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hi all, i am considering buying a 1998 v70 t5,car looks a good buy, one owner, fvsh, 85k drives and goes superbly, however i have never owned a turbocharged car before and am a bit concerned about long term reliabilty as i plan to keep the car for some time, any one care to comment, would the 2.4 normally aspirated engine be a better long term buy? many thanks
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If it's been looked after and serviced properly then you should have no worries. Main thing is to let the engine idle for up to a minute at the end of long, hard drives to ensure that the turbo is properly lubricated as it "spools down" - turbos can run at over 100,000 rpm so ensuring they get proper supply of oil is important. Make sure you check the oil level (and water level too) regularly as this can help you quickly find any fault as it manifests itself, so you can get it investigated and fixed before it becomes too expensive! But with a little luck, and a bit of tlc, you should have nothing to worry (but check the extra insurance costs first....)
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The Rover 820 Vitesse sport was brought out to compete with the T5s. It's a 2 litre turbo with 15psi boost, 187 lbft on a flat curve from 2200 to 5500 and 200PS at 6000.
Mine is a late 1996. It's done 133k (this weekend). It drives like new. It's never gone more than 5k without an oil change, which was always Mobil 1 (with the original owner) or Halfords full synth with me. At 110k I did a Revs magasine sponsored 1/4 mile event in it. It was doing 30-70 in 6.6 - book is 6.8. It uses 1 litre between changes. All on Tesco fuel.
I used to say I'd never buy a turbo car (when I owned a 200bhp SD1 V8, that is). Now I'm a fan (of good installations that is). I've known several people who've had V70 T5s and believe it to be a fine motor.
Take a look at my advice about cleaning the compressor here:
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?f=4&t=59...8
Also remove the inlet hose where it meets the throttle body and if it's black in there clean that too.
You'll love it.
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The T5 is a great engine, being powerful, smooth, and with an excellent reputation for high mileage durability, but so is the 2.4T, and having tried both, I preferred the latter, and put my money where my mouth was.
Although I purchased new, and the cost difference between a 2.4T and more expensive T5 wasn't a factor, I much preferred the urgent torque delivery of the 2.4T, which is already at a peak by 1800RPM, and holds it in an electronically modulated flat plateau past 5000RPM. It truly drives like a much larger naturally aspirated engine, with no lag at all and a turbo that is all but silent in operation. The T5 in contrast has a gaping hole in the torque delivery at low to middle revs, and then arrives like the cavalry all at once. Great fun when in the mood, but not so much fun when not so, or when instant grunt from typical A-road-in-top speeds is needed. Quicker outright, yes, in the real world though, no.
The 2.4T will still rev happily to the red line, and beyond to the limiter if needed, remaining smooth and composed at all times, and without power falling of a cliff at such revolutions as happens to many engines. This, and the torque plateau, makes it a great companion for single gear overtakes across a wide speed differential.
Both 2.4T and T5 are great engines, have a fantastic 5 pot sound track when pressing on, and I doubt that you'd be disappointed with either, but the former is the one for me.
My father has an S80 with the 2.4 170 BHP motor, which is also smooth and cultured, and suits this luxo barge perfectly, but this one doesn't do it for me.
Hope this gives some ideas.
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thanks for the replys chaps, im convinced! pick it up friday
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