I am looking at a 83 242 turbo thats for sale. It has problems with the exhaust manifold studs, some are broken and some have been replaced. Not being familiar with these any input of advise about these items. why would they break? Is that a symptom of a bigger problem??

If one or more of the exhaust manifold studs are broken, include the cost of R&Ring the head and having a machine shop extract/replace broken studs in deciding what to pay for this car. I've seen these things weld themselves to the head and when this happens this is about the only way to get them out.

OTOH, if the price of the car* is adjusted for this cost, then it's no reason to nix the deal. On a car this old, you'd probably want to do a valve job anyway. When you reassemble the exhaust manifold/turbo unit, use lots of high-temp anti-seize compound and don't exceed the factory torque specs for these studs. Re-torque every 10K.

* labor time for R&Ring the exhaust manifold is more than for most cars because the turbocharger is removed with the manifold.

Time is money, but if the job is done right with the right studs, you will be good for a long time. It IS a pain in the ass. And if you do them all, go up one size to the next SAE size (or even 10mm but you may need to open the manifold holes up)

You may need cobalt drill bits, diamond bits,taps, right angle drills and/or airtools and a little luck and you'll get a sore back and a good sense of accomplishment.

If you are not afraid of the work (or contracting the work out), you can make a sweet car. My replacement studs are 3+ years old and still fine.

Yes, it can be quite a problem. Often, you get a hack mechanic replacing a turbo and just dispensing with the turbo support bracket or one or both catalytic converter supports because the owner will never notice them gone and they are time consuming to remount. Or overtightening due to chronic loose manifold nuts results in breakage. It just gets worse and worse, sort of a domino effect, and the cure can be as bad as removing the head to re-weld and re-tap all threaded holes. Watch out for that scenario in any turbo. I had to pull the head on one of mine, I got so fed up with the condition.