. How much would a new Turbo cost
3. How much of a job is it to put a new one in myself (with my friend who is a great car mechanic) or should i just take it to a garage and have them install it?
4. He wants $2500 max, but he said he would deal with me no lower than $1500. Good deal?

Thanks guys, if you could help me out, i would love you guys forever

God Bless!

-ZTM777

(Heres a picture of the ad btw, and i talked to the guy on email)

[bgrieger]

Welcome!

In order then:

1. yes, a failed turbo can cause excessive smoke. The seals can fail and you will get blue smoke, particularly on deceleration. It could also be any of the other common things that have oil burning: valve stem oil seals are common, and that will be mainly on cold startup. Rings going out can also cause smoke. If what is being said to be smoke is white, that is coolant and you may have a head gasket failure or a crack in the head/block.

2. It depends. A good used one might cost a couple of hundred. A rebuild would run 600-1000.

3. It's a pain to do, but any decent mechanic can do the job. Not that hard.

4. The rest better be really good. The "bad turbo" defense could be hiding a litany of other problems. Real world, a good condition car would run $5k up to roughly $8k for a really good one. Be prepared for a lot of 22 year old car problems though. They can be a big money pit in a hurry!

You might get your mechanic friend to check it out too before you buy. He might spot some serious problems before you get stuck with them!

Bob