:( Goodbye 240SX!

[fuzion]

Well.. the time has come for me to face reality, I commute and spend $30 on a tank of gas every other day.. I need a commuter mule so i'm selling the 240 and getting a 1999 Toyota Corolla in it's place.

The 240 has some issues that need to be addressed and I have not the time nor money to complete these tasks, the dealership offered me $1K for it but I don't want to see it get driven to the wholesale lot to be sold for $300 and then crushed or ripped apart..

I think a 240 fanatic would see this as a good car, I love it and (to me) it performs quite nicely..

But here is the list of what is and isnt wrong with the car.. I will wash it and put up some final pics of her

Engine (the badness):- Leaks oil with swiftness- C.E.L Gives Code 32 - but clears itself after a few days and will be gone for months, car passed smog when it was off- No thermostat in the car right now, Never put one back in after I had heating issues but I believe that was due to a bad fan clutch- Fan clutch is.. on its way out again (I had bought a used one from a NICO Member a while back), it's always "on"

Engine (the goodness):- 2ndary butterfly valves removed (woo!)- Remanufactured power steering pump installed less than a year ago (I thought the noise was coming from there)- CONE FILTER!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Still have stock airbox w/ K&N Filter)- Dual-core radiator (< 3 yrs old)- New used coolant resv. tank (no cracks or holes in this one)- Apex-i N1 Dual

transmission (the badness):- No longer has the Spec Stage II/III Clutch (threw a spring on the clutch plate, long story bad day stfu)- OBX Short shifter- Shift knob is attached in a less than ideal fashion

transmission (the goodness):- Has a new stock clutch (maybe 1,000 miles on it, will have to pull up the paperwork)- OBX Short Shifter- Shift knob is attached in a pretty permanent fashion

Suspension (the badness):- 12 years old and most everything is stock

Suspension (the goodness):- Whiteline T/C Rod Bushings- Whiteline Rear Swaybar Endlink Bushings (All installed)- Whiteline Front Swaybar Endlink Bushings (Not installed, sitting next to me)- Nissan (OEM) Front Swaybar D Bushings

Body:- Clear turn signals up front (amber lamp)- Fog lights that are on w/ the ignition is on- Dented fender - Paint isn't flawless but when it's washed she looks purdy

Other stuff:- Reverse Indiglo Gauges- Vinyl glove box that now has a rip in it because some ****ing integra cut me off and a computer case hit it.- CUP HOLDER IN CENTER CONSOLE!! <From Japan! JDM STLEZ OEM JDM USDM JDM TITE>- Silvia Power folding mirrors- Vault 17x7.5 Rims, Nitto Neo-Gen Tires (Two of the rims are defunkt because of a pothole)- Alarm & Keyless entry w/ power locks on both doors- Tinted rear windows- 161k Miles

I don't know what it's really worth, i've got a fellow NICO member coming to look at it and if he doesn't want it I will post it in the Buy/Sell forums..

Damnit I love my car

What do ya'll think shes worth? (I'll get pics)

[smokin240]

how many miles are on the engine? I would guess somewhere around 160k?? so im gonna say its worth 2000-3000. GL and just be optimistic, in the near future you could buy another nice 240 and hook that beast up :-)

[Thrwnsprkz]

yea deff, prob 2-3 if the engine is ok... not sure how many people like the oil leak and no thermistat, but If i lived out in CA i'd prob try n take it off your hands... I need a new daily myself

...but alas east coastgood luck selling!

[Onizuka]

My car chugs 3 gallons of 93 octane a day, still cheaper to operate than having car payments and higher insurance rates for a much newer car. Your fooling yourself if you think your saving money by doing this.

[fuzion]

I wanna say I use about 1/4 tank to work and 1/4 tank from work

[HashiriyaS14]

Seriously, if you're getting bad mileage because something's wrong with your engine, just get another KA, it'll be cheap.

Otherwise, that Corolla won't be a HUGE improvement over your S13, and then you have a car payment plus higher insurance.

I have a car payment, it SUCKS. Avoid it at all costs.

[fuzion]

If all it needed was another engine i'd do it, but the suspension needs work and money I don't have.. it's easier to get a car loan than it is to pull $2000 out of your arse for repairs. The Corolla may not look like a huge improvement for someone whos looking at a performance point of view, but i'm 21 and just need something to get me from point a to point b that is reliable and gets good gas mileage.

Corolla has an est. 36mpg for highway.. I don't think a 240 would get that

[Onizuka]

Well, it seems you want to convice yourself it will be a better decision. Unless you drive on the highway at 65mph in second gear or have a 175 mile round trip every day, there is no way your using a half tank of gas. Either way, its still cheaper to pay for the gas and get repairs done in a timely manner than having car payments and higher insurance.

I concur, if your using that much gas, something is wrong. My car runs pig rich and I recently got 30mpg going down to maryland, including the gas I used at the track.

[sensibleS13driver]

I'd keep the 240 cause once you get that corolla you will just want to go back... but if you insist.

Id take the N-1 Dual off your hands for a good price if you need some money for repairs or whatnot, I am also in Norcal.

[fuzion]

Well, it seems you want to convice yourself it will be a better decision. Unless you drive on the highway at 65mph in second gear or have a 175 mile round trip every day, there is no way your using a half tank of gas. Either way, its still cheaper to pay for the gas and get repairs done in a timely manner than having car payments and higher insurance.

I concur, if your using that much gas, something is wrong. My car runs pig rich and I recently got 30mpg going down to maryland, including the gas I used at the track.

Well i'm pretty sure i'm supposed to get gas when the needle is on or close to the E. When I fill up I put about 13 gallons in it.

I get about 250 miles out of 13 - 14 gallons of gas..

