Advice on used BRZ's and FI
 

Hello Everyone,

I am looking to purchase a used BRZ sometime in the next year or so and my end goal is going to be a turbo. Currently, most of the cars in my area have had some work done to them already ranging from exhaust to suspension upgrades. I also have not found many low mileage cars in the area. So with that being said, I am curious how risky it would be to buy a car with say 75k or more miles and turboing it? I plan on going lower boost so nothing crazy there. The plan would also be for all the supporting mods like oil cooler, catchcan, and clutch.

Obviously, I know the short answer to my question is that it will depend on the car and how it has been treated but any insight that you guys have beyond that would be greatly appreciated. Please let me know what you guys think and if I am just out of my mind wanting to do something like this.

I mean, 500k miles or 12k miles, I wouldn't turbo the car without expecting the engine to go. What is much more important is to be sure you freshen everything up, regardless of mileage-

New spark plugs
Replace oil, trans, diff fluid
Get new brakes front and rear
Upgrade or refresh your suspension
Fresh motor mounts and transmission mount
Fix ANY oil leaks

ok, now you're ready to buy supporting mods, including budgeting for a new engine when this one goes.
I don't care if it's in an inch or in a mile- it will go.

Be ready

Why is a turbo your end goal with this platform?

Honestly, my plans with the car are to have something to drive on weekends and have something that I can work on with upgrades. I have read a lot of good things about turbos with these cars on here and in other places and it seems like most people enjoy the extra power on this platform.

buy BRZ first then drive and get used to what this car can do for you. you may think differently after experiencing with this car
if you know how to mod yourself, then F/I based on your choice.
if you're going to pay someone to do most work then consult with that person and go from there.

For engine wise, nobody knows what condition of engine it was. if you're ready to invest money after engine blows then go for it. if you're not then dont do it.

I own this car about 8 years now since i got it. (mine is 13 BRZ and waited 6 month to get)
I love some parts in BRZ but i also hate some parts in BRZ like transmission of this car (gear stuck and grinding etc etc)
not all cars are perfect so you need to set what you're going to do with car.

And what advice did the "most people enjoy the extra power" people give you when you PM'd them?

I haven't pmd anyone specifically just reading post on this forum and on different reddit threads. I wanted to post here to get a better answer to my specific situation and what I would like to do in the future.

Thanks for the info. Seems like most people really like the car and I agree I definitely will drive it and get used to it before I fully decide what upgrade path I want to take. I am not dead set on anything currently just some thoughts I have had and have been thinking about in general.

Depends what you want out of the car. A lot of people daily their 86s but if this is just going to be your weekend cruiser and you want it to be faster, go for it. You need to have a power range in mind. That will dictate how much you need to budget. So the question is, how much power?

Based on what I've found your stock fuel system is sufficient up to around 300hp, same with your bottom end. No matter what, you'll probably need a new clutch and eventually, axles. When you start venturing above that, you're pretty much at the will of the FA20 gods on a stock bottom end. Then when you blow your FA20, you'll buy an LS motor to swap thinking it will be cheaper but it isn't. Remember that. Either way, the 86 is a great platform for anything you want to throw at it. It comes down to how reliable do you need this car to be? Also budget for spending at least 20-30% over what you think it will cost.

I had an old master mechanic tell me he always looked for the really high mileage motors (400k +) to drop in their old f bodies because they were proven to be reliable. I wasn't sold but I couldn't refute it either.

Also everyone above is spittin troof.

Most people who have spent the substantial cost (a very high percentage of the vehicle value even when new) to add a turbo to the car are not going to admit they don't like, or didn't need, the extra power, now are they? It's just human nature. :)

90% or more of the 86s produced are not modified to that extent. Yes, it may appear higher than that on here, and it could very well be, but it's an enthusiast forum so that is to be expected.

In the end, the advice above is good for this or any car. Assume that the actions you take will ultimately shorten the life of the engine, and if you are good with that go for it.

My car has 175,000+ miles on it, but the motor is unmolested (well except for the valve spring recall). I would be willing to put a reputable supercharger (or turbo) on it that was designed specifically for the car. I would not, however, roll my own, but I wouldn't do that with any car since that is not my area of expertise.

In the end, it will be your car, you bear the risk, so as long as you are good with it go for it. Personally, I'd likely just take the money I would spend and buy a bigger horsepower car designed that way from the factory. Yea, there is the "built not bought" but there's also the "driving not repairing" aspect of it too.

Skys the limit bud, and you certainly are not out of your mind for wanting a 12,000$ car and turboing it for 6-7,000$. My pet peev is NA people warning of "the dangers of turboing". Spend some time reading/posting in "greddy turbo owners thread" and such. I know a few of the people above me are boosted, and in fact make good points. But plainly you dont need to budget brakes etc in when doing engine work. You need to do brakes, when your pads and rotors are worn low, ok?

I am JRSC supercharged on stock clutch, 262wheel. Aim for this, its ~100 hp gain from stock and is perfectly reasonable, and leaves the car just under the 1:10 power:weight ratio. 260:2800. Thos power level is perfectly comfortable for the block+transmission, and you would not need to budge for another motor.

We need to get over this notion that forced enduction explodes engine blocks. It's how you drive it. Do you drive it like a car? Do you drift it?

My advice is buy a car w 75kmiles, turbo it, and enjoy your life. You dont have to build a endurance prepped racecar for the road.

Oh yea definitely planned on getting a reputable kit and a good tune to go with it. I was looking at the JDL kits because I have heard mixed reviews on the SBD kits and honestly the difference in price isn't that terrible. Not looking for huge power probably somewhere in the neighborhood of mid to high 200 range.

I appreciate this answer a lot. I basically just wanted to hear it wasn't the stupidest thing in the world and that I wasn't some moron for wanting this. So honestly appreciate your honesty and giving me one vote of confidence lol.

I would suggest buying a car from the first owner and with an extensive service history. Also get it inspected by a trusted mechanic. Check the oil make sure it doesn't look gross/no metallic flakes. Check sounds. Check for oil leaks.

I would also suggest doing bolt ons and a tune with e85 and doing supporting mods such as clutch etc as you will surely need it with more power.

If everything goes smoothly with this process and the car feels good tuned and your logs look good, get the FI kit. As stated above there's no way to KNOW when the engine will go, but you can do things to mitigate risk...such as proper supporting mods and a good tuner, start saving money if the engine does decide to go. I'd say there's a fair amount of people with a fair amount of mileage in the 240-280whp range and that's a good range to target. This engine is fairly stout. Keep in mind, there are people that have blown stock and there are people pushing 350whp that haven't blown, some of it is luck and some of it is risk mitigation.

Good luck.