hi, i'm a new user to these forums. i go to school in rochester, and by the fall, i need to buy my first car. since it will be my first car, i don't want to spend too much money on it, because i'm sure i'll crash it a few times. rochester has a lot of snow, so an AWD car is best, but AWD cars are pretty expensive. i've been recommended by some of my friends to check out 240SXs. they say that it would be a good car to learn to drift and drive in the snow. can anyone, preferably 240SX drivers, give me some basic information about the 240SX, good or bad?
how reliable are these cars? i'm planning to buy it considerable used, so how much mileage would be too high? how safe are these cars? is it hard/expensive to repair parts of the car? is there anything that can be done to the car to enhance it's performance? and finally, how much should i be willing to spend to buy one?
thanks a lot
newbie
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nametakennow
- Posts: 10024
- Joined: Sat Aug 24, 2002 4:14 pm
- Car: '06 MINI Cooper S
Welcome. Follow AZ's instructions and you'll be set. However, I will chuck a little info at you.
Price is going to depend a lot on year. Safety is also going to depend a bit on year, as pre-'95 models lacked airbags. Reliability isn't a major issue, since it's a truck engine inside, it'll run with a lot of abuse. Repairs and maintenance are only as hard/expensive as you want them to be, I'm on my first car too (see sig), and I'm learning to do a lot of work myself, simply because I hate the idea of paying for something I can learn how to do. Enhancing performance... oh wow... you came to the right place for that one. Engine swaps are VERY common in the 240, and slowly turbocharging the stock engine is becoming a big thing. This is not to mention the vast amounts of parts available for naturally aspirated 240s (cams, headers, etc).
So, it all depends on your budget for the initial car as to how much you're going to be spending and getting.
Since you mentioned the snow, I have to promote the Sentra/200SX for you. A late model Sentra/200SX SE-R (95-98, or even an 00-01 like mine) can be had for as little as 240s nowadays, in part because 240s are a BIG trend (to some people), and thus their price is on the rise. With the Sentra/200SX, you get the stability of front wheel drive (as much as we all hate it), without quite the same econobox feel of a Civic, Integra, etc. The SR20DE is one of the best motors to ever come out of Japan in history, and no one refutes that (too much). It is low maintenance (for a car).
Let me put it this way: My '01 Sentra SE (SR20DE) will get the groceries, pack in some friends, and get 30mpg while doing it, without the hazards of RWD in the snow. Not to mention that my lightly modded Sentra could keep up with a 240 in most environments (130whp/126wlb/ft, somewhere in the 150s at the crank, viscous limited slip differential, sport suspension, etc...)
::puts on flame suit::
Price is going to depend a lot on year. Safety is also going to depend a bit on year, as pre-'95 models lacked airbags. Reliability isn't a major issue, since it's a truck engine inside, it'll run with a lot of abuse. Repairs and maintenance are only as hard/expensive as you want them to be, I'm on my first car too (see sig), and I'm learning to do a lot of work myself, simply because I hate the idea of paying for something I can learn how to do. Enhancing performance... oh wow... you came to the right place for that one. Engine swaps are VERY common in the 240, and slowly turbocharging the stock engine is becoming a big thing. This is not to mention the vast amounts of parts available for naturally aspirated 240s (cams, headers, etc).
So, it all depends on your budget for the initial car as to how much you're going to be spending and getting.
Since you mentioned the snow, I have to promote the Sentra/200SX for you. A late model Sentra/200SX SE-R (95-98, or even an 00-01 like mine) can be had for as little as 240s nowadays, in part because 240s are a BIG trend (to some people), and thus their price is on the rise. With the Sentra/200SX, you get the stability of front wheel drive (as much as we all hate it), without quite the same econobox feel of a Civic, Integra, etc. The SR20DE is one of the best motors to ever come out of Japan in history, and no one refutes that (too much). It is low maintenance (for a car).
Let me put it this way: My '01 Sentra SE (SR20DE) will get the groceries, pack in some friends, and get 30mpg while doing it, without the hazards of RWD in the snow. Not to mention that my lightly modded Sentra could keep up with a 240 in most environments (130whp/126wlb/ft, somewhere in the 150s at the crank, viscous limited slip differential, sport suspension, etc...)
::puts on flame suit::
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Maybelline
- Posts: 34
- Joined: Wed Jun 30, 2004 1:52 pm
thanks a lot for the info. i'm planning on spending upwards of $6k for the car, maybe more if it's a good car. only problem is, there aren't too many 240SXs available around me, so i'm probably not even going to have a chance to spend that much. there is one that i found about 45 minutes away from me that is a 1989 240SX SE. it has about 85K miles, automatic, everything is stock, very good condition, a few miner scratchs. how much should i spend on this?
i will be living with two friends who know a lot of about cars and mechanics, so if you say most problems with the car can be fixed without going to an expensive shop, thats terrific. i'm glad you mentioned that sr20det engine, since they were telling me about it. how much do one of these engines go for, and do they have to be imported straight from japan?
