81-83 280zx N/A vs Turbo drivability

[red_dog007]

So I am in the market. Currently primarily interested in getting an 81-83 280zx 2+2 manual.

I was thinking turbo, because you know, its turbocharged!

But I want one in good enough condition off the bat to be a daily driver. Then improve it and make it "newer" as I have time and money.

Talking to some friends they said I should get an N/A because of these reasons

1.) Older turbo's have significant more lag and effectively "kick in" at a given RPM.

2.) When you leave a destination you need to idle to let the turbo warm up

3.) When you arrive at a destination you need to idle to let the turbo cool down

Of which one could end up finding annoying to do for a DD.

Would it really make a difference?

The N/A seems to actually be pretty slow. I don't need fast, but I don't really want slower then my granny car. If N/A can make reasonable speed with a little work though, I'm all for that.

Just looking for input on the differences between the two for daily driver drivability.

[Virto]

Both of them are pretty slow, but I would prefer the non-turbo model just for simplicities sake.

I'm sure what peak output from the turbocharger is or at what RPM on a ZX, but it probably has little effect until 3000RPM or so. That's no different than a modern turbocharged car like a WRX. Small turbos spool faster, like you see in a lot of overseas TDIs and such, but produce less power. I'd assume the ZX has a balance of power and spooling speed.

You don't really have to "warm up" a turbo. If you're the kind of person that starts a car and instantly starts driving at 4500 or more RPM, maybe there's some oil-flow issue that you could run into, but if you're not beating on the car, it shouldn't be an issue.

The same is mostly true about turbo cooldown. What you're really doing is letting the oil drain out of the turbo so it doesn't set up. If you drive the car hard, idling for 2 minutes when you arrive should be more than enough. If you're super paranoid, you can install a turbo timer to idle the car for a set period after you park and remove the key.

You should really focus on finding a car with the best possible body / lack of rust - it's a bigger pain to deal with than say, sourcing and installing or rebuilding a motor.

[red_dog007]

Well, I have my eyes out for a 82/83 280zx Turbo w/ Manual.

Im just going to go down the turbo route. It seems to barely be faster then my current ride. Going to keep out for something nice. I have found two online but ALMOST there. One is an automatic and the other is just a two seater.

I could compromise on getting an automatic and swap it with a manual, but the wife would really discourage that and I might pay more going down that route instead of just waiting for the "perfect" one to come a long.