SR20 as a daily driver?

[Edo]

I have a convern, that if I ever did a swap in my 240 (from Ka to sr20), and my car breaks down, I'd be in a sticky situation.

Which makes me ask, would you guys suggest using your sr20 powered 240 as a daily driver?

I have always heard options of having a beater car as a back up, but as a college student who has to move around a lot, that is a big hassle insurance and money efficiency wise.

I really wanna swap, but if I have the fear of the car ever breakign down and knowing how long it'd take to get parts repaired plus getting it fixed, gives me some hesitations.

Does the sr20 have a pretty reliable reputation for being pretty sturdy?

[Anand]

I have a Sr20 daily driver but then again.. I've only had it for about 1 month.. so far so good.. I know people who have had their sr's over a year and have had no problems...

[bcuz]

have your motor built before you put it in. itll be like it just came from the factory. And just change the oil every 3k miles, youll be all good.

[offtheline]

Thats one of the reasons why Im going KA-T. Im not a master mechanic, nor do I claim to be. If something seriously goes wrong, I want a normal nissan mechanic to be able to fix it.

That being said, I know of numerous sr20s that are daily drivers. They seem to be pretty reliable.

[Dattebayo]

okay like you know.sheesh just dont put 30,000 miles a year on it so it'll last you longer. In japan these engines are designed to be thrown away after 60,000 miles so be careful.

[JohnI3laze]

I've been thinking about the same thing but I've seen quite a few used SR parts on eBay and the more that get imported over here the more parts will be available. But it is always good to have a plan B;)

[annunziato39]

In all honest Edo, i'd say wait until you're done with school before commiting to the swap. It sounds like you do some driving, i'm guessing back and forth from school, and also around campus. With 240's gain huge popularity, your car might be a prime target. It was be a shame and a trrible loss if some *uck stick stole your car. This is just from experience, there are way to many punks out there.

[Onizuka]

Thats one of the reasons why Im going KA-T... I want a normal nissan mechanic to be able to fix it.

Your average joe nissan mechanic will see your car and ask "is this a nissan?" then will continue to open up the hood and go "Huh?"

[bcuz]

Your average joe nissan mechanic will see your car and ask "is this a nissan?" then will continue to open up the hood and go "Huh?"

hahha:D

and about these motors being built to last 60k miles, thats really a backwards statement. The motors(along with the cars) are regularly thrown away after 60k miles, but this by no means, means that nissan makes a motor that is not durable. But I do agree that a motor, that doesnt have a big OEM part market over here, shouldnt be driven 30k miles a year, I really suggest getting a daily driver, thats what I did, unintentionally but thats how it turned out.

[Dattebayo]

Yes, but what i mean is these motors are not routinely seen after the 60K point. That means that there is not a real history to rely on for the SR. Only word of mouth.

[Edo]

Here is a mission, find someone daily driving a sr20 and see how long he has gone max with no troubles :0

Though I've been informed that it maybe just a cheaper option finding a newer KA engine (for lower miles this is optional) and turbo. Though it might end up a bit more expensive or even.

Probably a better question to ask is, if I get the sr20 engine, anyone know of a SR20 mechanic in the Orlando, FL area

[Onizuka]

I have heard 3 years with no problems on the SR. But this is all trivial because it all depends on if you are willing to spend for a quality motor, and if your going to take care of it properly, not making exceptions like "aww, i can go 500 more miles without changing oil, its so little it wont make a difference"

[SideWays Silvia]

and if you drive it with respect and dont pound the hell out of it everyday also

[Splinemodel]

It's certainly more reliable than a ported 13B-REW.

I'm looking into building a SR20DET 240sx as a daily driver. Currently I have an RX-7 (95) and it's getting annoying to deal with even though I only drive about 3-4 thousand miles a year. . . no cargo space at all and a kidney killing ride. So it's really an excuse to build one cool car and then modify another when that's done.

[offtheline]

Your average joe nissan mechanic will see your car and ask "is this a nissan?" then will continue to open up the hood and go "Huh?"

