Engine/Trans:
As with any car, check for normal wear and tear an low miles to the motor. I'd say the average vert has around 110k on it. 240sx Convertibles were only made in Automatic transmission. So if you you dont like Driving stick or have no interest in learning it then this shouldnt be a problem. However, if you do like MT and you find a 240sx convertible with an MT swap for cheap then go for it. Many people do these swaps to thier verts. The majority of the owners on this site have done the swap themselves as well. If you find a factory MT 240sx convertible it could be one of two things.
1. The owner is lying
2. You're in dream land
I say this because I belive only 6 convertibles were made in MT for dealers?
and if the seller is lying then i would reconsider all toghether.

Timing chains
The timing chains on most 240sx's ratte on the gaurd. This sound can create a sound that sounds like un problemo grande. All you have to do is remove the chain guard and the sound is gone. Cleaning up the tensioner is also reccomended while you are at this stage. a thread on this topic:

http://forums.nicoclub.com/zerothread?id=104485

Body/Exterior:
For the most part, you will find these cars in good body condition. It's no soccer mom car or grocery runner so they will usually be in good shape to the body. Main things to look for on the outside of a vert:

1. Back window condition
The back windows on these cars are usually bad. This is a good condition rear window of a 240sx convertible.

Here is a picture of a bad one. (mine )

I cant even see through my back window, I have to reverse with the top down haha! The windows are a pain to change by yourself. If you take it to a shop, you should expect to pay around $250 - $300 incl. parts to get it changed.

2. Convertible top
Look for any nicks or tears because chances are you will keep the factory top. Its around $900 for the whole top change incl. parts, please correct me if I am wrong. Usually the top wont have major tears, maybe some loose threads here and there.

3. RUST!
Look for rust on the body, rust on the frame thoroughly check for rust. Most of these cars are cali and florida cruisers so if you buy one from that area, check for rust. A Texas -> arizona area vert = No rust almost garunteed lol. Here are some places to check for rust:

-Trunk lip above the brake lights
-The place where the hydraulic rams for the top are, behind the door
-Rear fenders/rockers
-Undercarriage frame rails
-The unibody part of the front wheel wells
-Inside the rear fender below the antenna. also check down in the rear fenders for any corrosion, water, debris that kind of stuff.
4. Trunk struts
Although this is not a big deal and can easily be replaced, almost every vert has this problem. The gas struts that push the trunk up will usually be worn out, leaving you to akwardly balance youself on one foot while using the other foot to slowly make a gap in which you can wedge your hand through to lift up the trunk, while holding all your belongings. One "Sachs" trunk strut and one worn trunk strut will do fine. If you go to Pep-Boys or auto zone, they will tell you that you can use trunk struts from the hatchback . Dont listen to them they're stupid. Instead, request this part number or look for the lift with this part number: SG359005, the brand being sachs. You can also order them online from:

http://oip.webwareauto.com/Cat....aspx

Just enter the same part number and voila!

5. Convertible boot
The convertible boot covers the top when its down so no one sees it.
Here's a pic of the boot:

And here it is on cmkelly's car:

They are extremeley rare and hard to find because Nissan does not produce them anymore. So you will never find a brand new one. The prices are also very steep, they range from $200 - $500. So If the vert you are trying to buy has one, then thats all the more reason to buy that specific one.

Interior:
1. The first thing I am going to touch on this subject is the door panels. Every Vert owner hates their door panels. On the 240sx convertible, the panels are poorly made and tend to break easily. The panel insert especially tends to seperate from the rest of the panel.

As you can see on my sisters car we nastily screwed them in place. There are other better looking fixes for this however. You can swap the whole door to a 240sx coupe or hatchback door, or you can remove the seatbelt pillar and swap the panel to a coupe or hatchback panel. Both modifications require seatbelt relocation.

Pillar Removal Thread:
http://forums.nicoclub.com/zerothread?id=90488

Door Swap Thread:
http://forums.nicoclub.com/zerothread?id=136978

The door swap requires alot less work then the pillar mod in my opinion.

2. Rear quarter windows
The rear wuater windows on the verts are prone to coming off the track and then not closing properly. This can be fixed buy taking the window apart and replacing the peice. Here is a thread for that:

http://forums.nicoclub.com/zerothread?id=158929

3. Seats and Carpet
The driver's seat on the 240sx convertible, as with any other 240sx I'm sure, wears out and tears in one spot.

This is caused by the drivers rear rubbing against the same spot while entering and exiting the car. You can either live with it, get a new seat, or get a seat cover.

