Could you justify swapping this?

[xTomCatt]

Hey guys, about 5 months ago I purchased an all original 1990 coupe which has been a dream car since I was in high school. Now the catcher is, it's an automatic, which makes the car an absolute bore to drive as we all know and only has 20,056 miles. I purchased the car with 19,659 miles. And I'm really just trying to figure out if I can justify doing an SR20 swap. I'd like to know if you guys/gals would do it if you had bought one in this kind of condition? Any feedback you guys could give me would be a huge help in this decision making process.

[xTomCatt]

Here's a few pictures for you guys.

[ehhhregartless]

Not only is it a boring drive but it looks boring too. I'd liven that car up by going 2J swap, robe font end while you're at it, full duraflex kit, grip royal wheel, xxrs, pladti-dip exterior, welded diff and hyperwhites all around. A roll cage would help too. Then it'll be fun.

[xTomCatt]

You have a good sense of humor bud!

[zenkicpe]

Nice pick up man! You wont find many 2 tones in PA..

Ill give you my 2 cents, in this all PA thread so far

Id go CA18det, keep it as close to oem looking as possible. Maybe deviate to front mount intercooler but thats about it. If you do that (and do it clean) it would only be worth more.

Personally I think that would be fun to drive and be close to "stock". A nice set of proper offset quality wheels with properly sized tires, lowered a little... sex

Good luck, choose wisely

[xTomCatt]

Thanks man! Like I said, any feedback is good feedback. The CA18 would be year correct based of the year I have and I have always thought they were interesting motors. I'll have to read up on them to get a bit more knowledge. But I agree. Keeping it close to stock is what I want to do. There aren't many of these cars left in this kind of condition, so I truly baby it when I'm back in Hawaii.

[tuzzio]

Wait until you realize your "dream car" is something you'll absolutely hate.

[xTomCatt]

Haha I feel you man. I've already pored quite a bit into it just on maintenance shit alone.

[Nissan2nr22]

Don't go ca18det. LOL. Ca18 is 100% fanboy status.

If you dont beat on your car and maintain it put a stock sr in it, and maintain it right with the proper fluids, wont give you issues if done right and last you long, never had a problem with a SR, owned many. I only had one SR knock on me and I bought the car knocking to flip it.

[Trap Star]

Why not just do a 5-speed swap with this engine? Much cheaper, pretty easy, and it keeps more of the original equipment. As soon as you swap in an SR you destroy the entire point of buying a car with 20k miles on it.

[travon47]

No, Its original in collector shape and mileage. I think you would be crazy, but im sure everyone else will say go for it. Your car, your choice

[5280VertDET]

You have 2 options IMHO:

2 Trade it for a good decent build with the parts you want already on it

OR

Keep it and 5 speed swap it.

[pacotaco345]

Don't go ca18det. LOL. Ca18 is 100% fanboy status.

If you dont beat on your car and maintain it put a stock sr in it, and maintain it right with the proper fluids, wont give you issues if done right and last you long, never had a problem with a SR, owned many. I only had one SR knock on me and I bought the car knocking to flip it.
This guy's onto something. Just go pick up a stock SR and keep it stock with the exception of some breather mods. A set of nice coilovers and bronze TE37 wouldn't hurt either.

Just don't do anything that you can't unbolt and make sure you take your time and do it right.

[d9m13n]

Damn thats the stuff of my dreams.
My 2 cents, stock sr20 swap with a 5 speed (obviously)
Tasteful correct fitment wheels, decent shocks and struts or coils to drop it a bit and improve the handling.
Keep the paint in excellent shape, as well as the interior.
We're probably just a couple years to a decade away from clean, stock(ish) s13s appreciating providing the market for this sort of car remains relatively stable and demand stays in place.
Overall, just dont fuck it up and youve got yourself a diamond in the rough

[S14kouki805]

I'm interested to know the story on it...

Who owned it before?

[S14kouki805]

Wait until you realize your "dream car" is something you'll absolutely hate.

Fucking aye...damn it if this isn't the truth

[lunchmeat]

Only 20k miles? I'm still trying to get my head around that.

[Nissan2nr22]

Only 20k miles? I'm still trying to get my head around that.

