RanciD
01-26-2004, 08:54 PM
Due to some VERY fortunate circumstances I've come upon a considerable amount of money and thus am now in the market for an S14 rather than S13. :coold: This leads me to a few things.
Searching has turned up there's some kind of difference in the s14b and s14a chassis.. drilled holes or something reducing chassis rigidity and to my understanding the s14a is the stiffer of the two? This car is a large investment so I just want to really get the facts straight before I jump into this.
If this is the case then I'm going to wait for an s14a because I also prefer their styling. This is more or less where my problem starts. I've found a nearly perfect one.. blue 1998 240SX base model, beautiful condition (absolutely gorgeous). As some of you may know I've been searching for an s13 base for over a year now to no avail. Blue is also my favorite color. The problem is that it has an automatic transmission. I've read up on the 5 speed swap, it doesn't seem to difficult and I'll have the money to do it no problem. The question is whether or not it'd be worth it or if I should just wait for another to come along. This is the only base within 300 miles of me so I'd probably have to settle for something with a sunroof, abs, etc. if I hold out for a 5 speed. I really don't want to have to settle for that but as you all know these cars are quite rare so I don't have a lot of room to be picky.
How much are s14s effected by the sunroof? My other car is an MR-2 (hence why I need a daily driver) which does have a sunroof. This is a big part of the reason I don't want another car with one. I've driven my fully loaded MR-2 back to back with a base model (no sunroof or power options) MR-2 and although the difference wasn't that noticeable while driving, my times were consistently lower with the base. This was in autocross however and the MR-2 is a monster when it comes to that. From my experience with 240s, although they certaintly handle well, the MR-2 is worlds beyond it. Would it make as much difference having a sunroof as compared to a hardtop in an s14 as it did in an MR-2 (I'm talking gen 2 MR-2s by the way)?
So.. cliffnotes:
OPTIONS:
1. Buy auto, otherwise perfect, s14 and have to swap trannies
2. Wait for something already 5 speed but mostly likely have to compromise on options
Anyone care to sway me? :wiggle:
Searching has turned up there's some kind of difference in the s14b and s14a chassis.. drilled holes or something reducing chassis rigidity and to my understanding the s14a is the stiffer of the two? This car is a large investment so I just want to really get the facts straight before I jump into this.
If this is the case then I'm going to wait for an s14a because I also prefer their styling. This is more or less where my problem starts. I've found a nearly perfect one.. blue 1998 240SX base model, beautiful condition (absolutely gorgeous). As some of you may know I've been searching for an s13 base for over a year now to no avail. Blue is also my favorite color. The problem is that it has an automatic transmission. I've read up on the 5 speed swap, it doesn't seem to difficult and I'll have the money to do it no problem. The question is whether or not it'd be worth it or if I should just wait for another to come along. This is the only base within 300 miles of me so I'd probably have to settle for something with a sunroof, abs, etc. if I hold out for a 5 speed. I really don't want to have to settle for that but as you all know these cars are quite rare so I don't have a lot of room to be picky.
How much are s14s effected by the sunroof? My other car is an MR-2 (hence why I need a daily driver) which does have a sunroof. This is a big part of the reason I don't want another car with one. I've driven my fully loaded MR-2 back to back with a base model (no sunroof or power options) MR-2 and although the difference wasn't that noticeable while driving, my times were consistently lower with the base. This was in autocross however and the MR-2 is a monster when it comes to that. From my experience with 240s, although they certaintly handle well, the MR-2 is worlds beyond it. Would it make as much difference having a sunroof as compared to a hardtop in an s14 as it did in an MR-2 (I'm talking gen 2 MR-2s by the way)?
So.. cliffnotes:
OPTIONS:
1. Buy auto, otherwise perfect, s14 and have to swap trannies
2. Wait for something already 5 speed but mostly likely have to compromise on options
Anyone care to sway me? :wiggle: