looking at an s14

[avaien]

I am going to look at a 95 s14 se w/ 153k miles. It has 5 speed/ABS/VLSD w/ 5 lug. The mods on the car are KTS coilover, Heim-jointed tension rods and rear upper control arms, and ss brake lines. The asking price is 6k, how does this sound? From what I gather the car is in ok condition for the mileage. What should I specificaly look for on this car? What would be good things to ask? What would this car need to be a good performer at autox, drift, and track days?

[ALTRNTV]

$6,000 seems like a good price. Talk him/her down more, you never know. Check the CARFAX. If you have pics, you should post them up here.

The car as it is right now is a pretty good candidate for drift and auto-x, since it has coilovers, some tension rods and RUCAs, and the VLSD.

[avaien]

How good are the KTS coilovers? What are the advantages of the Heim-jointed tension rods and rear upper control arms?

[ALTRNTV]

KTS coilovers

http://www.zilvia.net/f/showthread.php?t=63598

[avaien]

thanks for the link. after searching some more Ive found that no one has anything bad to say about them. about my tension rod question
The Tension Rod Is "half" of the lower controll arm, you replace it with a Stronger Heim Jointed Rod because the stock bushing is ass and causes the Wheel to wobble while driving hard
is that so? what about the rear upper control arms? what exactly does improving these do and the effects it causes?

[ALTRNTV]

I can't really help you with your tension rod question.

Aftermarket rear upper control arms are designed so you can adjust the camber for your rear wheels, it's also stronger than stock (depends on which RUCA you get), so it can take a lot more abuse. Do you know which RUCA is on the car?

[Nizzan4u2nv]

Tension rods adjust caster.
Rear upper control arm (RUCA) adjusts rear camber.

[avaien]

sorry I dont. What are some things I should look for with this car? If I get it I was thinking upgrade the suspension bushings, rear sway bar, strut tower bars, wheels tires, alignment. Would these be good to do and what else would help me with the feel and control of the car?

[ALTRNTV]

You really should search. The answers are out there, as they have been covered many times.

[EchoOfSilence]

All of the above would help you. caster adjustment is very nice, as is rear camber.

To get better feel, I would suggest upgrading your tie-rods to heim-jointed ones. SPLparts.com makes very well-designed ones. Pay special attention to wheel-sizing, tire sizing/brand/make, and alignment. that should be fine for learning for now.

[trsilvias13]

if you look at a buying a car and dotn know how.. you can bring it to AAA and they do a check for you for like $60 or something.

I would look for the obivous, chasis . Look under the car and in the car. trunk area and under the hood you can see if it been repair most of the time. Knock around the panels to see if it been replaced. There more stuff to look at . But the short answer is EVERYTHING.

[avaien]

thanks guys. ive been searching for quite a while but I have so many questions and idea. hopefully Ill drive the car and see how I feel about it. Ill try to get some pics for you guys to check out too.

[Cashizslick]

Just remember, if the car is modified beyond stock, it has most definately been abused in some respect.

I hope you get a good deal . . just remember to check everything out!

[240shorty]

'95 S14's have been had for much cheaper, but if the mods on the car are the mods you want, then it's probably not a bad option.

For example, I paid 3400 for my '95 base model with a few less miles, but with less desirable mods. Lowering springs, tokico blues, 18's, brakes, and some other minor stuff. But it was an Auto. So tack on the manual swap and all of the mods I had to do, and still need, it all adds up.

5 speed and 5 lug are key, but the ABS and VLSD to me are cons. I don't think VLSD adds anything for Autocross. If you are serious about track/drift and think you may upgrade to an HLSD or clutch diff, you are paying for options you don't need. A smoked viscous is no better than open. On a modded car with 150K +, there's a good chance it isn't functioning too well.

On the other hand, if the car feels right, go for it. Can't put a price on happiness.

This is just my opinion. Your decision of course.

-Steve

[94cc0rd]

This is pretty obvious but check the body lines to see if they are even. If the spaces between body panels/doors is uneven, it's probably been in an accident of some sort.

Also, the guy who sold me my car pointed out that the same vin # was stamped on the dash, hood, door, trunk, etc...

[LIXADO]

I think 6K is a lot to spend on a car with that many miles. I just dropped $5,600 on a '95 SE with 57K miles. No mods whatsoever but the rear bumper cover had been replaced because of a mild rear ending. I got a good deal. But not that great of a deal! Check kbb.com. Just don't overpay.

WAAAAY to much for that car unless it has a SR20 or something outstanding. Play hard ball, tell him your looking at a S13 with the same miles for $1200 or 2K or something. This is your hard earned cash.

[aznpoopy]

$6000 is on the high side, IMO.

-KTS coilovers = $1000-1100 brand new
-tension = $200 ish
-RUCA = $200-300
-stainless steel brake lines = not worth $$$. you should probably consider replacing them with new ones, as they're supposed to be replaced every year or two.
-153k s14 5spd/5lug/vlsd/abs = $3000-4000 (tops)

add it all together and its still under $6000. that's assuming he actually gets to recoupe all the cash for his mods, which (as we all know) you don't when you sell modded cars. i honestly wouldn't pay more then $5000 for it.

[drift freaq]

givens the mods, that car for 6k is about what it would sell for here in socal. Without the mods it would be about 3500-4500. I would try to get him down around $500 if you could get it for $5500 with the suspension its not to bad.
Mind you prices are different depending on what part of the country your in. Some places have higher demand which drives the price up.

[avaien]

Yeah I wouldnt pay that, thats just his asking price in the ad. I found a 95 4lug with 109k miles, shocks/springs, catback/intake, brakes, AUTO, good body. So it would need to be swaped out immediatly. asking 3700. Whats a swap run?

[aznpoopy]

5 speed swap: labor is $$$. better to do it yourself. sourcing out parts can be difficult and costs more money. flywheel, clutch kit, tranny, shifter, d/s, clutch pedal, brake pedal, master cylinder, hardlines, clutch line, slave clyinder, possibly clutch fork and throw out bearing mount, etc. plus labor and the total will probably be $1k or so, easily.

also its 4lug. prob no vlsd. no abs.

5 lug swap = couple hundred for the hubs. need 5 lug rotors and wheels too, minimum.
vlsd = 2-300 for the vlsd

if you plan on getting work done in a shop and add that all up, the 6k car you posted first is a much better deal (after you talk it down a few hundred), unless the body is fucked up somehow.

[drift freaq]

In the end you want to base your purchase on how clean the actual car is. If the lower mileage car is clean, its a very good deal at $3700 for 109k. Though if its beat at all and the higher mileage car is clean with the parts that it has at around $5500, its a decent deal.