Hello. I'm looking to buy a 1996 850 with a low pressure turbo. I hear the turbos are expensive to repair.Can someone give me a few hints when looking at a used vehicle to tell if the turbo is about to go ? (eg. remove an air intake hose and look for oil- which hose? etc. Any help is greatly appreciated.

In my opinion, a low pressure turbo would be as reliable as a high pressure turbo. Same maintenance, issues, etc. just LESS power. Since the high pressure turbo is just a little more $$, you might as well get that one. To check the turbo, just remove the intake tube and check the shaft for any play. (All you need is a srewdriver)

The low prressure turbo was introduced in the U.S. market in
model year 97. A 97 would probably be a tad more reliable then a
96, too.

As far as the turbo goes, it is one of the more reliable parts of
the car. The transmission, air conditioning and electrical systems
are areas to be concerned with. Turbo problems are rare and I would
not worry about it unless it is a very high milage car.

Oil on the intake tubes is normal (the intercooler even has a hole in the
bottom for accumulated oil to blow out).

You can type in:

recommend 850

in the search field (below) and you should find a lot of posts with
clues as to what to look out for.

Ray, thanks a bunch for your help. It's people like you that make this board so great. Take care... Eddie