Need opinion to decide guys , future 240 owner

[Jason240sx]

Am looking to get a 97/98 240sx and have 8k budget in mind. Been lurking around in the for sale places. Can't find a lot of choice cause im in KS , midwest area .

here is one of the ones i look at

http://www.zilvia.net/f/showthread.php?t=127929

he's asking $6000 without any aftermarket parts on it. do you think it's worth it?...

pls help a fellow forummer out.

or if you have something better in TX , MO , OK , NE etc for sale i would be more than glad to see it.

thanks a lot

[kerosinek]

Check craigslist.

[Rayne]

I just read the thread and he dropped the price to 5,000.

I would wait till the price drops more or just find another one.

[fantasya98]

its an auto...

[5t341tH]

5k is a good price for a kouki s14. i would buy it but only if he includes the suspension and brakes

[Jason240sx]

he didnt drop the price , 5k was someone who wants to offer him....

fantasya98: well =\ , it's hard enough to find a 97/98 in midwest ..... if it was a 5 speed i'd grab it in a heart beat.

for a auto 98 se , does it have vlsd?

any opinion guys? i had a zenki before but sold it off because it was an auto.... i wouldnt want to jump back into the same boat again , and hope you guys can give me advise to do so. it's my second time around and hope im doin things right and asking opinions first before getting a bad deal =\

[motoman6968]

well if your lookin at changin the tranny to a manual you might want to talk him down cause unless your like me and would do it yourself its gunna cost you a bit of dough, and yea check craigs, ebay and every friend who knows a guy sellin one(not likely at all). Try to find something that has the basics of what you want and then work on it till it makes you nut by looking at it....will take money=time but the end result will be the satisfaction of owning a dream car

[fliprayzin240sx]

I think its worth it, i mean its right bout where KBB is at, and this car looks like its well taken care off (if the fiber wraps are any indication, cuz i sure hell take the time to do that shiet). It got enough mods on it. Buy it then swap a SR on it and do the 5 speed swap. Engine set, Master cylinder, pedals, re-wire and clutch line.

[Farzam]

That's a nice kouki.
Git it.
If it's exactly as it is in those pics.

[fantasya98]

yea, i feel ya, im in colorado and finding an s14 was pretty hard. i say this though, id rather buy a 5spd zenki and convert the body work than an auto kouki, i just think auto->manual swaps are not worth it.

[nissanberto]

theres a few colorado 240sx's on cars.com and autotrader.com
but its been forever since i have been on either one so the s14's might be gone.

[Jason240sx]

thanks guys , but is it worth the price for the white kouki above or what price you guys think is more of a deal?

buying a zenki 5 speed then change the exterior huh , how much would that cost? and is that the only difference on the zenki and kouki s14? just the exterior panels?......like head lamps , fender , bumper cover , hood etc and tail lights? how much would that cost again? sorry im super newbie coming to kouki s14

does a automatic SE have the vlsd as a standard in the car?

[Jason240sx]

anybody some advise for a future owner?

[projectRDM]

No, VLSD is an option with ABS, search for the options and variables, you're on the internet remember. It's all here.

And I'd buy an auto over a 5spd anyday, my new car was originally an auto which meant it wasn't beaten or abused. For nearly three months every 5spd car I looked at was owned by some fuckwad kid who beat the shit out of it street racing with a hacked muffler and chopped springs. The amount of money to fix all the hackjobs they did and get it back to stock was easily double the price for a clean, untouched auto. My car was a virgin with only a new CD player in it.

[Jason240sx]

thats a very good poin r240NA , thanks for the advise

but it is still kinda hard to find one , the one listed above somehow stated he has those body panels imported from japan and he was saying it has not been in an accident. seems kinda shady to me

[Jason240sx]

5t341tH: arent those stock 240sx brakes?

[Full-Lock]

if you wanted until around summertime i would sell you mine for lets say...8500, not sure on the price just yet. Its 1998 pearl white, 57K original miles, auto, and pretty clean. It includes greddy front strut, JIC FLT-A2 front coilovers, and rear shocks w/ lowering springs.

[Jason240sx]

PM'ed you topsecrt88

update on the above advertisement:

How much should i offer the guy with the list of problems below?