If the carpet on the 240sx convertible gets VERY dirty, Its going to be tough. To my knowledge it is difficult to find carpets for this car. You can either retro-fit one from a hatch/coupe, or find another vert in a juckyard and take that carpet.

As far as dash cracks and such go, the dash is very durable and will almost always be in good shape in a 240sx convertible.

As of right now, thats all I can think of! Over all, it is a very good car, they just need routine maintenance as with any other car. They are VERY rare. Here are production numbers:

Year / Quantity
1992........2327
1993........4602
1994........1391

Total.......8320

They are fun to mod, fun to drive, you will get alot of stares, and you'll have alot of fun. And best of all, in the summer when you're driving with some buddies that have hatches, you can pull up next to them with your top down while thier all couped up in thier boxes and let out a nice big . Any more questions then ask here in this thread. And if I missed anything then please add! Thanks!

Modified by krash14 at 1:04 PM 2/10/2008

Modified by krash14 at 12:43 PM 2/11/2008

Modified by krash14 at 12:44 PM 2/11/2008

Modified by krash14 at 7:48 AM 6/3/2008

Last time I got mine appraised (last week) the back windows was 250-300.

Quote, originally posted by krash14 »

2. Convertible top Look for any nicks or tears because chances are you will keep the factory top. Its around $1500 for the whole top change incl. parts, please correct me if I am wrong. Usually the top wont have major tears, maybe some loose threads here and there.

Again, thats wicked expensive, my quote (inc. rear window) was 900.

Quote, originally posted by krash14 »

3. RUST! Look for rust on the body, rust on the frame thoroughly check for rust. Most of these cars are cali and florida cruisers so if you buy one from that area, check for rust. A Texas -> arizona area vert = No rust almost garunteed lol. Usually isn't a huge problem with this car though.

Don't know what you are talking about, but Verts rust just as much as every other 240sx (which is a lot!). Check the frame rails, behind the front wheels in the back of the wheel wells, under the rocker panels/side skirt areas, and around the top/trim of the windshield.

Quote, originally posted by krash14 »

Interior: 1. The first thing I am going to touch on this subject is the door panels. Every Vert owner hates their door panels. On the 240sx convertible, the panels are poorly made and tend to break easily. The panel insert especially tends to seperate from the rest of the panel. As you can see on my sisters car we nastily screwed them in place. There are other better looking fixes for this however. You can swap the whole door to a 240sx coupe or hatchback door, or you can remove the seatbelt pillar and swap the panel to a coupe or hatchback panel. Both modifications require seatbelt relocation.

The best/easiest way to fix this and make it look good is to get a pneumatic staple gun and a heat gun. If the panel is warped, use the heat gun to help mold it back into shape. Then, using the pneumatic stapler, simply staple it back onto the door (from the back side), just like ASC did from the factory. 5-10 minutes later, perfect door again.

Now lets all continue to toss in some ideas and edits and additional thoughts and info.

Really great work Krash!!! The 'vert forum thanks you!

http://www.240sxconvertible.com - The internet's only 240sx 'vert site!

Joshua 1:9 "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."

here is a thread about that..... http://forums.nicoclub.com/zerothread?id=104485

dash cracks are actually common in verts - more exposure to the sun.

some things I would add:

-a DIYer can replace the top for less than 500. MAKE SURE TO FIND OUT WHETHER IT'S A VINYL OR CLOTH TOP THAT YOU ARE BUYING. You want the
cloth!

-Feel free to use my car as an example of a REALLY bad window:

-make sure the top operates as it should. if it doesn't, then be on the lookout for nice messes such as this:

-Don't the auto trans have a common issue with it wanting to stick in gear?

-Be sure to use the timing chain rattle to you advantage when haggling. scary sound == easy fix, but the seller doesn't need to know that

Good stuff whoflungpoo..
These are exactly the kind of contributions I'm hoping to see in this thread. It will be SO helpful to other members in the future.

The timing chain thing is a great point. It's such an alarming sound that would lead someone to believe there could be major problems with the car. But it's a very easy fix. This can work to great advantage in getting a lower price as the seller will likely ask less for the car with the apparent need for repairs.

Can someone do a nice overview of rust issues?? I'd like to see a few pictures of areas that are common rust problems. It's so much easier to see the pictures than to understand the descriptive terms (rocker panels, quarter panels, strut towers, etc..)

yea no problem dude, just make sure you give creds to this forum