What to look for

[andyb16]

I am looking at a 92 Turbo on wed. The girl said she would sell for prolly 3k. I don't know mileage. It's got a dent on pass. side rear fender and the driver side t-top is gone. I have t-tops on my na, so it's not a big deal, since I can only drive one at a time anyway. So I have some questions.

1. There is no turbo badge on the trunk. I've seen them on there before, but don't know if they were not on certain years. It might be a swapped motor. How would I be able to tell, as I have NO knowledge of turbo 2s.

2. What should I check for as far as abuse or worn components. I have never had a turbo car, so I don't know what to look for. My dad is going with me, but he's all Detroit muscle, so he may not be a big help.

3. Is this a reasonable deal? Other than the fender, the body is straight. I think it's got an aftermarket exhaust and the girl said there was a new intake. (it wasn't her car to sell until recently. she doesn't know that much about it) I believe she has some rims with it, but is rockin' the stocks right now.

I figure I'd end up paying almost that much for a swap anyway, so I will probably get it. Thank you guys as always for the help and advice.

[MR-355-5sfTe]

to tell if the car has had a turbo swap... simply check the VIN #... for a NA it would resemble: jtSW21******* for a turbo it would be: jtSW20****

if there aren't CRAZY miles on it... and it's a stock mr2 turbo... that's a pretty good deal in my mind... a fender can be replaced easily.

[andyb16]

I'm liking it more the more I think about it. I saw 2 N/As on autotrader.com for like 3500 a couple of months back. My dad does great bodywork, so the fender is not a problem. Its going to be repainted next summer anyway. It's green right now, but I'm thinking orange or electric blue.

[MR-355-5sfTe]

are you planning on fitting a kit? or are you going to leave the body stock?

[vy_MR2]

look at the side mirrors. the N/A's generally did not have painted side mirrors. The speedo on the turbo goes to 160, not 140 like a N/A

but the vin is probably the best way to check

[MR-355-5sfTe]

painted side mirrors? sounds odd? mine were painted... I'd never heard that before...
you're correct about the spedometer differences

[andyb16]

Body will stay stock... For now...(insert maniacal laughter here).

What should I look for as far as the turbo goes. I know to look for leaks, but where do I look?

Thanks for the replies.

[andyb16]

My mirrors are painted as well.

[MR-355-5sfTe]

I'm an NA guy... I'd assume to look for oil blow-by in the intake piping past the turbo... that would normally indicate the tubo's seals are crap (if not going to crap).. main thing I'd do is drive it... see how it feels.
good luck

[ST185]

- bring a paper clip and check error code if any is stored in the ecu
- check turbo shaft play if possible
- do compression check if possible
- drive and listen to any weird noise

Does the car have boost gauge?
You can hook one up easily and see the boost/vac in real time.
normal vac at idle 17-21 in.Hg.
normal boost ~ 7-11 psi

[andyb16]

Looked at the car tonight. Turns out this girl knows less about it than I thought. It's not a turbo! Talk about disappointment. Oh well, my dad is thinking about buying it for himself, we got her down to 1500. It's got a lot of miles, like 240,000, but still runs strong. It's got a nice intake and exhaust, don't know brand, and other than the fender, the body looks great.

Now I have to find another t-top for it. We are going to try to get the rims from her for 200. They're pretty nice, I don't know what kind they are but I think they're 18's. If nothing else, he'll have a decent car with good mileage. (he drives a V6 Jeep Wrangler and Ram 1500)