round-about pricing for a HICAS equipped 240.

[Arrow]

As the title suggests, I am curious what price range I would be looking at to get a HICAS equipped 240. I'm thinking maybe a '91 or '92 model would be the cheapest... I won't really be in the market for about another year or so (sticking w/ the '90 240 for now) but am just wondering around what price range I'd be looking at. I've done some searching but it is hard to know which 240's are equipped with HICAS w/o looking at it in person and it also seems like there are many people out there that own a 240 (and possibly one equipped w/ HICAS) and they really don't know it or anything about their car.... sad.... I'm still debating about the reliability of the HICAS steering system, I've heard that occasionally the rear tires could lock-up. I plan to turbo the next car so this would also have to be considered... But currently I'm not looking for high numbers 200 - 250 hp to the wheels would be great to start off with (I'll say probably 200 is a better bet as it would be easy to meet and a conservative starting place) Thanks in advance for any help!

[rebelgtp]

i bought my 91 with hicas last year for $2300 at a dealer. i have not had one problem with my hicas, in fact i have had alot of fun with it. when i bought the car they had no idea what the hicas was i even asked about it they had no clue.

[RC240]

ditch the hicas and get a lsd much better

[rebelgtp]

try the hicas system before you "ditch" it as some people will suggest. most people that do suggest that have never driven a hicas car and only say it because they have heard others say that on the net. a car with properly workin hicas can be alot of fun. mine came with the lsd as well (some hicas cars will and some will not have lsd, same with abs) has never given me a problem and everyone that has ridden or driven my car has loved it.

[fullthrtl_tech]

i have driven both and i prefer the non hicas with no ABS as oppesed to the hicas with abs but on the plus side u get a lsd. It all comes down 2 driver preference

[Arrow]

driftking, why do you prefer non abs? What is the basis for your desicion? As you said, just personal preference or something else... I would like to drive a hicas equipped 240. I think that would help in my desicion. Too bad I don't know of any hicas equipped 240's near me... I thought that all 240's that came with hicas also had an lsd and abs?????? Could be my mistake, I'm just learning more....

[Meantime]

All 240's that came with HICAS also came with ABS and VLSD...only available on the S13 fastback. USDM S14s were not offered with HICAS.

Rear tires locking up is a myth, don't know how that got started, it's just a hydraulic ram connected by toe arms to the rear hubs. I haven't had any problems with mine. It's not a very intrusive system, most of the time you won't even notice it working. The ABS works relatively well for being an early system.

[Arrow]

I wonder why Nissan discontinued the use of HICAS in the later 240's (S14's) oh well... I would think that having abs would be beneficial so, that's why I'm looking for a 240 w/ it (I can't be sure that it's needed or not though) and an lsd is a definate want/need and to my knowledge the only 240 fastbacks that came with lsd also came with abs and hicas.... Once again, I could be wrong. Also, does anyone know of ways to know that the car has hicas? Other than the car saying 'super hicas' on the side? I know I could always look under the rear to see the tie-rods... and is there anyway to tell about an lsd other than jacking it up and spinning a tire? And most sellers of a car should easily know if it has abs or not... but if they don't is there any way to check on that (other than slamming on the brakes while driving to see if it skids)??? Thanks again guys!

[nismo521]

You can check for ABS by looking at the master cylinder. If there are 2 hardines coming out of it, then it has ABS, 3 lines means no ABS. Also, there will be an ABS module near the firewall on the passenger side of the car that the 2 hardlines from the master cylinder run into.

[Arrow]

thanks a lot! Now I just need to know if I was correct about not being able to get lsd and abs w/o the all-wheel steering... hmmm.... Thanks again!

[Ubernoober]

HICAS is definitely coll, but be aware that it operates bated on the fact that there is some slack in the factory bushings. If you replace those with much harder bushings or particularly solid bushings, the ram will bend and crack suspension peices instead. So just look at how it works and replace all the bushings you want but the ones that require compliance.