Me too, OP can you send a photo of the cluster? They are quite easy to flip back and when you flip back the mileage they become uneven across the board.

[Trap Star]

We're probably just a couple years to a decade away from clean, stock(ish) s13s appreciating providing the market for this sort of car remains relatively stable and demand stays in place.

This has definitely been going on for a while already.

[dezzS13]

I would just 5 speed swap it and run the KA24E until it died. But maybe prep an SR along the way :P

[xTomCatt]

Me too, OP can you send a photo of the cluster? They are quite easy to flip back and when you flip back the mileage they become uneven across the board.

Here you go man. It was a two owner car before me. The original owner was an older Japanese lady living on the island of Oahu in Hawaii. She didn't have a far commute to work and stopped driving it in her later years and put it into storage. The second owner was a middle aged man that impulse bought the car off of her based off of the condition. He barely had the time to drive it and only put 600 miles on it from when he bought it off of her. Fast forward 2 years and I have a super low miles, full maintenance record from the day it left the lot to today. It truly is a 20000 mile car.

[xTomCatt]

It was a two owner car before me. The original owner was an older Japanese lady living on the island of Oahu in Hawaii. She didn't have a far commute to work and stopped driving it in her later years and put it into storage. The second owner was a middle aged man that impulse bought the car off of her based off of the condition. He barely had the time to drive it and only put 600 miles on it from when he bought it off of her. Fast forward 2 years and I have a super low miles, full maintenance record from the day it left the lot to today. It truly is a 20000 mile car.

[lunchmeat]

Got a gem right there.

[xTomCatt]

Got a gem right there.

Thanks man. Appreciate it

[S14kouki805]

Soooo no one has asked, what'd you pay for it??

[240boi115]

man and I thought my 90 coupe with 91,xxx on the clock was a rare sight.... do what I did. 300zx brakes, nice wheels and suspension because even a low mile car like that could handle better, and well screw the swap... be different and turbo the damn thing. your engine is healthy and if you build it right that could be one quick car.

[Mitsubayati]

IFF at some point this becomes a collector car, I would assume that you would have hurt the value by doing anything other than preserving it's original equipment.

If your goal is to eventually try to sell the car and make as much money as possible, then you should probably leave it as-is especially in the case mentioned above.

If you don't care about resale but want to be true to the car and bring out it's potential, an SR would be the only acceptable swap as long as it was done very clean and as factory as possible. These are all opinions of course.

If it were me and there was a market I would just sell it and buy a car I wouldn't feel bad about swapping or modifying.

[240boi115]

^^^^ true true, I feel guilty enough modifying my car but I rarely drive it and know id never sell it unless someone offered me a ridiculous amount of money. xD you could always store this one and buy another you don't mind messing with.

[tlieberman240]

Leave it alone. Preserve it as best you can. No point in hacking up a perfectly mint car. Only way I'd be taking that engine out and putting an SR in it, is if it was a brand new long block... and even then, I'd wait.

Leave it be. Keep it in the garage and keep it mint. If you want something to put an SR, go buy another one that has a busted motor in it that's on its last leg and swap that.

[leedle-leedle-lee]

Honestly, my suggestion would be, regardless of what you swap in, be it CA/SR/KA, just keep it stock! Why are kouki bits worth a shitload? because OEM.

But whatever you do to, just leave it nice and factory, don't hack the guards, don't put a stupid wing on it (obviously you can do whatever because it's your own car). but how rare is it to see a nice, factory looking car with a few simple and subtle mods?

You can run coils without it being stupid, you can have nice wheels with the correct offset on factory guards. Just look after it, and it will look after you, (hopefully) Regarldes of what you do, keep us updated!

[lunchmeat]

I know if my 97 had that low miles, I'd doubt I'd do anything permanent. But since it's 200k+ and the motor is on its last leg, it's getting swapped with something, just haven't decided on what.

[feito]

Nice. I think a stock ca18 would be more appropriate for its year if you wanna keep it as stock as possible and still give you that little kick your looking for, completely stock down to the smic. Not to mention they're prettier. Shock replacements, oem size new tires, and you're all set. Either that, or just leave it as is, store it and drive it every once in a while.

