Info about XT Turbo 4WD
 

I'm in the market for a commuter car and thought of an '86/87 XT Turbo 4WD. There's a few available in my area, but (based on ad descriptions and pictures) they range from pretty beat up to nice looking..

There's 2 in particular I have locked onto and will be contacting the owners today. One of them, however, is asking quite a bit more than book for his, but he lists a lot of things he's replaced/fixed recently and claims to have reciepts for all the work. Even though he's asking so much, I'm still interested because if all of that has been done to it recently, it might be the better longterm choice and reliable. The only thing about that car is he mentions it showing some rust, but isn't specific on where.

My question is, what kinds of things should I look for and ask when I contact the sellers, and once I go for a test drive? Cars of that era are hard to find without a hint of rust, but how much is too much?

Also, what is the absolute most I should pay? The "overpriced" one doesn't list mileage, so I'm assuming around 150k ~ 175k. The list of things he's done recently include (as quoted from his ad): "New CV's,Computer, Panasonic Cd player, Alarm, Heads, Radiator, power steering pump, hoses, gaskets, and bearings."

Thanks in advance!

Cracked heads, poor coolant systems, crappy turbo, air suspension issuse, rust under the front frame rail where it rises (my Oregon XT even has it there!. Check out www.xt6.net. For daily driving you're probably better suited with an XT6 as it is more reliable esp. aged ones.

Agree
 

I agree on the XT6 even though I really liked my Turbo XT. The frame rail rust is a pretty big problem with all of these cars. My southern car even had signs of significant problems and that was 6 years ago.

But then I initially bought my GL10 XT Turbo for only $500 in 1994 with just over 70K miles on it. It had a bad turbo and would have been an effective military vehicle for laying down a huge smoke screen. :) I was very lucky and found a replacement turbo for only $100. Then proceeded to put 90K more miles on the car and it was still running fine when I parted with it.

Lee

Thanks for the info and advice!

Were all XT6's automatics, like our SVX's? All available locally seem to be.

I'm looking for something with a manual, small engine (preferably turbocharged), and that I don't have to worry if it gets dinged up while parked.

The rust issues you guys mention sound serious... I guess I'll have to skip XT's. :(

Honestly any Japanese car that is 20 years old is gonna have rust issues somewhere on it. The XT can be found solid, its just things to look out for. Mine is solid as a rock (or at least a solid as a non-computer designed unibody can be from the era). The 6 came with FWD and fulltime 4wd. The FWDs were all 4 speed autos and are very much bullet proof. I CAN'T KILL MINE and when I change the fluid its still brand new!. The FT4wd had autos and 5 speeds but with 4wd you're looking at air struts unless already converted (same with the turbo 4wds). From what I've heard the EA-82 with turbo isn't real economy minded either. I can easily get 30+mpg out of my fwd 6. ft4wders are usually low to mid 20s (about what the turbos are). Best part about fwders is no-one wants 'em so you can get 'em for next to nothing!

Good Mileage
 

I got good mileage--actually great with my Turbo 5 Spd. Between 32 and 35 on road if I did not push the turbo to hard. In town I was in the mid 20s. As I indicated mine was FWD. The only thing I did to it after the turbo replacement was timing belt and clutch. I replaced the PS Pump and rack, but it turned out only to be the O-Ring on the Pump reservoir that needed replacing.

Just look for the rust--if it is there you can easily see it. Don't let the fear of what I have said keep you away from one for the right price.

Lee

Thanks for the advice once again! I guess the key phrase there is "one for the right price"...

If I can get one in decent shape for $1000 or less, is that worth it? My drive to work is all freeway and I'm graveyard so it's in the evenings, and in the mornings, going in the opposite direction as traffic (so I cruise 65 ~ 70 most of the way). Do you think a decent XT Turbo 4WD can handle such easy drive?

Depends on the definintion of decent shape. Mechanically I'd at least replace the water pump, all cooling lines valve covers, t-belt and turbo seals but its like any other older car in terms of reliability. If cared for (which 99.9% of all American owned cars aren't) it'll be rock steady reliable.

You could also check out the Toyota Celica AllTrac Turbo. I can't think of many other mid to late 80's 4 cylinder turbos. I would stay away from the Mitsubishi motors from that time frame.

Ahhh...the almighty 3S-GTE with the water-to-air IC ('88 ~ '89)...

That would not fall under my classification of a commuter, though. ;)

Oh, and what's wrong with mitsu engines of the era? The 2.6 Turbo in the Starions, as long as you took care of it, was pretty bullet proof... The rest of the car would fall apart, though. And later on, early 90's, the 4G63 Turbo came to be possibly one of, if not the strongest 2 liter motors ever built... Snap your timing belt, though, and you'll cause havoc for sure.

I've owned 2 DSM's ('90 Talon TSi AWD and '94 Eclipse GSX). My best time with the GSX was a 13.62 @ 101 with a 16g turbo at 16 ~ 17psi. That is a car I will always miss.

I also had a '91 MR2 Turbo a few years back with the 3S-GTE... A very smooth powerplant, but somewhat boring if you really want to get down and dirty with it (not as much potential as the 4G63 Turbo).

But, to go back to topic... I'm still curious about the EA82 (did I get that right?) in the XT Turbos... I think I might check one of them out, rust and all...At the right price, if it lasts me a year and a half, that's good enough.

They are bullet proof, but they are not "shift into park while moving" proof.

Ask how I know. :(