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My dad said never buy a car with a turbo, now I'm wondering if he was right or just old school
Back in 2011 my dad told me to never buy a car with a turbo because "they blow up at 80k miles." I listened for 9 years and drove nothing but boring naturally aspirated sedans. Last spring I finally bought a used 2017 Civic Si with 45k miles for $16,500 and put 20k on it so far with zero problems. My mechanic buddy says modern turbos are fine if you change the oil on time and let them cool down. But my dad's buddy ran a shop in Toledo for 30 years and saw plenty of cooked turbos from people who didn't do that. So now I'm stuck wondering if the advice was outdated or if I'm just one oil change away from a $2,000 repair. What's the real answer here, is it a maintenance thing or did turbos actually get better?
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hugo_schmidt8d ago
Man, your dad and my dad must have gone to the same school of car advice! Mine swore off turbos too, right after his buddy's Saab ate a turbo back in the 80s and cost him a fortune. Here's the thing though, turbo tech really did get way better since then, with better oil flow and water cooled bearings and all that. Your 2017 Si is a totally different animal from the junk people were cooking in Toledo 30 years ago. The old advice wasn't wrong for its time, but it's like being scared of cell phones because your dad's bag phone from 1990 weighed five pounds. Just change your oil on time, use good stuff, and don't boost it hard right before you shut it off, and you'll be fine.
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