[Trap Star]

Whats up with all the CA suggestions? They're garbage IMO. I know some people love them but I can't ever see myself buying one unless its already in the car.

If you do a 5 speed swap do it to OEM Nissan spec, no short cuts. Document everything, keep receipts, take pictures, etc. That really is an excellent example of an S13 and you're not going to find many in that condition. I totally understand the painful autotragic experience though. My 90 coupe was auto as well and I tore that shit out as soon as I could.

If you have storage space keep any OEM parts that you pull off it so you can return it to stock later. Any way you decide to go just remember documentation is extremely important for a collector car.

[leedle-leedle-lee]

no short cuts. Document everything, keep receipts, take pictures, etc.

This, this, this, this, this, this, all of this.

[KiLLeR2001]

I'd buy a donor s13 that is factory M/T car and literally switch everything over so not even those with the keenest of eyes could tell it use to be an automatic. If you can't perform that level of work I'd recommend leaving as is.

[Nissan2nr22]

Owned cas, junk.
Stop suggesting cas, ca was cool like 10 years ago

[silviamang]

Yeah wuts up wit all dis CA talk?? Put an LS1 in it bro and make it a manuel. HELL YEAH!!

You got 2 fix dat exterior tho. Looks soooo boring. Rocket bunny would be dopeee! Also some PHAT varstoens.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

[Ramonesfreak2010]

Don't touch it. Buy another S13 to modify. Keep this one low mileage and OEM.

[TekunoStarBerto]

*Just my opinion obviously*
What's the point in buying a low mileage car if youre just gonna trash the low mile engine? Buy an unfortunate shell and restore it to its former glory and have some fun with that along the way. But leave this literal baby in its glory. If you do go on to take stuff off, take your time and store it ALL... I just feel there is no reason to do anything besides flawlessly 5spd swap it when there are few clean 40's and plenty of trash ones you can have fun with. She's beautiful man! Congrats and good luck!

[zenkicpe]

Whats up with all the CA suggestions? They're garbage IMO. I know some people love them but I can't ever see myself buying one unless its already in the car.

If you do a 5 speed swap do it to OEM Nissan spec, no short cuts. Document everything, keep receipts, take pictures, etc. That really is an excellent example of an S13 and you're not going to find many in that condition. I totally understand the painful autotragic experience though. My 90 coupe was auto as well and I tore that shit out as soon as I could.

If you have storage space keep any OEM parts that you pull off it so you can return it to stock later. Any way you decide to go just remember documentation is extremely important for a collector car.

Garbage why, because they need to be overhauled due to being 30 fucking years old? The head design is better than SR, it shares architecture with the RB engines.

[zenkicpe]

Owned cas, junk.
Stop suggesting cas, ca was cool like 10 years ago

what exactly was "junk" about it?

[Trap Star]

Garbage why, because they need to be overhauled due to being 30 fucking years old? The head design is better than SR, it shares architecture with the RB engines.

Sure thats a start. I've seen extremely well built and maintained CA's that still never ran right or blew up. Parts aren't nearly as available either when compared to SR's (this is why I wouldn't buy an RB either). I'm sure there are good CA's out there but in my experience they are few and far between.

[5280VertDET]

Its like there's a reason that nissan made the CA for 4-ish years and then made the SR for 10+...

[JM216S14]

It was a two owner car before me. The original owner was an older Japanese lady living on the island of Oahu in Hawaii. She didn't have a far commute to work and stopped driving it in her later years and put it into storage. The second owner was a middle aged man that impulse bought the car off of her based off of the condition. He barely had the time to drive it and only put 600 miles on it from when he bought it off of her. Fast forward 2 years and I have a super low miles, full maintenance record from the day it left the lot to today. It truly is a 20000 mile car.

wow that's a far trip from hawaii to pa did you ship it?

[XMcEvilson]

I wouldn't change anything under the hood. I'd just remove the weird stripe on the sides and get some cool stock sized wheels like a volk 57v, etc

[Nissan2nr22]

Garbage why, because they need to be overhauled due to being 30 fucking years old? The head design is better than SR, it shares architecture with the RB engines.

lol rbs, thats all im going to say

what exactly was "junk" about it?

lol

[Jorgs_7]

With mileage like that, it deserves to be preserved,

However........

