I am in the market for a 2002 Turbo and deciding whether the X50 optioned car is worthwhile from a performance standpoint and long term value. Should I wait to find and X50 specifically or just wait to find the right car?

Comments and experiences would be appreciated.

Also what other options should I be looking for?

 

Many threads on this....suggest a search here and Rennlist.....If resale is important (ie. the next owner after you) then X50 may be the route if you can find a good price. Otherwise, if your ownership, your fun, and some mods are higher on the list, take the X50 qualifier out of there and just look for the car.
Very easy to take the car & this engine to 550 or better whether it's an X50 or not, with few or no compromises. If 'personalizing' a car (w/mods) is enjoyable for you, a used Turbo is a heck of a value (IMHO)........if not, just buy the car & enjoy.

 

If you are worrying about resale, you might want to look at a 993. There are a couple of excellent cars currently for sale in the ForSale section.

Like Gregg said - this has be covered a lot. If you plan on modding - and throwing money in a hole - get a stock TT. If you want performance, better resale potential (not necessarily more money, just easier to sell), and don't plan to mod - get an X50, You should be able to get a great car for ~$85K.

Good luck

 

I don't understand maybe some of you can explain..

If you want resale and don't want to mod get an X50, but if you want to mod get a regular TT?

Doesn't the X50 come with larger turbo's and larger intercoolers? Isn't this the route you want to take when modding anyways?

Am I missing something?

 

What a lot of X50 folks did was pull the K-24s (whick is really what most of the upgrade consisted of) and put in zero clearance ball bearing turbos. Hence, why bother with the X50. The cost of the X50 was much more than new turbos and intercoolers.

The issue for me was always warranty - which I never had to use so I should have gone nuts

 

The bottom line is if you plan to do minor mods then the X50 is good to go. If you are going for larger power gains then most of the X50 gear is replaced with aftermarket products anyway and ends up being a waste of money, (not that most of this stuff isn't ). For the extra cost associated with the X50 option you could do a ton of aftermarket upgrades and end up with a faster car ... your warranty is pretty much trashed though.

 

Well then if the X50 has GT2 turbo's and intercoolers, then going with the ECU, header, intake, exhaust upgrade route would net close to 600bhp right?

 

Yes, + diverter valves & re-adjusted waste gauges

 

Merci Pierre. That's good to know. At least now I've planned the route, now all that's left is to find the ride.

 

Thsnks for the responses. I plan on doing some simple bolt on mods, exhaust, chip, suspension... What are the performance differences of a stock Trubo with the same upgrades as opposed to an x50? Can someone quantify?

 

The X50 Power Kit includes the following upgrades:

1. K24 turbos (as opposed to K16s)
2. Larger intercoolers (GT2 intercoolers)
3. Slightly different exhaust
4. More agressive programming (.1 bar more boost)
5. Strengthened transmission

I purchased the X50 because: (1) I initially didn't plan on changing the turbos, (2) I wanted the strengthened transmission, and (3) I received a substantial discount on the $18k charge for the package.

I subsequently replaced the exhaust, turbos and programming, such that all I have left from the X50 package is the strengthened transmission and the GT2 intercollers. GT2 intercoolers are approx $1000. Therefore, I paid approx $8k for a strenegthened transmission. Although I am glad I have the strengthened transmission, I wouldn't have purchased an X50 if I had known that I would ultimately replace the turbos.

If you can purchase an used X50 for not much more than a non-X50 (e.g., $5k or less), I would go for it, regardless of your mod plans, in order to get GT2 intercolers, strengthened transmission and better resale. If you do not plan on changing the turbos, the X50 becomes even more attractive. If you don't plan any mods, the X50 becaomes even more desirable. That being said, beware that power corrupts and you may end up modding your car far more than you currently anticipate.

Craig

 

Having owned both a regular and X50 TT, the X50 is worth it especially since you are buying used (option price of X50 of 18K USD is not really worth it though if buying new)

 

prego...

Greco..I am Italian