Is this a bad idea?

[Xektrez]

As some of you know, if you've seen my other posts, I don't have a 240. Yet.

I can't find a 240 I really like around here and I've decided I want a S14, which is pretty rare around me. There's plenty of drift missile S13's, but I want a clean daily for the time being. And I live in Indiana, so we usually get snow a few times a year, and the salt is horrible. Most people do not wash their cars and they just sit with salt so most have some rust at least. Some of the 240's I've seen have HORRIBLE rust, like I don't even know how it got that bad lol.

So I've been thinking of possibly planning a road trip to Florida for a week with a couple friends and finding a 240 there. Obviously I would find one and arrange a meet up before I went, settled a price, and got pics of everything that could be a problem (pic of frame rails, of the car running, engine bay, pretty much everywhere before I leave). As for staying there, my dad has a timeshare and he would probably let me use it if I paid the maintenance charges, and I would split that between me and my friends. So that's a week of time I'll be there. The only problem is that Florida is 13 hours away (I've drove there a few times for family vacations with my cousins) and uhm.., well, I don't know how to drive stick. My friend does tho, but I don't know how I feel about him driving my car all the way back. And plus 13 hours is a long time for me to get used to my new car lmao. I'm thinking that I'll have him teach me how to drive stick while in Florida and then drive back with whatever knowledge I'll have. I'd have a week to learn it enough to get back. But I feel by the time I got back, I would be comfortable with it. And I don't think it'll take me too long to understand when to shift, as I'll mainly be in 2 gears the whole time back. I know I won't be perfect or even decent probably, but I think I'll be able to get a handle on it in a week.

I know multiple things could go wrong, but I think it'll be fun and a memorable experience to do this. I'll probably feel dead by the time I get back, but I'll feel accomplished at least. So what do you guys think? Is this even worth doing, or should I find some place closer? But assuming there are no 240's that I can find that I like for my budget around me, and there's a perfect one for me in Florida, should I do it? I have an app that notifies me of 240's in like all the states surrounding me, but there's rarely anything worth getting on there. And it includes like 5 states.

[centralcoaster33]

Adventure? Yes! Good Idea? It's a great way to complicate a vehicle purchase. I was dead set on a Kouki S14. I was having issue finding them around here in a useful trim. So I started going out of state and found a beauty in Florida. I got all arranged and even a flight ticket. Well, used car dealers don't care about much more than selling their car and it was sold out from under me. I ended up finding one in San Diego. I switched my flight. That was a loss of 350 in non-refundable air fare. Oh, and it was a one way trip, single person, with a switch... that triggers the NSA and I was pulled aside for extra searching. I had a dime of green taped to the bottom of my right foot (for the drive home) and they wanded all around it but weren't looking with their eyes so it went un-noticed, much to my surprise. Then, I did get the car in San Diego and drove it back. That was an adventure in an of itself. This was my first stick shift and the used car dealer was 'teaching' me how to drive. Then, I had to drive um, 450 miles north, on a Friday afternoon, which became evening, during a severe rain storm, through all of San Diego Traffic, then L.A. traffic, then Santa Barbara Traffic, then regular traffic to home. I had to stop and go and change gears a thousand times. My leg was shaking. I was feeling pretty good about stick after that. This was quite an experience, but it did have extra costs to it. As a final note, it might be worth it, just to get a non-rust car, but it might not be worth it either.

[Xektrez]

Adventure? Yes! Good Idea? It's a great way to complicate a vehicle purchase. I was dead set on a Kouki S14. I was having issue finding them around here in a useful trim. So I started going out of state and found a beauty in Florida. I got all arranged and even a flight ticket. Well, used car dealers don't care about much more than selling their car and it was sold out from under me. I ended up finding one in San Diego. I switched my flight. That was a loss of 350 in non-refundable air fare. Oh, and it was a one way trip, single person, with a switch... that triggers the NSA and I was pulled aside for extra searching. I had a dime of green taped to the bottom of my right foot (for the drive home) and they wanded all around it but weren't looking with their eyes so it went un-noticed, much to my surprise. Then, I did get the car in San Diego and drove it back. That was an adventure in an of itself. This was my first stick shift and the used car dealer was 'teaching' me how to drive. Then, I had to drive um, 450 miles north, on a Friday afternoon, which became evening, during a severe rain storm, through all of San Diego Traffic, then L.A. traffic, then Santa Barbara Traffic, then regular traffic to home. I had to stop and go and change gears a thousand times. My leg was shaking. I was feeling pretty good about stick after that. This was quite an experience, but it did have extra costs to it. As a final note, it might be worth it, just to get a non-rust car, but it might not be worth it either.

Haha, that's sketch bringing that into a plane lol. I don't smoke anymore, so I'd be fine. My friend's do, but I quit. But that's a hell of a story man! It might have been hell during it, but I bet it is an awesome memory to look back on in a few years. And I've been thinking, I might go 300 miles away from home, but anything more is just too much. How did the car dealer guy react to having to teach you? XD

Orlando is about 850 miles away from me, so I'm thinking the furthest I'll go is Georgia, unless I'm actually going to vacation for a week. But my friend's are some broke asses, so nobody would fly there with me. We'd be driving, probably my current car because none of them actually have cars (except for a couple of my friends I don't see that much). They smoke too much lol.

