L8 APEKS, how and where do you get these parts? Do they often come up used?? I achieved nice SOP HP from removing the cat. Sounds good too. I think mine was shot anyway.

John

 

he said a beater turbo, not a clean turbo

 

FWIW, out here in California, we see 'fair' condition Turbos in the sub-$6k market fairly often -- especially over the winter. It won't be concours and will be in the ~150k mile range, but for a toy, I would be happy with that. I had three temptations this winter for a Turbo in the ~$4k market (needed simple things like timing belt, or interior work). Cars in this market don't stay on the market too long -- gets snatched up fast. If it weren't for the real estate problem here (lack of parking spaces and too many cars already), I would have picked one up as well.

 

Thank you, Zoltan. I was over on yahoo looking for free reading comprehension help web sites to post links to here. I thought my sarcasm was obvious!

Here are a couple of smilies so people know my intent is good natured:

 

See now, there is the problem. Exactly what I have been saying in every one of these posts. Why would I buy a beater for $4000(which I have not seen either by the way) that needs $6000 in repairs and maintanance updates to make it as nice as mine when it will take far less to make mine go faster and it is allready nice??

So there is the quandry. Buy a nice Turbo for $12000 or up or keep my $3000 NA and spend $3500ish to make it go as fast as I need it to and have an up to date maintained, and clean car that I know wont leave me stranded.

Like I said in another post somewhere in another thread. People spend far more on Econoboxes to achieve less results and the still have an Ecoonboxes. At least we are starting with a Porsche and will still have a Porsche in the end. Not some Econobox with a coffee can exhaust and shopping cart wing.

 

I've seen decent Turbos out here for 5 and 6k. Thats not too bad. I've seen the same condition N/As for the same price. Then again I was also offered a pristine N/A for $2000 right after I bought my daily car and Im still kicking myself for not snatching it up! You never know what deals are out there!

 

I have been looking since December and anything this side of $10000 needed at least $2000 to $3000 in work. And the when the price goes down the repairs go up exponentially.

I think once Tony K finds the help sites he should try using them because I Think you are totally missing the point. I have said over and over, you cant find a nice one cheap enough to make it worth selling the NA and not modding it. Nobody(well maybe somebody might)wants some ragged out car that needs a ton of work. I got a decent mileage NA with full maintanance history that really only needed a freon charge and driver seat reupholstery. I have done some other things simply for peice of mind and to make it handle better.

If you find a $5000 Turbo in nice shape with under 100k you are very lucky. I never get that lucky.

 

mnypit944 - i kinda think the point was for the kid to buy a junker turbo for cheap and hit a wall.
Your point is, as a porsche lover, to make your car the best Porsche it can be. Not everyone is looking for that, clearly the original poster is not. some people will buy the car for the badge and figure out how to beat the mustang in the wed night street races or something. honestly for alot of people a $4k turbo needing $6k in work is okay. Some peoples mentality is buy the car for $4k put the $300 into it, just to keep it running. You are more interested in haveing a perfectly kept up immaculant porsche, and your price range fits the N/A and that is okay.
noone is attacking anyone, except the poster of this lol, just another post that will happen next week, and the week after

 

You'll also lose low end power. And cutting the lengths in half would most likely move the RPM range for the harmonics well above the engine's redline.

 

Oh and just a side note. All of you that pick up those 150k cars cheap, lets hear how much you really had to spend on them in the end.

I have heard horror story after horror story of people buying turbos and having to sink a ton of money in them. Ends up not worth it in the end.

 

I guess it wasn't nearly that perfect to start, then?

 

This was kinda my point. Everyone here jumps to conclusions without getting their facts. I got the same crap when I first posted this question. Not even sure if it was here or not. BUT it was the same reply. People assumed I was some 16 year old punk wanting too drag race Hondas that had no experiance driving or owning cars. To the contrary, I am a 36 year old that had owned more cars in the first 5 years I had my lisence than most people have in their entire life. I started with a 1976 Toyota Pickup and upgraded with a lot of sweat and bloodied knuckles til I had a Haltec powered 88 Toyota Supra with 500hp. I was a real master mechanic for 10 years.

So more to the point, you never know who you are responding to or their level of knowlege or experiance.

Personally, as a first car, if I had to choose between the 944 and an e36 BMW, I would find a nice 2 door 5 speed 325 and upgrade to full M3 suspension. I picked up a low mileage M3 suspension(including complete strut assemblys, shocks, springs, and sway bars) for my 99 328 for $300. Decent grunt and with the M3 suspension it handles as good if not better than the 944.

 

Yeah you are right. It cost nearly $150 to fix all that. Not nearly as much as I origionally thought. But you know it all right?

 

Here are some more smileys so the noobs know that I'm just poking fun:

 

Fair enough. But I still say ask before you stick your foot in your mouth. I am only a "noob" here.