1. The cruise control does not work. It is electrical, it shouldn't be hard to fix, but I never use cruise control anyway. Makes me feel disconnected from the car.
2. The lock pin on the gas door is broken. The return spring is gone so you have to push the lock in by hand. Another easy fix from Nissan, just haven't done it yet.
3. The car NEEDS to be professionally aligned. Noone around here will work with at car if it has been lowered. I got it done as best as they would do for me, but you need to find someone willing to work with aftermarket suspensions.
4. The car uses about 1/2 to 1 quart of oil between changes... doesn't leak it, just seems to use it. My friend at Jackie Cooper Imports in Tulsa told me this was normal for the KA, and not to worry about it.
5. Foglights need new bulbs (they are illegal in Oklahoma so once they burned out I never bothered to replace them)
6. Bulbs behind the buttons on the A/C and heater controls need to be replaced. Just behind the buttons, not behind anything else (all the knobs and such are fine)
7. Kenwood deck sometimes skips on CD playback, needs to be cleaned. MP3 input still works fine, radio still works fine, sirius still works fine, just CD playback.
8. Holes in trunklid need to be filled, I put on the JDM spoiler and it doesn't use as many bolts as the USDM spoiler did - see picture below - TRUNK IS WATERTIGHT, I have had it like this for some time, no problems. The car will come with a clean spoilerless trunklid. I bought it off a kid locally and never installed it. I don't know if it fits properly or not, but you get it for free anyway.
6.Needs a new front right tie rod and boot.

[Jason240sx]

would be nice to hear some advise before taking the dive guys. appreciate it lots

[eastcoastS14]

^^ id say wait on this one unless its really what you want 8k can get you a very nice 240 if u catch the right deal. its hard to find 240's in new england too but i managed to buy 2 for pretty good deals, check craigslist like everyone else said check ebay too thats where i got my 2nd one and ive seen other really good deals but seriously patience is key and if u wait you can definitely find what your looking for

[Jason240sx]

well the only thing lacking on this one is only it has a 5 speed on it.

lets say i do get this one ,

what kind of price is considered a good deal with the above conditions and aftermarket parts on it?

thanks for all the advise cause i will have to see this car by this weekend , hope to get myself prepared with info before i do something dumb. if around 5k-5800 is that a good deal?

[5t341tH]

have u gone and checked the car out? i suggest u look at it before u jump on anything.
and it has 300zx brakes:
300ZX 30mm Aluminum Calipers
1 15/16 300ZX Master Cylinder Upgrade

[Jason240sx]

will be checking out the car this weekend. let's say everything is as stated in the condition. Just wouldn't want to be stupid and gave a higher price than what it is worth.

what kind of price would be a good deal for a car with these kind of parts and condition?

and how do you check a busted coilover other than the obvious signs of oil leaks? other symptoms?

thanks guys

[kerosinek]

Push down on whichever corner you are testing, if it is bouncy and soft, it is probably blown. Push down on the other corners and compare them all.

[Jason240sx]

bouncy and soft then it's blown? how is it suppose to feel like? what if pushed on it and then it is all stiff and doesn't bounce back up means that is good ( dont really understand =\)?

how much would you guys pay for the car above....

[projectRDM]

Honestly, $5k is all I'd pay too. It's got suitable aftermarket parts on it, but with the engine mods you can expect he's pushed it a little, thought that's not a deterrent by itself it speaks a lot about the car's history. You can beat the shit out of a car and still maintain it, but the overall wear is increased by doing so no matter how well you take car of it. The oil consumption is not really normal, it could easily be a front seal or rear main leak but either one is something to factor in about the car's maintenance history, and with the other little issues of the cruise, lighting, and body work needed it's not what I'd consider a good buy at it's price. However, the same car could pull $9k on Ebay without any trouble, so it's really up to you as far as what you think is fair and what options you have besides it.

[Jason240sx]

i would listen to the advised offered by you guys.

so 5k is the most i should pay for this car?.... i will remember that when i see the car in person.

sigh it's so hard to find a clean 5 speed kouki in midwest aint it ......

more input and advise welcome on how i can check for problems on a kouki s14.... =\

thanks a lot again guys

R240NA: so is the seller lying when he told me he said that his mechanic said the KA consumes a little oil. how hard is it to change the front or rear seal?

[ManoNegra]

All cars consume a little bit of oil, specially older ones. Take a look underneath and leaks should be obvious.
Changing the seals isn't difficult, getting to them is. Grab the FSM off zeroyon and read away. You'll get the idead soon enough.

[redsuns3838]

Like R240NA said, it can go on ebay for well above 6K.

