Newbie Needs Help

[Un0RiGiNaL]

Yeah I read the sticky for introductions but I kinda need opinions so here it goes.

I saved up around 6-7k since 14 and was going to buy a car when I was 16, I wanted a celica (1996 etc) or a cheap car that I could work on, since I wasnt 18 my mom had to co-sign me.. anyways she wasnt cool with me buying an old car OR a manual car because she insisted that it would always break down and blah blah. So i ended up getting this 07 impreza 2.5i (auto) for a waste of money (15k) because she wouldnt let me get a cheap car (even though I was paying for it), and i was very impatient and wanted a car before school. I didnt know too much about cars back then but now its a whole nother story. I dropped all this money into my car because every time i brought up selling the car my parents basically said no but now they suddenly change their mind (but i didnt spend too much money on the car, out of my pocket probably under 1500 cause I bought stuff and sold it for more money)

So anyways heres my auto-x prepped car-- i did all the work myself (I dont like other people working on my car)
STi Struts
Tanabe GF210 springs
Borla UEL Headers
Stromung catback
RSB/FSB
and exterior mods

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a212/Silentkillah2005/Impreza/6-4-09%20Carbon%20Fiber%20hood/P6100209.jpghttp://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a212/Silentkillah2005/Impreza/6-4-09%20Carbon%20Fiber%20hood/P6100215.jpg


Now heres the part i need help on.. Well im 17 years old now, bout to be 18 soon- Im selling the car for about 12500 (I still owe 7k on it so ill get like 5500$ profit). I was either gonna get an MR2 or a 240sx, Ive always loved 240's but the reason I leaned more to the MR2 side was because Im gonna be driving all year round and cant have a car where ill have lots of downtime cause I work and go to college (and high school, I started college early). One more thing that steers me away from MR2's is that if i crash I die.. no crumple zone FTL. Its not that I cant afford car payments, its just id much rather have a cheap car thats paid off and I would save lots of money after the first few months of investing into the car.

But then i realized that If I find a 240 that has a CLEAN SR swap or is unmolested, ill be set. So im asking you guys for your opinions, what do you think? Would I run into lots of problems with a SR-swapped 240?

And do 240's have anything like an Accessport? or is it all just like open source tuning or protunes? I dont want a car thats like 350whp where im more susceptible to screwing more shit up than a car thats like 250 to the wheels on low boost. Bear in mind im still a noob when it comes to boost and all that, my bro has a WRX so i know a little.

[iLOVEmyS13]

My honest opinion is keep the subie, i'm trying to do the opposite. sell my 240 in order to save for a wrx wagon. With an older car you'll be more suceptable to down time anyway. So +1 on keeping it

[Un0RiGiNaL]

My honest opinion is keep the subie, i'm trying to do the opposite. sell my 240 in order to save for a wrx wagon. With an older car you'll be more suceptable to down time anyway. So +1 on keeping it
I was hoping nobody would say this.. I cant stand driving an automatic, non-turbo 2.5i. i mean it handles like a go-kart but thats about it. and i cant justify spending so much money on this crap, id love to have a paid off car so I can have more money for college

[rat240]

"Borla UEL Headers"
you have headrs

[Un0RiGiNaL]

"Borla UEL Headers"
you have headrs
lol wut...???????????

yes I have headers, stock headers are equal length and sound like a honda.

[ReLiC]

I really like how that subaru looks. I think i would also do the opposite. sell my 240 to get a subaru.

If it's cheap to make it manual i would do that instead.

or drive auto for a bit til u save for a conversion.

[Un0RiGiNaL]

I really like how that subaru looks. I think i would also do the opposite. sell my 240 to get a subaru.

If it's cheap to make it manual i would do that instead.

or drive auto for a bit til u save for a conversion.
Its not cheap to make manual, nor is it cheap to turbo

:(

[ReLiC]

oo dang, in that case, go for a clean 240sx with sr. The only way you will have a problem with an sr is if you live in cali... but since you're not, you'll love it.

