sciamop
03-04-2004, 05:10 PM
Greetings, I recently picked up a charcoal gray 1990 S13 Coupe for $500. After hearing so much BS about how great the S13 chassis is, I was really interested in witnessing it firsthand (I've put about 1000 miles on this car in the last 2 weeks). I've owned a few 'performance' cars through the years (multiple Supras, 4G Civic w/ B16a and most recently a Z32TT) so hopefully my opinions aren't too 'N00b-ish'.
INTERIOR: Fairly modern and well designed (reminds me of the Z32). The seats in this car suck (especially on longer trips).
EXTERIOR: Kind of generic. I can see the R32 Skyline in there somewhere though. I have the feeling that everyone else on the road probably thinks it's a late 80s Prelude. My car has 5" x 2" NISSAN decals on the hood (near right headlight) and doors -- I've never seen this before.
ENGINE: The KA needs about 45 more hp to be a truly fun car to drive. As it stands, the KA offers an adequate, relaxed drive -- well matched to the stock chassis.
TRANSMISSION: Automatic transmission is nothing to write home about -- easy shifts to redline, though.
CHASSIS: Definitely where this car shines. Steering feel is great even with the slightly overboosted PS. A very tossable, light chassis (I'm certain I can drive this car faster in the twisties than the Z). Also, the car feels very balanced -- at no point do I feel that the motor is making too much power for the rest of the car. The blown tension rod bushings/worn components are a bit annoying, though. Easy car to drive on the highway too.
As soon as my Z32 TT is sold, I'll be modding the sh!t out of this car -- I'm *very* excited to begin! My first steps: $20 ebay FSB, KYB AGXs, 16x8 wheels (I have a set of 225 + 245/50/16 Kumho 712s laying around from another project) and I already have a box of new i/o tie rods and balljoints...
Todd
90 Coupe
INTERIOR: Fairly modern and well designed (reminds me of the Z32). The seats in this car suck (especially on longer trips).
EXTERIOR: Kind of generic. I can see the R32 Skyline in there somewhere though. I have the feeling that everyone else on the road probably thinks it's a late 80s Prelude. My car has 5" x 2" NISSAN decals on the hood (near right headlight) and doors -- I've never seen this before.
ENGINE: The KA needs about 45 more hp to be a truly fun car to drive. As it stands, the KA offers an adequate, relaxed drive -- well matched to the stock chassis.
TRANSMISSION: Automatic transmission is nothing to write home about -- easy shifts to redline, though.
CHASSIS: Definitely where this car shines. Steering feel is great even with the slightly overboosted PS. A very tossable, light chassis (I'm certain I can drive this car faster in the twisties than the Z). Also, the car feels very balanced -- at no point do I feel that the motor is making too much power for the rest of the car. The blown tension rod bushings/worn components are a bit annoying, though. Easy car to drive on the highway too.
As soon as my Z32 TT is sold, I'll be modding the sh!t out of this car -- I'm *very* excited to begin! My first steps: $20 ebay FSB, KYB AGXs, 16x8 wheels (I have a set of 225 + 245/50/16 Kumho 712s laying around from another project) and I already have a box of new i/o tie rods and balljoints...
Todd
90 Coupe