You can get a zenki for 5K in good condition but not great, with probably, pay 2K+ for a kouki front end and Ks aero , and another 1-2 grand for a decent paintjob, and hit your 8K budget,
or
you could buy this for 6K, swap to a manual, fix everything thats wrong and hell even rebuild the motor if you wanted, and hit your 8K budget.

If i were you i would just take it for 6K, and fix the little stuff immediately, and once you decide what you want to do with the car, be it NA-KA, KAT, SR, RB, VQ, 13B-rew, C32B, =P then you can fix fix the oil seals and swap over to manual tranny.

Assuming the car runs fine and drives fine, albeit consumes a lot of oil, i would probably buy it with the intention of swapping the motor when it blows, or pulling it and fixing it right away. Atleast the seller is honest enough to tell you that it consumes oil.

[Jason240sx]

yea no doubt he is a good seller and is honest about everything , but just wouldn't want to get ripped off on an auto kouki s14.

bear with me for awhile guys =) really have alot of inquisitive questions as im very new to kouki.

how much would a 5 speed swap on a kouki be?......

just the best advise if you were me how much would you pay for a deal like this =). thats a lot more clearer

[Cashizslick]

^ Just look around bro. Could be anywhere from 6k to 11k depending on the car, its mod's, mileage, etc.

Also, how do you feel about flying to where the car is and driving it home?

I flew out to get my 240. 3 days later I was home. . .:)

[PITCH]

Jason sent you a PM w/ my cell #. I'm selling mine.

[Jason240sx]

Cash: that's crazy man. somehow i could not tolerate long distant driving lol.

well i've look for quite some time , nothing much coming up that is something like the one posted above.

what will you guys pay for something like that if you were to buy it?

[redsuns3838]

man...just pay what YOU think its worth. 6 K isnt a RIPOFF for that. It might be "a little on the high side" but there are always going to be haters who say "you got ripped off my friends cousins sisters BF got a car just like that for 3K. what do i drive? Oh, that POS S13 bucket with 5 different colors of paint on it, but im going to get it sprayed soon. why do u ask?"

Point being, you dont really have anyone to impress. if you really want a kouki, and you really like the mods on that car, then buy it. if your not fond of the color and Ks aero and youd end up changing the kit and re-painting, then just hold off.

[Jason240sx]

he he he , sorry for the newbie asking so much =) . just kinda excited to shop for a kouki finally as i wanted it so much before.

how hard is it to replace a tie-rod and boot? is it expensive to get it done at a shop?

cheers

[Jason240sx]

help from s14 owners?

[Cashizslick]

Cash: that's crazy man. somehow i could not tolerate long distant driving lol.

well i've look for quite some time , nothing much coming up that is something like the one posted above.

what will you guys pay for something like that if you were to buy it?


It really was not bad. . . . the mindless 2.5k mile drive was somewhat less painful due to the fact that I was driving a car I had sought after for a while.


Just an estimate (no, i did not look at the car posted above because i have no time, i am at work :))-> An S14 w/SR20DET & BPU's (including Z breaks) should go for around 7.5k to 8.5kish depending on year, quality of parts, milage, etc.

Part brand will GREATLY influence price.

An Early model S14 with MR Coils, and VLSD will not sell for the same price as a late model S14 running Kei Office Coils, Kaaz 2 way Diff, and other expensive parts.

[Jason240sx]

i will be surprise to even find a zenki s14 for 7500 to 8500 *laughs* , its not the travelling time that kills me , its the travelling and returning without the car if it's not as good as described that kills me lol

so a kouki with jdm nissan body panels , teins he , z-brakes and some misc engine mods wont go higher than 5500?

how much generally for a shop to swap from auto to manual? just want to see if the local shops are quoting me the right price or not.

P/S: Are the stock headlight on the kouki projector headlights? how do you fit HID onto the headlight?

[redsuns3838]

yes the kouki are projector. You can either A) buy an HID kit, and drop it in. Beam pattern may be off a bit but you can adjust it if you want or just live with it
or B) retrofit an OEM projector out of another car which takes quite a bit of work but ultimately yields better results.
http://www.phihoang.com/s14hid.htm
there is NRGs awesome writeup on how to retrofit a S2K projector into a kouki housing.

tie rods are easy to replace, but you need to get the car aligned after you replace them.
I dont know how much a shop would charge. best bet is to call and ask.

[Jason240sx]

great info redsun thanks man.

so does anyone ever put in HID in the other bulbs instead of the projector side housing?