My mechanic's old bud wants a Suby 2.5L Turbo engine. Where can he look for one?

Assume 30-50k miles that can be verified. Also, is the tranny good, or can he mount what he likes? It would go in a Porsche. We decide later on that. I am voting for 914.

1. What kind of money are we talking about without a tranny, with a Suby tranny?

2. Anyone know of a wholesaler in Central CA? Anywhere in CA?

3. We assume WRX heritage, right?

4. Are there certain years that are best?

Collectively, we all know nothing about Suby turbo 4 motors, other than they are waterboxers.

Thanks!

John

Try www.car-part.com (do the "non-interchange" search to do multiple years) to search the inventory of car parts recyclers by region or zip code, but keep in mind that those prices are all highly negotiable. There are also a couple of importers of Japanese domestic market engines in Sacramento and the Bay Area. I don't remember names but they should be easy to find. Be a little careful of JDM stuff, there are a lot of differences between components, especially electrical, with the U.S. stuff. You can always do a quick check of prices on e-bay, but that place is clogged with retail "buy it now" people with really high prices. Real selling prices are a lot lower than the asking prices there, so search for "completed listings" for a better idea. I'd generally recommend anyone local over e-bay, partly to be able to look it over, but also because of the JDM differences. I got an exceptional deal on mine through Craigslist.

For Subaru into 914 background I'd suggest the conversion threads on this site, no more pertinent information than what's here. Some other good info in the Conversion Perversions section in Shoptalkforums.com For general Subaru information try NASIOC.com. Every level of expertise there, from clueless teenagers to the real Suba-gurus.

I got JDM 2.0 with trans off eBay for $1300 shipped. I sold the trans for $1500. A 2.0 is a good option to. The torque is I little less than a 2.5 it will be plenty is easier on the 914 trans. I will probably go to a 6 speed STi trans eventually.

I would guess that you're looking at at least $4-5k for a 2.5 unless you find a really good deal. Craigslist is a good place to look too. Don't forget that you need all the conversion parts that can get pricey and you need to figure out what ecu you will be using.

The motors came in wrx, forester legacy and baja in the united states. The '02-'05wrx were 2.0 everything else was 2.5, all STi's were 2.5. Japanese motors generally make more HP but i'm not going to get into that here.

Hi, probably best to find locally if you can...how ever if you can not...my good friend here in Japan exports cars and engines and all kinds of JDM (Japanese domestic market) stuff for a living and has some good prices...he could probably help you find a nice good JDM turbo engine and maybe gearbox that I think has like 280 HP or so and ship to you...if you are interested PM me and I can set you up with his email. Let me know

Cheers

The EJ25 turbo motors also came in the Outback XT between 2005 and 2009.

Which company on ebay did you use? There are many, and some don't have a good rep.

-- brett

Thanks, everyone!

I had no idea that the 2.5 turbo came in so many models besides the WRX.

He wants a 2.5L, so a strengthened 901 with that spacer plate would probably be appropriate, if he wants to use a Porsche tranny.

I will search the suby/914 threads here.

I think we will try domestic first, but thanks on the JDM offer!

Best regards,

John

Legacy wagon/legacy outback were about the same thing but the main difference was that the outback had a lift and bigger tires. Don't get it confused with the outback sport which looked like a WRX but didn't have the good motor.

You want a weird one? How about the Saab 9-2x. It was a joint Saab(GM) and Subaru project. It was a WRX with leather and different headlights. When GM drove Saab completely into the toilet, they could be bought new for less than a WRX with leather and a better warranty.