[Arrow]

so basically, hicas 'bends' the rear wheels a little (say a few degrees at best) and also adds weight to the rear w/ the rack and such... hmmm... not looking to be a completely 'great' thing.... I really think that abs would be nice and definately a lsd... but I don't think that I can get those seperate from the hicas.... hmmmm.... more to think about.... but it's not like I'm buying anything now, just getting ideas for when I get some money.... my current '90 240 will have to suffice for now.

[Ubernoober]

It actually works quite well. Unfortunately, the 240SX never got the quicker responding system that the 94+ 300Z's got ( I think that was their "Super HICAS").Still a remarkably good system for street and mild track driving. Besides, why do you think people whorship the Skyline GT-R? It also had 4-wheel steering. Didn't it?

[Arrow]

was the 4-wheel steering of them similar to that of the older 240's (as in just 'bending' the rear wheels)???

[Ubernoober]

In a word... no.

[Arrow]

I see your point... although, since you mentioned about hicas in the 240's to work from relying on 'flex' in the bushings and such.... is it possible to give certain bushings more 'flex' to result in faster response and quicker turns and then to stiffen up the ones that don't require any 'flexing'?? If that was possible you might be able to get one sick car... but then again, I bet someone has already though of this and probably has disproved my little 'theory' THANKS AGAIN FOR ALL OF YOUR HELP!

Edit:

Now, the next thing that I still haven't found out much on.... about what price range would I be looking at? Should I guess the same price range for any 240 of those years given their mileage or should I guess slightly higher? and of course it all depends on the condition of the vehicle as well.... but thanks a lot guys!
Modified by Arrow at 2:13 AM 1/6/2005

[Meantime]

I bought my HICAS 240 back in 3/03 with 129,000 miles, in good shape with everything working and passing inspection, for $3000. It was pricey b/c I found it on the lot of a dealer the first day and had to have it, so I paid more than it probably was worth, but I don't regret it at all.

[Arrow]

alright, I'm seeming to get the idea that the price for a hicas equipped 240 is right around that of a base model when considering mileage. Now for me to keep my eyes open for one that's up for sale... Thanks.

[Meantime]

You're absolutely correct. Not really any discernable difference in pricing for the HICAS vs. base model or LE (coupe). Convertible is a different story.

BTW there is a thread opened recently for a '91 HICAS model, f/s for $2500 with 169k, just for add'l reference.

[justmerging]

I paid 4k for mine at a dealer. It only had 90k miles and everything worked perfectly. the only thing that was wrong with the car was the spoiler had started to come off.

As for what options came with what car. The Super Hicas was part of the Sport handling Package. It came with LSD, ABS, and the HICAS system. No Combination of the above was available. it was an all or nothing package.

The rear steering sytem works fairly well for as primative as it is. It has rear tie rods, almost identical to the front, not toe control rods. i love my hicas but for those who have never driven one or only driven it a couple of times it can be quite unpredictable. I've had mine since feb and I know it by now and it works for me. Oversteer is a little more difficult to initiate but it is not always needed now.

I guess it boils down to personal preference and what the vehicle will be used for. I use mine for auto-x/open track racing and I love it. i don't recommend it for drifting on the other hand.

Try and drive someone elses car for an extended amount of time(good luck, I don't let anyone else drive my car or even think about driving mine, my wife doesn't even move it if it's in the way). It just takes getting used to.

Hope this helps. If you have any other questions feel free to email me or hit me up on aim, justmerging240sr.

[Arrow]

THANKS A LOT JUSTMERGING! That was some useful information! I have thought that if I used it in any racing I'd look into autocross and possibly one or two drifts to just 'see how it handles' but mostly auto-cross. I think that auto-x has a lot to due with skill and is probably easier to find auto-x courses than anything else... but mostly I'd want to use it for a daily driver that has a lot of 'pep' and is fun to drive. (especially if I end up turboing it later)

[justmerging]

Mine has the sr in it and i love it. It has no problems handling the power. You may want to read about Don Nimi's car, He's with pdm racing, and he's been using his for auto-x for years now. Glad i could help.