And of course I have to convince myself! I love my car but I dont like neglecting her, she needs a good home where she will be loved and given more attention.

sensibles13driver -- I'm waiting to see what the other nico guy thinks of the car on Saturday, and I don't have another exhaust system to put on it so I can't sell it without having some sort of replacement =/

[Onizuka]

So you have a 125 mile round trip every day?

[Henry G]

If you want to get the most money out your car... part out the after market stuff, and sell the car.

[fuzion]

I used yahoo maps to get basic distances for my route, with my trip to starbucks and then to work it's 116 miles a day, more if I decide to goto lunch or have to go pick up my co worker, goto the store when I get home etc.

Henry - I don't have much aftermarket stuff.. The N1 dual is probably the only removable thing, gauges and the cone filter could come off too..

Oh yeah.. and wtf? <----- Bolt on turbo?

I was the NICO Graphics Master last time I checked!

[chilnviln]

where aboots are you located. im up in norcal, marysville, yuba city area. interested in car or parts

[fuzion]

Marysville here, got someone from Chico coming down to look at it, if they say no I will give you my info

[PalmerWMD]

I wanna say I use about 1/4 tank to work and 1/4 tank from work

MAF?

[chilnviln]

right on

[fuzion]

MAF?

Does a bad MAF trigger the CEL ?

[Onizuka]

Keeping the right tire pressure also has a huge effect on gas milage.

[NIGHTfall_240sx]

damn.. i always liked your s13

[fuzion]

damn.. i always liked your s13

Me too *sniff*

She will be going to a good non abusive home

[dfw240_EE]

I can definitely relate. I am getting married before the end of the year. So this means *gulp* sedan.

But I won't be giving up my S13. I already gave up a nice 1991 ED3 Civic sedan since my fiancee can't drive stick. In short, when it comes to a choice between giving up my 1992 240 or her 1994 Integra for a family car, take a guess which is going

She likes the Integra, so maybe I can find a similar model year Integra sedan to replace it. That's a funny thought, find one that is the same color and interior upholstery as hers and see how long it takes her to figure out that her car grew two doors

[fuzion]

Welp.. sold her today but she wasn't happy, as soon as he took it for a test drive the batt + brake light came on <alternator>, then the door locks stopped working momentarily and on its way home the alternator died..

The car has never had an issue like that before, I used some Windex Muti-task to clean up some basic things like the fuse boxes, intake tube, strut towers, but it was fine.. Sprinkles for my yard came on, I moved the car across the street <no warning lights>, he got in and started it.. then the lights were on

Guess she was mad I was selling her?

[TachyonS14]

Should have kept the car and bought a cheapy motorcycle. I boughy my GPZ 550 for $500 bucks and I now use it to go to school and back (80 mile round trip) which isn't nothing when you get 60mpg. Oh well, hopefully it won't be your last 240.

[skydragoness]

That's a shame, seems like a lot of the issues you had were easy fixes.

-Leaking oil? Do you know from where?It's pretty common for the front crankseal to leak on KA's. Hell, i'm having the seal on my car replaced this Tuesday for $125 (don't feel like messing with it myself and i like to support my mechanic every once-in-a-while). It's more of a prevention measure since my oil level stays constant anyway.

-Bad fan clutch? Take it off. If your car had a/c and had the electric fan, youwould've been fine re-wiring it to the t-stat. If not... electric fans are cheap, and removing the mechanical fan takes a lot of load off the engine*and* the water pump will last a bit longer because of it.

-Thermostat bad, but you didn't spend $15 on a new one? I can't imagine a independent mechanic charging you more than $70 to flush your coolant,insert the new t-stat, and re-fill.

-As far as the engine throwing a code, i don't have any guess on that. If it was the MAF though, some electrical contact cleaner would help. And so would disconnecting the AIV, and the EGR valves.

-Old suspension? You should see my car buck like a wild horse when i'm in 1st gear and i hit an imperfection in the road. I bought some $65 subframe collars to help that out.

Sorry. I just had to nit-pick. Your transmission issues didn't seem like issues at all.

Instead of buying a new Corolla, get an older one (like late 90's) you can afford to pay for. Corolla's are nearly indestructible so you won't spend much more on a used one in maintenance costs than you did on the 240.

[fuzion]

hehe.. a 1999 = late 90's

The thing im really looking for here is reliability and fuel economy. I know a 99 Corolla is going to be more fuel efficient than my 240 ever could have been and <hiss> it's an automatic.. traffic in the morning is so crappy I am welcoming an AT transmission, I feel kinda like im getting bashed up for selling it, I loved my car and I still do, but im at a point where I need something reliable that doesnt need any work and is cheap..

The Corolla is getting new Borbet rims & tires from TireRack, touch up paint done, factory spoiler, tinted windows, factory Toyota alarm, any broken interior peices fixed and it'll be about $5k.

The monthly on it shouldn't be bad, when my mom got the loan for my 240 it was $5k, 2.5 years @ 20% and the payments were $225/mo.. This will probably be 48 months to keep the payment low and 7 - 10% + the money from my 240 as down payment.

I shed a few tears when I heard her drive away this afternoon, but honestly I don't have the time to fix it and I know the person who bought it does and he will treat it better than I did.

[DammitBobby]

I sold my 69mach1 almost 20 years ago (4speed and big block)! My best friend bought it and sold it a few years ago to another friend of mine. I was married with a 2 year old son and needed the cash. Now I wished I never sold it. No telling how much it is worth now. 18 years later I finally buy a project car. That is a long time not having a fun car to drive. By the way I bought a new daily driver Corolla S. SLOW but very reliable and good gas milage. All my daily drivers are Toyota!