If I were to swap, it would be a *CLEAN* and simple T28 SR 5 speed swap.

[jared420sx]

You fucked up. This is almost as bad as buying a rust bucket. Youre pretty much obliged to do nothing to it. And anything else would be a sin.
Just keep it and buy another. Just wrap this one up and roll it into a barn for the future. In 25-35 years it just might be worth a pretty penny and you would have done the community justice.

I feel a sr would ruin it. It wasnt meant to be in this car its lhd lol. Keep it orignal!! Dont ruin it!

[Hoffman5982]

CA18 is fanboy status but you recommend an SR? Wat....

I actually recommend the CA. Keep it period correct. If you do go SR, spend the extra coupla bucks to put a notchtop in at least.

[Highway Riding]

No swap. Rebuild motor, add boost and 5 spd or 6spd sr tranny!

[hatch4life]

manual swapped you could get 6k easy for it around me and I'm in pa as well

I was watching fast n loud or one of those shows last night and got me thinking how much something like that would go for 20 or 30 years from now..

[scottie]

Do NOT touch this car. This thing is absolutely perfect...... minus the automatic. I would swap in a 5 speed, nice clutch, flywheel, nismo slave and new master. Document every item, receipts and installation. The value WILL increase if done to OEM standards. This is one example I would simply replace bushings, endlinks, hoses, etc... with as many factory parts as possible (just new). Maintain OEM clamps on all hoses from coolant, oil to air and ps. Avoid using worm gear clamps on items that were not there from Nissan. If you do these simple things and maintain the low mileage, you will absolutely turn a profit in another 4-5 years. Hell I may buy it.

[andisan]

Yeah I would try to keep it to OEM as possible and find another to modify

Then sell it to a collector ;)

[Malik]

You don't need to do a motor swap, the 5 speed swap is just fine.

But if you have the budget to go SR its a lot of fun. I would save up for some wheels and coilovers.

you'll enjoy the car a lot more.

[lok]

Do NOT touch this car. This thing is absolutely perfect...... minus the automatic. I would swap in a 5 speed, nice clutch, flywheel, nismo slave and new master.

Nismo slave cylinder?

Shut up Scottie

Waste of money upgrade for no reason. Haha

[dizzariot]

I would just 5 speed swap it and run the KA24E until it died. But maybe prep an SR along the way :P

This guy has the right idea.

Leave it alone. Preserve it as best you can. No point in hacking up a perfectly mint car. Only way I'd be taking that engine out and putting an SR in it, is if it was a brand new long block... and even then, I'd wait.

Leave it be. Keep it in the garage and keep it mint. If you want something to put an SR, go buy another one that has a busted motor in it that's on its last leg and swap that.

...but there is also a point to be made here. The KA24E won't be magically awesome with a manual transmission. I just bought a CA18DE two-tone Q's out here and it's factory manual. While it's less boring than an auto it just barely keeps me awake.

I'm normally an asshole on this forum. I've been PM'd many times telling me so. I take pride in it and although you don't know me please trust me (a stranger) when I say that there is some good advice in here. Most new dudes posting threads like this get ripped new assholes.

Preserve it. If you want to 5speed swap it then do it. It's your money. If you want to put a motor in it, swap in an SR or even a low-mileage KA24DE. just please, for the love of the universe and everything in it, don't ruin another two-tone.

You seem like a nice guy. You've got a forum-asshole's vote of confidence.


Owned cas, junk.
Stop suggesting cas, ca was cool like 10 years ago

...dude you sold that car so fucking fast lol. 'fuckouttahere. I mean you're right, but...shit.

[hatch4life]

Any "upgrade" will be lost money... especially a ca

[Hakosuka1700]

I'd say preserve it, maybe a 5 speed if you really want it. If you decide to do an engine swap, SR over CA. I have a CA and it isn't a bad engine, but if something does go wrong it's a pain. There are crossover parts from the Pulsar NX 1.8 and some other Nissans of the time, but some of the parts specific to the RWD CA can be difficult to find, which gets very inconvenient if you need to use the car. Aftermarket support is very limited as well.

[xTomCatt]

Soooo no one has asked, what'd you pay for it??

