95 Model Update: Last spring my 19 year old son's 95 SE 5-speed was rear-ended by lady driving a Jeep Cherokee. The with the damage it was a near total at $1,600. I took the insurance settlement and sold the 95 to a friend of a friend who's brother-in-law owns a body shop since they could fix it at a lower cost. I felt like I was doing him a favor selling him a mechanically sound car since he was riding a motorcycle in the rain to work. I think I parted with it for some number in the $600 to $700 range. I had just found and purchased a complete black leather seat and door panel set from a totaled 98 model to replace the grey cloth interior that I gave the new owner. The mint condition seats and door panels were easily worth another $500. I still can't believe I purchased a full black leather interior at Pick-and-Pull that day for around $180 under the Tool-Kit rewards discount program. I know I spent another $700 on suspension upgrades for the usual KS, O2s, gaskets, hoses, and the usual mid-live replacement items.
Looking back I should have kept it as a parts car but the new owner is still driving it --- so I might get to buy it back someday if the interior is still in the same condition that it was when I sold it. So with the Q45 upgrade under my belt, I really enjoyed that first DSC4 especially with the 5-Speed manual transmission. Meanwhile my son bought a Red 95 model F-150 Flair side pickup with a 5-Speed and the factory mag wheels that does look sharp and I wanted at least one truck in the family with a real trailer hitch. He likes the way it looks but he doesn't like the gas mileage and I can't stand to work on it as I think fuel and ignition system is archaic and strange compared to what I have become accustomed to with the Nissan.
DSC4 Number Two
The following summer I purchased a non-running 99 model I30 for $300. The car had over 220,000 miles and the ECU had failed. The owner just wanted to get the car out of her driveway. I picked up an ECU from a wrecked 99 Maxima at Pick-and-Pull for $30 and sent car and ECU off my local Nissan shop to get NATS reprogrammed for an hour shop charge. I get a 10% discount off any service work at that Nissan dealership so I like them and the Service Manager likes to look at the Q when I stop by for some misc part or wheel alignment. Naturally the I30 needed all of the usual suspension, sensor, hose, gasket, and alternator, battery, CV joint, bearings, and misc maintenance items. The previous owner did minimal maintenance and it really showed after I got it running. I think the ECU was knocked out by a failed front (electric) motor mount that I quickly disconnected to keep from losing another ECU. My 14 year old son (now 16) did most of the maintenance jobs on the DSC4 #2 and helped with his brother's DSC4 #1 so he knew what he was doing. The plan was for him take over this DSC4 when he turned 16 as he is quite active in school and ROTC activities where he needed transportation to and from those events without having to be shuttled around. However, he doesn't like automatic transmissions and the stately/refined look of the Merlot wine colored I30 doesn't exactly gain any talk among his HS buds. So he gave DSC4 #2 to his sister and she likes the automatic and the stereo. I will say the DSC4 automatic transmissions seem to be near indestructible.
DSC4 Number Three
Now we've been looking for another car since my son gave DSC4 #2 to his sister. He initially wanted a Nissan Hardbody 4x4. Now finding a good condition mid-90s Hardbody 4x4 5-speed King-cab with under 175,000 miles for under $5,000 around here is near impossible. Some short cabs show up now and then but usually with problems the owners are trying to dump due to some engine noises..
So I suggested we start searching for (you guessed it) another DSC4 with a 5-speed.
Almost by accident yesterday afternoon I found and purchased yet another DSC4 with a 5-speed.
It is a black on grey 99 model DSC4 5-speed with 168,000 miles. It is a second owner car. The second owner worked with the first owner and bought it from him a few years ago. The owners kept records of all repairs. The clutch and hydraulic components were replaced by the dealer at 132,00 miles.
The DSC4 seems to be the tightest best driving one thus far. The engine is quiet and transmission shifts smooth with almost a new car feel. After having met the current owner and seeing the way he keeps this and his other cars it has been cared for about as good as I will find with a car in this price range.
Naturally at this mileage it needs a new KS (I have two good ones from the Q that I am tempted to use as the original owner never used anything but 93 octane) that is not hard to replace, two OS2 sensors (I already have new NTKs from a recent sale), rear struts, an antenna mast, and PS rack boots. Luckily the CV joint boots are in good shape with no cracks and I know the mileage has been local highway miles.
I don't know if the 5-Speed option cost more when the DSC4 was produced, but it appears a clean 5-speed on the used market will bring easily bring an additional $500 to $700 over an equivalent automatic version.
Here's a picture.