one of my more annoying friends is trying to discourage me from buying the car, saying it's only good for really good drivers, and only if it has the engine swapped. is it still a good drive without the sr20?
thanks a lot for recommending the 200SX too for safety, but the RWD and drifting abilities of the 240SX are what I was msot interested in. this is going to be my first car, but i've been driving cars for several years now. i usually drive extremely carefully, since i don't own any of the cars i drive, but i try to fool around once in a while. my two roommates are extremely good drivers, and are trying to teach me advanced control techniques with rwd cars, especially in the snow.
btw, yes i'm a girl.
i will be living with two friends who know a lot of about cars and mechanics, so if you say most problems with the car can be fixed without going to an expensive shop, thats terrific. i'm glad you mentioned that sr20det engine, since they were telling me about it. how much do one of these engines go for, and do they have to be imported straight from japan?
one of my more annoying friends is trying to discourage me from buying the car, saying it's only good for really good drivers, and only if it has the engine swapped. is it still a good drive without the sr20?
thanks a lot for recommending the 200SX too for safety, but the RWD and drifting abilities of the 240SX are what I was msot interested in. this is going to be my first car, but i've been driving cars for several years now. i usually drive extremely carefully, since i don't own any of the cars i drive, but i try to fool around once in a while. my two roommates are extremely good drivers, and are trying to teach me advanced control techniques with rwd cars, especially in the snow.
btw, yes i'm a girl.
your annoying friend is wrong, it's a difficult car to learn how to drive, but since you already know, then it won't be too bad. It's an amazing blast w/o the sr due to the dynamics of the drivetrain and suspension, and I would sincerely tell you to learn how to drive fast in the KA (stock engine) before going wild.
Also, a list of fun awd cars:Impulse RS (tubo) Isuzu w/lotus tuned susp.Mazda 323 gtx (turbo) kinda goofy looking but w/amazing potential.Impreza 2.5 rs (subaru) n/a and not too powerful, but great looks and a very good drive. Besides, you can always go STI (turbo, lsd, etc..) on it...vr-4 galant (mitsu turbo) I don't know reliability on these but I've heard nothing but good things about them.Eclipse gsx or talon tsi (1st gen tubo) Heard of some reliability issues (crankwalk was it?)
Most are hard to find but good none the less
Also, a list of fun awd cars:Impulse RS (tubo) Isuzu w/lotus tuned susp.Mazda 323 gtx (turbo) kinda goofy looking but w/amazing potential.Impreza 2.5 rs (subaru) n/a and not too powerful, but great looks and a very good drive. Besides, you can always go STI (turbo, lsd, etc..) on it...vr-4 galant (mitsu turbo) I don't know reliability on these but I've heard nothing but good things about them.Eclipse gsx or talon tsi (1st gen tubo) Heard of some reliability issues (crankwalk was it?)
Most are hard to find but good none the less
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nametakennow
- Posts: 10024
- Joined: Sat Aug 24, 2002 4:14 pm
- Car: '06 MINI Cooper S
A 240 will be fine stock. The SR can be imported through a number of companies in the US or straight from Japan, I think most people recommend importing through one of the companies though, mostly for quality reasons.
If you plan on swapping soon, that '89 is a good candidate, it's low miles and OBD1, meaning it will be easier to pass emissions than a '96+ would be. I would look for something newer if I were you, simply because of time and what it does to vehicles, but if your selection is limited, it's a good choice.
When swapping, you may want to remember the transmission. I would assume that if you're planning on an SR swap you're going to plan on a 5spd (or 6spd, mmm... though 5spd would be better for drifting) manual with the swapped engine. Therefore some extra work will be needed to put a manual transmission into an auto car. Nothing major though.
I don't know too much about prices, but a good condition '89 is still an '89. Therefore I'd shoot at ~$2-3000, but I'm sure some of the 240 people can help you better with that. Good luck.
If you plan on swapping soon, that '89 is a good candidate, it's low miles and OBD1, meaning it will be easier to pass emissions than a '96+ would be. I would look for something newer if I were you, simply because of time and what it does to vehicles, but if your selection is limited, it's a good choice.
When swapping, you may want to remember the transmission. I would assume that if you're planning on an SR swap you're going to plan on a 5spd (or 6spd, mmm... though 5spd would be better for drifting) manual with the swapped engine. Therefore some extra work will be needed to put a manual transmission into an auto car. Nothing major though.
I don't know too much about prices, but a good condition '89 is still an '89. Therefore I'd shoot at ~$2-3000, but I'm sure some of the 240 people can help you better with that. Good luck.
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Mr1der
- Posts: 36020
- Joined: Tue Sep 02, 2003 8:35 am
- Car: It's still not a Nissan...
- Location: Lebanon TN
rousie13 wrote:And you can throw some sand bags or something similar in the back for added weight=more traction.
And I'm always up for meeting a car fan, especially one that's a chick or isn't an ugly dude, you know, kinda like 1der, I'm not gay or anything but he's a dreamy guy...
, thanks sweetheart.
