I am looking to buy a 2009-2010 SS. This is the first turbocharged engine I will own. What if anything do I look for in a used turbocharged engine? What would be some telltale signs of abuse?

thanks
Z

 

Bald front tires?

 

That would be the dead give away. I would look for one with crappy tires, the oem Michelin's, and no mods, with low miles. All those things would indicate the first owner drove it like grandma.

 

I was able to get the carfax showing one prior owner only for mine, no issues reported. Mine is higher miles, so I had different tires than Michelins. It was tough for me to decide too. I didn't know what to expect from a turbo.

 

1. Check to see if the owner had the power uprade kit installed. If it wasn't done recently it may be the old kit where the wiring had to be cut to install the new sensor connectors. You may eventually have issues with those connections if that is the case. Newer kits have plug in pigtail adapters so no cutting/splicing into the harness is needed.
2. 2010's have more items standard vs. options on the 2009. The RPD, the premium stereo for instance.
3. If it's a 5spd with the Brembo/LSD option, you'll get better power to the road.
4. Don't worry about the turbo, it works really well and gives you power that you can really feel. It was the first car I owned also, but turbos are not new they have been around many years. They add a big degree of fun to the ride. Passing is not an option, it is a necessity!

 

mine was a single owner, and i still have tread on original tires at 42,000 miles. and thats with me playing with it for 5,000-6,000 miles. i think if you look for a single owner and no mods, you should be in good shape. finding the factory tires is a good way to tell if it was abused IMO

 

I agree with you. Mines at 40.5K now with the original tires. They have been rotated 3 times and still look good. I've only used the launch control feature about 5 times and that controls wheel spin pretty good, but the first 10 feet or so is leaving two stripes of the tire on the road which is why I'm not doing that very often after I "made sure it works" ! I just have the GM power upgrade. I've got my connections soldered. If I ever have a problem with them again, I will get the harness replaced and the plug adapters installed and maybe a new charge pipe to get the wiring completely out of the A/C compressor interference area. When I rotate my tires this Friday, I plan on inspecting that lower sensor cable to make sure there is no chafing going on.

 

I always look at tires, pedals, etc. Mods are an indicator. How about the turbo, oil, noise, etc? What would I look for in sound, and by eye, leaks etc.
I appreciate any information.

thanks
Z

 

If your still looking and want to travel to East TN, I'm selling my '10 SS, Victory Red, Black interior, I bought new. Only has almost 13,000 miles. NEVER abused, all stock, still has warranty til 36,000 miles or Feb 2014. It's an auto, has sunroof, Pioneer premier (7 speaker) stereo. In awesome condition. All I've done is change the oil and rotate tires.
I'll have it listed with some pics sometime this week. Let me know if your interested. I'm near Knoxville, TN.

 

I just purchased a 2008 SS almost 3 weeks ago with 48k miles. It has the GMTU already on it, and the tires have already been replaced. However, the tires are fairly new as they still have the little rubber nips on the edges. I crawled underneath the vehicle and did not notice any type of other modifications, IE: exhaust, downpipe, etc. Still has an OEM air filter and I found the last maintenance record in the glove box. Same dealer as the one I purchased it from. Which coincidentally is the same dealer when it was purchased new.

I could not determine at all if anything was replaced with performance upgrades. None of the bolts looked disturbed.

I did find that it still had the original sway bar end links (rattle over small bumps), which I replaced with Moog parts.

Also, since I used to work on cars for a living, I know what to look for in a modified vehicle. As I have modded several myself. So it made the choice very easy for me to go ahead with the purchase.