I know this has been beaten to death but trying to make up my mind and figured this thread will do it with the help of your experience.

I am in the market for an 01 or 02 Turbo and struggling with the decision to chase after the X50 or not to bother. I have been read that while the X50 has more topend power but does suffer a bit from trubo lag due to the larger K24's. I do plan on a reprogram and exhaust so the X50 package is basically giving me the bigger turbos, intercoolers and beefed up tranny with some added power which intrigues me, not to mention added long term value. While the price is right for the X50 now for a 02, trying to find one is a *****. I do not plan on any turbo work or anything further than the computer and exhuast - well not counting suspension.

The question remains should I bother? I have found a great 01 with 5000 or so miles that is imaculate with most of the options i am looking for at a great price - however I still have the X50 tatooed to my brain.

Can someone clear this up for me once and for all. By the way, I mostlikely will be purchasing the car if that helps in the decision making.

 

I hate... No wait, I really hate the K24. Too laggy.... New I would never have spent the money but I guess it the difference is 3k then it's probably worth it for the intercoolers and beefed tranny.

 

Absolutely get the X50. No one is going to get much money for it so it's almost free. I'd search around for one. IMHO.

BUT - an '01 with 5000 miles should be around $70K - if it's less than that, I'd take it

 

A non x50 turbo (k16 turbo chargers) will still give you about 500-510bhp and 530-540tq (to the engine). You can get to that with just an intake, exhaust, and chip. That will cost you somewhere in the neighborhood of $2000-6000 (depending on which chip maker you go with and what exhaust you get - new vs used makes a huge difference). The stock tranny will easily hold that power.

You can always add the K24 turbos (or even some hybrid ones) later and still save a load of money.

The only reason I would get the x50 would be if I wanted the extra power and wanted a warranty on that power. However, an '01 is about to lose its warranty, so you might as well do the upgrades yourself for a lot cheaper pricetag.

 

Get the stock Turbo...skip the X50.

 

X50 hands down. Just as you said beefed up tranny larger intercoolers and different turbos. Most important is the car is under warranty.

 

Nader,

When I acquired my x50, I was confident that I would only do a program and exhaust -- no way would I change the turbos. 500 hp sounded absolutely ridiculous and I was positive that I would never want more.

Well . . . the power is addictive and, what was initially a stupid amount of power quickly becomes wholly insufficient. Fast forward to the present day and all I have left from my x50 package are the intercoolers and beefed up tranny (turbos, exhaust and programming have been upgraded). The GT2 intercoolers cost approximately $1000, which obviously does not justify the additional cost of an x50. On the other hand, I am very glad I have the beefed up tranny.

As others have observed, if the delta is a mere $3k, I would get the x50. If the delta is over $5k, think long and hard about whether you really are going to stop after the program and exhaust. If there is any possibility that you might swap the turbos, the only remaining value of the x50 package is the $1000 intercooler upgrade and the beefed up tranny. The value of a beefed up tranny is very subjective, but probably not more than a few thousand.

Good luck,

Craig

 

I haven't seen ANY 2001's with that kind of mileage for that cheap. The only ones I've seen that cheap usually have at least 30k on the clock.

 

This is as far from the truth as possible, you will never find an 01 with 5K for 70K unless it's missing an engine or has a salvaged title. That's the price for a 993TT not a 996TT, get real now.
You can find some nice 01 996TT for 75K or so with 15-20K, you get what you pay for at 70K, crap!!!

Spend the extra $$ and get an 02 either X50 or not as there not that much more and the warranty is still intact. 02's can be had for low to mid 80's in good shape.

 

I also had a similar bug for an x-50. It just sounded so appealing. for me, I bought a non x-50 and while others have voiced concerns regarding existing power on both models i have found the power is plenty for me as i am not into drag racing and my skills as a driver don't really warrant the extra power. I have had nearly 18 mos of troublefree driving and fun. I did do an exhaust and pss-9 coilovers. as you can probably tell we all seem to have different needs and wants. If you are really having a hard time deciding some seat time in each should help. good luck with your purchase

 

As far as the Tip is concerned I've yet to hear/learn what exactly the "beefed" up tranny consists of. I've hear a lot of BS but no hard facts. I know the drill on the 6speed but I think there's no difference on the tip

 

X50

 

If you are correct, Porsche has perpetrated a large scale consumer fraud:

http://www3.us.porsche.com/english/u...2/leistung.htm

"The basic designs of the manual and automatic gearboxes have both been reinforced."

I tend to believe that Porsche has not defrauded every purchaser of x50 Tips, but rather, the x50 Tip is "reinforced" just as advertised and represented by Porsche. Given that very few people have ever poked their heads inside a Tip, its not surprising that we are not aware of what reinforcements were made.

Craig

 

I guess we'll find out real soon Craig