[BustedS13]

thank GOD my dad is a car freak. i could not imagine dealing with some of the inane bullshit some of you guys have had to go through.

[5t341tH]

wtf. keep your car. do a manual swap or an entire motor swap.
dont downgrade from that nice and new car with nice amenities for a cheapy 240

[Un0RiGiNaL]

wtf. keep your car. do a manual swap or an entire motor swap.
dont downgrade from that nice and new car with nice amenities for a cheapy 240
Motor swap would cost more money than me selling the car and buying a WRX.

[BustedS13]

wtf. keep your car. do a manual swap or an entire motor swap.
dont downgrade from that nice and new car with nice amenities for a cheapy 240

fuck that. an s13 with that much cash behind it would be beautiful.

[Un0RiGiNaL]

240s are one of my favorite cars man, I am definetly gonna get one, so what should i look for? are most of them in shit condition?

[96Turbo]

thank GOD my dad is a car freak. i could not imagine dealing with some of the inane bullshit some of you guys have had to go through.

seriously. sounds like ur mom is a controlling beotch. tell her to f*** off, join a cult, get some tats, buy a 240, and you'll be all set!!!

You could have a pretty nice S chassis with 7k to play with...

decide what you like best: s13: coupe/hatch or s14 and just start looking. don't settle on one that's not perfect. you'll find a good one if you're patient

[BustedS13]

240s are one of my favorite cars man, I am definetly gonna get one, so what should i look for? are most of them in shit condition?

the best thing you can do is find one that wasn't owned by a 240sx enthusiast/ricer. find somebody's commuter car.
really, if it has the original paint and no body kit, you're in business.

[SC_S13]

I can understand your pain about the auto, but honestly, the subie is a much nicer car. But if you really want a 240sx, look for clean bodies. honestly rust is one of the biggest hassles, and i assume it's even more common on the east coast. make sure the frame is straight, and that it won't break down on you within the first 100 miles. Look for sellers who are older people who haven't abused their cars. Just run through the common checklist, buying pre-swapped cars can be easier, but check the condition of the wiring done on it, it's usually a good example of the effort they've put into the swap as a whole. and yeah, be very patient. I waited 2 years to find a good chassis, and I feel like my parents forced me to jump the gun on it as well.

[projectRDM]

Doesn't some kid ask this same shit every day?

Buying a swapped car is stupid unless you know the car, the owner, and it's history. You're going to be looking at cars owner by kids just like you who are so eager to 'drift' they'll take every shortcut they can. Cars that are rigged, janky, and trashed. Plus, you're buying a car nearly 20years older so no matter what's been done you're still in for spending a ton more money to make it nice, and it still won't compare to a new car afterwards.

I think it's retarded to get rid of something new for an archaic, decrepit old shitbox, but if you're set on it take plenty of time and study everything on the internet about what to look for, then do the same for each car you plan to buy. You're going to find virtually every car you come across will have a lot of hidden problems and stuff even the owner doesn't realize because 99% of them don't research or care one way or the other, they're just hopped on the speed pill and riding the bandwagon.

[DALAZ_68]

My honest opinion is keep the subie, i'm trying to do the opposite. sell my 240 in order to save for a wrx wagon. With an older car you'll be more suceptable to down time anyway. So +1 on keeping it

+1

oo dang, in that case, go for a clean 240sx with sr. The only way you will have a problem with an sr is if you live in cali... but since you're not, you'll love it.

OMFG :cj:

Doesn't some kid ask this same shit every day?

Buying a swapped car is stupid unless you know the car, the owner, and it's history. You're going to be looking at cars owner by kids just like you who are so eager to 'drift' they'll take every shortcut they can. Cars that are rigged, janky, and trashed. Plus, you're buying a car nearly 20years older so no matter what's been done you're still in for spending a ton more money to make it nice, and it still won't compare to a new car afterwards.

