If I answer your question I will probably open up a can of worms because I know that other people will have different opinions so just to be clear, this is my opinion based on my personal experience and not scientific fact based on years of research on thousands of cars.
Although the na and turbo engines share the same basic block, they are different from then on. You can fit the turbos but you will risk damage to the engine.
If you want to go down the turbo route, you are better of buying a used turbo engine and fitting that.
As for the transmission. They did make modifications to later ones but there are plenty of the early ones still running perfectly. A lot of the problems are found when people drive their cars hard from stop light to stop light. This puts a heavy load on the transmission and transfer box. The same problems are also found in the newer transmissions when people modify the engines for more power.
If you really want to go down the turbo route it will cost you thousands if you buy all the parts separately, especially if you want good quality parts. The cheapest way to do it is to just buy a turbo car with bad shell and swap the parts over.
I am completely with Johan on this one. Modification of these cars only leads to problems. They are sports touring cars and not racing cars. If you maintain them properly, drive them sensibly and do not modify them, they will last forever.
Thats my personal opinion but it would be good to hear from others who disagree with Johan or me.
Please could replies be based on personal experience and not something that you read on facebook or in a forum.
3 Likes