About to buy a Kouki

[mnofal225]

So i got rid of my 300zx and getting back into the 240. A customer at the resturant i work at told me he would sell me his and it comes with 5 speed swap and turbo kit both uninstalled. full exhaust with headers and a rebuilt head. the car has 150,000 miles and both the swap and turbo are uninstalled. he also has the 35th anniversary 350z wheels.
After arguing about the price he said he cant go lower than 6500 it seems like a good deal but i will need to buy a clutch kit for the swap and buy a fuel pump and a oil pressure and a/f ratio gauge for the turbo kit. He also told me he has extra doors and an extra rebuilt head that he would give extra. Also he has rucas front tower bar and sway bar and he plasti dipped the car and he will give the kit he bought plus the leftover paint he has left.
The turbo kit comes with as follows
t28 turbo for an s15
turbo manifold
370cc injectors
ecu tuned by Emance
Intercooler with the piping
adapter harness for the ecu
down pipe

what other things do i need for the turbo. i know i need the oil drain bung in the oil pan and a return line but what else.

for the swap i just need the cluth pedal and clutch kit
tell me your opinions on it. i will definately post pics asap of the car

[fiznowler]

my opinion is you are getting ripped off. It sounds like a project someone has gave up on. If it were super clean I would maybe pay 3k.

[mnofal225]

turns out that he just found the brake and clutch pedal and a flywheel all i need is the clutch kit for the swap

[mnofal225]

i mean the car is clean and i know the guy who is selling it to me i have driven his car and he has to move because of his job. i have seen all the parts and he was attempting all the swaps but when he got the job offer he decided to sell it.

[OutToWinPAHC]

Id like to see pics, but I say 5k

[laxands13]

I'm with PAHC. Idk about Baton Rogue, but where i'm from it's rare to find a kouki at all for under about 4k. so for one with all of that 5k would seem about reasonable. the seller should understand that you can't add the MSRP of parts to the value of the car.

[mnofal225]

I'm with PAHC. Idk about Baton Rogue, but where i'm from it's rare to find a kouki at all for under about 4k. so for one with all of that 5k would seem about reasonable. the seller should understand that you can't add the MSRP of parts to the value of the car.

Yeah this is the second Kouki I have ever seen in BR and tbh it is clean but I think 4500-5000 range is fair

[OutToWinPAHC]

For 6500 you can find some pretty dope stuff, like really dope stuff. I am just about done with my all-trac build and I sit in it like I cant cage this too small, I have no room so I have been cruising for trades and there is so much out there.

[alms24sebring]

my opinion is you are getting ripped off. It sounds like a project someone has gave up on.

Im on the side of this. Buying someone else's unfinished projects is a pain in the buns, and you always end up kicking yourself by never getting it to run right and having to sell it. It being automatic/uninstalled too, its too much work to be worrying about buying the car.

[mixeds14]

ecu tuned by Emance

Ur asking for trouble, I speak from experience.

[mnofal225]

this is the pictures that he gave me unfortunately i dont have one for the 5 speed

[mechanicalmoron]

The car looks nice and clean and all, but it's still a 20 dollar flat black (flat black's cool and all, but don't be decieved as far as price goes) paint job on a basically stock car. Wheels, intake.... ehh.

And I don't think a turbo and 100 dollar KA trans in the trunk should add a 2.5 multiplier to the price.

*edit* do you mean that he plasti-dipped the chrome/trim, or that he plasti-dipped the WHOLE car, and that's why it's flat black? If so, make him peel that nasty crap off, and see what he's hiding. Paint is an expensive thing. Don't let him sell you a crappy looking car that's so bad he plasti-dipped the whole thing, for a price that should include a brand new paintjob.... if it will take .6-3k to make it look good, start by subtracting that from the price.

[OutToWinPAHC]

Eww flat black fresh out of 2008

[breadbox]

yeah, if you can throw $5,000 at any car, you can find better cheaper, perhaps not a kouki but on the level definitely.

And if you are considering it, get it inspected by a non-bias third party who knows what they are looking for.

I have been asked on multiple occasions to check out a car for a friend. Some sellers get nervous when you start doing compression tests and taking off a wheel or two to inspect brakes. Once you point shizz out, they start dropping price quick. so 4.5k-5k cash in hand for essentially a driveable project and a shelf and a half of parts plus some floor/wall space, might/should be your cap...especially if you have to paint.

