Turbo owners, advice and experiences please :)

[331sam331]

Hi, new here so hello

I drove an MR2 for the first time a few months ago, it was a customers car at the garage I used to work at and I just fell in love with it!!

It was quite ironic really, because the problem it had was the hydraulic clutch, and we had grown to hate it after the nightmare of bleeding it

Anyway, I want one haha.

I originally wanted an N/A version. But after doing some quotes on a turbo for insurance there is only £150 difference (£850 instead of £700)

I have read the buers guide and searched around for peoples experiences with them. Some good and some bad. I just thought I would get the best opinions on here.

Couple of questions:

1) What kind of money for a decent, fairly unmodified and lowish mileage turbo?

2) What kind of maintenance cost would I be looking at?

3) Most common and major problems?

4) How rare are they?

5) Best place to find and buy?

Thanks for any help guys

[4ndee]

Depending on budget

Depending if what rev. Rev1 turbos anything from 500-2000
Rev3+ about 2- 3k

Maintenance costs. . . . A lot lol depending if you keep it standard. Obviously bein Toyota parts are not cheap but parts easily available and lots of modifications available.

Problem s. . . Turbo seals, rotting sills, t bars leaks, not lots of problems that you don't expect from a 20 year old car.

Rarity well getting rarer as lots of them being broken. My boss seems to think there going to be a rare classic soon lol

[331sam331]

Depending on budget

Depending if what rev. Rev1 turbos anything from 500-2000
Rev3+ about 2- 3k

Maintenance costs. . . . A lot lol depending if you keep it standard. Obviously bein Toyota parts are not cheap but parts easily available and lots of modifications available.

Problem s. . . Turbo seals, rotting sills, t bars leaks, not lots of problems that you don't expect from a 20 year old car.

Rarity well getting rarer as lots of them being broken. My boss seems to think there going to be a rare classic soon lol

I was thinking the later models, which reminds me. Were the turbo models made towards the end? Like the 1998 and 1999 models?

I was planning on leaving it be. The only things I will be spending money on are tyres and servicing/repairs. I won't have enough money for mods! haha.

Turbo seals, how much to fix in parts roughly?

T bar seals are fairly minor to fix I presume?

As for welding, I am a welder fabricator so that should be no problem.

[raptor95GTS]

for buying a turbo http://www.imoc.co.uk/forums/kb.php?mode=article&k=49 I used this guide and have to say it was pretty much bang on the money

oh, and welcome to the forum

[4ndee]

Nope turbos made 89-99

[331sam331]

for buying a turbo I used this guide and have to say it was pretty much bang on the money

oh, and welcome to the forum

Thanks mate, have had a look through that already, but will read it again anyway so it sinks in!

So I assume you are running a turbo atm? What are your experiences? and have you had any niggles with it?

Cheers for the welcome

[331sam331]

Nope turbos made 89-99

OK thanks, that's good news

[synXero]

One or two turbos from 2000.

Bear in mind choices between tin top (lightest, rigidity), sun roof & T-bar!

Unmodified examples exist but can be uncommon. Pretty random luck of there's one about just now.

You will definitely have to travel for the right car.

[4ndee]

So I assume you are running a turbo atm? What are your experiences? and have you had any niggles with it?

Lmao yeah but mine was cheap and I'm cheap. lol this is my third mr2 now so I know what to expect. Mines just been apart new turbo, exhaust, cambelt and water pump, clutch, thermostat, rocker cover etc. It costs money but it's not standard and I'm in the perfect trade. The only problem is every week something seems to break or make a noise but I expect that. And I still love it.

also top pain in the ass problem is rocker cover gasket leaks. Especially when they leak on the alternator.