I paid $6000 for it my man. Pretty cheap considering the shape the car is in if you ask me.

[xTomCatt]

I agree. I just want the car to be what i have pictured in my head. A super clean two tone that is actually fun to drive.

[xTomCatt]

Whats up with all the CA suggestions? They're garbage IMO. I know some people love them but I can't ever see myself buying one unless its already in the car.

If you do a 5 speed swap do it to OEM Nissan spec, no short cuts. Document everything, keep receipts, take pictures, etc. That really is an excellent example of an S13 and you're not going to find many in that condition. I totally understand the painful autotragic experience though. My 90 coupe was auto as well and I tore that shit out as soon as I could.

If you have storage space keep any OEM parts that you pull off it so you can return it to stock later. Any way you decide to go just remember documentation is extremely important for a collector car.

Thats what ill do if i go through with it. I will be documenting everything and using OEM nissan parts. Plus ill be keeping everything i change. I have no intention on selling the car, but i never know what kind of roads my life will take me down.

[xTomCatt]

wow that's a far trip from hawaii to pa did you ship it?

No man, i havent shipped the car yet. Im active duty military stationed out here with a few months left on my contract. Once im done, it will be shipped back to PA.

[xTomCatt]

*Just my opinion obviously*
What's the point in buying a low mileage car if youre just gonna trash the low mile engine? Buy an unfortunate shell and restore it to its former glory and have some fun with that along the way. But leave this literal baby in its glory. If you do go on to take stuff off, take your time and store it ALL... I just feel there is no reason to do anything besides flawlessly 5spd swap it when there are few clean 40's and plenty of trash ones you can have fun with. She's beautiful man! Congrats and good luck!

Thanks for the compliments bro. Im honestly to this day torn on what i want to do with it. Its too good of condition to do anything to it.

[Maxstyle]

Nice pick up man! You wont find many 2 tones in PA..

Ill give you my 2 cents, in this all PA thread so far

Id go CA18det, keep it as close to oem looking as possible. Maybe deviate to front mount intercooler but thats about it. If you do that (and do it clean) it would only be worth more.

Personally I think that would be fun to drive and be close to "stock". A nice set of proper offset quality wheels with properly sized tires, lowered a little... sex

Good luck, choose wisely

Couldn't agree more. The CA18 is a great motor and will be less of a pain in the ass to deal with. The Power Steering plumbing will not have to be changed like it will be if you do a SR20. Even the Factory radiator will work if you don't want to buy an aftermarket one at this point. Upgrade to a S15 Spec R turbo and enjoy. The CA18 is a true cam over and will not have rocker arm issues. Iron block. It pretty much a 4cylinder RB engine. The SR was introduced in order to cut costs in manufacturing. Making the CA was not much less them making an RB25 in Nissan's eyes.

[dizzariot]

No man, i havent shipped the car yet. Im active duty military stationed out here with a few months left on my contract. Once im done, it will be shipped back to PA.

Replied to your PMs. You're military? Me too. Like I said man you've got help over here if you need it. I fully support the stuff you're talking about. Let me know when you need help.

Couldn't agree more. The CA18 is a great motor and will be less of a pain in the ass to deal with. The Power Steering plumbing will not have to be changed like it will be if you do a SR20. Even the Factory radiator will work if you don't want to buy an aftermarket one at this point. Upgrade to a S15 Spec R turbo and enjoy. The CA18 is a true cam over and will not have rocker arm issues. Iron block. It pretty much a 4cylinder RB engine. The SR was introduced in order to cut costs in manufacturing. Making the CA was not much less them making an RB25 in Nissan's eyes.

...so if someone wanted to build their CA18DE...where would one start :kiss:

[Flicktitty]

Coming from someone who did this a few years ago (89 Coupe XE 5spd, HUD,etc) with just over 19k miles. I JZ Swapped it, did a silvia front end, brakes, full suspension and the list goes on and on. I kick myself daily for not leaving the car stock and just buying an average car to do the build to.

Like they say, it's only original once.

