What are some things I should check out before I buy my car?

[ThaKid87]

I'm looking to get a 89-93 240SX. There a lot for sale down here for pretty damn good prices if you ask me. As if you can't already tell, this will be my first car, and I don't know much about cars. I would love to be able to do all of the work on this car myself as I want to do a lot to it, in terms of engine, suspension, and appearance.

Any help that I can get is appreciated.

Thanks.

[Dattebayo]

Welcome to NICO!

The first thing any new person to the forums should know is there is a "SEARCH" function available for all members and visitors.

It looks like this: and is in the top right hand corner of the web page!It is also under the NICO menu in green under the right column of the web page.

I searched for "240sx buying guide" and this is what I found: CLICK HERE

[vancouverbc]

doesnt work for me. archived/all forums/ post bodies. just get blue page and done. i often can't even find my own posts.

[ThaKid87]

It tells me that the search has been expired.

[Ninetyfive240sxSE]

check VIN, if it turns out good (no accidents) check it in person. if you like what you see exterior/interior wise. open the hood & trunk, look for RUST especially under the car. don't forget to look at the wheel wells. if it has a sunroof, see if its leaking. ask how many miles is the engine and if timing chain has been replace. try starting the car and listen to the motor, if u hear a tapping noise, its no good. ask if u can test drive the car. try to drive and shift to all gears. if everything works, buy it and have fun!

Good Luck and welcome to NICO!

[ThaKid87]

Thank you. What would be a good price for a 90-93 240SX?

Should I really look into the mileage that much since I want to put in an SR20DET into it?

[Dattebayo]

doesnt work for me. archived/all forums/ post bodies. just get blue page and done. i often can't even find my own posts.

You have to wait a few minutes to let search do its job. Have patience, the search will come up after a while of blue screen.

[Dattebayo]

It tells me that the search has been expired.

You just waited too long to check your thread. Well, dont be lazy, search for "240sx buying guide". It will come up for you too if you put in the effort.

[vancouverbc]

You have to wait a few minutes to let search do its job. Have patience, the search will come up after a while of blue screen.

i just got an error after waiting. i did a title search for guide and found this thread:

zerothread?id=82323

or

zerothread?id=94726

[Dattebayo]

Yeah, thats the stuff.

You have to wait for all searches that require multiple words and/or are from a long time ago. Sometimes it takes me like 2 minutes for a search to come up. Glad you found it!

[ThaKid87]

I have yet another question.

If I were to buy an automatic 240SX and later on down the road I deciced that I would like to go with a manual transmission, how much would this cost me?

Again, I appreciate any help I can get.

Thank you.

[seyath]

That all depends on how lucky you get and how skilled you are. You might just get lucky and get all the parts for cheap at a junkyard or you might get raped. Also, most shops will charge you an arm and a leg to convert you car? Are you going to do the work yourself? Where are you located? It's not a simple answer...

[SR20_RPS13]

If your interested in a S13 (89-94). I've got a S13 SE w/ Blacktop SR20DET for sale. email me back at [email protected]

[ThaKid87]

Well, if you can't already tell by my questions, I don't know much about cars when it comes to being hands on. I would love to do my own work on my car, but I would need to learn from somewhere.

[Riceless]

This is a great place to learn. Hang around. Look through the 240sx forum and it's engine-specific divisions. The 240sx service manual is also really helpful (http://www.zeroyon.com/TheSite/techservice.html). I've learned nearly everything I know about cars from the net.

I would recommend that you look for a car that is closer to what you want, however. If you want a manual, buy a manual. Mileage/condition is still important even though you want to swap. Swaps can be expensive, especially if you need to have a shop do it. If you want to do it yourself, you will need to do some time learning beforehand. You want a solid car that will last if your plans change (they may; **** happens).

[ThaKid87]

Hmmm...

The deals that I can afford aren't really deals. These cars have around 120,000-160,000+ miles. I can't really spend all that much if I want to get a 240sx anytime soon. I need to get a car within the month and I won't be able to raise much more than 1,500 unless I get lucky and make a boatload of tips this month.

[scorsone]

My 91 s13 has about 150,000 miles on it and still runs strong. just as long as the cars don't have rust problems they should be a good buy. I wouldn't plan on racing any car you just purchased, just spend time getting to know the car and taking care of it before you jump into an engine swap. Chances are the car will need more important things replaced than the engine, ie. bushings, tie-rod ends, clutch/brake cylinders and so forth. They are dependable cars if they are taken care of and not heavily modded. though they can be heavily modded and reliable you would need to know how to work on a care if you want to keep the costs down. Good luck with your search.