found the problem, need a solution Options

[TSiwrx]

the white smoke was what i though originally. my turbo is bad. it smokes terribly all the time now. here are my possible solutions:
1.) drive it w/ the bad turbo till it finally dies completely and literally smoke everyone around me on the road.
2.) get my turbo rebuilt and spent another who knows how much on that.
3.) marcus at slo pny said it would be cheaper to get a 16g. my question on this is how much is a good used/ new 16g and what will i have to accomodate the bigger turbo. i already have a 255 fuel pump, but what about a new intercooler and pipes? injectors? fuel management?
4.) i have a place that i can get a garrett T3 ball bearing turbo new for around $250. how much different is this turbo as opposed to the 14b? what would i have to do to accomodate this one?
5.) i have sitting here a mitsubishi 12a turbocharger that is rebuilt and is originally from a starion. i understand that IF this would fit, it would be a loss in power, but could get me through till i have enough money to afford something else. does anyone know if the 12a will fit or not?

any and all advice is appreciated. thanks a lot.

[KOU In3]

The cheapest solution, IMHO, is to find a decent used 14b from a credible source for ~100-150. Not the route I would go personally. I'd take the chance to upgrade and turn my broken part into a good thing.

But from what you're saying though about your circumstances, a good used 14B will be your best bet. I'd try to preserve the turbo a bit while you're looking by turning the boost down and trying to stay out of boost.

If you can get it rebuilt for close to the $150 then that will be a better bet budget wise as 100K mile turbos will go out eventually. If you need a loaner to rebuild and avoid downtime, you are welcome to 'borrow' one of my blown 14B's to have rebuilt and replace it with your broken one if you like.

Don't bother with the other turbos you mentioned, you'll spend more time and money trying to get them to fit than you would on a 16G (which you can run on your stock injectors and IC on low boost).