[mnofal225]

Well I decided that I won't pay more than 4k for the car. Even though it's a Kouki it's still a 240. I can still buy a conversion kit later. As for the flat black it was gold and he plasti dipped the whole car. But the more I think about the car the more I realize how much more work is required for the car and it is something that I am not capable of. I'm going to college and don't have time to do that 5 speed swap cause I will have to fabricate to make it work. Plus I kinda don't want to buy it anymore. I need a car that's already manual and I can install a turbo later on while I have a break or something. So I am actually pretty happy with all the responses that you all have me and really appreciate for not flaming the heck out of me.

[mnofal225]

Plus I will need to buy more parts for the car so it's really not the best deal after all

[mechanicalmoron]

Plus I will need to buy more parts for the car so it's really not the best deal after all

So use that as a barganing chip.

Go take a look at the car, if you need bring a neutral friend as has been suggested. Check out the sorts of things that might be changed right before a sale, but that he wouldn't have gotten to yet, like plugs, oil (how full, how dirty, ask what kind and change frequency, check that the filter doesn't look like the last time it was changed is when the car went out of dealership maintainence, etc), bring up the paint (or if the whole thing is plasti-dipped, tell him to get real, and that you need to see what's under there, and don't want a trashy looking car that even people too young to drive could see is trashy. Plasti-dip is not a paintjob, and does not make up for a lack of a paintjob. I'm still unclear on if it's flat black with plasti-dip, or just plasti-dip.) Check that all the fluids are full and look clean/cared for, and all that good stuff. If it's got an LSD, make sure it locks up. Put it through it's paces in a parking lot, and take it up to highway speeds. Look for broken little crap, like bushings or bad tie-rods, worn brakes.

Then throw that all on the table, with the math determining the value of the car, plus the math determining the value of the extras it comes with.

Don't let that stuff fly under the radar. I got a car for the price of a shell from someone who knew nothing about it, at all, and who I knew, so I didn't really check, I just assumed the worst and paid as though it was that bad. But you are looking at a car that's half the price of a brand new car (and owned by someone who apparently knows something about cars, so you can assume he's not telling you all it's dirty little secrets), you could buy more than one nice car.... you could probably buy TWO already turboed s13's in good shape for that much, if you looked around.

So, drop all that on him, don't be his sucker. You just might get a good deal if he can't find anyone to rip off, and needs to sell it.

I do say this from the point of view of someone who doesn't care about it being kouki at all, which obviously has something to do with my opinion.

[mnofal225]

Plus I will need to buy more parts for the car so it's really not the best deal after all

So use that as a barganing chip.

Go take a look at the car, if you need bring a neutral friend as has been suggested. Check out the sorts of things that might be changed right before a sale, but that he wouldn't have gotten to yet, like plugs, oil (how full, how dirty, ask what kind and change frequency, check that the filter doesn't look like the last time it was changed is when the car went out of dealership maintainence, etc), bring up the paint (or if the whole thing is plasti-dipped, tell him to get real, and that you need to see what's under there, and don't want a trashy looking car that even people too young to drive could see is trashy. Plasti-dip is not a paintjob, and does not make up for a lack of a paintjob. I'm still unclear on if it's flat black with plasti-dip, or just plasti-dip.) Check that all the fluids are full and look clean/cared for, and all that good stuff. If it's got an LSD, make sure it locks up. Put it through it's paces in a parking lot, and take it up to highway speeds. Look for broken little crap, like bushings or bad tie-rods, worn brakes.

Then throw that all on the table, with the math determining the value of the car, plus the math determining the value of the extras it comes with.

Don't let that stuff fly under the radar. I got a car for the price of a shell from someone who knew nothing about it, at all, and who I knew, so I didn't really check, I just assumed the worst and paid as though it was that bad. But you are looking at a car that's half the price of a brand new car (and owned by someone who apparently knows something about cars, so you can assume he's not telling you all it's dirty little secrets), you could buy more than one nice car.... you could probably buy TWO already turboed s13's in good shape for that much, if you looked around.

So, drop all that on him, don't be his sucker. You just might get a good deal if he can't find anyone to rip off, and needs to sell it.

I do say this from the point of view of someone who doesn't care about it being kouki at all, which obviously has something

Yeah definately i am definately waiting until he cant find someone to rip off. I already took a look at it already and he even told me that there were some white and gold parts because someone t-boned him. he has changed the oil and LSD fluids a month ago based on his accusation. What is really killing me that it is automatic. I really have never done extreme work on a car. That 5 speed swap will be a pain because not only will i be replacing the transmission i will have to fabricate a clutch pedal. I am currently going to LSU and i am taking 18 hours, so i have a full plate. Even though i would not mind doing that its just that if i dont finish the project in one day or a weekend i wont be able to drive it and this car is gonna be serving me as a daily driver (plus i work ). So unless he gives it to me for 3.5- 4k i will not not buy. Plus the zenki is just as badass as the kouki.