[raptor95GTS]

i bought my rev3 in 2003 and have put 70k miles on it. My thoughts..
Run super unleaded all the time, if you have a heavy right foot or like the option of having one.
always drive like grandpa til the car is up to temperature and always drive off boost to allow things to cool down after a run
change oil and filter as often as you can afford / be bothered with it. If you do low mileage, then every year mininum otherwise every 6k miles max

just enjoy driving it and have fun. If you mistreat it, it will cost a fair bit to fix it. If you treat it well you can thrash the revs out of it and it will always pull hard and behave well. Tbars leak, well most of them but on those sunny or dry days when you pop the tbars off, makes it all worthwhile. Rev's, noise wind in the hair (whats left lol) brilliant fun

Niggles, yeah they are begining to show the rust monster so check the sills and be cautious though if you're a welder then it's game on Print the guide and take it with you and view several cars before buying. Always the best way

tyres, dear god these things are sensitive to tyres! std 15" wheels are difficult to get tyres for but 17's and 16's are easier however it's very personal experience on tyres and the feel of the car. Drive a few, get the feel and go from there

[331sam331]

So I assume you are running a turbo atm? What are your experiences? and have you had any niggles with it?

Lmao yeah but mine was cheap and I'm cheap. lol this is my third mr2 now so I know what to expect. Mines just been apart new turbo, exhaust, cambelt and water pump, clutch, thermostat, rocker cover etc. It costs money but it's not standard and I'm in the perfect trade. The only problem is every week something seems to break or make a noise but I expect that. And I still love it.

also top pain in the ass problem is rocker cover gasket leaks. Especially when they leak on the alternator.

Haha yea, I am pretty cheap. I have a 306 at the moment and I do spend the absolute bare minimum on it...

Ouch, sounds fun and expensive Not exactly the nicest cars to work on in that respect, but if things aren't easy, they usually aren't worth it lol.

Will look out for the rocker cover one, thanks.

I read somewhere that if the cambelt snaps on these engines that theres not much damage done? Something about the valves/piston clearances. Is that correct or not?

[331sam331]

i bought my rev3 in 2003 and have put 70k miles on it. My thoughts..
Run super unleaded all the time, if you have a heavy right foot or like the option of having one.
always drive like grandpa til the car is up to temperature and always drive off boost to allow things to cool down after a run
change oil and filter as often as you can afford / be bothered with it. If you do low mileage, then every year mininum otherwise every 6k miles max

just enjoy driving it and have fun. If you mistreat it, it will cost a fair bit to fix it. If you treat it well you can thrash the revs out of it and it will always pull hard and behave well. Tbars leak, well most of them but on those sunny or dry days when you pop the tbars off, makes it all worthwhile. Rev's, noise wind in the hair (whats left lol) brilliant fun

Niggles, yeah they are begining to show the rust monster so check the sills and be cautious though if you're a welder then it's game on Print the guide and take it with you and view several cars before buying. Always the best way

tyres, dear god these things are sensitive to tyres! std 15" wheels are difficult to get tyres for but 17's and 16's are easier however it's very personal experience on tyres and the feel of the car. Drive a few, get the feel and go from there

Great reply, thanks very much.

You really paint the picture and I really want to get my hands on one!

I have until around July next year to find one as that is when my insurance runs out and I will have hopefully saved enough monies.

I have already had a look for tyres and the sizes seem to baffle most websites as you said. When you say they are sensitive to tyres, do you mean the cars response to compound and profile? Or that they go through them quickly?

Thanks again!

[raptor95GTS]

not a lot of tyres available in std 15" sizes and those that are tend to have soft sidewalls, kinda jello type feel to them BUT everyone is different so it varies from person to person. Me, I drive fairly slowly round corners but I dislike a soft sidewall, hence I moved to 17's and shorter / harder sidewalls. I wish S02's were around today in common sizes.

Like any car, have a few test drives at dealers, see how you feel then go from there

[331sam331]

not a lot of tyres available in std 15" sizes and those that are tend to have soft sidewalls, kinda jello type feel to them BUT everyone is different so it varies from person to person. Me, I drive fairly slowly round corners but I dislike a soft sidewall, hence I moved to 17's and shorter / harder sidewalls. I wish S02's were around today in common sizes.

Like any car, have a few test drives at dealers, see how you feel then go from there

Ah I see, I understand how that would make a significant difference. Looks like I will be spending some money on tyres then haha.