I think it's retarded to get rid of something new for an archaic, decrepit old shitbox, but if you're set on it take plenty of time and study everything on the internet about what to look for, then do the same for each car you plan to buy. You're going to find virtually every car you come across will have a lot of hidden problems and stuff even the owner doesn't realize because 99% of them don't research or care one way or the other, they're just hopped on the speed pill and riding the bandwagon.


thank you, someone else with some common fucken sense


why in the fuck would you want to go back, u want to buy a car that cheap, reliable, and pretty much hassle free...get a fucking Yaris
still semi new and pretty easy to work with and reliable...

dude, your young, focus on school, not a 20 yrs old relic.

honestly keep the subie or trade it in for something cheaper and reliable...and still semi new

when ur done with school then get a 240, because then ull actually have money to work on it and not have an ongoing 2+ yr project that u cant finish because u dont have cash...

any time u buy a preswapped car there a 90% chance theres a flaw with the motor...10% chance of it actually being done right/clean/well maintained...

[S14_Kouki]

Or dont get a 240 at all because to many kids have them already.

[DALAZ_68]

Or dont get a 240 at all because to many kids have them already.
NO, point blank he shouldnt even be worried about a car since he already has one...a dependable one, HOW MANY 240 People can say that...no where near 50%

just stick to what you have...

[S14_Kouki]

NO, point blank he shouldnt even be worried about a car since he already has one...a dependable one, HOW MANY 240 People can say that...no where near 50%

just stick to what you have...

I can honestly say my sr s14 has been running for almost 6 years now never had any prob nor has it ever not started, broke down, ect ect. I love my car and take extra extra care of it. But you do say you are 17 you only have what another year left in school? Just save up till then and you get a full time or good job then you will have time and money to invest into your car to make it right.

[DALAZ_68]

I can honestly say my sr s14 has been running for almost 6 years now never had any prob nor has it ever not started, broke down, ect ect. I love my car and take extra extra care of it. But you do say you are 17 you only have what another year left in school? Just save up till then and you get a full time or good job then you will have time and money to invest into your car to make it right.
1, out of how many forum members...i can honestly say my CA hasnt broken down, but hey were talkin SR's here so im nto gonna get into that kool aid here :)

but you gt my point...:coolugh:

[projectRDM]

There's always the possibility of a car breaking down when you start fooling with it. There's just way more chance the older the car is, period. A new car is warrantied, the exhaust hardware isn't rusted to hell, the interior hasn't been removed a dozen times and every single clip broken, the engine hasn't seen redline daily. Buying a used car is already risky, buying one that's been toredown and beaten to with an inch of it's life is worse.

Plus, we're talking about 240SXs. Ten years ago it wasn't as much an issue, enthusiasts appreciated their cars, took care of them, bought quality parts, followed regular maintenance on them, etc. and kept them as pristine as possible. Today I doubt there's maybe two dozen members on this board (or any board for that matter) who've taken the time to properly modify and maintain their cars. The cars are older, wearing down, and the owners are younger, cheaper, and more motivated to just drive like pricks. I wouldn't buy any 240SX right now for any price, stock condition or not, as it's reached the age where even in stock form it's going to need a good bit of replacement parts already.
More importantly, buying a modified car is always a gamble because you're buying it from the same kids who post on here asking stupid questions, typing in Ebonics, and getting butthurt when you try to teach them the proper way of doing things. Do you really trust someone of that caliber to do any quality work on their car? I sure as hell don't. Not even with someone else's life.

[DALAZ_68]

AMEN...


every one have a nice day now....

[Un0RiGiNaL]

Doesn't some kid ask this same shit every day?

Buying a swapped car is stupid unless you know the car, the owner, and it's history. You're going to be looking at cars owner by kids just like you who are so eager to 'drift' they'll take every shortcut they can. Cars that are rigged, janky, and trashed. Plus, you're buying a car nearly 20years older so no matter what's been done you're still in for spending a ton more money to make it nice, and it still won't compare to a new car afterwards.

