A couple 240sx Questions(need some advice)

[Nihsnek]

Hello,First off, I am still a "idiot" when it comes to cars, yet I am trying to learn more and more every day.
Anyways, I was recommended to check out Nissan's 240sx models for my price range and currrent goals in becoming a tuner.
Ok, so, my price range is about $7,000ish(hopefully I can get one for a little less..maybe). What do 240sx's(decent condition, no high-miles, good daily drivers) run for? (USD $$)
Second, how's the current tuner community and market like? I know there's a pretty big 240sx fan base, yet what is the availability for mods and oem parts...and help installing, etc.?
Third, all-around, is the 240sx a pretty sturdy car? I'm more friendly with Hondas(only thing i've ever had), so I don't know the quality/lifespan of an older Nissan.
Lastly, which year/specific model would you personally recommend for me?
-Will use as a daily driver
-I will most likely mod it, yet with taste(no god awful horrendous body kits, etc.)
-I am not rich, so I can't afford expensive maintance bills
-I like all the body styles, so that's not a factor
Well, thanks in advance for any advice I may receive...one of the main reasons I came here is because of the large numbers of knowledgable people.
-Nihsnek

[OptionZero]

I'm not kidding when I say this:
Buy a different car.
Your first car should be one that requires and invites less work. Even if it's not your first car, it sounds like you're not ready for this.

[C. Senor]

+1 with optionzero, 240's require quite a bit of work, especially s13 models (89-94) they are old cars and in turn need more work all around, i luv mine, but i have done a few things here and there. try like a newer suby or something, they dont require as much...but i will say 240's are very sturdy cars that are hands down one of the funnest cars to drive. i dont know how much work s14's need, but i'm sure they require some things, cuz they get work done too.

[projectRDM]

Agreed. You're coming into the market about two years too late, and used prices are nearly double what they were before the fanboys started buying them all up and trashing them to hell and back. There's plenty of aftermarket support but to do a car 'tastefully' with a limited budget you're pushing it. The tuner market is just like any other car, 90% of it is trash and the people in it are all idiots or thieves.

The average newcomer to the 240SX does the following steps:

1) Buy an 89 fastback, base model with blown headgasket and severe body damage, for $100. Proceed to strip every bit of interior out of it because it's cool.
2) Buy SR motorset, beat to shit with cut harness and poor compression, for $800.
3) Install it and act tough, knowing their allowance is tapped out for the next three years.
There is no concern past that for brakes, suspension, bodywork, or anything else.

The other end of the spectrum kids are buying fully built cars already for $10k+ that still need a shit ton of work since they're hack jobs. Finding a bone stock, untouched chassis that isn't out of your price range is going to be tough since they've all been beaten on or abused in some way, or the owner knows the market and is milking it for all it's worth.

[Taniguchi_Is_#1]

Ok, so, my price range is about $7,----(hopefully I can get one for a little less..maybe).



i know a good toys-r-us near my campus......

[BoostedCoupe]

some of the questions u asked points to yiu needing to buy a diffrent car like everyone else said. im so glade i got mine for a decent price. and me being 16 i hate to see people buy 240s and do a have ass job. or buy a perfect body car and trash it.But yeah the s13's will require some work most of the time u gotta look at it like this. these cars are not 2000+ models these cars are 89-93 they are pretty old. so that means alot of stuff on the car is worn out so that= money. i have put up with a overheating probelm for 4months. everytime i go to sell it i cant let it go i love it to much even if it does coast money all the time. GET A CIVIC lol

[Nihsnek]

Agreed. You're coming into the market about two years too late, and used prices are nearly double what they were before the fanboys started buying them all up and trashing them to hell and back. There's plenty of aftermarket support but to do a car 'tastefully' with a limited budget you're pushing it. The tuner market is just like any other car, 90% of it is trash and the people in it are all idiots or thieves.

The average newcomer to the 240SX does the following steps:

1) Buy an 89 fastback, base model with blown headgasket and severe body damage, for $100. Proceed to strip every bit of interior out of it because it's cool.
2) Buy SR motorset, beat to shit with cut harness and poor compression, for $800.
3) Install it and act tough, knowing their allowance is tapped out for the next three years.
There is no concern past that for brakes, suspension, bodywork, or anything else.

The other end of the spectrum kids are buying fully built cars already for $10k+ that still need a shit ton of work since they're hack jobs. Finding a bone stock, untouched chassis that isn't out of your price range is going to be tough since they've all been beaten on or abused in some way, or the owner knows the market and is milking it for all it's worth.

Thanks everyone, although I think I am up for this. I really want more hands-on approach to help teaching myself, since I've been reading up(mostly, howstuffworks.com).

My price range is around $7,000..sorry for typos.

Thanks R240NA for the advice and information...I basically want a "balanced mix", make sure all dents and pieces are same color, etc., while slowly thinking about my motor options.

