Purchasing Nissan 240sx *Need Advice*

[BRourke]

Ive been wanting a Nissan 240sx for a really long time now and I finally have some money to to purchase one. I have found one on craigslist and I was hoping for some members on the forum to take a look at the post and tell me what you think and if its worth it. It will definitely be a project car but I want to know if its to difficult of a project for someone new to 240's.



1990 nissan 240sx
5spd
Silver
80%plus tread on all four tires
Pretty much bone stock
190xxxxx
Power options


Cons: clutch is starting to slip
Aircare expired
Paint has chips here and there as well as minor bumps.
Typical hatch rust and a little on the rocker panels
Price is $2000 obo

Reason for selling is because i have too many cars
And have no time for this one.

Car runs great and only thing needs work will
be clutch in next 15000km
Speedo is on/off some times.
Oil gauge is funky sometimes

Thank!
BRourke

[PapaSmurf2k3]

what the heck is aircare? Emissions?

I'd go take a look at it. Depending on how bad the rust is, and how well everything else is, I'd say between 1200 and 2 grand.

[blkvrtswp]

"Speedo is on/off sometimes" = this is code for "it has more miles than the odometer says".

Rusty, stock, dinged up 200k+ mile car that needs a clutch. My personal max would be $1000.

What do you want to do as a project? 'Cause engine / trans work and interior work are nothing compared to body work and painting. I'd rather have a non-running rust free car to start with.

Good luck with your search!

[mechanicalmoron]

It sounds like it needs everything. Won't be a looker, and may have other mechanical problems, with what's described.

Maybe it will wheeze around for another hundred thousand miles, before you have to rip everything out. But that price still sounds high, personally. I'd say go drive it with thousand dollars in your pocket, and bargan from that. Beyond that, you have to think how much the motor is worth (I'll do my clutch when I have a chance, but it's still holding, if not super grabby... and I have 210k, with some hard driving and being a kid car with at least three owners - so what the hell has been done to that one, and how's the motor itself going to be doing?), and how much the beat up rusty shell is worth. Overall, probably comes to less than a thousand, though being in one piece is obviously a big point.

[BRourke]

I texted the seller and he sent me some photos, this is what it looks like:

[PapaSmurf2k3]

That actually doesn't look bad, but I wonder what's up with the body behind the driver's side rear wheel.

191 kilometers is only 118ish thousand miles. Not bad.

[BRourke]

That actually doesn't look bad, but I wonder what's up with the body behind the driver's side rear wheel.

Yeah I asked him and he said the previous owner hit a garbage can, not sure if I believe him. Any ideas how to get that dent out?

[PapaSmurf2k3]

It might be able to get pulled out with a plunger or something. Tough to tell without looking/trying things.

[mechanicalmoron]

Well hey, it sort of IS a looker.

Won't be when you have to pull that wing off, though.

like half of 240's have that dent (I'm lucky, I get one on each side). It doesn't look like a trash can to me though, at all. When you back into things, the problem is generally going to be BEHIND the car, you know....

[BRourke]

Well hey, it sort of IS a looker.

Won't be when you have to pull that wing off, though.

like half of 240's have that dent (I'm lucky, I get one on each side). It doesn't look like a trash can to me though, at all. When you back into things, the problem is generally going to be BEHIND the car, you know....

Have you pulled your dents out?

[blkvrtswp]

191 kilometers is only 118ish thousand miles. Not bad.

Did I miss something? 191k MILES plus the speedo goes on and off = over 200 thousand miles.

Also the pics do not show rocker panel rust, and where there is rocker panel rust there is usually front frame rot. Get him to take a pic of the front inside frame rail just below the firewall on both sides.

Otherwise not bad if it runs and drives.

[krash]

The gauge cluster is in KM for some reason.

[PapaSmurf2k3]

[BRourke]

reppin canada eh!

[mechanicalmoron]

But does having a canadian cluster make the odo in km, instead of miles? it's not marked. Changing the markings just means printing a different pattern, changing the odo requires differences in the actual mechanism.

If so, it's a muuuuuch better deal, obviously (though I would wonder how they killed the clutch in ONLY half as far as it should go).

And no, I have not pulled my dents out, but a lot of 240's have them there. I think it's a sort of floppy panel, I actually put a small dent in front of the wheel, just sitting on the ground leaning back against the car. I've been putting off doing anything about dents, some day I'll go on a body rampage.

[asoomal]

Yes it's KM.

Where in the lower mainland are you from?

[BRourke]

Abbotsford

[PapaSmurf2k3]

changing the odo requires differences in the actual mechanism.

yeah.
You know, the US is one of the only countries that uses "miles" instead of km.
Metric system rules.

[blkvrtswp]

In Grandpa Simpson voice: "The Metric system is the tool of the Devil!"

Yah, much better in KMs! Changes the value higher for sure, but I would still want to see the rocker rust and frame condition.

GL!

[BRourke]

So I'm going to take a look at the car this weekend, what things should I be looking for? things I should watch out for? things if I see I should walk away from buying it. a detailed description would be so helpful! Thanks

[PapaSmurf2k3]

Mainly keep an eye out for rust.

Have him start it while you stand behind the car to check for blue smoke coming out of the exhaust

[BRourke]

Mainly keep an eye out for rust.

Have him start it while you stand behind the car to check for blue smoke coming out of the exhaust

what does it mean if there's blue smoke?

[mechanicalmoron]

what does it mean if there's blue smoke?

It means it's consuming oil, in the case of cold starting, because of bad valve stem seals. Your oil goes faster than it should, and will probably get dirtier faster, and all that kind of thing.

On that note, you could ask to do a compression test, too. If you don't know someone with one, a compression testor costs about 25 dollars, and is nice to have. Might be as especially good idea, given the failing clutch.

[blkvrtswp]

Turn the front wheels all the way to each side, and look behind them under the front frame on the inside right below the firewall for rot. Rot here is really bad, there are ways to fix it but unless you can weld it yourself it is going to cost you $500-$1000 to fix right.

[BRourke]

Thanks for all the help, went to look at it last weekend and it was super rusty and abused so I didnt buy it.