[xTomCatt]

Im gonna be really honest guys, and a lot of you aren't going to like what Im gonna say, but I've finally really came to the conclusion that I'M just going to SR/5 speed swap the car. A decent set of period correct wheels, coilovers, and brake upgrade. Don't worry, It's going to stay a two-tone. I'd never ruin that aspect of the car. Everything is going to be done correctly and it isn't going to be half assed. Hopefully some of you can forgive me and tolerate what I have planned for the car.

[CrimsonRockett]

At the end of the day, it's your car.

You do as you please with it. Enjoy it for what it is.

Cars are meant to be driven.

[xTomCatt]

At the end of the day, it's your car.

You do as you please with it. Enjoy it for what it is.

Cars are meant to be driven.


Thanks man, I appreciate it!

[lunchmeat]

Im gonna be really honest guys, and a lot of you aren't going to like what Im gonna say, but I've finally really came to the conclusion that I'M just going to SR/5 speed swap the car. A decent set of period correct wheels, coilovers, and brake upgrade. Don't worry, It's going to stay a two-tone. I'd never ruin that aspect of the car. Everything is going to be done correctly and it isn't going to be half assed. Hopefully some of you can forgive me and tolerate what I have planned for the car.
Approved!
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170207/9935732256544c45d66cc616c6eea356.jpg

[mechanicalmoron]

What should I do with my unicorn?

Obviously, hack it up 'cleanly', and swap a little turd of an unservicable orphaned overseas motor with 600cc less displacement

*edit* oh, you're just going to swap the little orphaned overseas turd with 400cc less displacement, I guess that's better....

[xTomCatt]

What should I do with my unicorn?

Obviously, hack it up 'cleanly', and swap a little turd of an unservicable orphaned overseas motor with 600cc less displacement

*edit* oh, you're just going to swap the little orphaned overseas turd with 400cc less displacement, I guess that's better....

Like I said, hopefully you guys can forgive me. I can't please everybody.

[dizzariot]

Im gonna be really honest guys, and a lot of you aren't going to like what Im gonna say, but I've finally really came to the conclusion that I'M just going to SR/5 speed swap the car. A decent set of period correct wheels, coilovers, and brake upgrade. Don't worry, It's going to stay a two-tone. I'd never ruin that aspect of the car. Everything is going to be done correctly and it isn't going to be half assed. Hopefully some of you can forgive me and tolerate what I have planned for the car.

Dude if this is your plan then don't listen to anyone else. You're already solid.


What should I do with my unicorn?

Obviously, hack it up 'cleanly', and swap a little turd of an unservicable orphaned overseas motor with 600cc less displacement

*edit* oh, you're just going to swap the little orphaned overseas turd with 400cc less displacement, I guess that's better....

What are you suggesting?

[Kingtal0n]

i would never swap a 240 with less than 120k.

its got much more value the way it is now, original. Once you pull the engine the value will drop, regardless of what you install next or how much money you pour into it, you will only be decreasing the cars value.

[dizzariot]

You (of all people) should know that I value these cars as 'OEM as possible' to a fault...but seriously man the 'Onevia' is hideous and the SOHC KA isn't fun by any stretch of the imagination.

What the hell? He wants to essentially make it into the Japanese equivalent. I thought I was harsh.

[Malik]

your car, do what you want to do.

[Bnr32gtr]

pull that fucking slow ass ka out and smack a sr in that bitch I would not u care if it had 20k on it. That don't change the fact it 20 + years old. And I have never herd someone one say man I really wish it had a ka in it. Come on guys lol. we just pulled the boxer out of my boys frs for a lsx. You have a good plan sir now get to it say focus

[Bnr32gtr]

And for the people who says it's only original once. Stock any thing is lame af. Never roll stock! Tastefull mod never go out of style

[dizzariot]

And for the people who says it's only original once. Stock any thing is lame af. Never roll stock! Tastefull mod never go out of style

LSX in an FRS, huh? Yeah man makes way more sense than a Greddy turbo kit.

[Bnr32gtr]

Yeah... Way more reliable sti ringland failure around 400 and that has a stouter boxer motor in it. Nothing cool & fast is cheep. U might be able to get one of the two on the low but not both.