I think it's retarded to get rid of something new for an archaic, decrepit old shitbox, but if you're set on it take plenty of time and study everything on the internet about what to look for, then do the same for each car you plan to buy. You're going to find virtually every car you come across will have a lot of hidden problems and stuff even the owner doesn't realize because 99% of them don't research or care one way or the other, they're just hopped on the speed pill and riding the bandwagon.
lol im not gonna be drifting, autoX yeah probably.

I dont mind putting work into the car, im just asking if its not like an e36 m3 where youll be encountering new problems every minute.

Oh and insurance on my car is 300$ a month, subie insurance is more expensive than mercedes and all that other shit.. im even under my parents policy..

ill be saving about 400$ a month if i get a 240sx or other car paid off..

The main question is, is it possible to find a clean swapped 240sx or not? or should I just get one thats stock

[S14_Kouki]

Yes its possible and your also going to pay for a clean good running swapped 240 there are not many out there.

[Un0RiGiNaL]

Yes its possible and your also going to pay for a clean good running swapped 240 there are not many out there.
Im gonna need your-all's help for a visual internet inspection, then ill take it to a mech and have him check it out for an in-depth inspection.

[aziankingz]

stick with the AWD 2 year old car.. car is great.. my next car will be a WRX

[Un0RiGiNaL]

Wow i fucking hate it when people say they want to buy the car and they get the money ready and then the next day theyre like oh nah nvm...

[drift freaq]

lol im not gonna be drifting, autoX yeah probably.

I dont mind putting work into the car, im just asking if its not like an e36 m3 where youll be encountering new problems every minute.

Oh and insurance on my car is 300$ a month, subie insurance is more expensive than mercedes and all that other shit.. im even under my parents policy..

ill be saving about 400$ a month if i get a 240sx or other car paid off..

The main question is, is it possible to find a clean swapped 240sx or not? or should I just get one thats stock

Dude E36 BMW's are pretty much the pinnacle of BMW reliability they have less problems than most BMW's. I take it you don't really know much about cars.
Russ aka ProjectRDM nailed it.
At this point in time going down the road of owning a 240sx pretty much means a restoration project. Trust me you don't want to do this. You have no idea how much stupid money you can spend doing it. I know I have been doing it. LOL
Honest to God , if I had not been into 240's for so long and owned so many I would not have wasted my time. I would have just taken the cash and bought a 350Z or now a 370Z .
WRX's are badass cars. You have a dope car already. If you really want a RWD sports car? Get a used 350Z it will be just as fun as a 240sx and in much better shape and not need work like a 240.

[Un0RiGiNaL]

Dude E36 BMW's are pretty much the pinnacle of BMW reliability they have less problems than most BMW's. I take it you don't really know much about cars.
Russ aka ProjectRDM nailed it.
At this point in time going down the road of owning a 240sx pretty much means a restoration project. Trust me you don't want to do this. You have no idea how much stupid money you can spend doing it. I know I have been doing it. LOL
Honest to God , if I had not been into 240's for so long and owned so many I would not have wasted my time. I would have just taken the cash and bought a 350Z or now a 370Z .
WRX's are badass cars. You have a dope car already. If you really want a RWD sports car? Get a used 350Z it will be just as fun as a 240sx and in much better shape and not need work like a 240.

Well I dont know much about all cars, but i do know alot about subies.
2. i dont have a wrx lol, if i did I probably wouldnt be posting this thread, i just have an automatic, nonturbo 2.5i
3. 350z is expensive as shiieet
4. i like working on cars, a 240sx would suit me well, the only thing about my subie is theres not much to do, and doing a swap in a subie is much harder than swapping a 240sx and more time consuming, and it would cost me over 5k to do an sti swap.


If i get Delta 2000 grind cams, OBX equal length headers, and other stuff my car will be just as fast as a STOCK wrx, and thats still pretty slow. and 2000 grind cams arent good for daily driving, and like i mentioned above, im spending 300$ a month for insurance.

