Learn me: Best factory turbo cars for cheap

I know every human being loves giving their opinion, so I am asking for yours now. If I need to spend more $ on bodywork for my 240sx than I spent on the car, I may sell it and find another DD/project. I have always wanted a turbo car, and I think it would just be easier to start with a car that came turbo from the factory. So, to that end, I am looking for what you think is the best factory turbo car from the 80's or 90's (think $2k or less). A few necessities/musts: Japanese, some sort of backseat for the babyseat in an emergency, manual trans. It can be 2 dr or 4 dr, hatchback, sedan, wagon, whatever. Just throw out your favorites, why they are your favorite, and what are your first recommendations for mods. I am a Nissan mechanic and a Nissan nut, but I will keep an open mind for other brands too. :-) Ready...set...GO!

Best for under $2k will likely be a Chrysler 2.2L
I am partial to the Lancer/LeBaron GTS twins...
...but can be had in 2dr, 4dr, convertible, hatch, trunk, wagon, mini-van, mini-pickup and all with manual trans.

280zx turbo, prices range from free to 20k, turbo 2+2's are common, or you can add the turbo to the 2+2 of your picking, 200 whp can be made wiht a boost controller, 300 whp with an intercooler and if you want to dig intot he engine and electronics they have been known to hit 600 whp

turbo ford, the 2.3 turbo came in the stang, the T bird, and Cougar as well as the merkur xr4ti, can easilly swapped into any fox body family car, 300 whp is pretty easy to come by on these as well, more if you want to get spendy

Talon/Eclipse/Laser?

Might be tough to find one under $2k that doesn't need lots of love.

DSM

/thread

starquest, 280zx, z31 turbo

88-92 MX6/626/Probe GT.

First mod: boost controller.

I've owned a pretty modded example for two years. 186k on original motor, shows no signs of letting up anytime soon.

About 6 hours ago i test drove a mostly stock one with 180k on it. Just had exhaust, chipped ECU, ACT Stage 2 clutch, boost controller @ 15psi. Damn thing moved like crazy and still drove tight.

also you can swap the vg30et into a z31 2+2, agian 300 whp easily achieved, completely streetable

i feel like the list of bad cheap turbo cars would be shorter than the list of good ones. on such a list i would put the mid-80's subarus, and anything with a g54b.

Someone has to say it: CORVAIR!

Okay, but seriously folks... RWD Volvo turbos are a hoot. Cheap, and easy to mod.

the Japanese requirement GREATLY kills a lot of options... many of them are

$2000 can buy a pretty nice RWD turbo volvo... but you'll more then likely have to forgo the manual transmission option

really I think it's more about finding a good example of whatever you choose... lots of options out there

Thanks for the input guys! I definitely will be sticking with a Japanese car, even though I know that eliminates a bunch of options.

@evildky-- I actually already have an L28ET from an 83 that I was going to put into my 77 280, but that project is a little more than I can handle at the moment (it's for sale here). I am a mechanic, not a body guy, so the rust on my Z is more than I want to mess with right now. And I also don't have a garage, and parking lot work gets old. A better starting point would be smarter...I have never been a fan of the 80's Zees, even though I am a Nissan guy, and it seems like its getting harder and harder to find a ZX that isn't rusted out. The donor that I got my motor from was barely staying together. Maybe I just need to find a better early Z body to put that motor in...hmmmm....

@corytate--a Starion could be fun! Are they relatively reliable?

@celicahalftrac--your ideas are probably my first choice at the moment...I have always liked the old MX-6, and didn't realize the following or the potential they had until the past few years. I have seen yours on here and love how they look-the definition of sleeper. Plus knowing the beasts they can be intrigues me too...might have to do a little hunting for one of these.

Keep the ideas coming guys!

Supra MKIII. Just tighten the head bolts.

Seriously, tighten the head bolts.

Dare to be different, or when rare doesn't mean worth anything: Hyundai Scoupe Turbo. Hyundai's first self-made engine instead of the exploding Mitsubishi junk. No intercooler. Relatively little boost. Probably a dozen or so still exist. Hard to spot since they look like a regular boring Scoupe, but the roofs were painted black and they had leather wrapped steering wheels and stuff. Haven't seen one since I worked at the dealer when they came out.

