buying a TT z32
 

i have always loved the z32s but never owned one... im currently in the market for one and found a 90 TT with 107,000 miles at a used car lot. i havent seen it in person yet but ive seen pics of it online. it looks pretty clean overall but it has a R-title cause of theft recovery. on the website it says they installed new HEADS,CLUTCH,BRAKES,BELTS,HOSES,ETC. the price was 7 grand but they dropped it to 5 cause they said it started to smoke, they think its cause it needs a new turbo. i dont know if its white or black smoke yet. im going to check it out tomorrow but i just wanted to see if there is anything that i should be aware of or anything that i should look for. or anything that i need to be prepared for if i do buy it. im new to the z's and would appreciate any help. thanks

If it needs a turbo replacement and you are not SERIOUSLY mechanically inclined, that $5k is going to quickly turn into $8k after you spend the money to fix it. Even if you can do it yourself, you're probably looking at $1k in parts and labor and two days (at least) to do it.

(And as I recall, the smoke from a dying turbo has more of a bluish hue... white would be coolant, black means it's running rich.)

Also, the fact that the heads were replaced would have me concerned... find out why.

i am pretty mechanically inclined and i have a few friends that are very knowlegable with cars and one thats a turbo genius so im not too worried about having to replace the turbos if neccessary. as far as the heads being replaced... what concernes u about that... does that point to other problems? what would be some reasons the heads were replaced that would make it a bad decision to buy? anything else with these cars that i would have to be on the lookout for when i check it out tomorrow?

Because there's no documentation on who did the work, what parts where used and where they came from, or what work was done. and now that's it's smoking, makes you wonder if they bothered to surface the block, when they replaced the head, or even if they used a TT head. there is so much you can **** up on these motors, if you don't know what you are doing.

Got the link you sent me. Things that stand out include the lack of any engine splash shield and backwards wheels (the wheels are uni-directional). I don't get the impression that the former owners knew much about these cars, and it seems that they cut corners.

And what concerns me most about the head replacement is simple... why the hell were they replaced? What did they do to the car that new cylinder heads were needed? Usually, problems that require new heads include (but are not limited to) snapped timing belts, overheating, and oil starvation. All of these are SERIOUS and can effect more than just the heads (which leads to the question "what else, if anything, did they do to fix whatever else may have been damaged?")

For $5k, the body is in good shape (seems like there may be clear coat peeling off the rocker)... if the engine runs, I'd probably buy it (check the title history to see if it was in any major accidents, first), but I can also rip the engine out of one of these in 2-3 hours and put it back in 3-5 hours. Having friends who are mechanically inclined helps, but I have to warn you - the Z32 is a whole different beast, compared to your usual tuners.

http://jalopnik.com/5285905/whats-th...car-to-work-on
If you won't be relying on this car immediately, go for it... we're here to help (and depending on where you're located we might be able to point you to people who can physically help). But this car may not be reliable until after you pull the engine and spend a few grand on it. Just warning you so you know what you're getting into. For a clean, healthy TT, most people expect to pay close to double what that one is going for.

P.S. I see it's at a dealership... talk them down a bit on the basis of the things I've mentioned. And have them mount the wheels properly... it pisses me off when people mount them backwards. For f*cks sake, the wheels are labeled "L" and "R" for "left" and "right."

i wont be needing it as a daily right away (eventhough i would love to drive it daily) i have a jeep and a bike so i'll be able to keep this on the side to work on. i'll be checking it out in the morning, thank you very much for the help i appreciate it, ill keep you posted on wether or not i get it

just checked it out... there is greyish white smoke coming out of the passenger side exhaust. it smokes at an idle and when u hit the gas it smokes quite a bit more... they seem pretty convinced that the passenger side turbo is bad. they said its a fresh rebuild on that engine 50 miles ago. (side note: used to be auto, now 5-speed)

i dont know what to do, i want it but i dont want to get over my head with this. if its just a turbo that needs replaced than i'll buy it but im not sure if thats all it needs.

Run...

+1 My sister found a 91 TT with 125k miles for $4k that's now her DD and hasn't had a single problem yet. I'm sure you can find a way better deal.

Heavy smoke means the turbo needs replacement ASAP. Take it from the man with experience with this (me), if you get it, you CANNOT drive it on blown turbos. (I did that once... then a metal shard killed my oil pump and blocked an oil passage to the driver's side head, warping the head, seizing my exhaust camshaft, and snapping my timing belt.)

And again I'm forced to ask... why the hell did the engine need a rebuild? Especially with such (relatively) low miles. The car was clearly beat on. As they said, pass.

If you really want it, it will be a project... but I'd keep looking.

ive decided not to get it, im gonna keep looking... thanks alot for the help