North American Turbocoupe Organization



Considering Turbo coupe
98csvt Offline
Junior Member
#1
Hello

My name is Will and i currently own a 98 Ford Contour SVT. Im comsidering buying a Turbo coupe. Im looking for a bang for the buck RWD turbo car and the TC fits right in that. I looked around on this site and saw that you can get a TC for under 2 thosand pretty easly. I have a few questions about them though.

At what point should i not look at a car milage wise. Most i see are around 100-130? With spirited driving do they hold up well can they take some "abuse"? How much would it cost me to break into the 14's with a TC. Do they handle reasonably well and are they a fun car to drive?

Thanks alot!!

-Will
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sbhjr44 Offline
Senior Member
#2
I got my 88TC with 105,000 miles and I have put 5 thousand more on it and 4 thousand of those miles have been with my foot in the turbo. Quite a few 3,5,6series and M3 and M5 bimmers that don't want to play with me anymore. I have only had a couple drag races and I beat them off the line I can hold the jump from stop light to stop light, of course if it was a 1/4 mile drag they would have eaten me but hey they lost on the street and so they think my 88 TC is fast so who am I to argue it isn't.

[This message has been edited by sbhjr44 (edited 10-24-2005).]
Stinger dual3"exhaust from dp & cat to magnaflows w/2.5 outlets w/tailpipes.Homemade CAI w/boost at18psi.MM c/c plates and tubular lca/front coilovers with Koni red adjustables all around. Ported/BV head/A237 and bobslog w/a stinger fmic set-up waiting to go on.86 stang gt w/motor and T-5 from a 86 TC w/3"SS dualexhaust w/cc plates and lowered 1.5".With volvo ic installed.
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Pete D Offline
Administrator
#3
Hello and welcome.
You might want to look over this thread: http://natomessageboard.com/Forum1/HTML/014860.html

These engines are pretty long lived. I used to be one of those people that got rid of cars at 75 K figuring they were over the hill. I just bought an 80K 88 because if's just getting broken in.
Pete Dunham


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Jeff K Offline
Administrator
#4
Welcome!

Many of us have well over 200k miles on the original (or mostly original) drivetrain with few problems.

Look for a TC that hasnt had much of the electrical system "improved" by someone who didnt know what they are doing. Trying to fix the hack jobs proir owners have done can be frustrating. Try to find one that has all the electrical stuff, like ABS, PRC, cooling fans, etc operating correctly.

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Jeff Korn

88 Turbo Coupe: Intake and exhaust mods, T3 turbo at 23 psi, forced air intercooler, water injection, bypass valve, Ranger roller cam, subframes, etc., etc.. // 86 Tbird 5.0 (original owner): intake, exhaust, valvetrain mods, 100 HP nitrous, ignition, gears, suspension, etc., etc.... // 91 Escort: Bone stock winter car // 04 Taurus Duratec (wifes car) // 91 Topaz (daughters first car)
Jeff Korn

88 Turbo Coupe: Intake and exhaust mods, T3 turbo at 24 psi, forced air IC, water injection, BPV, Ranger cam, subframes, etc., etc.
86 Tbird 5.0 (original owner): intake, exhaust, valvetrain mods, 100 HP N2O, ignition, gears, suspension, etc., etc.
11 Crown Vic Interceptor
14 Toyota Camry (wifes car)
95 Taurus GL Vulcan winter beater
67 Honda 450 Super Sport - completely customized
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Walsted Offline
Posting Freak
#5
I just joined the quarter million mile club, and a lot of folks would love to trade cars with me. Mileage on the engine/odometer isn't a problem.

If I were in the market for another car, I would look for a 5-speed TC with no rust. I would try to buy one off of this board, since the folks here generally aren't likely to mess things up.

Hope this helps.

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Mike Walsted - NATO member
1986 5-speed TurboCoupe with a few upgrades.
Mike Walsted - Sold my 1986 5-speed TurboCoupe
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TurboCoupe50 Offline
Posting Freak
#6
Quote:Originally posted by Walsted:
If I were in the market for another car, I would look for a 5-speed TC with no rust. I would try to buy one off of this board, since the folks here generally aren't likely to mess things up.


So all these screwed up TCs that are being posted about, came from Turbo Ford or somewhere else?? [Image: biggrin.gif]


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1988 Turbo Coupe ... Bright Red
1988 Turbo Coupe ... Dk Blue(parts car)
1988 Turbo Coupe ... White, 5.0 with Trick Flow heads
1988 Thunderbird ... Sale Pending...
1969 Fairlane Cobra ... 428 CJ, 4 speed
1993 F150 Lightning ... Black.. #249 of 5276


[This message has been edited by TurboCoupe50 (edited 10-24-2005).]
1988 Turbo Coupe331 AOD

1972 Comet GT

1969 Fairlane Cobra 428CJ 4-Speed
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Import Killer Offline
Senior Member
#7
A TC that was taken care of can last a long time. The engine, at least 200K and the transmission (5 speed) and turbo should last longer than that. My car had 210,000 before a valve bent, but it ran great before that. Now I have a new motor with the original trans and turbo.