Im going to have to vote Z31T. I love mine. I parted out my last blah condition S13 to build it and I dont regret it. Of course Im looking for a 240 for a second/winter car again but whatever.

For $1250 I got a low 13 second car (14psi with an electronic boost controller should do 12.8/12.9's) thats nicer then an s13 inside and its different. Yet parts from advance are cheaper and theres a good amount of cool parts for them.

This car does everything well. Daily, drift, drag, autox, trackdays. Theres nothing it cant do. I love it.

~Alex

Infiniti G20t? SR20DET in a really nice-looking, well-bolted-together wrapper.

Twin_Cam wrote: Infiniti G20t? SR20DET in a really nice-looking, well-bolted-together wrapper.

The "t" doesn't stand for "Turbo," sadly.

I also like the Scoupe Turbo idea, just because it's weird.

Z31T also a good choice! I want a Z31T.

You MIGHT be able to find an 88-89 Celica AllTrac for that money. They're good cars if taken care of.

wasn't there an MR2 turbo? Not sure how that would do for drifting, with little polar inertia.. that drift might just keep going into a spin.

While probably over the 2k mark.. there is always the Miata Turbo

mad_machine wrote: wasn't there an MR2 turbo? Not sure how that would do for drifting, with little polar inertia.. that drift might just keep going into a spin. While probably over the 2k mark.. there is always the Miata Turbo

Ain't gonna happen for $2k. At least not one worth buying.

92CelicaHalfTrac wrote:

Twin_Cam wrote: Infiniti G20t? SR20DET in a really nice-looking, well-bolted-together wrapper.

The "t" doesn't stand for "Turbo," sadly.

No kidding. Well that's false advertising. And someone should turbo one, anyway, those are nice little cars.

Turbo MR2s are really sweet, but anything worth owning still pulls down pretty high dough. I'd love a Supra turbo. That sounds like the best Japanese option mentioned to me. Surprised no one mentioned a Merkur XR4ti somewhere along the line. Not Japanese, but cheap. It's the ideal car if you like turning wrenches. There's always something broken you can work on! But those couple of days a year when you have it running, it sure is fun to drive!

Get a Celica like mine and drop in a 22RET! Hey, you didn't say you wanted it to be fast!

Why must it be Japanese? Usually when there is a "what car" thread and they are only looking at one very specific kind of car, they already know what they want. Seriously, for under 2K it's incredibly hard to beat a turbo Dodge. Pick mine up for a grand, put the head on a a little finishing and run low 13's all day long, stock engine.

belteshazzar wrote: i feel like the list of bad cheap turbo cars would be shorter than the list of good ones. on such a list i would put the mid-80's subarus, and anything with a g54b.

Agreed completely. I still have a soft spot for the RX coupe, though. Sadly, they'd make more power with an EJ22, but the aftermarket is there if you're willing to work for it.

All the modern EJ engines are practically a bolt in, and a 5 lug hub swap from a XT6 gets you the ability to fit WRX suspension, wheels, and brakes.

Count me in on the Scoupe idea, that's just wrong enough to be right!

The reason it must be Japanese is simply because that is all I want to own. I have grown up with Japanese cars and have always had a bad taste in my mouth for cars from Detroit and cars from Europe. I know both places have some cool cars, I just can't bring myself to own one. It will be hard enough for me to get something that's not a Nissan, let alone not Japanese. I know, it's stupid, I'm just particular.

I feel like the Z31 was a very low point for Z's, and as a Nissan mechanic I always hated working on them. The VG motors, from the Z31 to the early Maxima to the Pathfinder/Xterra/Frontier, is tough as nails, but I never liked the way they ran or sounded. After driving my 95 Maxima for the last 5 years and falling in love with the VQ motor, the VG just seems so primitive, even when compared to an even older L series motor. At the same time, I REALLY like rustspecs13's Z31, and it has kinda peaked my interest in them. What all do you have done to yours? More pics please!