240sx Vert Winter Driving????

[MicahLee]

I am looking into getting a Vert here in Arizona, but I'm going to be moving back to Washington State where it rains/snows in the winter. Am I going to have a lot of troubles with leakage through/under/around the soft top? I really like the Verts alot, but if it's going to ruin the interior or something it might not be worth it to me. I'm not sure if I'll have a second car to drive in the winter, however I will have room to park it in the garage year round. Let me know what you guys think. Thanks!

[nissanconvert]

I've been driving, no, I mean surfing my vert around Cleveland here for the last month and it sucks! I got it to stop leaking but that's not the problem. It still has an open diff and rear drive. This= getting stuck in the snow often. Here the roads don't get plowed often, especially side streets and the level is often higher then the vert to begin with causing it to become a plow of sorts. I have 100lbs of salt in the trunk and keep the tank full just to keep it on pavement, forget snow on gravel, i spent 2 hours this weekend getting out of a friends drive with 5 degree slope. This is with snow tires too.Also the autotranny sucks, it keeps power to the rear wheels even when I'm off the gas. My front brakes work better then the back so on ice the front tend to lock up and the backs keep pushing forward. At one intersection i had come to a complete stop and then, I started creeping forward, I had to throw the ebrake to stop again. (the front tires were resting on an ice patch and the back apparently still had grip).

Why doesn't the brake trigger the transmission to stop sending power? or should it and mine is broken? My old crappy corolla used to, you could feel it disconnect when the brake were tapped.

[Eikon]

Hi Micah...

Thanks for joining us!

To answer your question.. They aren't the best cars for winter driving. They do make up for it in the summer though.

I don't think many of us have trouble with any leaking or water issues due to the soft top. At least I sure don't see very many conversations about leaks on the forums.. So I guess I wouldn't worry too much about that.

What will be the difficulty is the fact that it's rear wheel drive and has no traction control of any kind. As nissanconvert illustrated above.. it can be a challange to get any traction when the weather gets bad.

Still.. I wouldn't let a few days of bad weather in the winter stop you from getting a fantastic car. The 'vert is truly a blast to own.

Make sure the top is in good shape, and then get yourself some nice all weather or snow tires to swap on for the winter. That will make a big difference.

Let us know if you have any other questions or concerns. Good luck with your move!

[MicahLee]

Thanks for the replies! I'm not very worried about driving a rear-drive car in the snow. I drove an old rear-drive Celica in the snow for a few years. I was most concerned about the soft top, and if that doesn't seem to be a problem, then I am definitely getting one. Where I'm from doesn't usually get too bad as far as lots of snow on the roads, and if it does I can always borrow my Dad's truck for a few days. Thanks again for the input, I really appreciate it!

Oh, and a 5-speed swap is happening very soon, definitely before next winter. So I won't have to worry about the problems with the Auto.

[Loki]

I've been pretty fortunate thus far. Had the car since Oct with only one tiny tiny leak where the driver's side window meets the top, and that doesn't even happen that often. Whenever it snows or rains hard I try to put the car cover on to prevent any ice sticking where it shouldn't. Highly recommend one

Welcome to the forums...and pics or else

[BOOMSHAKALAKA]

Short and simple: Buy a 240sx convertible...you won't regret it.

[MicahLee]

I'm going to do it! By the end of this week I should have my Vert.

[94_240sx]

I'm going to do it! By the end of this week I should have my Vert.

Yup!! Do it. What color is it going to be?

BTW, my vert has never seen rain ever since I got it, so don't know if it leaks...

[MicahLee]

I want a white one. I LOVE your car, 94_240 btw (just saw it in another thread, it's beautiful). I am thinking about buying the one that is listed for $800 in Tucson (it's on the forums here now), but there are more pieces misssing from the car than when I last talked to the owner. We shall see how things turn out. I'll keep you all informed for sure!

[Loki]

Yea, I was gonna say, i thought that car was just a shell. Good luck to ya

[MicahLee]

Well, it's just missing the seats and the frame to the top. When I talked to him he said that the front seats where still there, but now it looks like there are no seats, or vert top stuff at all. I'm going to call him though.

[94_240sx]

Well, it's just missing the seats and the frame to the top. When I talked to him he said that the front seats where still there, but now it looks like there are no seats, or vert top stuff at all. I'm going to call him though.

It looks the guy took the top frame out sine weather is good most of the time in AZ. Don't buy it. It'll be impossibe for you to daily drive that thing up in Washington. I bet It'll stay in the garage most of the time without the top frame.

[sxxy1992]

Welcome to the forum, Micahlee. It sounds like there is quite a lot missing that you would have to locate first before being able to replace it. For the difference in money, sounds like you would be better off to locate one that has everything versus looking for a long time to locate stuff. $3000 seems to be an average price on these things for complete runners. Sometimes some things are very hard to find. We're not talking about 1960 chevrolets and such that there were 200,000 of them made. 8,000 total for 3 years worth and a lot of the car was assembled here in the states when it hit the shore from Japan as not much more than a shell. BTW, which town in Washington do you call home? Maybe we're going to be neighbors.

[MicahLee]

Hey, my concern is that I won't be able to find a vert in Washington. Also, I've found most of the parts for a decent price. I'm just going to call the guy anyway, because last time I talked to him he was going to take less parts, maybe if I'm going to buy it he'll leave me more of the parts. He took the top frame in order to use it for another car he has. I have talked to someone else who might sell me their frame, here in Arizona.

Sxxy1992, I live in Spokane, so we're "sort of" neighbors, haha. How's the Tri-Cities these days? Haven't been down that way for a few years.