First 240sx - Is this one a good buy?

[Ariake101]

So, I'm looking into buying a 240sx I found on cragislist. I've been talking to him a lot and all he has done was switch from auto to manual and put in all power windows and locks as well as some other minor changes. Here is the posting:

http://stlouis.craigslist.org/cto/1240701552.html

since this is my first one, I'm not really sure what to look for. I've been doing research and it's hard to find a lot of information with what he has given me. I know it does have a clean title though so that's a plus. Anyway, any and all information that anyone could give me on this car would be great (specs, yes/no on buying it, possible mods, anything, go crazy!). I am going to look at it tomorrow and if I like it I will be taking it to get a diagnostics done on it before I buy it.

Thanks!

[AZ89two4Tsx]

Looks ok. How's the interior?

[Ariake101]

I haven't looked yet. I will be tomorrow evening. I just wanted to know more about it. Since I really have no idea about Nissans.. I used to be a Honda guy til mine blew the crank so I gave up on it.

[AZ89two4Tsx]

What do you want to know?

[Ariake101]

well he says it has the ka24de motor in it. Tell me about that... what should I expect to be putting down with it? and how easy is it to turbo as is?

[Nissan240sx_s13]

Well how much horsepower do you wana push out of the ka?

[Ariake101]

well how much is it stock? and how much would i be spending to really get it to fly?

[AZ89two4Tsx]

KA-T forum

zeroforum/170

Turbo a KA (sticky)

zer...age=1

[AZ89two4Tsx]

155 stock (at the flywheel) for the dual cam. Not very exciting.

If you get some good deals on parts and go used for alot of them, you could pull off a turbo kit for around $1500. That's if you get REALLY good deals. You'll be making around 200HP give or take some.

[Ariake101]

well after reading that I won't be ready to turbo for a while. Not that I would be anyway. This will be my first manual so I will definitely need to hold off on that until I'm done tearing up the clutch with my bad shifting. So it looks like if the interior's good and the diagnostics goes well I should get it? I really like the look of this car.Anything else I should check before I buy it??

[AZ89two4Tsx]

Just check that everything he has done is done correctly. If everything is cobbed together, don't get it. You don't want to have to be fixing his mistakes.

Then the usuals like rust, body damage, body work, etc...

[Ariake101]

alright sounds good. I'll take my camera that doesn't suck and take some pics of the bay and what not and post them up tomorrow night or wednesday and hopefully someone can let me know what they think based on those. Thanks for the help, I'll check back in tomorrow

[AZ89two4Tsx]

Coolz. If the noobs/flamers on here don't come into this thread, you should get some good help and advice.

Just take plenty of pictures.

[breadbox]

I would definitely get the details of the rebuild and what got rebuilt and by who.

The listing seems straight forward. I say its a good option.

Drive it yourself. Or have a NICOnaut come with.

Do a rust check by looking at spare tire area, battery tray, trunk latch, and rear subframe.

Ask if the timing chain guides are original or if they got replaced in the rebuild.

Other than that, you like it you buy it.

[Nali]

Dont know if anyone noticed but the car has soot over the exhaust.two reasons this could be happening.1. Its running rich, unlikely as it is bone stock

2. Oil seeping into the combustion chamber. Yet he says the motor was rebuilt 6xxx miles ago. Maybe it was rebuilt badly, or the soot is from before the rebuild....which would mean he hasnt washed it in over 6000miles.

[Ariake101]

would a diagnostics not show that?

And I will ask him as much as I can. I'm not sure how much he personally knows about it. Which worries me. But I've only talked to him on the phone once so I'm not really sure. He has done pretty good at answering my questions so far.

I will do a rust check for sure. And since this is a cheaper one, I will probably use the rest of the money in my budget for a decent paint job before anything else.

[Ryota K.]

I would def. say that it was a good buy I wouldn't pay anymore for an S13 though..

[Ariake101]

do you think I should try to talk him down? if so, how much?

