Do turbo-charged engines with inter-coolers wear out faster than non-turbo cars?

Question

Please try to include personal experience or references in your answer, I'm trying to convince my Dad to buy me a certain car that is turbo-charged with 120,000 miles and he thinks it will have many more problems and wear out faster because it is turbo-charged. I've done just a little research of my own and am convinced that he is wrong. By all means however, if you agree with him that turbo-charged engines wear out faster, tell and try to include why. By the way, the car is a 1991 Audi 200 turbo with an asking price of 3k. I think they could be talked down to about 2k or 2.5k.

Answer 1

A turbo charged engine is usually revved higher and runs hotter than a non-turbo engine. There are also more components on a turbo engine that can wear out and break, like the turbocharger, which is an expensive repair.



If the car was properly maintained and not abused then a turbocharged engine should last almost as long as a non-turbo. But you are buying an 18 year old car that is going to cost you a lot of money in repairs just because it's German and a little old. I agree with dad, but for different reasons. For $3,000 you can get a newer Honda/Nissan/Toyota that will far outlast that Audi and be cheaper to maintain.

Answer 2

alright man i know (being a car mech) that the driver is what determines the life of the car being driven. now i will say that an Audi 200 with a turbo will have a lot more insurance cost but will have a lot less problems than a ford mustang turbo charged. so yea it will depend on you the driver of the vehical how long the car will last. now 120,000 and asking 3k is ridiculous. talk them down to about 2k or even1k. oh and if there asking that much you should have the car checked out by a friend who knows this way he has no feelings for the car and wont over look minor details that could create a big problem in the future. i will say though Audi is a good long lasting car maker. have fun and i hope this helpped. Be Careful.

Answer 3

Conventional wisdom is that turbocharged engines wear out faster. My only experience was with a 1985 Volvo 765T. It made it to 260K miles before a family member bent the suspension on a curb. The engine had considerable piston slap but both the B230F (normally aspirated) and FT (turbo) engines were known for that anyway.



Conventional wisdom also says the life expectancy of a water cooled turbocharger is around 100K miles but the original lasted the life of my Volvo. (Don't even think of buying an oil cooled turbo.) Never ever think about buying a turbo car with any rust in the radiator or any crusty deposits visible under the oil filler cap. Service records are a big plus because turbo cars are unforgiving about oil changes.



My feeling is that turbos add a concern for proper maintenance history (and future!) but it is not a show stopper. It is one more thing to evaluate.



I have only bought three new cars in my 40 years of driving. I favor cars with about 100K miles on the theory that at 50K miles it is hard to tell how a car has been treated but at 100K it is hard to hide. I strongly recommend you visit on-line forums for any car you are considering buying (in this case, an Audi forum) and asking what you should know about the car. Even quicker info can be found at carsurvey.org Looking over the comments (is there really a 1991?) it seems to be a maintenance hog but fun to drive. The parts seem really expensive. And check out the transmission failure write-up.

Edit - I missed the report about the $2000 clutch, too!

Answer 4

Hey, by the sound of things you're ride must be an R33 Skyline Gts non-turbo. Even then, there were 2 variants, the Gts and the Gts25. The Gts had a weak 2L engine with only 96kW of power - not exactly sportscar territory. The Gts25, however, was much better, with 140kW and this car will give many cars a run for their money. For what it is, the engine is more hi-tech than other cars of its age (power/litre is very good). It won't win many traffic light drags but take your car to a windy set of roads and it'll keep up with the best of them with the right driver sitting in control. Power isn't everything when it somes to cars. Having said that, no, it isn't faster than a Gts-t or a GTR.

Answer 5

Usually if the car was fitted with a turbo charger for the engine it was designed for you won't have any real problems.. If the turbo charger is after market and the boost range is higher than the manufacture intended for that engine then the engine has to be reworked for that kind of boost pressure.... Because the extra fuel intake pressure it makes is greater. And if the head hasn't been milled to be able to reduce the compression ratio of the cylinders the compression will be too great for the cylinders and will break piston rings, Blow head gasket etc. But if it is a stock car with a stock turbo it should be ok.... Just as long as there are no oil pressure problems.... Turbos need to have a constant flow of oil to keep them cool... If they get too hot because of lack of oil they will seize and shred them selves.