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

[99Grandtouring]

Just so you know, I come in peace!:) I'm here to ask you advice on what 240 I should buy....I'm looking for one to mod/fix up for everyday driving and mainly to learn drifting pretty well, as my 99 Mustang GT isn't that great at it.....

Heres my goal, sr20 swap, manual transmission, some suspension work, thats it. I'd like to have roughly 220hp at the wheels..Heres my options, at a local junkyard/nissan dealer (has cars he fixes up/gets to run and sells them) he has 5 240's ranging in years..can someone explain the differences in the years and the benefit of one over the other, keep in mind thier all autos' so they would have to be swapped over to manual...

2 of them are older 240's hatch backs with the pop up lights...1 of the is the older 240 trunk with pop up lights.and 2 of them are the newer 240's 95+ I believe....

can someone give me a general break down of the difference between the body styles and if one is better/lighter/stronger for certain styles than others?Thanks! All help is greatly appreciated, and I hope to be joining your alls group soon!

[99Grandtouring]

also just FYI I did a search on this and couldn't find anything...

[nissanrcer240]

go to the faq for 240s in this section right above your post...i would go with one of the 95+ models b/c i think they look better personaly...whatever you get good luck with it

[99Grandtouring]

I did check that out, that mainly tells about the engine, I'm more interested in the chassis/body side of differences in them..Thanks

[nissanrcer240]

oh...so u want pictures of the cars b/c i can give you links for pictures

[lessthanjakejohn]

He wants to know which one has better structural integrity

I think?

[nissanrcer240]

oohh..structural integrity..hhmm....i'll let you take this one then:)

[99Grandtouring]

well sorta, that and also if thier is a large weight difference between the models, if one if more prone to failure or one has an easier suspension to work with...etc....

[Daunttless]

There isn't a significant difference between styles besides cosmetic. The S14 is vaguely heavier that's about the only difference, the S13 would be more prone to failure, not because of any mechanical defect but simply because it's older. I would say it's equally difficult to work on either suspension. Enjoy your day!

[lucas_420]

The entire platform is solid and they are all great cars, I think you should go for the one you like the looks of the most. Though I think you can pick up an S13 for cheaper than an S14. Giving you more $$ left over to put into it.

From what I have read (correct me if I am wrong) the S13s are a strong and fairly light chassis with the coupe being more ridged than the fastback. The S14s are just a little heavier but you have to think they are a larger frame and I think they have more ridgidity than the S13s (? marginal ?).

Then there are things like 5-lug (some S14) vs. 4-lug (all S13) and open differentials (USA S13s non-HICAS) vs. limited slip (S13 w/HICAS and all S14?).

Its really up to what you want to start from and how much $$ you have to get the car and throw parts at it. Quote »"...for everyday driving and mainly to learn drifting..."[/quote] Those 2 things don't mix well. Like a dialy driven rally car, you will bang it up. If you plan on drifting you might wanna check at some body shops for the prices of repair and body panels for the different body styles.

[99Grandtouring]

well the s-14 I'm looking at we think has a salvage title with it and its been rebuilt, so cost is gonna be about the same..were not for sure, I'm gonna check with the guy and take some pictures of them all...if the s14 has a limited slip diff then that will rule it to be my choice, that is one option I want...

[99Grandtouring]

some quick questions...here are the pics of the car, the guy is asking $1500 for it...its and 89 or 90 he said, we didn't look it up....130k miles......everything is fine with it except the alternator "shakes" he said he would fix it that it is either a broke alternator bracket or a lost/broke bolt....

only body damage is a dent in the back passenger side top corner near the bottom of the hatch, and a dent in the passenger side door....

a college girl owned it before, they bought it new, they decided to get a new car when she was having a baby...here is some pics...is there any certain "trouble" areas I should look at when checking out this car?

[99Grandtouring]

more pics

[99Grandtouring]

[99Grandtouring]

Also its an auto, is there any concerns with an auto and that high of milage?

[99Grandtouring]

there is also a hole wore in the carpet but how it wore up near the seat I have no idea...

[99Grandtouring]

heres the hole, is there a place I can get a replacement carpet?

[99Grandtouring]

and the front

I can't really tell but is thier a difference in bodys on teh 89-90 compared to the 90-91's?? before the entire body changed to the 97 sytles??are thier different s-13's is what I'm asking... like a different front bumper etc...??

[99Grandtouring]

heres the last one.....so what do you think? worth $1500???also where should I look for problems at with it?thanks!

[lucas_420]

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

[stunt_driver]

go for a 91-93 s13 coupe because your doing an sr swap anyways, and its easier to get the a/c to work on them plus i think they are nice with the jdm s13 lights, if you get the s14 the a/c is harder to get to work because you have to hard wire it. plus try to get one w/ a good title because you dont want someone else's problem to be yours it will lead to problems later on. and i really prefer the fastback models but im stuck with my s14 kouki model oh well

[99Grandtouring]

Well I'm sure if I took $1200-$1300 he would take it.....

about the swap though, I was gonna get epik-motorsports in myrtle beach sc to do the swap.....this is the only 240 I can find in my price range.....

will it still work with this model? I might not even worry about ac anyway... what is it that doesnt' line up? is this the one that power steering lines and all are backwards when you do the swap? I rem reading something about it in Sport compact car mag??

[99Grandtouring]

Well I checked on my insurance $79 a month....I'm gonna go and see about getting the car, I'll offer $1300 and see what he says......it does have new tires on it though....

what should be some of the first suspension mods I do?

[lessthanjakejohn]

Well what kind of mods do you want? upgrades or working condition?

[99Grandtouring]

I'm unsure, really anything that will make it handle better....something else, how good are 240's in the snow?

[n00b240]

im from canada. thing is with a rwd car, you have to know your car. take it out practice let it slide. after that you should be good. i have an s14 i just got an i love it. great car. i cant wait to make mo money for some suspension. also that 89 is an auto. manuals are way more fun to drive, get a manual if you can find one, let alone know how to drive one.

[n00b240]

btw i got my s14 for 4k, with 100k miles on it. ive had no problems, except that pesky o2 sensor

[99Grandtouring]

Well I'm pretty good with a RWD car because of my mustang, I'm just hoping the 240 will be a little friendlier in the snow than the stang is...

This one will be swaped to a manual when I do the sr20det swap later on..

[n00b240]

if you get a 240 with lsd, you should welcome the change from the stang to the 240. i was impressed and i had a bmw before

[nametakennow]

I would be up for the S14, but I simply prefer it looks and in newness, age is hard on cars, no matter how well taken care of they are.