2013 Honda Civic vs. Kia Optima

[deevergote]

I wonder how much that has to do with people not knowing how to properly maintain a turbo engine.

[CyborgGT]

A guy I met through a friend has a new STI. He'll thrash the thing like it's normal, and then when he goes to park, he shuts it off right away. He's been told several times to not do that and why it's hard on the turbo, but still doesn't listen. Makes me second guess ever buying a used WRX/STI without planning to rebuild the engine immediately.

[AccordWarrior]

A guy I met through a friend has a new STI. He'll thrash the thing like it's normal, and then when he goes to park, he shuts it off right away. He's been told several times to not do that and why it's hard on the turbo, but still doesn't listen. Makes me second guess ever buying a used WRX/STI without planning to rebuild the engine immediately.

The STi turbo is actually oil and water cooled. While it's never a great idea to beat it and then park, it's not as bad as a conventional turbo.

Buying a used WRX/STI is actually pretty easy, buy one that doesn't have hoonigan stickers owned by a flat brim! Don't use Mobil-1 or buy a car that used it and check for the factory heat shields and bolts on the downpipe.

Basically if the for sale ad is written like a typical "import tuner car", run away far and fast.

[deevergote]

Aren't aftermarket blow-off valves harmful as well? I know that's a popular "harmless" mod that the kids like to do.


Used turbo cars are always risky. My first car was turbo, and I had absolutely no idea what that meant, let alone how to properly care for it. As turbos become more common in "normal" cars (as opposed to performance oriented cars), I'm sure the engineers are going to take owner ignorance into account when designing them.

[ontheroad92]

Thank y'all for the replies! I did mention the points on this thread, esp deev's point about year end clearance, which would have been a great deal. Good thinknig, deev! She went with the kia. I think waiting for the civic year end would have been a better choice. Of course, I would have just got her a cb for $1-2k lol

[deevergote]

The important thing is that she's happy with it. If she likes the Kia, then that's all that matters. Overall, most of the cars in the compact/midsize market today are comparable. Enthusiasts like us have preferences that go beyond what the average driver will ever notice.

[AccordWarrior]

Aren't aftermarket blow-off valves harmful as well? I know that's a popular "harmless" mod that the kids like to do.


Used turbo cars are always risky. My first car was turbo, and I had absolutely no idea what that meant, let alone how to properly care for it. As turbos become more common in "normal" cars (as opposed to performance oriented cars), I'm sure the engineers are going to take owner ignorance into account when designing them.

Yeah, since it's MAF and not MAP based. You have a momentary super rich situation. It's not like running without oil bad, but it's more or less pointless. The SPT intake on the GD series cars let you hear the bypass valve, which was enough for me.