I will try. I think it's a little hard to do that though as they aren't exactly common

[Poker Face]

I have to admit I haven't read the entire thread as I'm struggling on my mobile but consider a few things.

Insurance maybe only a bit more for a turbo

Turbo's need higher octave fuel.

It's cheaper to get a fast turbo than a n/a

Rev 1/2 turbo's always cost more in the long run if you want more power.

What I'm trying to say is the better the car you can afford earlier the less thou will spend once you get the bugg.

Don't rush in like I did without any research, v expensive.

Posted by my mobile after 8 pints of larger so sorry for any typo's.

[bazpro]

iam no expert at all, only owned my rev2 turbo for a few weeks,
i bought mine local and cheap, never even thought about buying a mr2 until i seen it and thought why not.
to be honest when i picked it up i hated it haha
but after a few weeks tidying bits up and sorting few things under the bonnet which hasnt been expensive fixes iam starting to really enjoy it.
was standard running hardly any boost when i bought it and i thought its probs been turned down as the clutch might be on the way out, but ive fitted a new mbc and running 0.8 bar fine so am happy with that.
ive had to use it as a daily this weekand have prefered it over my bmw 328 coupe and have now decided to sell it and get a cheap diesel that way can put some money into the mr2

as for insurance i got mine on a limited mileage classic policy for £160 a year !

[331sam331]

I have to admit I haven't read the entire thread as I'm struggling on my mobile but consider a few things.

Insurance maybe only a bit more for a turbo

Turbo's need higher octave fuel.

It's cheaper to get a fast turbo than a n/a

Rev 1/2 turbo's always cost more in the long run if you want more power.

What I'm trying to say is the better the car you can afford earlier the less thou will spend once you get the bugg.

Don't rush in like I did without any research, v expensive.

Posted by my mobile after 8 pints of larger so sorry for any typo's.

Thanks for the reply, I applaud your drunken typing

Yea that makes sense. I have a budget of £3000 maximum. Do you think I have a chance of getting a decent 1998-99 car for that money? What sort of mileage do you think is the cut off point for buying one? over 100k or more? Hopefully want something under 100k, but with my budget I fear that may be wishful thinking...

Fuel wise, how much dearer per litre is premium unleaded, like Shell V power? At the pumps I go to the price isn't shown for V power. Is there not an octane booster I could add to each tank that would work out cheaper?

I think I would be perfectly happy with the standard car. 240bhp is going to be quite a shock compared to my 90bhp motor atm

I am also only 21 years old. I have nearly 4 years no claims. What do you think are the chances of me getting a limited mileage or classic car policy?

[331sam331]

iam no expert at all, only owned my rev2 turbo for a few weeks,
i bought mine local and cheap, never even thought about buying a mr2 until i seen it and thought why not.
to be honest when i picked it up i hated it haha
but after a few weeks tidying bits up and sorting few things under the bonnet which hasnt been expensive fixes iam starting to really enjoy it.
was standard running hardly any boost when i bought it and i thought its probs been turned down as the clutch might be on the way out, but ive fitted a new mbc and running 0.8 bar fine so am happy with that.
ive had to use it as a daily this weekand have prefered it over my bmw 328 coupe and have now decided to sell it and get a cheap diesel that way can put some money into the mr2

as for insurance i got mine on a limited mileage classic policy for £160 a year !

Thanks for the reply.

I am not shy to do any repairs. Not that I am wishing it on myself, but if anything were to go wrong with it I quite like working on engines, and it's a nice change from work where I don't get to do any engine work anymore

Do you know if there is an age requirement for those policies? I will be 21 when I insure it.

[4ndee]

I'm sure classic insurance is over 25 but could be wrong. Lol big jump in horse power, if you are not used to big power or rwd you need to be carefull in the winter lol or you will spin it into a wall or ditch haha.

[Tsia]

I'm 22 now and still paying several thousand to insure my tubby. Classic insurance is 25 and over only.