If you're going to mod anyway... STD vs. LE vs. SE question

[dracon]

Hi Paul and/or Jacob - have a great life knowing that you are the bigger and better person!

[gonzoes14k]

Just be lucky you found a 5 speed and search next time.

[sw20>>s14]

not really. besides 5 lug hubs, stabilizer bar, vlsd, and abs. some SEs dont come with vlsd and abs anyway. and if your going to get into drifting, you might end up upgrading the diff anyways. you can also get a sway bar in the future. everything else is cosmetic. seats, fogs, lip, etc.

[SoCalS14]

I guess it sorta depends on what you want to do with the car...I wanted a good street car...So I got the SE, with the trimmings so I would not have to spend that money on the goodies it came with.

I generally of the opinion that starting with the best platform you can is always a bonus.

[wootwoot]

I was so excited to find a base model fast back with no power windows, and no sun roof at all. I think the only option it came with was a spoiler?

[trixxxr4_kids]

what is an STD 240? did you mean standard ?but i would go with go with an SE because leather is heavier , rips faster , and sucks to have on hot days and leather and wood trim are the only differences between and le and se

[d4vech3n]

If you want a street/track car, itd be better to get the SE because of the power locks, keyless entry, fog lights, etc. Other than that and 5 lug, you'll probably replace parts for drifting anyway. The seats are different as well along with a bunch of other things. The benefits are no sun roof and no spoiler, that's about it.

[OptionZero]

My SE came with alot of baggage:
stock spoiler- I had to have the holes filled in and the trunk repainted to put on my S14 kouki spoiler. Thats $$$

sunroof- cost me 1inch of headroom at least

no VLSD/ABS, although no ABS is seen as a benefit to some (woulda helped in the rain i bet)

Stabilizer bars, you could probably upgrade, and if you get good suspension it wont matter anywys

The BIGGEST thing is 5-lug, since that is $500 in parts, plus you need new wheels and brakes and the trouble of slapping it on

The VLSD is pretty much crap, aftermarket is the way to go (or s15 for meee one day)

Oh yeah, you don't want leather seats if you're going to be driving the car at all

if only i could install a nonsunroof roof....

[Ian]

you can remove your sunroof and have the hole welded up and braced...

[Phlip]

My opinion is that if you are going to modify it HEAVILY, go with the lowest priced (for what you get, compare cost to quality) car with a 5-speed already in place... With it being an S14 already, the 5-lug swap shouldn't be TERRIBLY expensive (hell, only cost me 300 for my S13, including a set of S14 SE wheels) and all the other shit is upgradable and probably would have been anyway, and who the hell needs leather?

[publicenemy137]

I got the STD, it's the lightest weight, cheapest, and I pretty much made everything like an SE on it anyways. I put in a spoiler to my liking (Navan), keyless entry which was a built in feature for my viper alarm, foglights, it has power windows. The only thing I miss from the SE option is 5 lug hubs, but I just got some nice 4 lug wheels instead. I also don't like the white faced SE gauges, doesn't go well with the rest of the interior. I am going to upgrade the differential anyways, and get a better rear swaybar, so in essence if I got an SE, I would've replaced most of the options that came with it anyways.

[KOUKI KA-T]

I was able to score an SE w/o a sunroof, best of all of them if you ask me.

[nlzmo400r]

If I remember correctly, every model/trim of the 240sx (even since the 89 model) came with sway bars front AND rear. The only difference is the HICAS rear bars are a little bit bigger. Ive got a stripped down s13 (power nothing) and i got it because of the weight, and my g/f's got a loaded s14 SE, and it seems im always fixing power windows and shit on hers. Only thing i wanted was ABS/VLSD, but looks like im going Helical anyway, and i suppose i can live without abs

[chuy]

I got a 98 base and I got everything from sunroof to leater seats no diff or rear swaybar no abs and no 5 lug but I have everything else. I traded the leather seats for cloths and I bought swaybars front and rear dont really care about the abs but I do want 5 lug hubs though.

[Chernobyl]

If I remember correctly, every model/trim of the 240sx (even since the 89 model) came with sway bars front AND rear.

S14 base models did not have rear sway bars.

If you're getting an S14 and plan on autox or any other racing that involves wearing a helmet, do yourself a favor and pick up a car with no sunroof. I've driven my old one with no sunroof and an SE with a sunroof back to back at autox and it made a HUGE difference in headroom. That is, unless you actually like to drive around gangsta-lean style at races. :ughd:

[Phlip]

^^^ Or if you're only 5'7 1/2" like me, then it doesn't dammit matter

[Chernobyl]

I don't know Phillip, my friend who owned the car with the sunroof is much shorter than me and he was still having problems with helmet clearance. I guess it depends more on torso length than legs or something.

BTW I always imagined you to be much taller than that! :loco:

[Phlip]

Well, I drove Steeles' car last time I was at an Auto-X, with helmet and sunroof and stock S14 SE seats and I experienced no headroom issues... My current S13 XE coupe has a sunroof and I don't imagine I will have any such issues when the Auto-X in the area starts.

... and most people usually do imagine me to be taller, I don't know why

[sw20>>s14]

basically, save money now, so you can spend it later. no point in getting all those options when within a year, theyre either going to be in the zilvia for sale section or rotting in your garage. i say go with the lightests, s14 base :naughty: . five lug convo is hella cheap for s14s so dont even worry about it

[michael1284]

Even the base models have a lot of options. That is, just because it's a base model doesn't mean there won't be power windows ect. I have a base model 97 5 spd, I have power windows, mirrors, doors, just no sun roof. I also have a rear spoiler...but I wish it didn't have one :/ spoilerless > **

[HyperTek]

hopefully ill never meet anyone with an STD.. hahah jk...

base model rocks!!! just get the rear sway bar from the Hicas model, and upgrade the LSD anyways... =D

EDIT- nevermind.. I was thinking S13