[d9m13n]

Super solid plan and it's the way I personally would go. If it's within budget source a super clean sr and get a reputable shop to do the swap so you'll have invoices and receipts. Keep the paint as clean as possible and just enjoy the car since that's what it's for at the end of the day. No matter how much we want them to stock low mile s chassis will never pull crazy auction numbers like some other Japanese classics have. 5-10 years down the road, put it up on bring a trailer and chances are it'll still be one of the lowest mile s13s on the market, but without the single jingle auto someone will actually want to buy it. Hate to admit it, but these will never be very sought after stock or super desirable classics. Keeping an s chassis stashed away in hopes of getting some marginal appreciation after some absurd amount of time is only a little better than turning it into a clapped out drift slut in my book. Look after it and enjoy the hell out of it

[Bnr32gtr]

^i stand my this message. Op lock this bitch up and start a build thead

[dizzariot]

Considering the 180SX here is already going up in price it seems like you're not doing a lot of research, dude. The Midnight Purple TypeX I bought was fairly pricey considering what they went for a year or so ago. If you're talking about USDM ones you're half right: no one wants a stock S-chassis car...

...but the Japanese ones will definitely be sought after. They were a sports car here, not economy cars. There was a 1989 TypeX CONVERSION at the auctions last month. Started life as an automatic NA and ended up manual SR20DET with TypeX aero. Went for close to $13k and it's not even a VIN plate TypeX.

My point? Making a USDM two-tone into (essentially) a JDM two-tone will be worth more money one day.

Bnr32gtr - I can't afford to get into another argument about the FRS/BRZ so we'll just have to agree to disagree, dude.

[lunchmeat]

I wouldn't consider them economy cars. They were sporty coupes mainly driven by middle aged folks. It was Nissan's miata with an engine that should have never came in the car.

[d9m13n]

Yeah I was pretty much exclusively referencing usdm spec cars, of course the truly rare sport oriented specs offered in other markets will see appreciation.
On a side note, experiencing the Japanese market firsthand how high do you think prices for truly exceptional s13s will go? How active is the market in Japan for the insanely priced r34 nur spec/nsx type r/etc. and are they actually changing hands for anywhere near asking? Obviously I'm referencing crazy s chassis prices in proportion to these, not comparing them directly.

[Standard]

I disagree with some of the statements made

I would agree that almost no one wants to drive a S-chassis bone stock or keep it in a oe state long term, however there's no doubt that an unmolested example in factory shape is sought after by many, myself included. As the years pass, a clean car in stock form will increase in value, many buyers prefer a blank canvas to make their oun. The price for any S-chassis will continue to go up, and they will be sought after "collector cars" in the future, no doubt in my mind.

I don't care what my s13 will be worth years from now, I'm just an enthusiast with a passion for these cars and these are my opinions.

OP: Nice car, enjoy it! :)

[dizzariot]

On a side note, experiencing the Japanese market firsthand how high do you think prices for truly exceptional s13s will go? How active is the market in Japan for the insanely priced r34 nur spec/nsx type r/etc. and are they actually changing hands for anywhere near asking? Obviously I'm referencing crazy s chassis prices in proportion to these, not comparing them directly.

Prices for low mileage, VIN plate TypeX cars are easily over $10k. Higher mile ones won't go south of $8k unless they're beat to shit.

NSXs are slightly MORE over here and it's bumming me out because that was going to be my departure from S-Chassis cars for a bit.

R34s are selling for over $50k and people like CW_Unit are buying them and bringing them back to their country of residence.

The point to be made here is that the people (non-Japanese, mostly) are making the prices go up because, yes, they are selling at these prices.


I don't care what my s13 will be worth years from now, I'm just an enthusiast with a passion for these cars and these are my opinions.


This is exactly me lately. My '88 Q's is (obviously) non-turbo. It's 100% stock and kind of want to keep it that way and get a TypeX to mess around with.

[xTomCatt]

Alright guys, locking down the thread. It's gonna be a little while till I start the build thread as I still need to get back to Pennsylvania with the car to actually start doing something with it. But once I get the ball rolling, I will definitely be starting one.

[sackofrice]

What should I do with my unicorn?

Obviously, hack it up 'cleanly', and swap a little turd of an unservicable orphaned overseas motor with 600cc less displacement

*edit* oh, you're just going to swap the little orphaned overseas turd with 400cc less displacement, I guess that's better....

But muh turbo!