hopefully buying a 96 tomorrow...

[Miss Indecisive]

Hey all
Well first allow me to introduce myself. I'm Jill and I'm from the Seattle WA area.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid36/pf01e5e133f47dee45203dee276bf1489/fd26c13c.jpghttp://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid39/pe3f1e2a80d8584036def5114885d14ea/fd061cc7.jpg I'm a former 6th gen (1994) celica owner; that was up until I wrecked it a little over two months ago. Tomorrow I'm heading down to Oregon to check out a 1996 240sx SE with 63,000 miles. I just wanted to ask for everyone's input about what, if anything, in particular I should watch out for when I'm looking at the car. I am of coures having it inspected, but I was hoping for some insight into any common problems people have encountered. Thanks for all your guys' help! :)
-Jill

[sykikchimp]

Problems?!?!? with a s14? blasphemy!

(I know I'm no help)

[s13er]

Give the tires a good kick ;)

[Defy]

how much??

[Defy]

ok i will tell you what i wish i would have did when i bought mine i would have held out alittle longer and got a 97-98 SE cause now im kicking my self for not getting the SE so now i will have do the 5 lug conversion and all that jazz and i paid way too much for mine (5000$) but i still love it so if it runs good i would go with it!!!

[DMC]

check underneath and behind(sidewalls) the carpet in the trunk for any sign of accidents and behind interior panels if possible, if the guy has nothing to hide im sure he wouldnt mind you pulling off the panels to check.

[mbmbmb23]

Look at all the seams where 2 body panels meet. Make sure that the gap between panels is the same all over and that the panels are level with each other. Otherwise it may have been in a wreck. Look for overspray. This is when the car gets wrecked...then repaired...and they skimp on a paintjob and do it really fast....and paint gets on other things like the wheelwell or the black plastic. Test out ALL switches and knobs. Make sure the trunk release and gas door both work...the glove box opens and shuts, windows works...etc. Look in the trunk under the spare tire to see if theres rust in there. Take it for a test drive and park it somewhere for a bit...then look under it to see if there are any leaks. Also...run a carfax on it (www.carfax.com) once you get the VIN number.

The miles on it doesn't sound bad at all...and its an SE (5 lug wheels and limited slip differential)..sounds like a nice car.

good luck

-m

[wylin]

Since i own a early S!4 i seen these things typically fail or go bad.

When i had a KA:
- Distributor died after 100k miles
- changed plug wires every 50k

What i noticed on other high mileage KA's
- water pump failing
- radiator ussually needs to be cleaned or sumtimes replaced.
- radiator hoses need replacement eventually
- motor mounts get beat up

But overall nothing big or super expensive.

when looking for a M/t drive it and see if it shifts into 3rd gear smoothly w/o a crunch or grinding sound. Alota nissan owner jack up their third gear synchro.

also make sure u run a carfax on it. see if it had any major problems b4.

[wylin]

The miles on it doesn't sound bad at all...and its an SE (5 lug wheels and limited slip differential)..sounds like a nice car.

good luck

-m [/B]

not all S14 240sx SE have LSD only the ones w/ ABS and who ordered the LSD/ ABS package. Most Early 95-96 SE sadly dont have LSD or ABS, and a few (mostly automatics) have ABS but no LSD the reason is most people didnt bother getting them since they were a 1500$ together option. That was changed in 1997 when u could order ABS/LSD for a lower price, thus u see more ABS/LSD cars in 1997-1998.

[mbmbmb23]

not all S14 240sx SE have LSD only the ones w/ ABS and who ordered the LSD/ ABS package. Most Early 95-96 SE sadly dont have LSD or ABS, and a few (mostly automatics) have ABS but no LSD the reason is most people didnt bother getting them since they were a 1500$ together option. That was changed in 1997 when u could order ABS/LSD for a lower price, thus u see more ABS/LSD cars in 1997-1998.


5 lug w/o LSD....what a shame. :(


-m

[Maeda]

Originally posted by mbmbmb23
5 lug w/o LSD....what a shame. :(


-m

you dissn my ride? o.O

j/k

[mbmbmb23]

The real shame is that the VLSD didnt come standard OEM on all models of the 240sx.


-m

[Miss Indecisive]

well.......i got the car! w00t!

its in absolutely PRESTINE condition, I was VERY impressed.....dont think you could find a better looking 1996. Anyways, it is equipped with ABS.......whats the best way to tell if it has a limited slip as well?
I've driven a limited slip RWD before (my bf's s2000) and I'm familiar with what it feels like......I would be inclined to say this one has it as well, but again, any sure way to tell?

Thanks for all your help guys.....I'll be posting a new thread tomorrow with pic's and everything! I couldnt be more thrilled! :D

[mixxamike]

Jack the rear end of your car up and spin one of the wheels. If the other wheel spins the opposite direction...open differential. If the other wheel spins the same direction...you've got an LSD.

Wait...I was just about ready to post this, but then I thought...this is a VISCOUS LSD. Don't VLSD's rely on the friction and heat of a rapid rotating differential to cause the fluid in the differential to increase it's viscosity in order to work? Maybe the test I wrote about above won't work. I dunno, It's worth a try though. It won't take more than 2 minutes to test it either way.


-Mike

[019]

can't wait to see the pics! what color's the s14? congrats on your purchase too :) zenki rules!

[FRpilot]

i dont know much about s14s, but check the usual stuff like everyone says. just look around the car for signs of welding or a bent frame, or any misaligned body panels. dont be afraid to push the motor too when you test drive it. it should run strong still since it only has 63k miles.

i never seen anyone introduce themselves on zilvia with pictures before. welcome to our community!