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1987 Turbocoupe, painted sonic blue pearl, ground effects, S351 wing, 5-speed, all options besides leather and moonroof, rebuilt motor summer 2005, 17x9 Chrome Detroit Cobra Rs w/ 255/45/ZR17 Kumho Ecsta Supra 712s, KYB suspension, MOMO shift knob and boot, K&N cone air filter, Gillis boost controller, A237 roller cam, dynomax super turbo exhaust, high flow cat, brute force clutch, tinted windows, white faced indiglo gauges, 2 12" Rockford Fosgate subs and RF amp, Sony XPlod and Pioneer speakers, Pioneer CD player, aftermarket foglights.
Coming soon...T3, FMIC, and BOV.
1987 Turbocoupe
Painted sonic blue pearl
Ground effects w/S351 wing
17x9 Chrome Cobra Rs
255/45/ZR17 Kumho 712s
KYB suspension
MOMO shift knob and boot
K&N cone air filter, Gillis boost valve, T-3 turbo, ported intake and E6, A237 roller cam, MSD coil, Kirban FPR
Full 3" exhuast w/Ultra Flo muffler
Brute force clutch
White faced indiglo gauges
2 12" Rockford Fosgate subs and amp
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Kev Offline
Posting Freak
#8
To answer a couple of your questions, these cars are very comfortable to drive and with the programmable ride control switched to firm, they handle exceptionally well. Wider better tires on wider rims help, but are not necessary for confidence in road racing.
To get into the 14's should cost around $300-$500. It really depends on who you know, and since you now know us, chances are that you will learn the easy cheap mods and do them first. If you know an exhaust guy, then your exhaust shouldn't cost you too much money. Boost conrollers are around $50 or so and most of the guys here use the Gillis from the vendors page. This allows you to turn up the boost and make it fully available in all gears all the time. Stick a K&N on the end of the VAM to let the car breathe easier with that new exhaust and boost controller, and you should be in or very close to 14s. I'd top these mods off (or maybe even before the new stuff) with a new high output fuel pump to make sure you don't blow it all up.

Fuel pump $100
K&N ~ $75
Gillis Valve $50
Exhaust ~ $250

Into the 14's $475

This is all guess work from putting my own car together so don't hold me to the prices, and I know my exhaust guy. Also, when you turn up the boost be sure to only use premium at the pumps to guard against detonation, so that's a little more money that you will be spending. Some guys will tell you that you need a bigger turbo, and even though the bigger turbo is a good modification that will definitely make your car faster, you don't need it for the 14's like you asked about. Check out the top 25 TC list to see for yourself. One member, Reeve, is into the 13's with the stock IHI.
Stick around and learn, do searches for questions and read, read, and read some more. The amount of knowledge here is practically endless. Good luck and have fun!

Kev
Kev
1988 TC 5spd
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jmthunderbirdturbo Offline
Posting Freak
#9
see "free TC again, an 86 this time" post, come and get it!

moller

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1987 5.0 sport coupe-msd ignition blaster coil, 1 7/8 heddmen headers, K&N cold air intake, new AOD, custom shifter, and PONY wheels.
1987 tc, goldie, mods: mandrel bent downpipe to cat with turn down, gillis valve, 155 lph pump, kirban afpr, 100 psi fuel guage, handmade pvc cold air intake, optima. 15.457 @89.22(special thanks to turbocoupeturbo)(firedoctor)
1988 mazda truck, 431000 mi.
Buisness partner in Aerobird Motorsports.
WATCH OUT FOR MOTORCYCLES!!!
APRIL 2018 - LOOKING FOR A NEW CAR. PM me if you have an 87-88 roller or cheap TF for sale.
1988 TC 5MT-Blue/Blue check-off car. resto-project.
2006 Honda Odyssey 5AT, baby-mobile.
2013 F-150, 5.0, 6AT, 4x4, snow white paint.
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Walsted Offline
Posting Freak
#10
Quote:Originally posted by TurboCoupe50:
So all these screwed up TCs that are being posted about, came from Turbo Ford or somewhere else?? [Image: biggrin.gif]


I'm not thinking the ones from people here would not need repaired, but would be more likely to have needed repairs in the past done correctly with the right parts. Of course, it isn't always true that the repairs were done right if it is a board members car, but I think it increases the odds.

I do know that a few folks here do use non-standard parts, and one or two don't even get the right LONG BLOCK in their car when they need it replaced. [Image: biggrin.gif] [Image: biggrin.gif] [Image: biggrin.gif]

(Sorry, had to go there. Couldn't help it. It is my day off, and I just got back from here with a case of this .)

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Mike Walsted - NATO member
1986 5-speed TurboCoupe with a few upgrades.
Mike Walsted - Sold my 1986 5-speed TurboCoupe
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