[driftneil]

It looks clean, but as for the soot on the bumper. It is def smoking...I have never had that on any cars I've had. So drive it, and if it smokes lower the price. Good luck

[locoluna825]

ide try talking him to 2200 but if it were me and he rebuilt that engine so everything checked out and if its a real manual and not a swap, i would pay what hes asking for it. i had a chance to buy one just like that when i was 17. a real manual, dual overhead cam, SE, hatch, sunroof and all he wanted was 1200 dollars my dad refused to give him anymore than 900 and he blew the whole deal dude backed out and never sold it. now all of a sudden there more expensive.

[AZ89two4Tsx]

I would try to knock down the price to $2000.

Ride him really hard and point out the things he doesn't know. And definitely explain the soot problem on the exhaust.

Basically, make it seem like a crappy car. Also, try to bring someone with you, preferably someone that's knowledgeable about cars.

[Ariake101]

im bringing my dad. he has driven manuals his whole life and knows a lot about cars. he has explained them to me a thousand times and i still cant keep track of all the info he gives me. anyway the transmission is a swap. used to be auto with no power options and he put a m/t in with all power options.

[Ariake101]

alright so I just got back and I am in total indecision. The car runs beautifully, sorry no engine shots... I forgot about that one, but I have body shots.

[Ariake101]

The engine seemed sturdy, the hatch rattled a bit but I bought it when he told me it was a piece of mdf in the back... which he really had a piece of mdf in the back. All the options work. He has the sleepy eye mod on the headlights too. The only rust was pictured above, the soot he said was before the rebuild, which I bought because I wiped some of it off before I test drove it and the spot I wiped off was perfectly clean when we got back. I tried to knock him down to $2000 but he said he can get more than 2500 it's just all he needs. I explained to him that the $500 would go towards a paint job and fixing some of the minor stuff. The manual swap looks flawless, there are no awkward cuts or anything made where the clutch comes in. The clutch is very deep, I had to scoot pretty far forward to get it to the ground. He also has a remote start installed.

The weirdest thing that happened was in first gear. I was driving and if you don't shift before it revs high the car starts jumping like it's about to die. Is that normal? Because he told me it was but I have a hard time believing that.

It seems sturdy, but I need to get my dad to go with me. He couldn't make it tonight. Anyway let me know what you think. I can probably ask him for better pics of things if you guys want them. Please let me know, honestly, what you think. I don't have the money to fix major problems if they occur. So yeah, it's pretty much up to you guys.

[driftneil]

That rust is bad! Its all on stuff that needs to be cut, and welded back in. You could prob find a better one. Only time my car hops, is when Im real low on fuel. I have a walbro255 though.

[heartofaskyline]

that cars junk, i wouldnt give 500 bucks for it

[Ariake101]

works for me. I felt a little uneasy driving it.

here's a new craigslist ad that just popped up. Trust me I won't keep doing this because normally they don't come up this often. but anyway here is

http://stlouis.craigslist.org/cto/1245914720.html

what can you tell me about the engine. KBB gives me no specs on a car that old. I haven't looked at it yet, but I want a heads up on noticeable up front problems. Just let me know if I get to be too much with the questions.

[Repo Man]

Nice looking hatch, but damn! $3500 for a stock single slammer? With 171k? This guy has to be high. If it's flawless, front to back, top to bottom, I would say $2900 or so on the top end. I'm betting this one is not flawless. Worth looking at anyway.

[AZ89two4Tsx]

That new one you posted is a little overpriced.

And the one you drove looks like it's been beat on way too much.

It's always better to pay more up front to start clean instead of buying cheap and fixing someone else's mistakes.

[stockbee]

That new one you posted is a little overpriced.

And the one you drove looks like it's been beat on way too much.

It's always better to pay more up front to start clean instead of buying cheap and fixing someone else's mistakes.

What he said. You will love it when you can start modding the car immediately and not worry about having to do body work intially (although you'll still have to deal with dents and dings anyway considering the age of our cars).

If you can get that guy to go down on his overpriced black s13, then get that one, here's a reference point. I paid 3000 even for a mint condition S14 not five months ago. Deals are out there, just be patient and you'll find one.