Anyways, I will take all of this to thought, thanks!

EDIT: Yea, i've already considered the option of a civic...but I could only get an older gen then swap it...

Some Civic owners have told me to look for a decent 240sx or Teggy.

[Taniguchi_Is_#1]

neg rep for that? damn. 1 post and you're already straight up e-gangsta. want some advice? i'll reiterate what OptionZero said: buy a different car. these are old cars, and old cars require a lot more maintenance before you mod.

[exitspeed]

Here's my advice.

Don't buy a 240 cause it's mad tyte yo.

But if you do buy one...

Buy a nice stock 240 and keep it stock. Learn how to drive it and appreciate the car (don't trash it). And by learn how to drive it I don't mean on the streets. Take it to your loacl SCCA events and learn how the car handles. In the meantime read as much on Zilvia as you possibly can and don't post DB stuff. After you've learned about the car, and gained some knowledge, then jump into tuning the thing.

Take it or leave it...

[axiomatik]

if you're looking for a reliable car, don't expect much from 240's, the newest ones are 9 years old. Expect lots of worn out parts and maintenance required. Huge aftermarket for parts. Don't even think about motors until you've owned the car for a while. Too many people think they need to drop in a SR as soon as they get the car to be cool, and many, many of them end up regretting it or wishing they had spent their money elsewhere first. Forget howstuffworks, you won't get any practical info from there. Spend time reading the tech forum.

edit: unmolested 240's generally go for about $2000 for an s13 up to $10k for a '98.

[cdlong]

i don't know what you guys are talking about, i've had two 240s with over 100K miles and the only required work (aside from oil, etc.) i've done was a cap and rotor on my s13 and a water pump and new shocks on my s14. in the grand scheme of things they are pretty reliable. it's also a very simple car. it's easy to understand and take apart. it only gets complicated when you start swapping engines and off the wall stuff.

the market in dallas is different than socal, finding a good car shouldn't be that hard. is the 7k for just the car or the car plus mods? if it's just the car, you can get a nice s14 or a nicely modded s13. if it's for the car and mods you could get a decent s13, new suspension, brakes, and some basic engine upgrades for that much.

[cdlong]

Forget howstuffworks, you won't get any practical info from there. Spend time reading the tech forum.

how stuff works is a great site. true, nothing applies directly to the 240 but having a good knowledge base helps you weed through all the BS on the forums.

[Nihsnek]

neg rep for that? damn. 1 post and you're already straight up e-gangsta. want some advice? i'll reiterate what OptionZero said: buy a different car. these are old cars, and old cars require a lot more maintenance before you mod.

Lol, I didn't negative rep. you.. =(

Here's my advice.

Don't buy a 240 cause it's mad tyte yo.

But if you do buy one...

Buy a nice stock 240 and keep it stock. Learn how to drive it and appreciate the car (don't trash it). And by learn how to drive it I don't mean on the streets. Take it to your loacl SCCA events and learn how the car handles. In the meantime read as much on Zilvia as you possibly can and don't post DB stuff. After you've learned about the car, and gained some knowledge, then jump into tuning the thing.

Take it or leave it...

Yea, I wasn't planning on doing major mod right away, if ever. Just fix it up, make sure it's a decent stock condition and it doesn't look like shit. Good advice, thanks.

Anyways, howstuffworks.com is a great site for learning about basic engines, nothing directly related to a model, but to get the basic aspects of it down. Some key terms, knowing what does what, etc.

Also, any comments on the Nissan 300zx? They might be a bit out of my price range but I love the stock look of them.

[HalveBlue]

Fact is, you're going to be buying a used car. All the standard rules of used cars apply to 240's. Plus, with the drifting trend it's hard to find one that hasn't been beat to shit.

That having been said, if you plan on modding a 240 and still use it as a daily driver make sure you have a back up vehicle available.

Once you start messing around with your engine make sure you've researched as much as you can and be sure to have an outline of exactly what you want to do to your car. An engine is a system, so once you start tinkering with individual components chances are that you're going to have to fix/replace/add/take away something.

The best advice that I can give you is to buy a stock 240 and learn to drive it. As exitspeed already mentioned, take it to the track and really drive the car. Then work from there. Too many fanboys come on zilvia.net with grandiose plans of building a 350hp SR20's without knowing what the car feels like or how much money and time it's really going to cost them.

Having said all that, the only way to do something is to actually do it. Reading can only impart so much knowledge. Actually getting your hands dirty is another matter entirely.

So, go out and find a reasonably priced 240 and test drive it, then see if you still want it.

Everything else will come in due time.

Good Luck!

[Nihsnek]

Fact is, you're going to be buying a used car. All the standard rules of used cars apply to 240's. Plus, with the drifting trend it's hard to find one that hasn't been beat to shit.

That having been said, if you plan on modding a 240 and still use it as a daily driver make sure you have a back up vehicle available.

