*newbie* Buying a 240, but which one should I buy? (choices inside)

[99Grandtouring]

Let me ask you guys this.....so far everything has checked out clean....but I noticed on ebay thier is a 240 that has a blown engine, it says the engine blew because the water pump went out....

This car I'm looking at has a "shaky" alternator, he believes the alternator bracket either broke, or they replaced the belt and put to much tension on the belt causing it to break.. now he also said on these care the alternator belt drives the water pump as well...if the car was driven like this, could any problems of occured and what damage would it have done/should I look for??

I don't want to get this and the engine goes out in a month...keep in mind the guy is very helpful and willing to fix the alternator and to his knowledge it has no problems (a car dealership, but a small one)

[lucas_420]

take it to a mechanic whatever you do... if this guy stands by the car he won't care. Ask them to check it out like they were buying it themselves... tell them the price and see if they think you are getting a fair deal.

there are usually hidden problems but that is expected in a car this old, just look for warning signs about the car.. I bought my last car (90 mustang conv) without doing a complete check and though I loved the car.... 3 months later I had to replace the transmission, then a year later the top and more and more. It had problems. I'll never make that mistake again.

[99Grandtouring]

Well thats a problem, the car is a 2 hr drive away......I know no mechanics in that area......

is there any thing you all can clue me in to look for? any "signs" to look out for on it?

I'm going to test drive it before I buy it, is there anything to look at transmission wise to see if the transmission is ok? (its an automatic)....I know the timing chain seems to be a big concern it has 130k miles on it, is that something to worry about?

[99Grandtouring]

I just found out on the forums to look for rust under the wing..they alsa said in the 1/4 panels/wheel wells....anyone got a pic of the area to look for it at?

[lucas_420]

Even if you dont know any mechanics in the area, get a phone book and look one up and give them a call. Maybe you can make an appointment, if not you can ask them what to look for (they should be willing to help).As far as what I think you should look for... #1 see if he knows who the previous owner was. Old lady=good teenager=watch yourself.Also... fresh oil on the motor, transmission, differential and anywhere. check the radiator for white stuff (electrolosis?) or excess foam in the fluid and look for large, evenly timed bubbles while the car is running (foam and bubbles could indicate pressure getting past the head gasket, mine was because the radiator had been recently flushed and there was still air in the system), also any signs of rust in the radiator. If you can, check the plugs for oil or other signs of damage. Run/drive the car for a little bit and see how it feels. The KA is a little vibration happy to begin with but this should give you a better idea of what the car has been through, and the transmission should be smooth without too much slip, it should be responsicve without too many sudden hard shifts... especially at low rpms. Can you isolate the gears with the auto (ie: drop it into 1 2 or 3 like a sportmatic)? If so, do it and see if anything feels out of the ordinary or just wrong (generic I know, but you'll know if there is something fkd up). How do the breaks feel/look? Abused? New? Look for anything recently replaced and ask the who/what/why questions. Try to ask as many questions as you can without being irritating, but if the guy seems irritated by simple questions or is dodging questions DANGER!!as far as rust this page isn't about 240s but it has pictures of 1/4 panel rust in the later and more extreme stages. Look for ANYTHING resembling that stuff, as well as bumpy paint that could be hiding rust.good luck

edit: (I just keep going!) after the car has warmed up, put your hand in the exhaust and feel it for excess oil or crud, it should feel pretty dry but if your hand comes up oily make a note of it. I dont know what you are ecpecting of the interior, but look for signs like it has been stripped to race. Things like the carpet was put in hastely, bolts missing from the seats, etc...

[Rick240SX]

That Engine bay/Engine looks a little dirty, personally, I think its an ok deal for 1100-1200, Im not too fond of the KA24E, I didnt have good experience with my first 240 which was an 89 but im loving my 92 to death. PERSONALLY, Id take pictures, my 92 is an LE (Leather) with 114k on the clock Auto, Power everything, in PERFECT and i mean PERFECT shape, perfect paint, no dents no nothing, Engine is cleannnnn, my brother in law was in awe as to hell well the car was kept, I even have all service records, I lucked out big time though, $1500 the guy took off 1000$ cause i asked him too because i was just a college kid who sold his Celi and needed a new Car ASAP so i told him 1500$ cash and he said sure, But he also had a new Benz and his wife a Z3 so i dont think they wanted the 240 around anymore, Personally id say wait for something better, id be more worth it, Dont pick up that 89-90, Id say go for a 91 and up. my car has never coughed, never died or anything, engine sits like a rock, Im gonna compression test it to see just how good it really is.

[GotRice?]

what years and models came with an lsd? thats of key importance in buying a 240, anyone know?

[SilviaLuvr]

89-90 has the pig nose snout. 90-94 has a cleaner front bumper but I think that is the only body change. the S13 chassis ended here in the USA in 94 and was restyled into the S14 in 1995.. the 1997 S14 has a slight change (headlight only?)check out edmunds.com, they might have better pix of the 2 S13 styles.

edit: 1500? talk him down if you can

or you can order a 98 type X (180sx wit SR20 motor. think the S14 motor, wit those sweet a tails)

[Gregariousgreg]

There are two really good ways to tell if there is something wrong with the engine. Number one is to make sure it has been compression tested or ask the guy to test it for you. Another is to have the guy pull out the spark plugs, if they look really beaten up or have excessive amounts of oil or any water on them the engine may have serious problems. Both of those little tests are very easy so if the guy refuses to let you do them, then something is probably fishy.