Naw, thats not exactly true. A lot of things are still the same in the engine bay. Of course there are a few new surprises, but the addition of a turbo and some intercooler piping shouldn't make somebody forget everything he learned in class.

[Bunta240]

My biggest beef with an SR is cops. If its your only car and it gets inpounded, youd be royally screwed.

[Onizuka]

Naw, thats not exactly true. A lot of things are still the same in the engine bay. Of course there are a few new surprises, but the addition of a turbo and some intercooler piping shouldn't make somebody forget everything he learned in class.

Turbo motors are a whole different ball game in my book. I have heard plenty of stories of people bringing their 240's into dealers who didnt even know the 240sx existed. Anyways, a nissan dealer is the last place i would take a catastrophic engine failure, I like my money too much. The nissan dealer isnt going to be any better then a regular old repair shop in cost or craftsmanship. If you have a warrenty, the dealer is the way to go, but since your talking about turbo, it doesnt matter anyways.

I dunno, just my spin on things. Turbo = always expensive no matter how you slice it, might as well get the work done at a profesional speed shop if your not going to do it yourself.

[whiterps13]

no matter what, every car dealer will charge you through the roof for repairs. i suggest finding a reliable, trustworthy mechanic that you can truley depend on, and screw the dealer. i would love to see the look on the nissan mechanic's face when you pop your hood to reveal a t04e. is that a hairdryer??

[D1SR240]

Your average joe nissan mechanic will see your car and ask "is this a nissan?" then will continue to open up the hood and go "Huh?"

true that, when i went to the dealer to ask about them adjusting my headlights, first they guy said where's my car, then i pointed to it, and the other dealer guy was like, oh its got the pop up lights, and then he said that it would be over 150 bux to adjust them lol, cuz they're pop ups, which they didn't even know

[s13ofdoom]

hahaha thats y i learned how to do things myself haha nobody gets my hard earned money. as for the whole sr20 thing id say if you aren't willing to learn how to fix thing and dont have a place to work on it, it's not for you or a ka-t. getting custom stuff fixed will run you a pretty penny then you have to worry about parts and the cops. my opinon is have a second car then get something nice. so in your circumstance id say wait till after college. and someone else said before people like to steal nice tings dont let it be your sh*t that gets jacked.

[Splinemodel]

In relation to a topic I posted earlier, how do you guys with sr20's pass inspection?

[The Mic]

Probably a better question to ask is, if I get the sr20 engine, anyone know of a SR20 mechanic in the Orlando, FL area

??? thats like saying "Anyone know of a ka24de mechanic in my area?" most motors have the same basic fundamentals. MY friends dad, whos an ex-nissan dealer mechanic , has never worked on an sr20det before, but he has worked on the SR20DEs, hes worked on my engine ever since and hasnt had any probs. I dont think the Sr20Det is in an engine class by itself that only a few ppl can work on it.

and in response to Splinemodel question, no we cannot pass smog. The only way for us to have approved papers that do say we passed is to pay someone to pass us.

[Splinemodel]

and in response to Splinemodel question, no we cannot pass smog. The only way for us to have approved papers that do say we passed is to pay someone to pass us.

Heh. I have ways of passing smog. . . "legally" I'm more worried about the inspection where you take the car to a service center (garage, whatever) and they look in your car and give you a sticker if everything is kosher. I can't imagine that Maryland is the only place that does this.

Anyway, I'd love to email you and ask you some questions about your SR20 conversion if you're up for it. My address is posted.

[strykrsilvia]

I have had my sr for about 2 years now and it runs great. no problems in the motor but the clutch is out. My job is 25 miles away and I drive everywhere. I do have a spare motor and transmission though. I ran her on 10psi most of the time and changed the oil every 2000 miles. there are so many sr out there its not that hard to find parts anymore.

[nlzmo400r]

okay like you know.sheesh just dont put 30,000 miles a year on it so it'll last you longer. In japan these engines are designed to be thrown away after 60,000 miles so be careful.

im not too sure about that. I'd put any amount of money that a well kept up motor whether it be a 4 or 6cyl ...whatever would hold up just fine under high mileage.