[lflkajfj12123]

Doesn't some kid ask this same shit every day?

Buying a swapped car is stupid unless you know the car, the owner, and it's history. You're going to be looking at cars owner by kids just like you who are so eager to 'drift' they'll take every shortcut they can. Cars that are rigged, janky, and trashed. Plus, you're buying a car nearly 20years older so no matter what's been done you're still in for spending a ton more money to make it nice, and it still won't compare to a new car afterwards.

I think it's retarded to get rid of something new for an archaic, decrepit old shitbox, but if you're set on it take plenty of time and study everything on the internet about what to look for, then do the same for each car you plan to buy. You're going to find virtually every car you come across will have a lot of hidden problems and stuff even the owner doesn't realize because 99% of them don't research or care one way or the other, they're just hopped on the speed pill and riding the bandwagon.


booom 100% truth

i bought one of the cleanest s13's i could find and it is still a decrepit old shitbox and most of my time and money has gone into make it not so shitty

[drift freaq]

Well I dont know much about all cars, but i do know alot about subies.
2. i dont have a wrx lol, if i did I probably wouldnt be posting this thread, i just have an automatic, nonturbo 2.5i
3. 350z is expensive as shiieet
4. i like working on cars, a 240sx would suit me well, the only thing about my subie is theres not much to do, and doing a swap in a subie is much harder than swapping a 240sx and more time consuming, and it would cost me over 5k to do an sti swap.


If i get Delta 2000 grind cams, OBX equal length headers, and other stuff my car will be just as fast as a STOCK wrx, and thats still pretty slow. and 2000 grind cams arent good for daily driving, and like i mentioned above, im spending 300$ a month for insurance.

If you are going to get 12.5 for the Subie you can easily buy a 350Z. They are quite affordable these days and I have seen them as cheap as 8-9k. A good decently clean one can be had for 12k easy.

To get a 240sx to the level of niceness a used 350Z is you can easily spend upwards of 10k and you are highly unlikely to get even near recouping those costs.

I tried to tell you. You want to do a 240sx right its going to wind up costing a lot more than you think. If you want to build it with crap cheap parts and have a cheap piece of shit. Well ya its cheap. Cheap in cheap out.

We are trying to school you here. You want to spend 10-15k on a 240 to do right it, ok. Though seriously at this time get a 350z you would be better off.

If you were not driving a 2 year old car worth around 12.5k I would not be saying this.
Most of the current 240 owners do not have 12k to spend on a car. The few that do are sometimes shaking our heads wondering why we bother at this stage. Its seriously like throwing money down a drainpipe.

[Witness]

lol im not gonna be drifting, autoX yeah probably.

I dont mind putting work into the car, im just asking if its not like an e36 m3 where youll be encountering new problems every minute.

Oh and insurance on my car is 300$ a month, subie insurance is more expensive than mercedes and all that other shit.. im even under my parents policy..

ill be saving about 400$ a month if i get a 240sx or other car paid off..

The main question is, is it possible to find a clean swapped 240sx or not? or should I just get one thats stock


My parents Insisted on me buying a new car TC,350z,WRX,or Civic I told them hell na because i didn't want to dish out a small fortune to stupid insurance companies and have a monthly car payment.

I ended up buying a 97 240sx SE with 147k which runs better than my moms 04 highlander. Im super happy with my choice i pay $65 for full coverage every month. Now that im 19 i would hate having to work 2 weeks just to pay for insurance if i would of gone the other route. With all the money i saved i now also own a 90 hatch that im building to daily and sometimes auto-x.

Its a clean ass car and many of us would gladly take it anydday over our old 240s. But that insurance payment is a huge burden for being young.

If your not happy get rid of that shit simple as that.

[Un0RiGiNaL]

If you are going to get 12.5 for the Subie you can easily buy a 350Z. They are quite affordable these days and I have seen them as cheap as 8-9k. A good decently clean one can be had for 12k easy.