Is the 5 speed really hard. I know there is a write up on the topic in nico how-to, they gave the difficulty 4/5 so i am really skeptical of the whole idea. Please correct me if im wrong. Also tell me whether i should still consider buying this car or not because i mean it is a kouki but is the "kouki" title worth going through hours of frustration trying to make the car fun.

[mechanicalmoron]

You need to get the car pretty high (jackstands, jack, etc), and have a transmission jack, and maybe another pair of hands. And tools like a torque wrench/socket set.

I don't see why a transmission swap is the first priority if it's a daily and you don't have the time. What's wrong with a daily automatic? I too would prefer a manual (actually, I have a manual), but I don't think having the same kind of transmission as 95% of the people on the road will kill you.

To me, the fact that it needs the swap, and that it will be a big operation for you, is a great bagraning point. Just don't bring it up if there's a lot of time left, you don't want him finding time to do it (given that he's the plastidip type, presumably, it would be done wrong...) and raise the price on you.

To me, 3.5 sounds like a good deal for the car, with 5spd, turbo kit, etc, given that it's been crashed and has un-matched paint.

[mnofal225]

Well I know that i put alot of emphasis on the 5 speed swap. i drove automatics all the time and then when i drove manual for the first time i never went back. but my dad has been keeping up with this post and told me that i should not even consider buying it. Plus i saw a zenki that i am kinda excited about. My cousin who is like a yoda of the 240 said i should not buy it. he said he did it and he said it took him a day and a half. he took a look at the car and suggested to just forget it.

[mechanicalmoron]

....well, you could keep the auto, and do the paddle-shifter conversion written up in the tech pages. That's just some wiring and using a laptop to calibrate stuff, and installing a transmission cooler. And every single shift is right when you want it, and even the slowest is much faster that the world's fastest manual shift. And considering the speed, very smooth, too. And easier on the motor. etc.

But yeah, this is still way too expensive.

[OutToWinPAHC]

What they hell are you guys talking about fabricating parts for a 5 speed swap. You get the parts, you swap the brake pedal, you make 3 holes two for the pedal mounts 8mm bit and then one for the MC. Drill a pilot hole and step it up. I used a unitbit that went to 1.5 inches and it was perfect. Terminate speed sensor, reverse lights, and lockout, then take the NSS wires from the auto shifter to the clutch switch. As for the height, a pair or heavy duty jack-stands and your good. I did mine twice on the floor with a heavy a** T56 solo. The KA trans is a paperweight compared

[breadbox]

ka auto isn't a paperweight, but the 5spd sure is, compared.

Now that you know you want one, just keeping looking and one right for you will pop up.

[OutToWinPAHC]

yeah it is, it's like a toy

[mnofal225]

What they hell are you guys talking about fabricating parts for a 5 speed swap. You get the parts, you swap the brake pedal, you make 3 holes two for the pedal mounts 8mm bit and then one for the MC. Drill a pilot hole and step it up. I used a unitbit that went to 1.5 inches and it was perfect. Terminate speed sensor, reverse lights, and lockout, then take the NSS wires from the auto shifter to the clutch switch. As for the height, a pair or heavy duty jack-stands and your good. I did mine twice on the floor with a heavy a** T56 solo. The KA trans is a paperweight compared

You make it sound to easy PAHC. i have a lift at my dads friend store so i can lift the car. Is there any video on this swap?
I wanna hear the final verdict on the price of this car

[mnofal225]

well he called me this morning to tell me that he sold the car for 6500 to some dude. So im kinda sad but tbh im kinda of happy that i didnt buy it. I really just want an s14 without a sunroof and have a ka motor thats all. Hopefully once i find a 240 i wanna make a build thread of a KA-T setup. everyone either swapped an sr20 or the car is messed up to the point of no return. if any of yall fit this category hit me up

[fiznowler]

Glad you didn't buy it. after seeing pics I honestly wouldn't have paid 3k for it. IF you are concerened about a 5 speed swap you better run from a KA-T. A reliable well tuned build will not be cheap and I gaurantee harder than swapping a trans. 5speed swapping a 240 is super easy. The hardest part is getting to the top bolts holding the motor/trans together and they aren't that bad. Oh and in my case the pilot bushing was a effing nightmare.

[mnofal225]

I love the idea of the KA-T. I already bought a jwt Ecu for 145 for the s14 and I know I can throw a skyline engine an be on my way but I like staying with the stock motor, if something goes bad Ivan go to the junk yard and buy another motor for 100 bucks it just comes down to preference.
Plus my buddy has an sr20 so he always brags that its better than the ka and I just wanna show him up