I love the kouki too, it's sooo good looking. I don't care all that much for the s14 taillights, but the kouki makes it worth it. Plus it's a newer car, hopefully less miles, less rust, and better running vehicle. That's the theory at least. I don't see how some of these people get that much rust on their cars, unless they physically TRY to get it rusted up. My car is from 1999 and it's not too rusty. A little part on the rear quarter panel is starting around the tire, but it'd be an easy fix (I assume, idk how to weld, but if I did it would probably be easy).

I would like to have a nice story to go along with the purchasing of my car tho. Anyone can buy a car, swap the cash for it and be done. And they're happy with that. But I want something interesting, different. I don't even have all the funds I need to buy a 240 yet lol, maybe in a month or 2 tho. But hopefully one magically pops up on craigslist that's clean once I actually have a decent offer. That would be crazy. Also, how much did you get yours for?

[centralcoaster33]

Haha, I guess it was an alright adventure. My knuckles were so white by the time I got home. The weed was a terrbile idea, in hindsight. Getting caught would have cost me so much! I barely got to smoke it on the ride back, though I did go through at least a pack of smokes. The 'training session' was a lot like a test drive, around a few city blocks. There was a hill to start on in one spot and he told me about holding the e-brake while putting on the gas and that was helpful. I only stalled when first pulling out of the driveway, so we both figured that was good enough. I wanted the car bad, and that cost me. It was like 9K! You can't want somehing that bad, or you can't let others know you want it that bad. It was a good one though (or I had to tell myself that), Kouki, no moonroof, no ABS, OEM SE model with 5-lug, OEM 5-speed, and a bonus of little tweaters in the A-pillars. I liked that one a lot and drove the crap out of it. I had a nice photo shoot on a back road when it hit 240,000 miles on the Odometer. The counter gear in the transmission broke once and I had to drive home with only 4th gear and the clutch, about 150 Miles. That was also an adventure! I rebuild the transmission in my apartment dining room. I had the car on jackstands in the apartment parking lot for like a month and had to hurry up when management threatened me to take it down or move in a week. I bent up the rear end hitting a curb sideways and it was sold when repairs were beyond me (crooked frame). Good times!

[centralcoaster33]

PS - I may have lucked out by not getting the Florida car because I'm in CA and I'd have to transfer the vehicle from out of state and we have gnarly emissions laws. I dont' know how easy that is with these cars. I still don't know if that second cat is empty in some states and full in others. Do you have different emsission laws that you'd have to consider for your state? Oh, and if you get a non-rusty car, can you keep it non-rusty?

[Xektrez]

I have no idea how Indiana handles emissions. I've never dealt with them, or heard of anyone dealing with them. What exactly is it? Do they inspect your car to check if it spits out too much pollution? My car has had a busted catalytic converter for as long as I can remember, and that has to with it doesn't it?

I looked it up on the BMV for Indiana, and it says "Vehicles registered in Lake and Porter counties are required to undergo emissions tests and tampering inspections every two years if they were manufactured after 1976 and have a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 9,000 pounds or less. Vehicle manufacturers typically print the GVWR on the driver-side door jamb.". I might have to look into this so I can pass them if it's required or something lol.

And as far as rust, I won't be able to "prevent it" exactly. Once I know how to fix rust, and pull out my engine and transmission, then I plan on lifting the car up and fixing and removing all rust underneath, and then spraying a think layer of bedliner to coat the entire underside of the car and in the wheel wells. Maybe even apply a rust preventative before applying bedliner. Because it snows here in the winter, and they always salt the roads and all that stuff sitting on your car can't be good for it. I might have to keep my current car tho for the winters, because I want to lower the 240 (not to the floor like some, but nicely stanced) and I don't know how good that will be in the snow. Because we get like 4-5 inches usually when it does actually snow. But I probably wouldn't lower it until I had the funds to do some other things to it, because once I do find and buy the car it'll most likely drain all of my funds and I'll be broke lol. But ima go research emissions, because I know people online talk about it but I've never heard any complain or worry about it in real life.

[Xektrez]

I have a Honda and it damn near sounds fart canned because the cat converter is busted lmao. It's kinda embarrassing because people probably think I'm a ricer, it's soo loud when the engine is cold.

[Xektrez]

Also, is it only those 2 counties that are regulated for me? Because it says "Lake and Porter counties", not any others. I looked them up and they are both side-by-side and the top left hand corner of Indiana. I live in the south. So do I not have emission standards? This is confusing lol.

[asoomal]

[quote="centralcoaster33]Oh, and if you get a non-rusty car, can you keep it non-rusty?[/quote]

Yep.

There are many ways.

Noxudol cavity wax will keep it from rusting.

[Xektrez]

[quote="centralcoaster33]Oh, and if you get a non-rusty car, can you keep it non-rusty?

Yep.

There are many ways.

Noxudol cavity wax will keep it from rusting.[/quote][/quote]

Huh never heard of that one lol

[asoomal]

There are many diferrent brands out there, Noxudol is one of the best ones.

Spraying undercoating and bedliner won't do much. They rot from the inside out. You will need to treat the inner panels and welds with a thin wax that will prevent oxygen and moisture from attacking the steel.

This will need to be applied once a year.