Buying a vl calias

[wagonb0y]

Hey guy's, at the moment i have a VN wagon wich is up for sale so i can get my dream car a vl calias turbo,
Ive been hunting around and in 3 months im going to have 9 grand to spend on one, idealy im after a old person's car with no modification done, but there's a problem cause they all seem to have stuff done to them and only one's i have found with nothing done are auto's where as i want a mnaual,
my first question is, would it work out cheaper to buy a auto and convert to manual?
second,im after the old school sort of look with a bit of power, my first thing are the usual ones exhaust extractor's, but our family friend does head shaving ect would that give a bit more power and wuld i notice it?

thanks for the help guys and i have tried searching befor i posted this but i didnt find anything,thanks

 

[bangers]

a bloke around my area bough a vl turbo manual for $5000. wasn't calais but was an old ladies in mint condition. keep your eyes and ears open.

you can't put extractors on a turbo. and i wouldn't shave the head of a turbo either.

 

[wagonb0y]

ohk i would prob be better of going on a hunt and getting a factory manual,
ohk is there any reason for that?
im thinking i might just get used to driving a turbo first as i have a vn at the moment and i dont wana do work to it if i dont feel very confident driving it, so prob be better of driving it around and getting some rims and a cd player and leave it at that for a while,

also is it true putting an intercooler on gives more power?

 

[ucwepn]

Hi, Factory turbo calais' are very very very rare. to find such a car is one thing but to find an unmolested example is something else entirely and could take years. Autos are better for turbo's than manuals (by that I mean easier to drive and to come on boost). A manual can drop off bosst easily if in the wrong gear etc, but with an auto you just plant it and its off. You can get custom Hi mount manifolds which have tuned length runners kind of like extractors. Yes intercooling will give more power in 2 ways, 1st way is that it cools the charge air down before it enters the intake therefore making the air denser (cool air is dense) and making more power, 2nd way is that by cooling the charge air you can run more boost more safely therefore making more power.

Hope this helps.

 

[wagonb0y]

ohk, thanks for that, so when i go on trading post or car sales and type in vl calais and a list comes up, would that just be vl turbo's not calai's? to be honest i dont care if it is a calais or not aslong as it is a vl and turbo,
I never thought about that either with auto/manual with boost, atleaste with auto ya know it will be done right...

 

[bangers]

your best bet will be to get a vl turbo. later if you want put a calais front on. you can always change it to a manual later too if you want. get used to the vehicle with its handling and power before you increase the power.

 

[rb26dett]

A Berlina might be a good compromise.

 

[ucwepn]

even an exec can be increased in creature comforts, my car is basically a berlina now with vh sl/e seats. I have done heaps to my car in the last 12 months of owning it that its really such a different car now I can't believe it sometimes.

 

[wagonb0y]

ucwepn-
Have you got any pics of your car and is your car turbo?

So berlina's and calais came out turbo?

 

[rb26dett]

Get a BT1

Calais inside, exec outside.

Only problem is that a decent BT1 is still bringing good money.