What is the cheapest turbo I SHOULD buy?

[1Bad67]

I have seen the $90 ebay ones, and the $1,000 + brand name ones, but how much do I need to spend to get a reliable daily driver turbo? I want to do a blow thru single with EFI.
Thanks for any help.
Eric

[gnvair]

Spend the money and purchase from a reputable place such as Precision Turbo or Limit Engineering Or Turbonetics.
The determining factor is customer service and having them assist in proper sizing for your application. A nice warranty also doesnt hurt. The cheapies on Ebay are made in China and are good for mock up purposes only. That is what I used for the mock up on my own car. The new turbo will be a ball bearing unit from Precision.

[miniman82]

Bottom line: expect to pay some good cash for a modern turbo, if you have a high quality one built to match your needs. Buying one off Evilbay is taking a shot in the dark, there are no promises it will last or even work. Many are misadvertized, many more are worthless Chinese junk. I do Rajay turbos for draw through systems tailored to any specific need for $500 outright, and I'm the only one who will do it at that price point. If you need a modern turbo but don't want to pay the $1k price tag, there are people like Shag on shoptalkforums, or Marty Staggs (http://www.m-specmotorsports.com/).

As to your original question if you're talking about a regular journal bearing turbo built to your specs, budget $500-$800.

[splyder64]

Turbo Guy - how do we see what you can offer. Can I e-mail you?

[miniman82]

I have a post in the parts for sale section, or you can send me a PM.