To get a 240sx to the level of niceness a used 350Z is you can easily spend upwards of 10k and you are highly unlikely to get even near recouping those costs.

I tried to tell you. You want to do a 240sx right its going to wind up costing a lot more than you think. If you want to build it with crap cheap parts and have a cheap piece of shit. Well ya its cheap. Cheap in cheap out.

We are trying to school you here. You want to spend 10-15k on a 240 to do right it, ok. Though seriously at this time get a 350z you would be better off.

If you were not driving a 2 year old car worth around 12.5k I would not be saying this.
Most of the current 240 owners do not have 12k to spend on a car. The few that do are sometimes shaking our heads wondering why we bother at this stage. Its seriously like throwing money down a drainpipe.
im not spending 12k on a 240sx, im just gonna spend like 5-6k, I still owe 7k on my car and ill have like 5500$ to spend plus like 2-3k i got saved up.

I dont want the best 240 out there, im not gonna throw on 3000$ wheels and a thousand dollar coilover kit and etc. im just gonna swap it (if its not already swapped) throw some decent wheels and a drop and other minor stuff and probably the usual intake/header/turboback exhaust and a tune, and MAYBE a turbo upgrade if i have any extra money to spend (which will most likely come after the first few months of owning the car because by then ill be fully out of debt). im not trying to go back into debt.

and Ive seen clean ass 240s for sale for around 4k

[fliprayzin240sx]

I got a better idea...trade in the RS for a real turbo/5 speed WRX....

[DALAZ_68]

weve got the biggest brains tryin to help u make a smart and logical choice, seriously, how fucked is ur head?

u have a reliable daily that of this decade...and u said it urself, u know subies, u dont know 240's...


my suggestion to you, pay ur car off, in the meanwhile...read up on 240's, then ull be ready to own a shitbox...

[GunmetalSR]

honestly everything everyone is sayin is 100% true
whether u like it or not ur daily will become a project sooner or later
im 18 and i got my s14 at 16 and i added little mods like some descent wheels and a vlsd and yay i discovered drifting and then soon i discovered how good coils feel and soon after that i want more power
honestly if u must get a 240 then buy a car that was a daily and save up
and get small upgrades
buy a motor and build it on the side and pay attention to detail and go slow
dont get a swapped 240!(i cant trust wat i havnt done with my own 2 hands)
o yea and go get a daily(honda<u can beat the shit out of them and they jus wont die[they are like pest hahahaha])

[jeffc8486]

Yeah man, If your gonna buy a 240sx and are gonna be working on it i suggest you have a daily driver. I know there are times that i cant drive my s14 for a matter of days cause of maintenance issues and so forth. So be prepared. But thats what comes with the territory of buying a project car.

[southerncross]

i agree with everyone above. i got my first 240 when i was 16 (1998) and at that time it was a 9 year old car and still half decent. . . now they're 20 year old cars that are mostly falling apart from top to bottom and there are a lot of parts you just cant get new anymore. . . like the ever elusive door panels and dashboards.

i have had 8 240s, and i currently own 3. if i totalled up all the money ive spent on my 240s i could have probably paid my house off with it. seriously man, i know the urge you're having to get a car that is infinitely modifiable, but just be patient and wait till after college and you get a career going. that is probably the only time you'll be able to give it the attention it will need and spend the money necessary to get it where you want it.

if you absolutely cant be persuaded to keep your car, then get the newest s14 you can, and at that i'd say a 98 Se because it has all the best stuff nissan had to put on one stateside. DO NOT BUY AN S13! it will be a money pit that you cant yet fill.

[5t341tH]

they are right. if u are dead set on getting a 240, get a s14 at least. since they are newer cars, it has nicer things and it wont be broken.
with me, 2 years and 10k down the drain, i dont believe my old s13 was worth my time. it didnt even have power locks!
save ur money and keep your suby IMO. swap to manual if u cant afford the STI motor.