Once you start messing around with your engine make sure you've researched as much as you can and be sure to have an outline of exactly what you want to do to your car. An engine is a system, so once you start tinkering with individual components chances are that you're going to have to fix/replace/add/take away something.

The best advice that I can give you is to buy a stock 240 and learn to drive it. As exitspeed already mentioned, take it to the track and really drive the car. Then work from there. Too many fanboys come on zilvia.net with grandiose plans of building a 350hp SR20's without knowing what the car feels like or how much money and time it's really going to cost them.

Having said all that, the only way to do something is to actually do it. Reading can only impart so much knowledge. Actually getting your hands dirty is another matter entirely.

So, go out and find a reasonably priced 240 and test drive it, then see if you still want it.

Everything else will come in due time.

Good Luck!

:bow:

Wow, thanks...I appreciate the time you guys take for your responses, ;).

[SDS13COUPE]

To sum it up just sit down and really think about it. Yes they are great cars that can compete with other cars that are out of it's class, yet finding a unmolested one in a decent price range will be hard. Like everyone else said take your time to learn the limits of these cars. Don't try to go Initial D on some mountain road and wreck it. Take it to the track and talk to fellow enthusiasts and really get a feel for this environment. Make sure your ready to devote yourself to this endless money pit. Oh, and get an S13. Good luck.

[projectRDM]

If you're weary about a 240SX, don't even think a 300ZX. Great cars but an absolute mother to work on. Plus parts prices are easily twice as much.

[axiomatik]

what happened russ? you've been friendly lately.

[swiftdrift]

IMO, 7k is more than enough for a good dd deuce-forty. What i would do is buy 2 cars with that. You can easily find a good running, reliable, and cosmetically appealing s14(95-98) with that much. use that as a daily driver seeing as though it is a newer car that will probably be a little more reliable than a possibly 18 year old s13. You can easily find a car like this for less than 4k.(friend just bought a s14 kouki for 3400 with 130,xxx miles).

With you remaining 3k, try to find a decent condition s13 (89-94) to gain experience from. u can easily find one of these cars for under 1500. and this is where your wonderfull, adventurous, learning experience will commence. the only way to learn, is to live. If your really interested in 240's get your hands dirty, learn, and familiarize yourself with this beautifull piece of machine.(whatacheese! haha) your gonna have problems that wont let u sleep at night cuz these gosh-forbidden cars(gotta love em), but thats why this web site is so m-a-zing! Also familiarize yourself with other 240 enthusiasts, alot can be learned from thes knowlegable guys, and can be very resourcefull when in distress.

only u can chose ur own path. "with great power, comes great responsibility" -Ben Parker. We can lead u to the door, but you gotta open it... but when u do, BURN THE SHIT OUT YO RUBBERS!!!!!!!!!

Damn im bored....

GL, n...

peeeace:newbie:!!!!!!!!!

[OptionZero]

You are such a fucking idiot ^

If you need to ask, the 240 isn't for you, especially if it's going to just be a "daily driver" and you're "not rich".

[Jumpman-Z]

I have to disagree with a lot of you guys. I'd say the 240SX is a perfect car for a budget. The 240SX is quite reliable, but like any car over 10 years old, you should expect some things to break. Assuming you buy a model that's been taken care of fairly decently, your worst problem would probably be either your radiator leaking or your PS or A/C compressor going bad. With your budget I'm sure you could afford to replace these. The A/C would be the most expensive, and if you are somewhat mechanically inclined and can read, it won't be too difficult.

Since they are cheaper, for your budget I'd go with a '91-'93 S13 or '94-'95 S14, preferably one with under 125K on the chassis. Like a couple of guys said, don't worry about the mods, just learn how to drive the car. You don't really need to have a lot of power to enjoy your car. Keep $1500 stored for any problems you might run into, and put the rest into getting your car in perfect condition.

I'd say the 240SX is a perfect budget car. I'd only NOT recommend if you either (a) live around a lot of snow, or (b) drive like a moron. Other than that, go for it! Just be sure to check for lemons.:aw:

[jrmiller84]

The best advice that I can give you is to buy a stock 240 and learn to drive it. As exitspeed already mentioned, take it to the track and really drive the car. Then work from there. Too many fanboys come on zilvia.net with grandiose plans of building a 350hp SR20's without knowing what the car feels like or how much money and time it's really going to cost them.

Seconded. I drove my car for a good year before I even started thinking about any mods/swaps. Didn't feel I knew enough about the car before then and I would just destroy it. I got my relatively unmolested S13 for $2000. Had the usual dash cracking and small seat tears. Only needed a starter in the first year.

You just have to be really patient and attentive when picking them out with all the fanboys around messing them up. :loco:

And use Carfax!!! (http://www.zilvia.net/f//showthread.php?t=87733) It's nice knowing that you're car hasn't been in a major accident.