On the other hand, if your gunna get an engine swap (which comes with a transmission) it is the body you should be more worried about. But still, the guy should sell you the car for pretty cheap if the engine is blown and for and for an s13 a car like that shouldn't cost much more than 1k. Major problems for bodies are rust and frame damage and then there are more minor fixable problems like paint scratches, dents etc. All these body problems should be pretty obvious.

[aleefro]

Hey man,

I recently purchased a 1990 240sx. The 89-91 models push 140hp, 152torque (SOHD). But if you decide on a 92 and up, you'll have a DOHC with 155hp and 160 torque (by the way, the Honda S2000 pushes only 153 torque...just thought you'd wanna know that as an interesting fact! lol)

The body of an S13 is as light as a feather. THIS IS THE ULTIMATE CAR FOR DRITING! The thing with this car is not the power (the power is sufficient, but I think your mustang could beat a stalk 240 right off the line), its all about the superb handling. I've had a number of races (ie. cavalier's, tiburons, etc...) in moderate traffic conditions, and I out manouvered those guys quite easily, plus this is a very small and compact vehicle.

I live in canada, and I experience alot of snow. Be very careful in icy or snowy conditions, drive slow and drive smart. This car will not get stuck in one spot in snowy weather, due to its light weight. I've been in terrible snowstorms driving factory wheels and have only gotten stuck once (in an extreme condition.). But, there is a tendency to drift when you don't necessarily want to! (sand bags can remedy this). In rain I can't complain, it handles fine.

The overall driving experience is good.

What I experienced:

1. Worn, or cracked injectors causes a fuel leak. This is a common prob with many 240's (i've done my homework). This leakage causes a nasty smell of gas as it tends to leak right inside the car. Don't freak out, just get it replaced, its not dangerous, it just stinks a little (get it fixed quick). The cracked injectors also may cause a rough idle. So, once replaced, no rough idle, no leakage, just smooth driving. (also get some injector cleaner)...

2. Rust can be very problematic on these older 240's. I had to get a rust free trunk shipped down from Georgia. And thats the classic source of rust: the trunk (inside and out). Get that fixed or replaced.

Lucas_420 pretty much covered the main pointers to a 'T'. I personally would be very suspicious as to why this dealer is offereing the car for so cheap. As for the hole in the carpet...this may just be evidence of high heal shoes? lol...if it is a girl. Just a wild guess thats all...

But my general advice is try to get a newer 240 92-93, they're light, more powerful, less likely to give you problems, oh and did i mention more powerful? All in all, they're a newer engine with a few modifications compared to the older ones. But if the one you're looking at checks out, then hey, go for dude.

Best of luck!

-ALEEFRO

[Bubba1]

Hey 99 touring. I'm about to put this 1989 on ebay if I don;t generate interest. It's in the buy/sell/trade section. I have the same small carpet tear. Can be modded or run as is. it runs great.)http://www.eniety.com/pichost/pic/Car1.jpg

[krazy skwerel]

the DOHC engine was put in the 240sx from June 1990 to its end in 1998. LSD in the s13 was 91-94 se, le, and Super HICAS( all wheel steering model). I believe all of my facts are correct but if any are incorrect please correct them.:batman

[Bubba1]

Oh, the rust spot on the trunk lid under the foam wing is true.I don't know about the wheel wells or quarter panels.

[GotRice?]

WHICH YEARS AND MODELS HAVE LSD'S STOCK????????

[rwdseeker]

Yeah which years and models had LSD's stock?

What model is top of the line? LE? SE? And what makes it top of the line? I understand HICAS is generally not good, even though it sounds good on paper, it is not that sweet when trying to drift or race?

Are there any other model designations besides LE and SE?

Can I gather that, for the purpose of building an all balls race car, you would want a 92-93 S13, manual, non-Hicas, with stock LSD ? Is this the 240 to get?

[Rockenreno]

1st: SEARCHThese have all been answered. And why revive a dead thread like this? I'll give you a quick run around, you can search for the rest.:angryfire

Yeah which years and models had LSD's stock?

What model is top of the line? LE? SE? And what makes it top of the line? I understand HICAS is generally not good, even though it sounds good on paper, it is not that sweet when trying to drift or race?

Are there any other model designations besides LE and SE?

Can I gather that, for the purpose of building an all balls race car, you would want a 92-93 S13, manual, non-Hicas, with stock LSD ? Is this the 240 to get?

If you want to drift and do an engine swap, the best you can probably do is a '89-93 base model with no options. If you want an LSD you have to get the SE model with HICAS or install it yourself. HICAS is good if you are not planning to drift and want a little better handling in turns, but it is electronical and computer controlled so some don't like it...

[rwdseeker]

1st: SEARCHThese have all been answered. And why revive a dead thread like this?

When do you veteran guys declare a thread to be dead? Should these threads then be given a 'toe tag' like at the morgue? So we know not to bother them? From what I saw, the last post before me was around a month ago, is that dead? Sorry to do that I guess, I had actually been SEARCHING and came to a thread that I was interested in, and I posted a reply, without checking the timestamp to see when the last post was. Thanks for your advice though, sorry to get you flustered.

[Rockenreno]

It's just that all these questions have been asked and answered a million times. To avoid future flustering just look around...

[TougeRPS13]

You should gowth the RP13 '89-'94 body style with proper tunin it can keep up with best of-em and remember go for performance, SR20DET is nice, no "NOS" orcut springs